TWI382760B - Digital video apparatus and method thereof for video playing and recording - Google Patents

Description

Digital video device for playing and recording and method thereof

The present invention relates to video technology, and more particularly to a digital video device for video recording and playback.

Digital video applications have been widely used in everyday life. In order to provide users with more functions to choose when using video tools; therefore, digital video recorders are also generated according to demand. The application of the digital video recorder in video playback is based on the user's request to replay the previously viewed video, or because the user has lost some of the brilliant pictures due to the fact that the user has lost some of the brilliant pictures. A device that overcomes the above conditions.

However, the video system provided by today's digital video recorders is real-time; that is, there is a delay between the reception of the input video signal and the output of the video signal to the user; A delay is a must for a conventional digital video device. This is because the video content played by the current digital video recorder is read from the stored video data stored for playback. Due to such a playback process, the video signal received from the video source is actually compressed, stored in a storage device, and the previously stored data is read from the storage device and decompressed. Processing, and finally playing and other steps, will result in a very significant time delay (possibly reaching a few seconds or even a dozen seconds) between the video content being played and the time point when the video signal is received. There is still a big gap with "real instant".

In the actual application situation, there are situations in which users attach great importance to the instant acquisition of video, such as: live sports events, premiere movies, political and economic information. This of course depends on the areas that the user personally values, but the goals they hope to achieve are consistent. Therefore, how to provide instant video playback and a replay function to meet the user's requirements for screen reproduction, screen loss and instant playback, and thus provide better video services. Important topic.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a digital video device with instant playback and a method thereof, which can perform instant playback of video to solve the above problems.

The invention provides a digital video device with instant play and a method thereof, which can provide instant video playback, and also has the functions of playback and pause; it can provide instant video receiving and playing. To enable users to obtain first-hand video messages, they can also reproduce the video broadcasted in the past as needed, or pause the video playback for later playback. Therefore, the video viewed in the past can also be unlimited for a certain period of time. Reproduce in number of times. Therefore, it can be seen that the quality of video use can be improved by the present invention to solve the above problems; therefore, it can be seen that the present invention is not a novel invention.

Hereinafter, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, a digital video recorder and/or a main component included therein, that is, a digital video control chip (DVR controller chip) will be described as an example, but those skilled in the art should It can be understood that the application field of the present invention is not limited thereto, and other digital video devices having digital video/playback functions or built-in digital video control chips, such as digital set-top boxes, digital televisions, game consoles, etc. The method of the present invention can be applied to other electronic/multimedia products having the need to continuously play a plurality of files belonging to the same content.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a digital video device (eg, a digital video recorder, a digital set-top box, a digital television, a game console, a control chip included in the foregoing various devices, etc.) according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Or a schematic of another device or product or its control wafer. In the first embodiment, a main component of a digital video device 100 includes a TV decoder 110, a microprocessor 120, and a TV encoder 130. In addition to the above-mentioned main constituent elements, the digital video device 100 can further include other constituent components, such as an audio input and output interface, an Ethernet module, an IEEE1394 interface, a USB interface, and a DDR control, depending on the application domain. Modules, flash memory control modules, various peripheral interface modules (such as GPIO, UART, I ² C), etc., since these components are not the focus of the present invention, they will not be described here.

In the present embodiment, the digital video device 100 is coupled to a video data source 140 (for example, a video stream transmitted through a network or a television signal from a central office) through the television decoder 110 to receive One of the video data sources 140 video signals. The television decoder 110 is used for decoding the received video signal, for example, decoding the NTSC, PAL, and/or SECAM video signals at the base frequency into a digital YUV 4:2:2 data format. In an embodiment, the television decoder 110 includes four sets of 10-bit analog-to-digital converters and includes 2D and 3D comb filters for luminance separation/chroma separation processing (YC separation). The microprocessor 120 is coupled to the television decoder 110, the television encoder 130, and a mass data storage device, such as a hard disk 160. The microprocessor 120 is configured to process the decoded video signal of the television decoder 110. And accessing the hard disk 160 to transmit the processed video signal to the television encoder 130. In this embodiment, the microprocessor 120 is configured by one or more digital signal processing circuits and / or a micro-processing circuit (such as MIPS). The television encoder 130 is coupled to a display device 150 (for example, a flat display screen of a television or a display) for encoding the video signal processed by the microprocessor 120, for example, a digital CR-Y-CB. The 4:2:2 format video data is encoded into various standard television signals, such as NTSC, PAL CVBS, S-video signals, individual YUV or RGB output signals, etc. In this example, the television encoder 130 includes six A 12-bit digital analog converter.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram showing the processing path of the digital video device 100 in FIG. 1 for playing the received video data according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figures, the operations shown in the various blocks are the processing or operation of the various elements in FIG. 1 and will be described in detail below. After the digital video device 100 receives the video signal from the video source 140, the television decoder 110 first performs a television decoding operation 210, the operation content of which is as described above, after the television decoding operation 210 is completed, the television decoder 110 transmits the video signal after the decoding operation to the microprocessor 120. The microprocessor 120 first performs a video pre-processing 222 on the video signal. Generally, the pre-processing system is used. The video signal is filtered or other image processing operations are performed to reduce or eliminate the noise caused by the transmission process. After the pre-processing, the video signal enters two different processing paths respectively. In the first path, the pre-processed video signal is directly transmitted to the television encoder 130 to perform a television. The encoding operation 230 has the operation content as described above, and the video signal after the encoding operation is transmitted to the display device 150 for the playback operation 260. In the second path, the pre-processed video signal is additionally subjected to an MPEG2 encoding operation or other data compression operation by the microprocessor 224 to compress the data amount for storage on the hard disk. In the middle of 250 (i.e., video data storage operation 250), the previously stored compressed data is read out at the desired timing (hereinafter will be exemplified), and an MPEG2 decoding operation is performed by the microprocessor 120. The video signal is restored to the pre-compression video signal, and then the decompressed video signal is processed by the television encoding operation 230 and the playback operation 260 to play the video signal.

It should be noted that the microprocessor 120 compresses the video signal in the second path to facilitate storage thereof, and also adds a time stamp to the stored video signal to facilitate digital video. Device 100 identifies the point in time at which each portion of the image is located. The technique of adding a time stamp to a video signal is well known to those skilled in the art, so the details thereof will not be repeated here.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention does not resemble the conventional processing method, and can only read the previously stored video data from the storage device and play it again, which will result in viewing live content. The user of the demand must endure a significant delay in time (or even as long as several seconds), while providing a video signal processing path (ie, the first path described above), after performing a pre-processing on the video signal, Without undergoing compression coding operation → writing hard disk → reading hard disk → decompressing decoding operation, the video signal output is directly played to ensure that the user can view the “true instant” video content without enduring Because of the extra time it takes to compress the codec and access the hard drive. Such a function is particularly significant when the user is very concerned about the need for instant viewing (such as watching live sports events or premiere movies).

In addition to providing the first path for instant play, the embodiment of the present invention still provides a second path for compressing and storing the pre-processed video signal, which is a consideration of the user's need to view the instant content. There will also be a need to pause viewing and replay at any time and/or rewind or seek for content that has already been played. For example, when a user intends to continue viewing after suspending viewing (for example, pressing the pause button "PAUSE") during a viewing of an instant content, if it does not wish to miss the details of any moment in the content. Then, the digital image device can be appropriately operated (for example, the reproduction button "PLAY" is pressed again), and the microprocessor 120 generates a corresponding control signal CTRL for selection (indicated by the multiplexer 228). The video signal read from the hard disk 250 and subjected to the MPEG2 decoding operation is such that the played image is immediately after the previous pause. Similarly, when a user has a need to rewind or search for content that has already been played, it can perform appropriate operations on the digital video device (such as pressing the rewind button "REWIND" or operating the jog dial " SHUTTLE"), at this time, the microprocessor 120 generates a corresponding control signal CTRL to select the video signal read from the hard disk 250 and subjected to the MPEG2 decoding operation, and corresponding to the operation of the user. At the time point, the playback content with the correct time stamp is output.

Of course, in addition to the above various operations, the user can also choose to return to the viewing of the most instant content at any time, as long as appropriate operations (such as pressing the instant play button "LIVE"), the microprocessor 120 will generate a The corresponding control signal CTRL is used to select the video signal generated after the pre-processing, uncompressed and stored, and the content is played again.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, the television decoding operation 210 and the television encoding operation 230 are implemented by a dedicated television decoder circuit and a television encoder circuit, respectively, and the video pre-processing 222, The MPEG2 encoding operation and the MPEG2 decoding operation are implemented by the microprocessor 120 in conjunction with the operation of the software or the body code. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited thereto, and the above various processing operations. And the functions provided can be implemented by special hardware circuit, software code, or a combination of the two. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the digital video device 100 includes a television decoder 110 for converting analog video signals into digital video signals and a television encoder 130 for converting digital video signals into digital video signals. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the case where the video signal transmitted from the video material source 140 is originally a digital format, the television decoder 110 is an unnecessary component, and the display device 150 at the rear end has a digital signal interface. In the case where a digital video signal can be accepted, the television encoder 130 is also an unnecessary component. In the embodiment, although the hard disk built in or externally connected to the digital video device 100 is taken as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other remote devices such as a network connection are also An example of this. In addition, in the embodiment, the digital video device 100 first compresses the video signal to save the access bandwidth or the storage space, but the invention is not limited thereto. In the example, the video signal may be directly stored in the storage device 160 without being compressed.

Please refer to FIG. 3 again, which is a schematic diagram showing a plurality of image files of the same content (such as the same movie) stored in the hard disk 160 or received via the network or other data sources. . As shown in Figure 3, video data belonging to the same content is sequentially stored into five files, which are 2Gbyte "video.001", 1Gbyte "video.002", and 0.5Gbyte "video.003". 2Gbyte "video.004", 1Gbyte "video.005", where the information stored in video.002 is the content chronologically connected after video.001, and stored in video.003 The information is based on the chronological order of the content after the video.002, and so on. The reason why the video data is stored in a plurality of files may be due to the limitation of the size of a single file by the file system used (such as FAT32) or the encoding technology used (such as DivX). The plurality of files may be in the form of individual files when transmitted from the data source (for example, transmitted through the network), or may be compressed and stored in time series when the microprocessor 120 performs compression encoding. A plurality of individual files are stored in the hard disk 160.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when receiving or forming the plurality of image files belonging to the same content, the digital video device 100 generates and stores the image files in the hard disk 160. The index file of the image files, as shown in FIG. 4, is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between the index data structure 400 and the image file according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the index data structure 400 includes a plurality of entries, wherein each of the data corresponds to one of the plurality of image files, for example, the first data 410 corresponds to video.001. The second data 420 corresponds to video.002, and so on. Please refer to FIG. 5 again, which is a schematic diagram showing the contents included in the index data structure 400 in FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the index data structure 400, corresponding to each piece of data, it includes a "file name" field 460, a "file size" field 470, and optionally a "cumulative file size" field 480.

The "File Name" field 460 is used to indicate the file name of each individual file according to the temporal order of the content of the video material. For example, in Figure 5, the "File Name" field of the first data is For "video.001", the "File Name" field of the second data is "video.002", and so on. The "File Name" field of the fifth data is "video.005". The "File Size" field 470 is used to indicate the file size of the corresponding file name in each data. For example, in Figure 5, the "File Size" field of the first data is the size of video.001. That is 2Gbyte, the "file size" field of the second data is the size of video.002, that is, 1Gbyte, and so on. The "file size" field of the fifth data is the size of video.005, that is, 1Gbyte. If you choose to use the "cumulative file size" field 480, this field is used to store the file size accumulated since the first data. For example, in Figure 5, the "cumulative file size" field is in order. Store 2Gbyte, 3Gbyte, 3.5Gbyte, 5.5Gbyte, 6.5Gbyte.

In this embodiment, the digital video device 100 searches for the stored image file at an appropriate timing, such as initialization, or when a specific file directory is opened, and finds the same according to the search result. Each file of the file feature (for example, in this embodiment, all files beginning with "video"), and then the relevant information of the files is filled into the index data structure 400 generated by the file, and the index data structure 400 is temporarily stored. In a memory space (such as a dynamic random access memory, not shown in the figure). However, the method for generating and maintaining the profile file disclosed herein is not a limitation of the present invention, and other methods for generating and maintaining the leader file known or invented by those skilled in the art can also be applied to the present invention, for example, The index data structure can also be stored in the form of a file. Furthermore, in addition to the information of each field as described above, the index data structure 400 in this embodiment may further include a signal format (for example, NTSC or PAL) and a video bit as received. Information such as video bitrate and video length (such as how many times or how many frames) to facilitate search and positioning during playback.

Since the digital video device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention generates and maintains the index data structure 400 as shown in FIG. 6, the digital video device 100 can read the information stored in the index data structure 400, plus A simple indexing operation can quickly find which location of the plurality of image files is currently being played, and then access the specified location of the file. To play the video content correctly. Please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between the video content played by the digital video device 100 and the plurality of video files according to an embodiment of the invention. In the sixth embodiment, the operation interface 510, the remote operation interface 520, and the display screen 530 of the digital video device 200 are displayed. In the embodiment, the operation interface 510 includes an operation function common to control video playback. For example, "play", "rewind", "fast forward" buttons, or other functions, and the remote operation interface 520 (such as a remote control), except as before In addition to the various operating buttons described, there is also a shuttle knob that can be used to quickly find a piece of video content to be viewed. In Fig. 6, a time axis 540 is further shown. It should be noted that the time axis rail 540 may be part of the playback operation interface actually belonging to the digital video device 100, and may be applied. Dragging to determine the time point of the content to be played, or it may be used only in this embodiment to represent the time index of the played video content, and is not actually displayed in In the operation interface.

When the video content to be played is normally played (for example, when the user presses the reproduction button), the digital video device 100 continuously maintains a time count value for indicating the time point of the content currently being played, by constantly The time count value is incremented, and the video content is sequentially played. Since there is a correspondence between the playback time point of the video content and the data location stored in the image files, as shown in FIG. 6, the time axis crossbar 540 used as a time indicator is used to represent each file. The content index 550 of the data location in the system has a one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, the time count value maintained by the digital video device 100 can be converted into the corresponding data location, and then the search and comparison of the index data structure 400 in FIG. 5 can determine the current playing time. Point, which video location is in which of the plurality of image files.

For example, if the user presses the reproduction button, the time point of the playback is located at one hour and twenty-five minutes of the video content, and the time point/data amount conversion and the search for the index data structure 400 are performed. After comparison (for example, searching and comparing the "file size" field 470), the data location corresponding to the current time point can be obtained (2Gbyte+1Gbyte+0.5Gbyte)=3.5Gbyte and (2Gbyte+1Gbyte+0.5Gbyte+2Gbyte)=5.5Gbyte. Between (or, directly, the "cumulative file size" field 480 can be searched and compared), that is, in the file video.004, and the exact position in the file can also be in accordance with a conversion formula or ratio. The relationship is such that the digital video device 100 can correctly access the video material located in video.004 and play it out. And as the video content is broadcasted in sequence, when the time point of playback enters the data location stored in the next file (for example, two hours of the video content), the time point/data amount is also converted, After searching and comparing the index data structure 400, the data location corresponding to the current time point can be quickly obtained in the file video.005 and its exact location, and the digital video device 100 is also correctly The video information located in video.005 is accessed and broadcasted.

When performing the operations such as inversion, searching, etc. on the played video content, such as pressing the reverse button, operating the jog dial on the remote controller 520, or dragging the cursor on the time axis rail 540, the present invention can be displayed. The benefits of the invention, especially in rewinding or searching operations across files. In the same example as before, the time point of playback is located at one hour and twenty-five minutes of the video content, and the corresponding data location is located in the video.004 file. If this time is reversed or searched As a result of the operation, the time point of the play falls within one hour and five minutes of the video content, and after the conversion of the time point/data amount and the search and comparison of the index data structure 400, the same can be done very quickly. The data location corresponding to the current time point is located in the file video.003 and its exact location, so that the digital video device 100 can correctly access the video data located in video.003 and broadcast it. It is particularly worth noting that in the reverse or search operation in this example, the video data accessed by the digital video device 100 is originally taken out from the video.004, and later becomes taken out from the video.003. The operation of the file to store the video data, especially the operation of backing up the video data across the file, cannot be achieved in the conventional method, but the generation of the index data structure disclosed and illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention is generated. And use, you only need some simple search file content and comparison operations, you can easily reach.

It should be noted that, in the foregoing embodiment, the index data structure 400 stores information about the file size (or the accumulated file size), but those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited thereto. The index data structure 400 can also be stored in a manner corresponding to the time stamp of the start and/or end position of the file content, and can also achieve the object of the present invention. Furthermore, since the information is arranged in the index data structure 400 in such a manner that each piece of data corresponds to a file name and its file size (or time stamp), in the digital image device using the index data structure of the present invention, The plurality of video files stored in the same content (for example, the same movie) do not need to have any specific stroke or alphabetic order, and the digital video device 100 only needs to search through the index data structure 400, that is, The correct image file can be found.

In summary, according to the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention, the digital image device only needs to generate and maintain a relatively small index data structure, thereby achieving seamless cross-file video search and playback operations. However, it does not cause the user to endure unpleasant audiovisual experiences such as pauses or interruptions during cross-file playback, or the inability to perform reverse search or playback operations across files, as in the conventional technology. In addition, the digital video device using the index data structure according to the embodiment of the present invention may be designed to manage and display only the index data structure, so that the user The interface of the application software only needs to be exposed to content-based rather than file-based information, which will make the interface management of the application software more concise and intuitive. .

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

100. . . Digital video device

110. . . TV decoder

120. . . microprocessor

130. . . TV encoder

140. . . Video source

150. . . Storage device

160. . . Display device

210. . . TV decoding operation

220. . . Microprocessor operation

222. . . Video pre-processing

224. . . MPEG2 encoding operation

226. . . MPEG2 decoding operation

228. . . Select operation

230. . . TV encoding operation

250. . . Video data storage

260. . . Play operation

400. . . Index data structure

410~450. . . Data

460. . . File name field

470. . . File size field

480. . . Cumulative file size field

510. . . Operation interface

520. . . Remote operation interface

530. . . Display

540. . . Timeline crossbar (time indicator)

550. . . Content indicator

1 is a schematic diagram of a digital video device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a processing path of a video device 100 for receiving incoming video data according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a same FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between the index data structure 400 and the image file according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between the video content played by the digital video device 100 and the plurality of video files according to an embodiment of the invention.

210. . . TV decoding operation

220. . . Microprocessor operation

222. . . Video pre-processing

224. . . MPEG2 encoding operation

226. . . MPEG2 decoding operation

228. . . Select operation

230. . . TV encoding operation

250. . . Video data storage

260. . . Play operation

Claims (19)

A digital video device comprising: a first decoder for receiving an input video signal and decoding the converted video signal; and a processor for processing the converted video signal and a storage unit performs an access operation; and a first encoder is configured to receive the converted video signal and output the encoded video signal; wherein the processor sequentially stores the encoded video signal of the same video data Forming a plurality of files and generating an index data structure for pointing to one of the plurality of files, and the processor uses the index data structure to perform a seamless search and play operation between the plurality of files. The device of claim 1, the processor further comprising: a first path for receiving the converted video signal and outputting the signal immediately; and a second path for receiving the converted video signal and encoding the signal After being stored, the stored data is decoded and outputted; and a multiplexer is configured to receive a control signal and the converted video signal, and thereby in the first channel and the second channel Choose an output. The device of claim 2, wherein the second path further comprises: a second encoder for receiving the converted video signal and encoding to generate an encoded video signal for storage in the storage unit; A second decoder is configured to receive the control signal, and then to the storage unit to retrieve the encoded video signal, and decode the converted video signal to the selector. The device of claim 1, the processor further comprising: a pre-processing unit for filtering the converted video signal to reduce or eliminate the noise caused by the transmission process. The device of claim 2, wherein the output signal is from the first path before the second path is selected for output. The device of claim 2, wherein the output signal is from the second path after the second path is selected for output. The device of claim 3, wherein the storage unit is a hard disk or a random access memory. The device of claim 1, wherein the index data structure includes file names of the plurality of files. The device of claim 1, wherein the index data structure includes a file size of the plurality of files. The device of claim 1, wherein the index data structure includes the plurality of The cumulative file size of the file. The device of claim 1, wherein the index data structure provides the processor for searching and comparing to determine one of the plurality of files to be read and the first video file and the first video file. a first position. The device of claim 1, wherein the index data structure provides the processor for searching and comparing to determine a plurality of subsequent readings of the first video file of the plurality of files to be read. The order and location of the files. A digital video method for playing and recording video, comprising: receiving a video signal; encoding the video signal; sequentially storing the encoded video signals of the same video data into a plurality of files; generating an index data structure to point The plurality of files; and utilizing the index data structure to perform seamless search and playback operations between the plurality of files. The method of claim 13, comprising: immediately outputting the video signal; resetting the video signal according to a control signal; terminating the operation of the video signal according to the control signal; and determining execution according to the control signal Reproduce mode or maintain a pause, which determines execution The output of the reproduction mode is one of an instant video output and an output decoded by the stored encoded video signal. The method of claim 13, wherein the index data structure includes file names of the plurality of files. The method of claim 13, wherein the index data structure includes a file size of the plurality of files. The method of claim 13, wherein the index data structure includes a cumulative file size of the plurality of files. The method of claim 13, wherein the index data structure provides a search and comparison to determine a first video file and a first location in the first video file of the plurality of files to be read. The method of claim 13, wherein the index data structure provides the processor for searching and comparing to determine a plurality of subsequent readings of the first video file of the plurality of files to be read. The order and location of the files.