JP2009147456A - Video file conversion device capable of schedule programming - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video file conversion device capable of schedule programming which can be applied to various types of video signal sources. <P>SOLUTION: This video file conversion device capable of schedule programming is designed to convert video signals (including analog and digital video signals) generated by a video signal source or various digital video files in a computer into digital video files of a format designated by a user. The device has a video file conversion function capable of schedule programming. A computer software program is not adopted, but a video format conversion chip of a hardware system is adopted so that a video format conversion function can be executed. Thus, it is possible to further improve a video file conversion speed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to digital video technology, and in particular, to each different type of video signal source, such as cable television, digital television, American standard digital video, Japanese standard digital video, satellite set-top box, CD / DVD disc player, digital video. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus that can be applied to a camera and a surveillance camera. In this apparatus, a user specifies a video signal generated by a video signal source and various digital video files in a computer. Convert to digital video file format.

Conventionally, video file formats of personal computers include, for example, AVI, WMV, MOV, and MPG. In accordance with the development of computer technology, there are various portable multimedia players (PMP). For example, iPod, Sony PSP (PlayStation
Portable) and NITENDO NDS have adopted their own formats to play digital video files.

  There are so many formats for digital video files at present, so if you want to view AVI format digital video files on Sony PSP device, first convert the AVI format digital video file to PSP format on your computer. It is necessary to convert and download the converted digital video file in PSP format to the Sony PSP device.

  Currently, in a personal computer, format conversion of a digital video file is generally performed by software. However, in actual applications, converting video file formats on a computer using software has various problems. For example, it is difficult to set up, the demand for computer hardware is high, and the video file conversion speed is high. Is slow. In addition, existing video file conversion software allows a user to convert a digital video file into a desired format, but the user does not directly convert it into a non-file format video stream, such as various televisions. It cannot be converted into a broadcast program (cable TV / terrestrial TV / satellite broadcast). When a user wants to record various types of TV broadcast programs as digital video files, first, hardware such as a TV tuner card must be additionally installed in the personal computer, resulting in an increase in hardware costs. Also, in order to perform video file conversion processing on a personal computer using software, a user generally has to perform a series of complicated installation and operation processes, which is very inconvenient in terms of work.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and is a schedule-programmable video having a video file conversion function for making the operability easier and further improving the video file conversion speed. The main object is to provide a file conversion device.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a schedule-programmable video file conversion device that allows a user to easily record various television broadcast programs and create a digital video file converted into a specified format. It is to be.

  The video file conversion device capable of schedule programming according to the present invention includes video signal sources of different types, such as cable TV, digital TV, American standard digital video, Japanese standard digital video, satellite set top box, optical disc player, In this apparatus, a video signal generated by a video signal source and various digital video files in a computer are converted into a digital video file in a format specified by a user. Designed to be

  In a specific configuration, the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus according to the present invention sets a set of file conversion schedule control parameters including at least an operation time zone, a video signal source type, and a target format. A file conversion schedule control parameter setting function for operation is provided. (A) A main control module is coupled to an external video signal source and is generated from the video signal source in an operation time zone set by a user. (B) a video reception interface module controlled by the main control module to receive a received video signal and a format conversion for the video signal received by the video reception interface module based on a target format set by a user (C) a video format conversion module controlled by the main control module, and (D) for outputting a stream of a digital video file converted by the video format conversion module to the multimedia data processing platform And at least a data communication interface module.

  The schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus according to the present invention has a schedule-programmable video file conversion function, and does not employ a computer software program as in the prior art, but instead uses a hardware video format conversion. By adopting the chip, the video format conversion function is executed, which makes it possible to further improve the video file conversion speed as compared with the prior art.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a video file conversion apparatus capable of schedule programming according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an application of a schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus (apparatus 100) according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, a schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes, as a specific example, a single external device connected between a video signal source 10 and a multimedia data processing platform 20. The video signal source 10 is, for example, cable television, DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial) digital television, American standard NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) ) Digital television, Japanese standard ISDB-T (Japanese terrestrial digital television broadcast transmission system) digital television, and satellite television (satellite set-top box), and various television broadcast receivers, for example, CD Various videos such as DVD / DVD player, digital video camera and surveillance camera Including a Airu storage device or a video playback device. The multimedia data processing platform 20 is, for example, a personal computer (desktop personal computer or notebook personal computer) or a portable video playback device 21 having various video player functions, such as an iPod (registered trademark), a Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) (registered). Trademark) or NINTENDO DS (registered trademark). In actual operation, the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention receives the video signal generated from the video signal source 10 and converts it into a digital video file in a format specified by the user. Become.

  FIG. 1B illustrates another application of the schedule-programmable video file converter 100 according to the present invention, in which a multimedia data processing platform 20 (ie, a desktop computer or a notebook computer) is directly connected to a video signal. The video file conversion process is performed by the externally programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention using the video file stored in the multimedia data processing platform 20 as a source.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the internal configuration of the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes (A) a main control module 110, (B) a video reception interface module 120, and (C) a video format. It includes at least a conversion module 130 and (D) a data communication interface module 140. The following describes the characteristics and functions of each component.

  The main control module 110 is a circuit unit in which, for example, a microprocessor and a control program are combined. The control program includes a video file conversion schedule management program for performing a video file conversion schedule management function for the video signal source 10. In actual application, this video file conversion schedule management function is used when, for example, the video signal source 10 is a television broadcasting system (that is, cable television, terrestrial television or satellite television), the user can use this television at a certain time zone. It is possible to record a television program broadcast in this specific time zone in the broadcasting system and convert the recorded television program into a digital video file in a format designated by the user. Further, when the video signal source 10 is a CD / DVD disc player, it becomes possible to set a clip of a program to be dubbed by the user. Alternatively, when the video signal source 10 is a digital video camera or a surveillance camera, it is a function that allows the user to set the required shooting and video file conversion time. Basically, the video file conversion schedule management function provided by the main control module 110 has the following four parameters: (1) Start time START_TIME (includes the option to start immediately), ( 2) End time END_TIME, (3) Video signal source (options include, for example, TV channel CHANNEL, video files and real-time shooting), and (4) Target format FORMAT (options are eg iPod, Sony PSP and NITENDO NDS) ) Can be set.

  The video reception interface module 120 is a multi-port connector, and various television broadcast receivers (for example, cable TV, DVB-T digital TV, American standard NTSC digital TV, Japanese standard ISDB-T digital TV, And satellite digital television), and various video playback devices (eg, CD / DVD disc players, digital video cameras, and surveillance cameras), and video signals that are coupled to different types of video signal sources 10. A video signal generated from the source 10 is received. Video signals that can be received by the video receiving interface module 120 include analog and digital video signals.

The video format conversion module 130 provides a video format conversion function (rather than performing format conversion by a computer program) based on a logic circuit framework, and the video signal received by the video reception interface module 120 is received by the main control module 110. It is converted to the target format that is set. One of the features of the present invention is that the video format conversion module 130 does not adopt a software program, but adopts a hardware video format conversion chip, for example, an XCode 2121 chip manufactured by ViXS, USA. Thus, the video format conversion function is executed, and this makes it possible to further improve the video file conversion speed as compared with the prior art.

  The data communication interface module 140 is, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) communication interface, whereby the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention is connected to an external multimedia data processing platform 20, for example, Connected to a personal computer (desktop personal computer or notebook personal computer) or portable video playback device 21 with various video player capabilities, such as iPod, Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable), NITENDO NDS or PMP, and converted by the video format conversion module 130 The resulting digital video file stream is output to an external multimedia data processing platform 20. Further, if the portable video playback device 21 includes a USB communication interface, the data communication interface module 140 may be directly connected to the portable video playback device 21. Further, in the application shown in FIG. 1B, the data communication interface module 140 receives a video stream transmitted from the external multimedia data processing platform 20, and the received video stream is transmitted via the video reception interface module 120. It may be sent to the video format conversion module 130 where file conversion processing may be performed.

  The following are four application examples, and the operation method of the entire video file conversion apparatus 100 capable of schedule programming according to the present invention in actual application will be described.

  The first application example is a case where a user intends to record a specific cable television program (for example, a major league baseball game) in a specific time zone in the reserved recording mode. First, the user starts the video file conversion schedule management function of the main control module 110, and (1) start time START_TIME, (2) end time END_TIME, (3) video signal source (TV channel CHANNEL), And (4) Set the target format FORMAT. If the user wants to watch a program recorded with Sony PSP, the target format should be set as FORMAT = PSP. The main control module 110 has a timer function, and when the timer reaches the start time START_TIME set by the user, the video reception interface module 120 is activated and received from the video signal source (that is, the cable TV receiver) 10 and transmitted. The video signal is received, and the video signal of the channel is extracted based on the channel CHANNEL set by the user. Next, based on the target format FORMAT set by the user, the extracted video signal is converted to the file format PSP set by the user by the video format conversion module 130, and the stream of the PSP video file whose format has been converted is data communication It is transmitted to the multimedia data processing platform 20 (for example, a desktop personal computer) via the interface module (ie, USB interface) 140 and further downloaded to the user's portable video playback device 21 (for example, Sony PSP) via the desktop personal computer. This allows the user to view the recorded program.

The second application example is a case where the user intends to convert a part of the AVI format digital video file tvprogram.avi stored in the PC in advance into a PSP format file. In this case, the user first activates the video file conversion schedule management function of the main control module 110, and (1) start time START_TIME, (2) end time END_TIME, and (3) video signal source (PC and required (4) Set the target format FORMAT (ie PSP). Assuming that the user sets [START_TIME = 10: 30; END_TIME = 32: 30], the main control module 110 loads the video file tvprogram.avi selected by the user, starts the video format conversion module 130, and Reads clips from 10 minutes 30 seconds to 32 minutes 30 seconds in the file, converts the video stream to the required file format PSP based on the target format FORMAT set by the user, and PSP video with the format converted Are transmitted to the multimedia data processing platform 20 (eg, laptop computer) via the data communication interface module (ie, USB interface) 140.

  In the third application example, the video signal source 10 is a surveillance camera, and the user uses the surveillance camera to record video of a specific place for 10 seconds every 5 minutes. In this case, the user first starts the video file conversion schedule management function of the main control module 110, and (1) start time START_TIME (set to start once every 5 minutes) and (2) end of the following parameters: Set time END_TIME (set to 10 seconds after startup), (3) video signal source (assuming surveillance camera), and (4) target format FORMAT (set PSP). As a result, the main control module 110 activates the video reception interface module 120 every 5 minutes, receives the video stream output from the video signal source (ie, the surveillance camera) 10, and sets the target format FORMAT set by the user. In accordance with the video format conversion module 130, the video stream is converted into the required file format PSP, and the PSP video stream whose format is further converted is processed through the data communication interface module (ie, USB interface) 140 as multimedia data processing. Sent to platform 20

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the fourth application example uses a multimedia data processing platform (that is, a desktop personal computer or notebook personal computer) 20 as a video signal source, and video files stored in the multimedia data processing platform 20 are externally attached. The video file conversion process is performed by the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention. In this case, the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention receives a video stream transmitted from the multimedia data processing platform 20 via the data communication interface module (that is, the USB interface) 140, and The received video stream is transmitted to the video format conversion module 130 via the video reception interface module 120, where the file conversion process is performed, and after the file conversion process is completed, the data communication interface module (that is, the USB interface) 140 again. To the multimedia data processing platform 20.

  The table of FIG. 3 shows the work effect of the video file conversion of the video file conversion apparatus 100 capable of schedule programming according to the present invention when the XCode 2121 chip manufactured by ViXS is adopted. From this table, it can be seen that the video file conversion speed of the schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus 100 according to the present invention is further improved as compared with the prior art employing the software method.

  As described above, the present invention provides a video file conversion apparatus capable of schedule programming, which has a video file conversion function capable of schedule programming, and is not equipped with a computer program but hardware. The video format conversion function is executed by adopting the video format conversion chip of the system. As a result, the video file conversion speed can be further improved as compared with the video file conversion software. Therefore, the present invention can achieve the inventive step and practicality superior to the prior art.

  The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the substantial technical contents of the present invention. If any completed technical entity or method belongs to the same or equivalent modifications as those defined in the claims, it shall be included in the claims. It should be considered.

It is a figure which shows the application of the video file conversion apparatus in which the schedule programming concerning this invention is possible. It is a figure which shows another application of the video file conversion apparatus which can be schedule-programmed concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the modularized basic structure of the video file conversion apparatus in which the schedule programming concerning this invention is possible. It is a table which shows the work effect of the video file conversion apparatus in which the schedule programming concerning this invention is possible.

Explanation of symbols

10 Video signal source,
20 multimedia data processing platform (computer platform),
21 portable video playback device,
100 A video file conversion device capable of schedule programming according to the present invention,
110 Main control module,
120 video receiving interface module,
130 video format conversion module,
140 Data communication interface module.

Claims (9)

A schedule-programmable video file conversion device connected between a video signal source and a multimedia data processing platform for providing a video file conversion function to a video signal generated from the video signal source,
A main control module for providing a file conversion schedule control parameter setting function for a user to operate, which sets at least an operation time period, a type of a video signal source, and a set of file conversion schedule control parameters including a target format; ,
A video receiving interface module coupled to an external video signal source and controlled by the main control module to receive a video signal generated from the video signal source in an operation time zone set by a user;
A video format conversion module controlled by the main control module to perform format conversion on a video signal received by the video reception interface module based on a target format set by a user;
A schedule-programmable video file conversion device comprising at least a data communication interface module for outputting a stream of a digital video file converted by the video format conversion module to the multimedia data processing platform.   2. The schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video signal source includes a television broadcast receiving apparatus and a video reproduction apparatus.   The television broadcast receiving apparatus includes cable television, DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial) digital television, and American standard NTSC (National Television Standards Committee). 3. The schedule programming according to claim 2, comprising digital television, Japanese standard ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial) digital television, and satellite set-top box. Possible video file converter.   3. The schedule-programmable video file conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the video playback device includes an optical disc player, a digital video camera, and a surveillance camera.   The schedule-programmable video file conversion according to claim 1, wherein the setting value of the operation time zone in the file conversion schedule control parameter set by the main control module includes an option of starting immediately. apparatus.   2. The schedule-programmable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video signal source type in the file conversion schedule control parameter set by the main control module includes options of a television channel, a video file, and real-time shooting. Video file converter.   2. The schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video format conversion module is a hardware video format conversion chip based on a logic circuit framework.   2. The schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data communication interface module is a universal serial bus (USB) communication interface.   The data communication interface module is further connected to the video receiving interface module, so that when the data communication interface module is connected to an external multimedia data processing platform, the data communication interface module has been transmitted from the multimedia data processing platform. 2. The schedule-programmable video file conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a video file is transmitted to the video format conversion module via the video reception interface module, and a file conversion process is performed there.

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