JP2007214830A - Video output device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video output device capable of displaying a high quality image by using a high resolution conversion function of a video display device. <P>SOLUTION: The video output device 1 reads content data from a recording medium 3 with content including video recorded therein, converts the content data into video data and outputs the converted video data to the video display device 2. A decoder and a control part 4 acquire a content resolution recorded in the recording medium 3, read resolutions to which the video display device 2 corresponds from an EDID (extended display identification data) ROM 9, and set an output resolution being the closest to the resolution of the content among resolutions to which the video display device 2 corresponds in accordance with the content resolution and the resolutions to which the video display device 2 corresponds when both resolutions are not coincidental. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video output device capable of reproducing content from a recording medium and displaying a video on a screen of a video display device, such as a digital disc player.

In recent years, HDDVD and Blu-ray Disc have been standardized as next-generation high-density optical discs capable of recording high-quality digital data, and according to such standard discs, the resolution is higher than that of conventional optical discs. Can be recorded.
In addition, recording devices capable of recording high-definition video at the same resolution have appeared, and according to such a recording device, high-resolution video is converted into digital data as DVI (Digital Visual Interface) or HDMI ( It can be output to a video display device such as a television receiver via a High-Definition Multimedia Interface cable (see Patent Document 1).

  In a configuration in which the video output device and the video display device are connected via such a cable, the video output device reads resolution information included in EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) held by the video display device. Thus, the resolution supported by the video display device can be acquired, and the video can be output with the resolution changed to that.

In the setting of the output resolution by the conventional video output device, for example, a fixed resolution mode in which the resolution is fixed to one of 480i, 480p, 1080i, 720p, and 1080p, and one resolution is automatically selected and set. An automatic resolution mode is available.
In the fixed resolution mode, the video of the content recorded on the recording medium is converted to a fixed resolution and output to the video display device as video data, whereas in the automatic resolution mode, the EDID of the video display device is output. The output resolution is converted so as to obtain the highest resolution among the corresponding resolutions obtained from the above.
JP 2005-250342 A [G09G5 / 00]

  However, when the automatic resolution mode is set in the conventional video output device, the video output device converts the output resolution to the corresponding resolution of the video display device, so the video display device has a high-performance resolution conversion function. However, even though the video display device generally has a higher resolution conversion function performance than the video output device, the conversion function is not used.

  In addition, even when video data is input to the video display device at the maximum resolution that can be supported by the video display device side, if the display size of the panel of the video display device is smaller than the size corresponding to the maximum resolution, the video display device Since downscaling is performed on the side, input at the maximum resolution that the video display apparatus can handle is not necessarily the best option in terms of image quality.

Further, when the video output device is set to the automatic resolution mode, the user cannot select to use the resolution conversion function in the video display device.
On the other hand, when the video output device is set to the fixed resolution mode, when the content resolution and the fixed resolution set in the video output device are different, the resolution of the output content is converted on the video output device side. In order to intentionally use the resolution conversion function installed in the video display device, it is necessary to adjust the output setting of the video output device to the content resolution in advance. It is difficult to consciously change the output resolution of the video output device, and the operation is complicated.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to display a high-quality image by using the resolution conversion function when the resolution conversion function of the video display device has a higher performance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a video output device capable of selecting whether to use the resolution conversion function of the user at will.

The video output device according to the present invention can be connected to a video display device via a digital interface, reads content data from a recording medium on which content including video is recorded, and converts the content data into video data. To be output to the video display device,
Resolution conversion means for converting the resolution of the video data to be output;
Resolution information acquisition means for acquiring resolution information representing the resolution of the content recorded on the recording medium;
Resolution information reading means for reading resolution information representing the resolution supported by the video display device from the video display device;
Resolution control means for controlling the operation of the resolution conversion means according to the first resolution represented by the resolution information obtained from the resolution information obtaining means and the second resolution represented by the resolution information obtained from the resolution information reading means; It has.

  According to the video output device of the present invention, the resolution conversion function of the video display device is controlled by the output resolution based on the resolution of the content (first resolution) and the resolution of the video display device (second resolution). In the case of having a higher performance than the resolution conversion function, it is possible to output a high-quality image by using the resolution conversion function of the video display device.

Specifically, the resolution control means converts the resolution when the first resolution matches one of the second resolutions in the content-dependent resolution mode in which the output resolution is set according to the resolution of the content (first resolution). Cancel. As a result, the video data reproduced by the video output device is input to the video display device while maintaining the same resolution, and the necessary resolution conversion is performed on the video display device, and the resulting video is displayed on the screen. Is done.
On the other hand, when the first resolution does not match any of the second resolutions, conversion to the resolution closest to the first resolution among the second resolutions is set. As a result, in the video output device, the minimum resolution conversion is performed to a resolution that can be handled by the video display device, and then the video output device performs resolution conversion for increasing the target resolution.

In addition, by giving a user instruction to the resolution control means, it is possible to arbitrarily select which apparatus the resolution conversion function is to use.
For example, if a fixed resolution mode for fixing the resolution of the video output device to one resolution is set, resolution conversion is performed using the resolution conversion function of the video output device. If an automatic resolution mode in which one resolution is automatically selected is set, resolution conversion is performed by the video output device so that the highest resolution among the corresponding resolutions of the video display device is obtained.

  According to the video output device of the present invention, when the resolution conversion function of the video display device has higher performance, it is possible to display a high-quality image by using the resolution conversion function. The user can arbitrarily select which device uses the resolution conversion function.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a video output device (1) according to the present invention is connected to a video display device (2) having a display panel and a speaker, and displays a video on the screen of the video display device (2). Is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the video output device (1) reads and decodes the content recorded on the recording medium (3) such as a disc, acquires the EDID of the video display device (2), and performs the control procedure described later. A decoder and control unit (4) to execute, a data conversion circuit (5) for converting decoded video data and audio data into DVI or HDMI data, and a video display device (via a DVI cable or HDMI cable) 2) and a connector (6) for exchanging data.

  On the other hand, the video display device (2) includes a connector (7) for exchanging data with the video output device (1) via a DVI cable or an HDMI cable, and a DVI received via the connector (7) or A data conversion circuit (8) for converting HDMI data into video data and audio data and an EDIDROM (9) for storing EDID in which the corresponding resolution is described are provided.

  The video output device (1) reads EDID from the video display device (2) through the decoder and control unit (4), and acquires the corresponding resolution information of the video display device (2). The decoder and control unit (4) detects the resolution of the content when reproducing the content, sets the output resolution based on the EDID obtained from the video display device (2), and sends the video data and audio to the data conversion circuit (5). Supply data. The data converted for DVI or HDMI by the data conversion circuit (5) is transmitted from the connector (6) to the video display device (2).

  The video display device (2) receives data through the connector (7), and the data conversion circuit (8) converts the received data into video data and audio data, and these data are displayed on the display panel and the speaker ( (Not shown). The EDID stored in the EDIDROM (9) is transmitted to the video output device (1) in response to a request from the video output device (1).

FIG. 2 shows the structure of EDID. The EDID is composed of 256-byte segments, and each segment is divided into block 0 and block 1 with 128 bytes as a boundary. FIG. 2 shows the address structure of block 0 of EDID.
In the “Header” area of the EDID, information for identifying the EDID is described, and in the “Vender / ProductID” area, an ID for identifying the manufacturer and the product number of the video display device is described. The area in which the resolution of the video display device is stored is called DTD (Detai 1ed Timing Descriptor), and a plurality of corresponding resolution information is described in units of 18 bytes in a 72-byte address space between 0x36 and 0x7D of the block. Is possible. If it cannot be described in the block, it can be described in block 1 or the next segment.

  FIG. 3 shows a control procedure by the decoder and control unit (4). In the present embodiment, as a screen output resolution setting, a content-dependent resolution mode is prepared in addition to the fixed resolution mode and the automatic resolution mode similar to the conventional one.

  First, in step S1 of FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the video display device (2) is connected via a DVI cable or an HDMI cable. If it is determined NO, the process proceeds to step S2. The digital video output via the DVI cable or HDMI cable is set to OFF, and the procedure ends.

  If the video display device (2) is connected and it is determined YES in step S1, the process proceeds to step S3, and the EDID is read from the EDIDROM (9) of the video display device (2) by the decoder and control unit ( 4) Download to EDID and obtain the corresponding resolution information of the video display device (2) from each DTD of the EDID.

Next, in step S4, the content of the screen output setting by the user operation is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the fixed resolution mode is set. If the determination is yes, the process proceeds to step S5, the resolution specified by the screen output setting is set, and the procedure ends.
On the other hand, when it is determined NO in step S4, it is further determined in step S6 whether or not the automatic resolution mode is set. If it is determined to be YES, the process proceeds to step S7, where the corresponding resolution obtained from the EDID of the video display device (2) is compared with the resolution that can be output by the video output device (1). Set the highest resolution among the resolutions set and finish the procedure.

On the other hand, when the content-dependent resolution mode is set and it is determined NO in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8, and the resolution of the content to be reproduced is acquired. In step S9, the acquired resolution of the content is compared with the resolution that the video display device (2) can handle, and it is determined whether or not the resolution of the content matches one of the compatible resolutions.
If it is determined as YES in step S9, the process proceeds to step S10, the output resolution is set to the content resolution, and then the process proceeds to step S15.

  If the resolution of the content is different from any of the corresponding resolutions of the video display device (2) and it is determined NO in step S9, the process proceeds to step S11, and the video output device (1) and the video display device (2). Are compared, and all matching resolutions are extracted. In step S12, the resolution of the content is compared with the extracted resolution, and it is determined whether the resolution of the content is lower than the maximum resolution among the extracted resolutions.

When the resolution of the content is lower than the maximum resolution of the extracted resolution and it is determined YES in step S12, the process proceeds to step S13, and the extracted resolution is one higher than the resolution of the content. Set to resolution.
On the other hand, when the resolution of the content is equal to or higher than the maximum resolution of the extracted resolution and it is determined NO in step S12, the process proceeds to step S14 and is set to the maximum resolution among the extracted resolutions. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not the resolution of the content has been changed during the reproduction of the content. If there has been a change, the process returns to step S8 to acquire the resolution of the content and execute the same procedure.

  According to the resolution setting procedure shown in FIG. 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the video output device (1) supports resolutions 480i, 480p, 1080i, 720p, and 1080p. As shown, when the resolution of the video display device (2) corresponds to 480p and 720p, the resolution common to both the video output device (1) and the video display device (2) is 480p and 720p. In step S11 of FIG. 3, 480p and 720p are extracted as shown in FIG.

Here, when the video output device (1) is set to the content-dependent resolution mode, the resolution of the content and the output resolution of the video output device (2) have the correspondence shown in FIG.
For example, when the resolution of the content is 480p or 720p, it is determined as YES in step S9 in FIG. 3, and the resolution output from the video output device (1) becomes the same as the resolution of the content in step S10. As a result, resolution conversion from 480p to 720p is performed in the video display device (2).

On the other hand, when the resolution of the content is 480i, in step S13, 480p, which is one resolution higher than 480i, is selected from the extracted resolutions, and the video display device (2) starts from 480p. Resolution conversion to 720p is performed. If the content resolution is 1080i, 720p is selected.
On the other hand, if the resolution of the content is 1080p, the extracted resolution is set to 720p, which is the highest resolution, in step S14.

  As described above, according to the video output device (1) of the present invention, by setting the content-dependent resolution mode, the video display device (2) can be used by utilizing the high-performance resolution conversion function exhibited by the video display device (2). A high-quality image can be displayed on the screen of (2).

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the video output apparatus and video display apparatus which concern on this invention. It is a figure showing the structure of EDID. It is a flowchart showing the resolution switching control in the video output device concerning the present invention. It is a figure explaining the example in which output resolution is set according to the resolution of content.

Explanation of symbols

(1) Video output device
(2) Video display device
(3) Recording medium
(4) Decoder and control unit
(5) Data conversion circuit
(6) Connector

Claims (3)

It can be connected to a video display device via a digital interface, reads content data from a recording medium on which content including video is recorded, converts the content data to video data, and outputs the video data to the video display device In the video output device
Resolution conversion means for converting the resolution of the video data to be output;
Resolution information acquisition means for acquiring resolution information representing the resolution of the content recorded on the recording medium;
Resolution information reading means for reading resolution information representing the resolution supported by the video display device from the video display device;
Resolution control means for controlling the operation of the resolution conversion means according to the first resolution represented by the resolution information obtained from the resolution information obtaining means and the second resolution represented by the resolution information obtained from the resolution information reading means; A video output device characterized by comprising:   The resolution control means stops the conversion of the resolution when the first resolution matches one of the second resolutions, and when the first resolution does not match any of the second resolutions, the first of the second resolutions. The video output device according to claim 1, wherein conversion to a resolution closest to the resolution is set.   The resolution control means extracts a resolution overlapping between the resolution supported by the resolution conversion means and the second resolution, and sets the maximum resolution among the extracted resolutions to the first resolution. And when the first resolution is higher than the maximum resolution, the maximum resolution is set. When the first resolution is lower than the maximum resolution, the next higher resolution than the extracted resolution is set. 2. The video output device according to 2.

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