Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-16
2001-07-24
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2615)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C360S060000, C380S201000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06266480
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a data transmission and/or receiving technique and to a data reproducing technique in which a copy inhibit signal is added to main signals such as digital video signals obtained from digital satellite broadcasting signals or digital video signals reproduced from a digital video disc (DVD) or the like.
FIG. 1
illustrates a digital satellite broadcasting system for broadcasting signals, such as video signals which may have been compressed by utilizing a so-called MPEG 2 (moving picture experts group) standard picture compression technique, to a number of subscribers. Such digital satellite broadcasting system generally includes a satellite broadcasting station
210
, a broadcasting satellite
220
, and a satellite broadcasting receiver
230
. The broadcasting satellite
220
may receive broadcast signals transmitted from the broadcasting station
210
and may transmit such received signals to earth. The satellite broadcasting receiver
230
, which is mounted in or near the premises of a respective subscriber, may receive the broadcast signals from the broadcasting satellite
220
.
More specifically, in the above-mentioned digital satellite broadcasting system, a program may be encoded by an MPEG encoder so as to form an MPEG transport stream (MPEG-TS) which is modulated for satellite broadcasting and transmitted from the satellite broadcasting station
210
by way of a parabola antenna
211
to the broadcasting satellite
220
. The broadcasting satellite
220
transmits such program signals so as to be received by the satellite broadcasting receivers
230
. As shown in
FIG. 1
, a respective satellite broadcasting receiver
230
may be coupled to a television receiver
240
and/or a video tape recorder
250
.
FIG. 2
illustrates the satellite broadcasting receiver
230
. As shown therein, such receiver generally includes a station selection unit
231
, a demodulator
232
, a data decoder
233
, a descrambler
234
, an MPEG decoder
235
, and a video outputting signal processor
236
.
In the satellite broadcasting receiver
230
, a channel desired by a user may be selected by use of the station selection unit or tuner
231
. A signal of the selected channel or station from the tuner
231
is supplied to the demodulator
232
so as to be demodulated in a predetermined manner. Demodulated digital signals from the demodulator
232
are supplied to the data decoder
233
and the descrambler
234
. The data decoder
233
may receive key information from an IC card
237
which may have been provided by the service providers of the respective satellite broadcasting system and may decode such key information and supply the same to the descrambler
234
. The descrambler
234
may descramble the demodulated digital signals received from the demodulator
232
by using the key information received from the data decoder
233
. Descrambled signals from the descrambler
234
may be supplied to the MPEG decoder
235
. If the selected channel signal from the tuner
231
is not scrambled, the descrambler
234
may not perform any descrambling operations and may instead merely supply the output from the demodulator
232
to the MPEG decoder
235
. The MPEG decoder
235
may decode the MPEG-TS signals from the descrambler
234
to form decoded digital video signals and may supply the same to the video outputting signal processor
236
.
The video outputting signal processor
236
includes a video encoder
361
, a macrovision signal generator
362
, an adder
363
, and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter
364
. The video encoder
361
converts the digital video signals from the MPEG decoder
235
into signals conforming to a predetermined television standard, such as a NTSC standard. Output signals from the NTSC encoder
361
may be combined with output signals from the macrovision signal generator
236
by the adder
363
, as hereinafter more fully described. Digital output signals from the adder
363
may be converted to analog video signals in accordance with the predetermined television standard by the D/A converter
364
.
The above-mentioned digital satellite broadcasting system may use a so-called pay-per-view service wherein viewers or subscribers are charged a fee to enable viewing of a selected desired program. Typically, in such pay-per-view service, a subscriber may select a desired pay-per-view program from a program table displayed on the television receiver
240
which is supplied thereto from the satellite broadcasting station
210
by way of the broadcasting satellite
220
. The subscriber may cause information pertaining to the selected program to be supplied from the satellite broadcasting receiver
230
to the satellite broadcasting station or supervising company by way of a telephone network or the like. The key information utilized for decoding the selected program may be transmitted from the satellite broadcasting station
210
to the respective satellite broadcasting receiver
230
by way of the broadcasting satellite
220
, whereupon the desired program is enabled to be viewed and the subscriber is charged.
A pay-per-view program may be displayed on the television receiver
240
, but may be inhibited from being recorded by the video tape recorder
250
or the like so as to provide copyright protection. To inhibit such recording, a so-called macrovision or copy protect signal which may inhibit picture recording is added to the pay-per-view program. More specifically, the digital satellite broadcasting station
210
may transmit various additional data, such as key information for decoding, a program table, and/or operating parameters for hardware, along with video and audio data to the satellite broadcasting receiver
230
. The received data may be detected or decoded by the data decoder
233
of the satellite broadcasting receiver
230
so as to form a signal for controlling the macrovision signal generator
362
. Such control signal may be supplied to the macrovision signal generator
362
, whereupon a macrovision signal may be generated and combined with the digital video signals from the NTSC encoder
361
by the adder
363
.
The data decoder
233
is illustrated in FIG.
3
. As shown therein, the data decoder
233
includes a switch
331
, a control code register
332
, a control code analyzer
333
, and data stream processor
334
. Upon detecting a control code packet, the switch
331
is changed so that a control code, which may have 64 bits, is supplied to the control code register
332
. The control code from the 64-bit control code register
332
is supplied to the control code analyzer
333
wherein the received control code may be analyzed and parameter setting information and/or on/off control information may be generated and supplied to the macrovision signal generator
362
. On the other hand, if signals other than a control code packet are supplied to the switch
331
, the switch is changed so that such other signals are supplied to the data stream processor
334
wherein information, such as a program table, may be extracted and processed.
Two types of signals, that is, a pseudo horizontal synchronization pulse and a color stripe, may be utilized as macrovision signals. The two resulting systems will now be described.
In a pseudo horizontal synchronization pulse system, a pseudo horizontal synchronization pulse may be inserted into the vertical blanking period of a video signal, as shown in
FIG. 4
, so as to cause a malfunction of an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit of the VTR
250
(
FIG. 1
) and, as a result, cause the picture level to deteriorate to an unacceptable level. As such, acceptable picture recording is inhibited. In a color stripe system, the phase of a number of lines (such as four lines) of a color burst signal may be inverted every 20 lines, as shown in
FIG. 5
, so as to cause color inversion during reproduction from the VTR
250
and, as a result, cause the picture level to deteriorate to an unacceptable level. As such, acceptable picture recording is inhibited.
The television
Ezaki Tadashi
Hirai Jun
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Garber Wendy R.
Onuaku Christopher
Smid Dennis M.
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