Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Application
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-10
2004-06-01
Abebe, Daniel (Department: 2655)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Application
C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745164
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a DVD-Audio playback method and playback device, and more particularly to a DVD-Audio playback method and playback device which allows flexible selection as to whether both image and sound are output, or only the sound is output, via a monitor and a speaker connected to the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent development of audio devices, conventional analog audio media such as records and cassette tapes have rapidly been replaced by digital audio media with higher recording density and larger recording capacity, such as compact disks (CD) and mini disks (MD). More recently, use of the DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) as a digital audio recording medium has been considered in order to provide an even higher density and an even larger capacity, and the technology will be available on the market in the near future as DVD-Audio. With such a large storage capacity, DVD was originally developed as a medium for recording images, and is in practical use as DVD-Video disks which store image data compressed in accordance with the MPEG2 standard. Meanwhile, it is widely accepted that DVD-Audio will employ formats different from DVD-Video in order to store audio data.
In DVD-audio, which has a large storage capacity, it is expected that a great deal of recording space will remain after the desired audio data has been recorded. Thus, it is envisaged that video data, as well as data for displaying the performer, title, and other information related to each piece of music, etc., will be recorded in the remaining portion. Regarding the recording of video data in particular, in one feasible method, video data is separately stored and is played back in accordance with the DVD-video standards. However, when the video images are intended to be only supplementary to the audio data, it is rather extravagant and expensive to incorporate the type of playback control unit designed for DVD-Video devices.
Accordingly, it has been proposed that video data control information as well as video data be recorded in association with the audio data, so that, in accordance with the video control information, a DVD-Audio player with video output capability will output the video data to a monitor in synchronization with the audio data. The monitor may display still pictures as well as moving pictures as desired.
FIG. 4A
shows an example of the data arrangement. The entire DVD data is constituted of an Audio Manager Set (AMS) at the beginning thereof, and a plurality of Audio Group Sets (AGS) following the Audio Manager Set, as shown in (i). Each of the Audio Group Sets includes two regions of Audio Group Set Information (AGSI), one each at the beginning and at the end thereof, and a plurality of Audio Contents Block Sets (ACBS) in between, as shown in (ii). Each of the Audio Contents Block Sets is divided into a plurality of groups as shown in (iii), and each of the groups is further divided into a plurality of Audio Contents Block Units (ACBU) having a variety of hierarchical properties, as shown in (iv).
An example of the Audio Contents Block Units is shown in (v). The Audio Contents Block Unit includes a plurality of A-Packs, of about 2,048 bytes each, storing audio data as well as system clock data, and in front of the A-Packs, an Audio-Control Pack (A-CONT) storing data for controlling the playback of the A-Packs. The video data to be displayed in synchronization with the audio data is also included in the same Audio Contents Block Unit. More particularly, similar to the audio data, there are included a plurality of V-Packs storing video data as well as system clock data, and, in front of the V-Packs, a Video Control Pack (V-CONT) for controlling the playback of the V-Packs. When any video data is included as above, control data is provided in the Audio Control Pack in order to synchronize the outputs of the audio data and the video data.
DVD-Audio players distinguish the data types, i.e., whether only the audio data is stored or the video data is stored as well, according to whether any V-Pack is included in the Audio Contents Block Unit.
With no single standard established yet, a variety of DVD-Audio recording methods in addition to the above have been proposed. For example, one proposed method dictates that, instead of using the Video Control Pack as described above, a Control Pack responsible for controlling the entire unit be provided at the beginning of the Audio Contents Block Unit, so that the V-Packs as well as the data in the Audio Control Pack are controlled in accordance with the control data provided in the Control Pack.
Furthermore, it has also been proposed that the storage area of a DVD disk include separate storage areas respectively for independent audio data and for combined audio-video data, so that either type of data is played back in accordance with playback instructions, as shown in FIG.
4
B. That is, in response to a playback instruction for audio data only, the independent audio data is read for playback, while in response to a playback instruction for both audio data and video data, the combined audio-video data is read for playback. The combined audio-video data may be recorded in accordance with DVD-Video standards as well as DVD-Audio standards.
The DVD-Audio disk as described above may be played back, for example, by a DVD-Audio player provided with a speaker but not with any display device, as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG.
5
. Referring to
FIG. 5
, a motor control unit
50
controls a motor
51
, and the motor
51
in turn spins a DVD-Audio disk
52
. A slider control unit
53
controls the position of an optical pickup
54
in the radial direction of the disk
52
, so that the data is read accordingly. In accordance with the output of a playback command unit
55
for select, playback, stop, fast-forward, and other user commands, a playback control unit
56
controls the motor control unit
50
and the slider control unit
53
, so that the player operates in accordance with the instructions.
Of the data read by the pickup
54
, the type of data as selected in an output data selection unit
57
is fed to an audio signal processing unit
58
. The setting as to which type of data should be output by the output data selection unit
57
is made in a data selection setting unit
61
. Because the DVD-Audio player shown in
FIG. 5
is intended to serve as a DVD-Audio player for dedicated playback of audio data, being connected to a speaker
60
but not to any display device, the setting in the data selection setting unit
61
is made so that only audio data is output; accordingly, the independent audio data is selected in the output data selection unit
57
.
When the independent audio data is fed from the output data selection unit
57
, the audio signal processing unit
58
processes the audio data, so that the audio data is output via an audio output unit
59
to a speaker
60
. Thus, the DVD-Audio player, which is dedicated to audio, plays back the independent audio data while not outputting the audio data with the video data.
The DVD-Audio disk may also be played back by a DVD-Audio player provided with both a speaker and a display device, as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG.
6
. Referring to
FIG. 6
, like in
FIG. 5
, a motor control unit
70
controls a motor
71
, and the motor
71
in turn spins a DVD-Audio disk
72
. A slider control unit
73
controls the position of an optical pickup
74
in the radial direction of the disk
72
, so that the data is read accordingly. In accordance with the output of a playback command unit
75
for select, playback, stop, fast-forward, and other user commands, a playback control unit
76
controls the motor control unit
70
and the slider control unit
73
, so that the player operates in accordance with the instructions.
Of the data read by the pickup
74
, the audio data with video data is selected in an output data selection unit
77
to be fed to a signal separation unit
78
. Because the DVD-Audio
Abebe Daniel
Alpine Electronics Inc.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
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