JP2008096806A - Video display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video display device configured to prevent video from deteriorating owing to enlargement/reduction processing performed a plurality of times before the video is displayed. <P>SOLUTION: In the video display device comprising a display unit whose displayable video format is fixed and a video signal processing unit which processes an input video signal into the video format of the display unit as a following stage and outputs the resulting video signal, the video signal processing unit fixes the video format for output to that of the display unit when the format of the input video signal is smaller in number of pixels than that set for the display unit, disposing a video area of the input video signal in the video format with equal magnification, and disposes an additional signals at the remaining part to output an output video signal. The display unit extracts the video area of the input video signal from the video signal output from the video signal processing unit and performs enlargement processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video display apparatus that can handle video signals of a plurality of formats, and relates to a technique for minimizing image quality degradation caused by format conversion.

  In the current television broadcasting, video signals of various formats such as BS and CS digital broadcasting and terrestrial digital broadcasting are used in addition to the conventional analog broadcasting. These video signals have different numbers of scanning lines, horizontal frequencies, and the like. For example, an interlace signal having 480 effective scanning lines (hereinafter referred to as 480i) and an interlace signal having 1080 effective scanning lines (hereinafter referred to as 1080i). ), A progressive signal with 480 effective scanning lines (hereinafter referred to as 480p), a progressive signal with 720 effective scanning lines (hereinafter referred to as 720p), a progressive signal with 1080 effective scanning lines (hereinafter referred to as 1080p), and the like. .

  On the other hand, in a television receiver or a personal computer display for displaying these video signals, a displayable video size is determined. In some cases, it is necessary to change the display size. For example, when a video signal called VGA having a video area of 640 × 480 is input to a display having a displayable video size of 1024 × 768, an enlargement process is performed in order to display the entire screen. Need to be output.

  Various prior arts relating to such format conversion have already been proposed. For example, the video display device described in Patent Document 1 provides a video signal processing device and a video display device capable of converting an input video signal of a plurality of formats into a single format that is practically the best and displaying it. The present invention also provides a video signal processing device and a video display device capable of displaying extremely high-quality video while minimizing an increase in hardware scale and complexity of signal processing. The purpose is to unify the format to 1440i or 1440p, thereby minimizing the hardware scale of the interpolation filter that constitutes the format conversion processing circuit and realizing video signal processing with little image quality degradation. It is.

  The digital broadcast receiving apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is a method in which a viewer manually switches screen settings in a video with captions, a video with a band on the top and bottom, a video with a side panel described above, a data broadcast video, and the like. In view of the inconvenience that it is necessary to re-set the channel and program contents to change to the video of your choice every time the channel or program content changes, it is preferable to process the video based on the broadcast video format. It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital broadcast receiving apparatus that can go and display a screen. The video format is discriminated as a video processing judgment material.

  The video display device described in Patent Document 3 is intended to provide a video display device that can be viewed in an optimal video format with a receiver connected to a plurality of different video formats. By providing display control means capable of sequentially outputting and input means for voice inquiry for determining whether or not the plurality of different video format signals can be displayed on the receiver, the user can respond to the voice inquiry. It is possible to display in an optimal video format according to the connected receiver simply by making settings.

Patent Document 4 aims to provide a digital broadcast receiver that can automatically switch the format of a video signal in accordance with a connected television receiver, and can display to the digital broadcast receiver. The purpose is to provide a television receiver that can automatically switch the format of the video signal according to the format, and the television receiver itself is compatible with what format it supports. (Displayable format information) is provided, and the displayable format information is input to the digital broadcast receiver via the D terminal cable, so that the connected receiver on the digital broadcast receiver side It is possible to determine which format can be displayed and the optimum format. For example, it has the characteristics of being able to output a video signal and format conversion into the highest resolution format of) of the format displayable by the receiver.
JP 2002-218348 A JP 2003-333455 A JP 2005-117306 A JP 2001-189897 A

  By the way, as the video signal processing apparatus having the format conversion function as described above, for example, a digital broadcast tuner having the function and independent of the display (hereinafter, having a format conversion function independent of the display as described above). And a display panel having such a function (hereinafter, a display having such a format conversion function is referred to as an integrated panel). Normally, separate units are often sold as a set with a display panel that does not have a format conversion function. In such cases, the separate unit is set to output in a fixed format that matches the display panel. .

  A case where an integrated panel having a format conversion function is connected to such a separate unit (for example, when a new display is newly purchased) is sufficiently assumed. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration when the integrated panel 12 is connected to a conventional separate unit 11. Here, it is assumed that a video signal of VGA (640 × 480) size is input to the separate type unit 11, and the separate type unit 11 outputs in a fixed format of 1080p, and the optimum display size of the integrated panel 12 is It is assumed that it is XGA (1024 × 768).

  In FIG. 3, when a VGA (640 × 480) size video signal is input to the separate unit 11, the input signal is temporarily stored in the memory unit 14, and then to the fixed format 1080p in the scaler unit 13. The conversion process is performed. In this case, enlargement processing is performed 3 times in the horizontal direction and 9/4 times in the vertical direction. Then, the signal converted into the 1080p format is input to the integrated panel 12. In the integrated panel 12, the input 1080p signal is reduced in the scaler unit 15 and then stored in the memory unit 16. In this case, the reduction process is performed 8/15 times in the horizontal direction and 32/45 times in the vertical direction. Thereafter, the video data stored in the memory unit 16 is output to the display unit 17 to display the video.

  As described above, when the separate unit 11 and the integrated panel 12 are connected and used, the format conversion process is performed on each of them, which may cause deterioration of the display image. In order to prevent this, the scaler unit 13 of the separate unit 11 is enlarged or reduced in accordance with the appropriate display size of the display unit 17 of the integrated panel 12 (format selected in the integrated panel 12). There is a method of outputting to the integrated panel 12 after the operation. According to this method, enlargement / reduction processing is not performed on the integrated panel 12 side, and deterioration of the image can be prevented.

However, the above method has a problem that the operation is very complicated because the user needs to perform the format conversion operation on the separate unit 11 side after grasping the format on the integrated panel 12 side.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-26883 discloses an example of solving such a complicated operation. However, in order to automatically obtain displayable format information as in Patent Document 4, a communication cable such as a D terminal cable must be provided separately. I must. Therefore, there is a problem that usable panels are limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in the case where an integrated panel having a format conversion function is connected to a separate unit having a format conversion function, each of these is enlarged / reduced An object of the present invention is to provide a video display device having a configuration for preventing the deterioration of video due to being performed.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video display comprising a display unit having a fixed displayable video format, and a video signal processing unit for processing an input video signal and outputting a video signal in accordance with the video format of the display unit in the subsequent stage. In the apparatus, the video signal processing unit fixes the video format to be output to the format of the display unit when the number of pixels is smaller than the video format set as that of the display unit. The video area of the input video signal is arranged at the same magnification in the video format, and the additional signal is arranged in the remaining part and output as an output video signal. The display unit is output from the video signal processing unit. A video region of the input video signal is extracted from the video signal and enlarged. A video display apparatus for.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, when the video signal processing unit outputs the video signal with an additional signal, the video signal processing unit outputs area information indicating the video area of the video signal or additional information of the additional signal. Is also output.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second aspect, the display unit extracts and enlarges a video area of the input video signal based on the area information or additional information of the additional signal. It is a video display device.

  According to the video display device of the present invention, even when each unit has a format conversion function as in the case of using a separate unit and an integrated panel, the actual enlargement / reduction process is performed only once. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the video signal.

  The video display device according to the present invention is a video display comprising a display unit having a fixed displayable video format, and a video signal processing unit for processing an input video signal and outputting a video signal in accordance with the video format of the display unit in the subsequent stage. In the apparatus, the video signal processing unit fixes the video format to be output to the format of the display unit when the number of pixels is smaller than the video format set as that of the display unit. The video area of the input video signal is arranged at the same magnification in the video format, and the additional signal is arranged in the remaining part and output as an output video signal. The display unit is output from the video signal processing unit. The video area of the input video signal is extracted from the video signal and enlarged. The one in which the features.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a separate type unit (video signal processing unit) 18 and an integrated panel (display unit) 19 having a function of discriminating size information as a video display device of the present invention. In the block diagram, parts having the same functions as those in FIG.
In FIG. 1, a separate unit 18 includes a scaler unit 20 for performing format conversion processing, a function for temporarily storing an input video signal, and size information of the input video signal (including area information and additional information described later). And a memory unit 21 having a function of detecting and outputting a concept and a function of generating an additional signal described later. An input video signal from the video signal input terminal 10 is input to the scaler unit 20 of the separate unit 18, and a signal processing switching signal for changing the content of signal processing performed on the input video signal is as follows: Input from the switching signal input terminal 24.

  The scaler unit 20 determines the format of the input video signal from the horizontal synchronization signal, the vertical synchronization signal, the polarity of each synchronization signal, and the like, and performs an appropriate enlargement or reduction process so as to obtain a set video format. It has a format conversion processing function, and converts it into a video format designated by the signal processing switching signal from the switching signal input terminal 24 and outputs it. In addition, the scaler unit 20 converts the format information to be output (horizontal sync signal, vertical sync signal, polarity of each sync signal, etc.) into a preset output video format, but the video area of the actual video signal The video area has a fixed output function for outputting at the same magnification without scaling. This video area fixed output function is an effective function when it is connected to the integrated panel 19 having a format conversion function and having a function of discriminating and enlarging / reducing the area information of the input video. These functions are switched by a signal processing switching signal from the switching signal input terminal 24.

  The memory unit 21 is connected to the scaler unit 20. The memory unit 21 temporarily stores the input video signal input to the scaler unit 20, and the video signal necessary for the format conversion process in the scaler unit 20 is stored. Output as appropriate. In addition, when the video area fixed output function is used in the scaler section 20, the memory section 21 generates an additional signal as information of the missing portion when the video area of the video signal is small with respect to the output format. In addition to the output, the region information of the video signal is generated and output together with the output of the scaler unit 20 to a display such as the integrated panel 19 connected to the subsequent stage.

  The integrated panel 19 is a display having a format conversion function and a function of determining the size information of the input video and enlarging / reducing it. When a video signal and region information are input to the integrated panel 19, the size information determination unit 22 determines the size of the video region of the video signal and outputs it to the scaler unit 23. The scaler unit 23 compares the video area size with the current video format, and enlarges the video signal once stored in the memory unit 16 so as to be an appropriate size for the video area signal. Alternatively, a reduction process is performed and output to the display unit 17. If the input signal does not include area information, the format of the input video signal is compared with the set video format, and a format conversion process known as a conventional technique is performed.

The operation of the present invention in the above configuration will be described.
The user can switch between the format conversion processing function and the video area fixed output function according to the display device connected to the separate unit 18 of the present invention. Therefore, the case where each function is used will be described below. Here, it is assumed that a video signal of VGA (640 × 480) size is input to the separate unit 18, and the optimal display size of the connected display device is XGA (1024 × 768).

[Format conversion processing function]
When connected to a display device without a format conversion function, it is necessary to perform format conversion in the separate unit 18, and in such a case, a format conversion processing function is used. The user selects the format conversion processing function and specifies the video format to be output. In this case, the user selects XGA (1024 × 768) which is the optimum display size of the display device.
In such a setting state, when a video signal of VGA (640 × 480) size is input to the scaler unit 20, the video signal is temporarily stored in the memory unit 21, and the input video signal is converted to VGA (in the scaler unit 20). 640 × 480) size is detected. The detection result is compared with the video format XGA (1024 × 768), and the enlargement ratio is calculated to be 8/5 times in the horizontal direction and 8/5 times in the vertical direction. The video signal is read out as appropriate and enlarged to perform format conversion. The video signal after being converted to the XGA (1024 × 768) format is output to the connected display device.
By performing such processing, the video signal of the XGA (1024 × 768) size which is the optimum display size is input to the display device side and displayed appropriately.

[Video area fixed output function]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, it has a scaler unit 23 (having at least an image enlargement processing function regardless of the presence / absence of a format conversion function) and discriminates area information of the input video. When an integrated panel (display unit) 19 having a function of performing enlargement / reduction is connected, the video area fixed output function can be used in the separate unit 18.
For example, the case where the integrated panel 19 shown in FIG. 1 has a fixed video format that can be displayed on the display device unit 17 and the scaler unit 23 can perform only enlargement processing will be described.

  When an input video signal is input with the video area fixed output function selected in the separate unit 18, first, the video signal is temporarily stored in the memory unit 21. Then, the scaler unit 20 appropriately reads out a video signal from the memory unit 21 and generates an output signal. When this video region fixed output function is selected, the scaler unit 20 includes the number of pixels of the input video format, The number of pixels of a preset output video format (fixed video format in the display device unit 17) is compared, and processing is switched according to the result.

  Specifically, when the number of pixels of the input video format (VGA (640 × 480)) is smaller than the number of pixels of the preset output video format (XGA (1024 × 768)), the scaler unit 20 However, the format conversion is performed so that the output video format is set in advance, but the video signal is output at the same magnification without performing the enlargement process of the video area. At this time, the VGA (640 × 480) signal of the input video signal is small in size with respect to the output video format, and data is insufficient to output in the XGA (1024 × 768) size. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, an additional signal is generated in the memory unit 21, and output is performed by compensating for portions other than the input video signal. Further, the memory unit 21 generates region information of the video signal once the video signal has been accumulated, and outputs it to the subsequent integrated panel 19 together with the output signal from the scaler unit 20 as shown in FIG.

  In the integrated panel 19, the size and arrangement of the video area are detected based on the area information input in the size information determination unit 22, and the XGA (1024 × 768) size stored in the memory unit 16 is detected in the scaler unit 23. From the video signal input in the format, only the portion corresponding to the video area is extracted, and this is enlarged so that it becomes the XGA (1024 × 768) size which is the optimum display size of the display unit 17. Output to the display unit 17.

  When the number of pixels of the input video format (VGA (640 × 480)) is larger than the number of pixels of the preset output video format (XGA (1024 × 768)), the format conversion processing function is set. As in the case of using, the format conversion is performed so that the output video format is set in advance, and the video area is reduced, and then output to the integrated panel 19 at the subsequent stage. In this case, since it is already converted into the displayable video format of the integrated panel 19 and input, the integrated panel 19 can display the image on the display device unit 17 as it is without scaling the image. Can do.

  By performing such processing, it is possible to prevent the enlargement / reduction processing from being performed in each of the separate unit 18 and the integrated panel 19, and thus it is possible to prevent deterioration of the video signal.

In the description of the video area fixed output function of the first embodiment, the integrated panel 19 is fixed to one type of video format that can be displayed on the display device unit 17, and the scaler unit 23 can perform only enlargement processing. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, when the integrated panel 19 shown in FIG. 1 has a format conversion function and also has a function of determining the size information of the input video and enlarging / reducing it, the video area fixed output function is as follows. Can also be used.

  First, when the video area fixed output function is selected in the separate unit 18, the video format to be output is fixed to the video format having the maximum resolution (for example, 1080p). When a video signal is input in this state, the video signal is temporarily stored in the memory unit 21. Then, the scaler unit 20 appropriately reads out the video signal from the memory unit 21 and generates an output signal. However, when this video area fixed output function is selected, the enlargement or reduction process is not performed, and always The video signal is output at the same magnification. However, since the VGA (640 × 480) size of the input video signal is smaller than the 1080p format, there is insufficient data to output at 1080p. Therefore, similarly to the case shown in FIG. 2, an additional signal is generated in the memory unit 21 and output is made by compensating for portions other than the input video signal. Further, the memory unit 21 generates region information of the video signal once the video signal has been accumulated, and outputs it to the subsequent integrated panel 19 together with the output signal from the scaler unit 20 as shown in FIG.

In the integrated panel 19, the size information discriminating unit 22 detects the size of the video area, and the scaler unit 23 corresponds to the video area from the video signals input in the 1080p format stored in the memory unit 16. Only a portion is extracted, and an enlargement process is performed so as to obtain an XGA (1024 × 768) size that is the optimum display size of the display device unit 17, and the result is output to the display device unit 17.
By performing such processing, even if the separate unit 18 and the integrated panel 19 have a format conversion function, the actual enlargement / reduction processing can be performed only once, so that the video signal is deteriorated. Can be prevented.

  In the first and second embodiments, when the video area fixed output function is used, as shown in FIG. 2, the video area of the input video signal is arranged starting from the upper left in the video format. It does not have to be, and can be arbitrarily set as long as the video area of the input video signal falls within the video format. In such a setting, detection can be made by outputting additional information, which is information on the start position of the input video signal, to the integrated panel 19 as size information together with the area information.

  The separate unit 18 as the video signal processing apparatus according to the present invention in the second embodiment has a video area fixed output function, and at that time, the video format to be output is fixed to a maximum resolution of 1080p. I explained. This is because the video area of the input video signal is always included in 1080p by setting the format that has the maximum resolution among the formats that can be supported regardless of the input video signal. This is because it becomes possible. Therefore, it is not necessarily required to be 1080p, and it may be a format with the maximum resolution among the formats assumed as the input video signal.

It is a block diagram showing the structure of the separate type | mold unit 18 as a video signal processing apparatus of this invention, and the integrated panel 19 which has a size information discrimination | determination function. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an output signal when a video area fixed output function is used in the separate unit 18 as the video signal processing apparatus of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing the example of a connection of the conventional separate type | mold unit 11 and the integrated panel 12. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Video signal input terminal, 11 ... Separate type unit, 12 ... Integrated panel, 13 ... Scaler part, 14 ... Memory part, 15 ... Scaler part, 16 ... Memory part, 17 ... Display device part, 18 ... Separate type unit (Video signal processing unit), 19 ... Integrated panel (display unit), 20 ... Scaler unit, 21 ... Memory unit, 22 ... Size information determination unit, 23 ... Scaler unit, 24 ... Switching signal input terminal.

Claims (3)

  The video signal processing unit comprising: a display unit having a fixed video format that can be displayed; and a video signal processing unit that processes an input video signal and outputs a video signal in accordance with the video format of the display unit in the subsequent stage. When the input video signal format is smaller than the video format set as that of the display unit, the output video format is fixed to the display unit format and the input video signal is included in the video format. Are arranged at the same magnification, and an additional signal is arranged in the remaining portion and output as an output video signal. The display unit outputs the input video signal from the video signal output from the video signal processing unit. An image display device, wherein an image area is extracted and enlarged.   2. The video display according to claim 1, wherein, when the video signal processing unit outputs an additional signal to the video signal, the video signal processing unit also outputs region information indicating the video region of the video signal or additional information of the additional signal. apparatus.   3. The video display device according to claim 2, wherein the display unit extracts and enlarges the video area of the input video signal based on the area information or additional information of the additional signal.

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