Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data modifying – Compressing/decompressing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-28
2001-05-08
Peeso, Thomas R. (Department: 2132)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data modifying
Compressing/decompressing
C709S238000, C709S250000, C345S111000, C345S111000, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230209
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a computer system and, more particularly, to a multimedia computer system which uses a disk drive unit for driving a high-density recording medium in which full-motion video data including a main picture and a sub-picture and sound data are digitally compressed and recorded to perform full-motion video display or sound reproduction.
BACKGROUND ART
As computer technology progressed in recent years, so-called multimedia personal computers of various types have been developed. A personal computer of this type can reproduce not only text data and graphics data but also full-motion video data and sound data.
Normally, full-motion video data is compressed and coded using MPEG1 (Moving Picture Image Coding Experts Group Phase 1; image format (at 30 frames per second): 350 pixels×240 pixels or less; coded data rate: 1.5 Mbits per second or less; coded image: frame image; motion vector prediction method: interframe prediction) and stored in a CD-ROM or the like. To decode and display/reproduce the full-motion video data, a dedicated expansion board is used. As an expansion board for decoding and displaying/reproducing the full-motion video data, for example, “Reel Magic” available from Sigma Designs, Inc., U.S.A., is well known. This “Reel Magic” has a video decoding function complying with the MPEG1 standard. The decoded full-motion video data is synthesized with VGA graphics received from a video card through a feature connector, and is displayed.
However, MPEG1 is a standard based on an assumption that a CD-ROM having a data transfer rate of about 1.5 Mbps is used. For this reason, in processing full-motion video data including a large quantity of image information, e.g., a movie, the image quality is undesirably degraded.
Recently, therefore, storage media of a new generation having a data transfer rate several to ten-odd times that of a CD-ROM have been developed. As such a new-generation storage medium, a system capable of recording digital data in an information amount of about 10 GB in a single disk, and realizing a data transfer rate of about 10 Mbps at maximum has been proposed as a media player.
This media player records full-motion video data or sound data which is digitally compressed and coded on the basis of the MPEG2 (Moving Picture Image Coding Experts Group Phase 2; image format (at 30 frames per second): 720 pixels×480 pixels or less; coded data rate: 15 Mbit per second or less; coded image: frame image or field image; motion vector prediction method: interframe prediction or interfield prediction) standard in a disk medium such as an optical disk, decodes the full-motion video data with sound data, and outputs the data to a TV set.
This media player has a disk drive unit, a data buffer, a video decoder, an audio decoder, an NTSC encoder, and the like. In this media player, an optical disk is driven by the disk drive unit, so that the full-motion video data and the sound data are read from the optical disk and stored in the data buffer.
The full-motion video data and the sound data, which are stored in the data buffer, are decoded by the video decoder and the audio decoder, respectively. The full-motion video data decoded by the video decoder is converted into an NTSC signal by the NTSC encoder and sent to the video input terminal of the TV set. On the other hand, the sound data decoded by the audio decoder is D/A-converted and thereafter sent to the audio input terminal of the TV set.
The data transfer rate of this media player is as high as about 10 Mbps, as described above. For this reason, by using this media player, movie information including not only a main picture but also a sub-picture such as a subtitle and a plurality of sound channels can be recorded in a single disk with a size almost the same as that of a CD. In addition, the main picture, the sub-picture, and the sound can be synchronized and reproduced on a TV set.
However, when this media player is to be mounted in a personal computer, a video decoder and the like must be arranged in the system of the personal computer, independently of the media player.
This is because the video decoder in the media player is dedicated to the player, so the video decoder in the media player cannot be used to decode an MPEG title recorded in a medium other than that in the media player, e.g., a hard disk or a CD-ROM.
For this reason, when a system in which a media player is mounted in a personal computer is constructed, two video decoders for reproducing full-motion video data are provided in the system, resulting in an increase in cost of the entire system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer system capable of realizing an optimum system for reproducing large-capacity multimedia information including a main picture, a sub-picture, and sound data on a personal computer, thereby performing inexpensive and high-quality full-motion video reproduction without providing two video decoders for reproducing the full-motion video data in the system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a computer system capable of decoding and reproducing large-capacity multimedia information including a main picture, a sub-picture, and sound data with a simple hardware configuration.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system comprising a disk drive unit for driving a recording medium in which digitally compressed and coded full-motion video data with a sub-picture is recorded, a system bus, a display monitor, a video decoder connected to the system bus to decode the full-motion video data included in a digital data stream read out from the disk drive unit, a sub-video decoder connected to the system bus to decode the sub-picture data included in the digital data stream read out from the disk drive unit, and a display controller connected to the system bus to receive the decoded full-motion video and the decoded sub-picture and display the full-motion video data with the sub-picture on a screen of the display monitor.
The disk drive unit used in this computer system is not constituted by the entire media player, as described above, but by only a portion corresponding to the disk drive unit of the media player. Full-motion video data including a large quantity of main pictures, sub-pictures, and sound data are coded by high-efficiency digital compression coding such as the MPEG2 standard and stored in the recording medium of the disk drive unit.
The coded full-motion video data and sub-picture data read out from the disk drive unit are decoded by a video decoder and a sub-video decoder incorporated in the system, respectively.
As described above, in this system, unlike the prior art in which full-motion video data and a sub-picture are decoded in the media player, these data are decoded by the video decoder and the sub-video decoder incorporated in the system, respectively. The video decoder and the sub-video decoder are connected to a system bus. For this reason, these decoders can be used to decode not only coded data read out from the disk drive unit but also coded data read out from another recording medium such as a hard disk or CD-ROM.
The full-motion video data decoded by the video decoder is transferred to a display controller and displayed on a screen by the display controller. For this reason, no expansion board dedicated to full-motion video reproduction is needed, unlike the prior art.
Therefore, an optimum system for reproducing large-capacity multimedia information consisting of full-motion video data with a sub-picture and sound data on a personal computer can be realized. This enables high-quality full-motion video reproduction without providing two video decoders for full-motion video reproduction in the system or using any expansion board dedicated for full-motion video reproduction.
The disk drive unit is preferably connected to the computer system through a peripheral interface unit such as an ATAPI (AT Attachment Packet Interface) interface or
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Peeso Thomas R.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
LandOfFree
Multimedia computer system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Multimedia computer system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Multimedia computer system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2554640