AU655338B2 - Audio and multiple video monitoring on a computer display - Google Patents

Description

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3N 8S F Ref: 226016

AJSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

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CC C cCCt Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Sony (Australia) Pty Limited 33-39 Talavera Road North Ryde New South Wales 2113

AUSTRALIA

Neil Witheridge Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Audio and Multiple Video Monitoring on a Computer Display ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [31] Application No(s) [331 Country PK9689 AU [32) Application Date 25 November 1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815/4

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-2- The present invention relates to automatic recording and transmissions systems (ARTS) such as are used in television and radio broadcasting and, in particular, to a method and apparatus by which the number of expensive monitors within the studio can be reduced.

BACIKGROUND ART In television broadcasting, in particular, the ARTS comprises a cassette store, a number of video cassette recorders (VCR's), a transport mechanism which loads and unloads cassettes into and out of the VCR's, and a control computer which controls the recording of received messages onto blank cassettes, or the broadcasting of recorded messages from the cassettes. The control computer has a number of terminals including conventional computer display screens which are distributed throughout the studio. In particular, at a location remote from the ARTS room is a transmission scheduling room and a commercial preparation room. An operator in the transmission scheduling room uses II the computer terminal therein to schedule the content of various commercial breaks and the times of their transmission. The operator in f the commercial preparation room edits the tapes of the commercial messages and for this reason is provided with a number of expensive high V 20 quality (professional grade) broadcast monitors each of which generally includes a high quality PAL decoder. Such high quality monitors are also required in the ARTS room and in other areas of the television studio such as editing booths, production studios, outside broadcast i vans and the like.

Such professional quality monitors are very expensive costing from A$4,000 to A$40,000 approximately depending upon size.

It is the object of the present invention to reduce the overall capital costs of a broadcast studio by reducing the number of such V "monitors while still enabling a monitoring function to be performed by means of the display terminal of the ARTS computer terminals.

C CSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed apparatus for displaying at least one real-time video image in a window on the display terminal of a computer controlled automatic {i recording and transmission system (ARTS), said apparatus comprising an encoder means for converting digital audio/video signals into a single serial bit stream, a transmission network for transmission of saidlbit stream, said network connecting the controlling computer of said ARTS I /0532o I_ i i i with a plurality of display terminals each of which includes a decoder and a display processor, each of said decoders converting received data from said network corresponding to said digital audio/video signal for said display processors, and each of said display terminals having a bitmap display with real time video display with a bitmap capability.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of displaying at least one real time video image in a window on the display terminal of a computer controlled automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS), said method comprising the steps of encoding a digital audio/video signal into a single serial bit stream, transmitting said single serial bit stream over a transmission network inter-connecti., said ARTS computer with a plurality of display terminals, decoding at each said display terminal said received single V serial bit stream and displaying in real time as a bitmap the corresponding digital audio/video signal.

,BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with I; reference to the drawings in which; Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a prior art studio using a plurality of professional grade monitors, I Fig. 2 is an equivalent drawing of a studio in accordance with the Spreferred embodiment having a reduced number of monitors, 47 Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the preferred arrangement of the apparatus Fig. 4 is a screen display showing the creation of video windows and the selection of audio/video sources, and i. Fig. 5 is a drawing similar to Fig. 2 but of another arrangement DETAILED DESCRIPTION 7 As seen in Fig. 1, the television studio includes a number of i, 30 separate locations including an ARTS room 1, a commercial preparation room 2, and a transmission scheduling room 3. Nithin the ARTS room 1 is located the ARTS 4 which takes the form of various cassette storage bins internal video cassette recorders (VCR's) 6 and a transport mechanism (not illustrated) which enables the cassettes stored within the storage bins 5 to be loaded into and unloaded from the VCR's 6.

Also connected to the ARTS are external VCR's 7 and an equipment rack 8 with five high quality broadcast monitors 9. Associated with the

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_RF/0532o -4- ARTS 4 is a control computer having display terminals 10 one of which is located in each of the rooms 1, 2 and 3.

A display terminal 10 is the major component within the transmission scheduling room 3. However, within the commercial preparation room 2 in addition to a display terminal 10 is another equipment rack 8 including monitors 9.

Hitherto the ARTS control computer has included a graphical user interface which provides multiple "windows" for program control of different operations of the ARTS. For example, different windows are used to provide possible program selections, data on current events, and the like. As a consequence of this facility, the display terminals include a high quality bitmap display monitor and a powerful computer works ation. However, hithereto it has not been possible to display any video images on the display terminals and thus there is the requirement for the monitors 9.

Computer hardware currently exists, for example the NNB-254P manufactured by Sony, to display real-time video on a computer workstation bitmap monitor. This hardware accepts as an input a conventional analog video signal and by means of sampling and a frame buffer is able to convert same into a 1024 x 768 pixel display.

It has only now been realised that in many areas of the broadcast station involved in the scheduling or control of the ARTS 4, it would be advantageous for the computer display to be able to display real-time audio and video. Such a capability would significantly augment the capability of monitoring the various programme materials handled by the ARTS 4. For example, hithereto there has often been provided a means of recording video/audio material onto cassettes which has been managed by the ARTS 4. The control of this activity can be physically distant from the actual ARTS 4 (ie not within the room It is therefore advantageous that the video/audio signals be able to be monitored using the remote control computer display 10, for example in the room 3, rather than there be a requirement for a separate video/audio monitor such as equipment rack 8 to provide the necessary monitoring.

Similarly, most ARTS 4 are capable of replaying video material from cassettes, the signal then being fed to the transmittor (not illustrated) to be broadcast. In areas of the television broadcasting station where monitoring of the "on-air" output is necessary, it would be advantageous to provide a monitoring capability using the computer HRF/0532o 7 display, for example SONY NSN-1850, with NNS-254P capability rather than again requiring a separate video/audio monitor.

Furthermore, the ARTS 4 also provides the facility to preview video/audio material stored on those cassettes managed by the ARTS 4.

The previewing activity can be controlled at a location (for example room 2) physically distant from the ARTS 4. The capability of previewing of video/audio material using the computer display terminals is an enhancement to the current practice of providing discrete video/audio monitors 9 within an equipment rack 8, since the operator is provided with additional flexibility.

It is realised that the requirement for high grade monitors to monitor the quality of the video signal would still exist. However, in the case of monitoring the material for superficial viewing, or for checking the performance of the ARTS 4, the monitoring function is well served by even a low quality video display on a computer bitmap display.

Fig. 2 illustrates the studio arrangement in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The ARTS room 1 is substantially as before save that a multiplexing encoder 13 is provided and a single cable 14 replaces the multiple cables 11. For the 20 commercial preparation room 2, the equipment rack 8 with its monitors 9 oe 'O is no longer required. Instead a de-multiplexing decoder 15 connects the display terminal 10 to the ARTS 4. The arrangement for room 103 is substantially identical. It will be appreciated that the internal 25program of the ARTS computer provides a means of selecting the video signal to be displayed in the windows to be used for real-time video and for selecting the single audio signal to be monitored on the internal loud speaker of the display terminal 10. If the operator wishes to listen to a different audio signal, it is necessary for this selection to be made by the operator.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the necessary signal conversions. The four analog input video signals Vl-V4 are passed through a D to A converter 17 and thence through a video encoder 18.

The parallel outputs of the video encoder 18 are provided to a multiplexer 19 so as to provide a single serial bit stream which constitutes the input for a network interface 20 which is connected toV the cable 14.

At each of the remote locations is located a de-multiplexing decoder 15 incorporating a suitable network interface the output of HRF/0532o -6which is passed to the display terminal 10 including a video display processor 21. A suitable video display processor is the SONY NWS-254P (SONY is a registered trade mark).

Fig. 4 illustrates the screen display available to the operator during the operation of the ARTS 4. Following selection of the possibility VIDEO a pull down window containing the possibilities to create a new window or switch the video source for the single window are created. The available sources for the video signal are an "on-air" signal, a preview signal, a spot reel or a filing video tape recorder or VCR. The video source selected is indicated by a rectangle. Up to four I video sources are available, however, only a single audio source can be monitored, or listened to, at any one time. The selection of the audio source is independent of the selection of the video sources.

Fig. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the arrangement of the studio with like parts being allocated like numbers.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present |i invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be !i :made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

I c C. 4 ti HRF/0532o

Claims (13)

1. Apparatus for displaying at least one real-time video image in a window on the display terminal of a computer controlled automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS), said apparatus comprising an encoder means for converting digital audio/video signals into a single serial bit stream, a transmission network for transmission of said single serial bit stream, said network connecting the controlling computer of said ARTS with a plurality of display terminals each of which includes a decoder and a display processor, each of said decoders converting received data from said network corresponding to said digital audio/video signal for said display processors, and each of said display terminals having a bitmap display with real time video capability.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said encoder and decoders include multiplexing and de-multiplexing means respectively whereby a plurality of audio/video signals are included in said single serial bit stream and said display terminals includes simultaneous bitmap video image display capability.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display terminal includes loudspeaker means and an audio signal accompanying said displayed video signal is monitored thereby.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said display terminal includes loudspeaker means and a selectable one of the audio signals corresponding to said displayed video signals is monitored thereby.

Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 including an A to D converter means connected to said encoder.

6. A method of displaying at least one real-time video image in a window on the display terminal of a computer controlled automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS), said method comprising the steps of encoding a digital audio/video signal into a single serial bit S.stream, transmitting said single serial bit stream over a transmission network inter-connecting said ARTS computer with a plurality of display terminals, decoding at each said display terminal said received single serial bit stream and displaying in real time as a bitmap the corresponding digital audio/video signal.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein a plurality of digital audio/video signals are multiplexed onto, and de-multiplexed from, said bit stream, the corresponding video signals being simultaneously displayed in real time as bitmaps on said each said display terminal. Le 1 i i ji f i r o ao o~ .ar oa o ~o s~ r rr 1.. i~.i r "t ^4 r l rr~ -8-

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein selectable ones of said corresponding video signals are displayed.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the audio signal corresponding to the displayed video signal is monitored on/,jWdisplay terminal loudspeaker.

The method as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein a selectable one of the audio signals corresponding to the displayed video signals is monitored on thl kedisplay terminal loudspeaker.

11. The method as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 10 wherein said audio/video signal(s) is/are converted from analogue to digital form prior to said encoding.

12. Apparatus for displaying at least one real-time video image in a window on the display terminal of a computer controlled automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS), said apparatus being substantially as described with reference to Figs. 2 or 5 and Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

13. A method of displaying at least one real-time video image in a window on the display terminal of a computer controlled automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS), said method being substantially as described with reference to Figs. 2-5 of the drawings. DATED this SEVENTEENTH day of NOVEMBER 1992 Sony (Australia) Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON HRF/05320 Audio and Multiple Video Monitoring on a Computer Display ABSTRACT A method of, and apparatus for, displaying a real-time video image of a computer controlled automatic recording and transmission system (ARTS) is disclosed. The controlling computer of the ARTS is connected via an encoder (13) to a plurality of display terminals each of whio; has a bitmap display with real time video capab lity and a decoder The encoder (13) converts digital audio/video signals into a single serial bit stream which is re-converted by the decoders Thus the display terminals (10) can display real time video images in a window on the display terminal and so the cost of a quality TV monitor at each display terminal location is avoided. Figure 2 9 00 Oa a f i o HRF/05320 m