KR100474439B1 - Multimedia data processing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The multimedia data processing system receives, records, and plays back multimedia data including video, audio, and text provided by a multimedia on-line service. After receiving the multimedia data, the video / audio data requiring the storage capacity is extracted and separated from the normal (text) data. Then, the video / audio data is recorded on the recording medium in the first storage device, and general data including index information for controlling the video / audio data through the user interface is stored in the second storage device. During video / audio playback, service subscribers retrieve general data through the user interface and select the multimedia data they want to watch. In response to the subscriber's selection, video and / or audio data from the first storage device is retrieved and played back to the monitor, television set or audio device.

Description

Multimedia data processing system and method

Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multimedia data recording apparatus and method for recording a large amount of data including, for example, moving picture video or moving picture sequences downloaded via digital transmission from multimedia on-line services.

Currently, on-line computer services over proprietary networks or the Internet are expanding rapidly. While visual display may be the most attractive part of the service for many subscribers, most existing on-line services are primarily focused on textual information. This is due to the slow transmission of video over conventional telephone lines in public switched telephone networks. Even when still or virtual motion pictures are transferred to the subscriber's personal computer (PC), the downloading process takes a very long time because the access speed of the PC is slow compared to the amount of data required for the playback of the video picture. Faster video data transfer over the telephone line is possible, but it must suffer from poor video resolution because the downloaded video data shows significantly inferior picture quality.

To overcome the above disadvantages, other data transmission methods such as satellite transmission or cable television (CATV) transmission via cable modems are actually used. For example, digital broadcasting using satellites has already begun in the United States, and similar services have been planned in Europe and Japan.

At present, digital broadcast services via satellite are concentrated mainly on TV transmission and reception, providing about 150 channels to a TV receiver in a typical subscriber's home, but satellite transmission is not limited to such use. Other uses for satellite transmission are being contemplated, including data transmission to personal computers. Thus, satellite transmission has significant potential for multimedia services, including still and moving pictures, audio, etc. in addition to the usual textual information provided to PC users by service providers.

Digital broadcasting systems provide PC users with fast transmission, or downloading, of multimedia services, but data compression is still necessary for video broadcasting within the allocated bandwidth and also for efficient use of the frequency spectrum. The data may be compressed according to a standard developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG-2) as an example. In MPEG systems, the data rate can be set to about 30 megabytes per second when moving image data such as movies.

As the transmission speed of digital data increases, the accompanying data storage problem is followed. When the transferred data contains a large amount of moving pictures, the demand for storage capacity on a PC hard disk, for example, is significantly increased. Thus, in some personal computers, PC users do not receive valuable additional services due to the lack of adequate data storage.

One obvious solution to this problem may include larger capacity hard disks in light of advances in technology to give gigabytes of storage capacity to hard disks. However, installing a larger capacity hard disk is very inconvenient in many ways. Such installation involves the installation of new software for control of the new disk. In addition, the user's personal computer must be reconfigured as a result of the installation of a new hard disk.

Moreover, even if a large capacity hard disk capable of storing a large amount of data is installed in the personal computer, the access speed to the hard disk still remains slow. This is due to the fact that picture / audio data is accessed sequentially, but they may not be stored in adjacent sectors on the disc if other data, ie non-picture / non-audio data, is also stored on the same disc. do. Since most PC configurations include a single hard disk drive, such conventional devices will significantly reduce data access speed and image playback despite faster downloading from service providers.

Purpose of the Invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for efficiently, quickly receiving, recording and reproducing multimedia data.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system comprising a personal computer which efficiently and quickly receives, records and reproduces multimedia data so that data of a type requiring a large storage capacity is selected for a separate storage device.

It is still another object of the present invention to efficiently and quickly receive, record, and reproduce multimedia data so that data in a form requiring large storage capacity is stored in a storage device having a slow access, and another type of data requiring a small storage capacity is high speed. It is to provide a system including a personal computer to be stored in another storage device having access.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in a personal computer for receiving and recording multimedia data for fast and efficient access to this data without substantially modifying the established computer configuration.

Summary of the Invention

These and other objects, features and advantages are achieved by a multimedia data processing system for receiving, recording and playing back multimedia data provided by a multimedia on-line service. The system of the present invention comprises means for receiving and processing digital signals representing multimedia data including video, audio and text broadcast from a multimedia on-line service. Upon receiving the digital signal, video and audio data are separated from the text data. The separated video and audio data are stored in the first storage means for later playback, and the second storage means includes data for interactively managing the video and audio data via the user interface. Remember.

According to one aspect of the invention, the first storage means has a storage capacity for digital data comprising full length moving image video, while the second storage means has a smaller storage capacity than the first storage means. Have

According to another aspect of the present invention, the first storage means stores a first index including a recording address of video and audio data on the recording medium. The second storage means stores a second index for providing a selection menu for selecting video, audio and text data via a user interface for playback on a computer monitor or television set. The first and second indexes correspond to each other so that the correct video, audio and text data can be played back in response to a user selection obtained from the text in the second storage means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a personal computer including a monitor provides a selection menu for selecting video and audio data for playback on the monitor as a function of text data. The personal computer also selectively controls the storage and playback of video, audio and text data through a user interface.

The above and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

A schematic diagram at a high level of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 which schematically illustrates the configuration of a multimedia data processing system according to one embodiment. The system of the present invention provides an example of an on-line multimedia service to a subscriber's computer or television set. It can be installed in the subscriber's home to connect. In particular, the system is achieved by connecting to the personal computer 1 various representative devices shown in dotted boxes labeled PC-HMS (Personal Computer-Home Multimedia System).

As shown in FIG. 1, the interface board 2 is connected to the personal computer 1. The antenna 3, the audio reproducing apparatus 4 and the video clip server 5 are all connected to the personal computer 1 via the interface board 2.

In operation, an information carrying signal transmitted from an on-line service provider via a communication satellite, for example, is received by the antenna 3. An information carrying signal with a bit stream representation of sequential packets of video, audio and text data is supplied to the interface board 2. A processing unit, or microprocessor, is located on the interface board 2 to perform any predetermined signal processing operation for bitstream data such as demodulation, decryption, decryption, distribution, etc. based on the received data type. The interface board 2 may also have an MPEG decoder, various data interfaces, a modem, and the like, details of which will be described below.

According to the inventive concept, one function of the interface board 2 is to transfer video and / or audio data (hereinafter referred to as video / audio data) from other data types such as text (hereinafter referred to as general data). To separate. General data is used for example for the user interface 111 displayed on the monitor to interactively control the video / audio data. This data is stored in a computer memory device such as a hard disk of the personal computer 1 having fast access.

On the other hand, video / audio data is supplied to the video clip server 5 and recorded thereon for later reproduction at the user's request. The image clip server may include, for example, a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR), a digital video disk (DVD), a magneto-optical (MO) disk drive, or a mass computer hard disk.

In accordance with one exemplary on-line service, a subscriber selects a movie from a movie selection list, for example. Preview movie clips (some digest video images from each movie) and general data, including index information for received video / audio data (hereinafter referred to as reference index A), respond to user requests. Is received as a bit stream. When the received bit stream is supplied to the interface board 2, the preview movie club requiring a large storage capacity is recorded in the video clip server 5. General data requiring a small storage capacity is supplied to the personal computer 1 to be stored in the hard disk.

The information supplied by the multimedia service provider may include text data or text data combined with video / audio data. Regardless of the type of data received, text data is stored as normal data on a computer hard disk.

Once the data from the bit stream is separated and stored in each storage capacity, an easy-to-use interface 111 such as, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI) is displayed on the monitor. By selecting an item on a menu displayed through an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or the like connected to the personal computer 1, the user can quickly search for and reproduce the received text and / or video / audio information. If video or text information is received, the information may be displayed on the monitor. However, if the received information is audio, the audible voice is reproduced by the audio reproducing apparatus 4.

Of course, it will be appreciated that using the system of the present invention, a user can browse information including video / music information, electronic program tables, magazine information, shopping information, etc. supplied by an on-line service provider. . The user can then optionally download the information as an option, order various products or services directly from the service provider, and perform other functions made available by that particular service.

2A, 2B and 2C are schematic diagrams illustrating a sequencing operation for receiving, storing and playing multimedia data according to the multimedia data processing system of FIG. The signal is transmitted from the multimedia service provider via a communication satellite or the like as shown in FIG. 2A. The transmitted signal in the form of a bit stream is received by the antenna 3, and then the antenna 3 supplies the transmitted signal to the interface board 2. The bit stream is processed by various predetermined processing operations including demodulation, decryption, decryption, and the like. Based on the identification (ID) information added to each data packet before transmission, the bit stream is classified into video / audio data and general data. In addition to the text, the received general data also includes search data that serves as index information A for video / audio data.

After the classification procedure, general data is stored in the storage device A as the stream A. The storage device A may include, for example, an external memory device including a hard disk and having quick access by the personal computer 1 as shown in FIG. 2A. On the other hand, video / audio data generally requiring the storage capacity is recorded in the storage device B as the stream B. In this case, the index information B including the recording position (absolute address) of video / audio data in the storage device B is also recorded in the storage device B. The index information B corresponds to the index information A stored in the storage device A as described below.

The storage device B may conveniently include a DVCR, DVD, MO drive, or the like as a portable medium and easily removable. This allows storage-Intensive video / audio data to be recorded, stored for future use, and removed from the recording device. As an example a blank recording medium may be inserted into the device for further recording and playback of video / audio data. In one embodiment of the present invention, it is also preferable to store the type of recording medium and / or recording device in the storage device B together with the index information B for discrimination between various recording devices.

2B shows a sequencing operation for playing downloaded video / audio data. First, the storage device A containing general data together with the index information A is accessed through the personal computer 1. Based on the index information A, the selection menu for the downloaded video / audio data is displayed on the monitor of the personal computer 1. The user then selects the video / audio data for playback according to the selection menu. While the menu selection is in progress, access to the storage device B is not performed.

When the selection menu is displayed, the data downloaded before the most recently downloaded data and recorded in the storage device B can be recalled and displayed on the screen. That is, the index information A can be accumulated, so that the user can select previously received and recorded video / audio data if desired. If the selected video / audio data has been previously recorded on a recording medium in storage B that is different from the current recording medium, the user will be alerted by a message displayed on the screen, and the recording medium will be exchanged according to the instructions on the monitor. Attention will be paid.

When the user selects the video / audio data on the screen, the personal computer 1 sends a command to the storage device B to obtain the index information B of the recorded video / audio data. As described above, index information B includes an address of video / audio data on the recording medium. After searching the index information B, a search is performed to find the recording start position of the selected video or audio sequence. Once found, the selected video / audio data is retrieved from storage B. The retrieved video / audio data is converted into a data stream and supplied to the personal computer 1 by way of example via the interface board 2 as shown in FIG. 2C. The display of the image and the reproduction of the audio are performed by the monitor of the personal computer 1 and the audio reproduction device, respectively.

When only text data is selected from the menu, access to the storage device B is not necessary. Since the access speed to the storage device A is high, index information for the text data is neither formed nor stored in the storage device A.

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a multimedia service provider system in connection with a multimedia data processing system for transmitting, receiving, recording, and playing multimedia data in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, digital multimedia data is transmitted from a service provider to a general home subscriber connected to the service via a communication satellite 11 or a cable.

In the example of FIG. 3, data is transmitted via the communication satellite 11, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Thus, data can also be transmitted from the service provider to each subscriber home via a cable. As is known in the art, digital multimedia data refers to on-line services that include a variety of on-line information, including, for example, video / music software, electronic program tables, magazine information, shopping information, and the like. Information provided by such services includes image data, audio data, text data, and the like.

Video images transmitted via a plurality of channels are for example supplied from the video distribution source 7 to the data compression and scrambling device 6. In addition, news, entertainment information, and the like may be supplied from the Internet 8 or a commercially available network 9. Digital data is compressed and scrambled by the data compression and scrambling device 6 to prevent the use of self-service other than the service subscriber. The compressed and scrambled data is then supplied to the transmission device 10.

The digital multimedia data is adjusted to the transmitting device 10 for transmission via the microwave link and broadcasted by the communication satellite 11. The broadcast signal is received by a receiving device (antenna 3) installed in each home subscribing to such a service and converted into a bit stream.

4A shows an example of a received bitstream. The bit stream is transmitted in a unit base, i.e., a transport packet, so that one packet consists of 188 bytes or 130 bytes. Each packet contains data of the same type, and may include general data such as text data, video (video) data, or audio (voice) data. 4A, 4B and 4C, D1 to D3 represent data packets for general data, V1 to V6 represent video packets for video data, and A1 to A3 represent audio packets for audio data.

An ID indicating the type of information in the packet, such as video data, audio data or general data, is added to the header of each packet. As part of the processing operation on the receiving side, each data is reassembled based on the information contained in the ID.

The bit stream shown in FIG. 4A is received by the antenna 3 and supplied to the interface board 2. In the interface board 2, packets are separated and distributed based on ID information in each header. 4B shows a data packet selected from the bit stream of FIG. 4A. Similarly, FIG. 4C shows a video packet and an audio packet selected from the bit stream.

In summary, the bit stream of on-line information is for example supplied to and downloaded to an interface board 2 attached to a personal computer 1 in the subscriber's home. The supplied bit stream is divided into video / audio data and general data such as text data based on the ID added to each packet as described above.

As shown in Fig. 3, the data including the video packet and the audio packet requiring the storage capacity are supplied to the video clip server 5 as stream B and recorded on the recording medium. Similarly, data including general data packets requiring a small storage capacity are supplied as stream A to the hard disk of the personal computer 1 for storage.

3 also shows a charging system 12 connected to the compression and scrambling device 6. The charging system 12 manages the cost or fee of the user for accessing the on-line service. That is, the billing system 12 and the home multimedia system are connected via an aerial line 14, such as a telephone line. The interface board 2 is coupled to a prepaid card 13 in which a predetermined currency amount is registered in advance based on a previous transaction between the user and the service provider. When the user accesses the on-line service, the specific amount is reduced from the prepaid card 13 based on the connection time, access fee, etc. determined by the service provider. Information contained on the prepaid card 13 is transferred between the charging system 12 and the personal computer 1 via a telephone line.

Application software for playing video, audio or text supplied from the service provider is pre-installed on the personal computer 1 as part of the on-line service. The user can use the application software to play an image as an example from the downloaded data.

As an example, after a preview clip such as a movie and a reference index for searching for a desired title have been downloaded, the user retrieves the reference index data and previews the movie clip in response to his selection. When the desired title is found, a complete video is requested from the service provider via the personal computer 1 and the aerial 14.

When the desired video image or video sequence is supplied to the user from the service provider and downloaded to the HMS, the predetermined fee is reduced from the prepaid card 13.

As shown in Fig. 3, the downloaded video / audio data is supplied to the video clip server 5 and recorded on the recording medium. The video information is reproduced at the user's request through the personal computer 1. 3 shows that video data can be reproduced on the display or television receiver 15 of the personal computer 1.

5 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a multimedia data processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An exemplary embodiment relates to a digital video cassette recorder for recording and playing back video data in a digital video cassette (DVC). FIG. 5 also shows a DVD device for recording / reproducing video / audio data onto a digital video disc (DVD). Both DVCR and DVD are used as video clip servers 5 and 5 '(storage device B of Figs. 2A to 2C).

Video / audio data, such as video and music information, electronic program tables, magazine information, shopping information, etc., is transmitted as on-line information from the service provider. Video data is compressed and encoded by, for example, an MPEG-2 system for transmission to a user. The transmitted on-line information is received at the antenna 3 as a compressed digital signal supplied to a front end circuit 30.

Representative wireless transmission of on-line information has been described so far, but the invention is not so limited. By way of example, on-line information may also be transmitted over a cable, such as in CATV. In such a case, the cable is connected to the interface board 2, and a signal containing on-line information is supplied to the front end circuit 30 via a suitable interface.

As described above, the digital signal is transmitted in packets of a predetermined byte length. In addition, video / audio packets are time division multiplexed to form a transport stream. Transport streams of multiple channels are grouped into a single transmission using satellite transponders.

On the receiving side shown in Fig. 5, on-line information is received as a compressed digital signal. Through channel selection using the front end circuit 30, transport streams from a particular transponder are received and demodulated. The front end circuit 30 also decodes the demodulated transport stream and performs error correction on the decoded data. The error corrected transport stream is then supplied to the transport decoder 31.

The transport decoder 31 includes, for example, a decryption circuit and the like. As described above, the on-line service information has been encrypted (scrambled) by the data compression and scrambling apparatus 6 of FIG. Therefore, if the signal is not descrambled on the user side, the on-line service cannot be used.

Descrambling is performed by the decryption circuit using a key assigned by the service provider to each registered user. As mentioned above, the prepaid card 13 of FIG. 3 is attached to the interface board 2. The prepaid card 13 may, for example, have an integrated circuit (IC) for storing user information. Using the IC, information such as a user fee decryption key or the like can be stored on the card. In this case, the key information used by the decryption circuit is obtained from the prepaid card without user intervention.

Alternatively, key information may be input to the personal computer 1 by the user during each session.

5, the descrambled data is supplied from the decryption circuit to the switch (SW circuit) in the transmission decoder 31. In the SW circuit, a transport stream divided into a plurality of channels is set in one channel. In addition, in the SW circuit, packets of video / audio data and general data are separated based on the ID added to the header unit of each packet. Packet data is stored in a digital recording device (storage B of FIGS. 2A to 2C) or in an external memory device 50 (storage A of FIGS. 2A to 2C) including a hard disk connected to the personal computer 1. It is separated as video / audio data and general data for storing.

General data (index information A) is required for interactive processing of video / audio data transmitted simultaneously and recorded in storage B. In addition to the index information A, the general data may include text data, font data, graphic data for providing a user interface display on the monitor of the personal computer 1. Still image data may also be included in general data.

General data is supplied to the personal computer 1 via an interface 32 using a common computer bus architecture, such as, for example, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) or Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). .

The personal computer 1 includes an MPU 42, which is a microprocessor that controls substantially all operations in the system, a memory 43 including RAM, ROM, and the like; A bridge 45 that arbitrates between the MPU 42 and the PCI bus 44 as a local bus; A PCI-ISA bridge 47 that arbitrates between the PCI bus 44 and the ISA bus 46 as an external bus; An example includes an interface 48 that includes a SCSI controller for interfacing with an external memory device 50 as storage device A.

Although not shown, the monitor is connected to the personal computer 1 via a graphics controller. The graphics controller is connected to the same bus as the MPU 42. In addition, input devices such as keyboards and mice are connected to the same bus through appropriate interface devices. Input devices and monitors provide a user interface for performing various commands and checking the results of these commands.

In the ISA architecture, general data from the interface 32 is supplied to the SCSI controller 48 via the ISA bus 46, the PCI-ISA bridge 47, and the PCI bus 44. Under the PCI standard, general data is supplied to the SCSI controller 48 via the PCI bus 44.

In either case, general data is transferred by the SCSI controller 48 to the hard disk drive 50 (storage device A) and recorded there. Under the control of the MPU 42, general data recorded in the storage device A is retrieved in response to a command input by the user through the input device. After that, the display data and the like are output to the monitor.

On the other hand, the video / audio data selected by the transport decoder 31 for storage on the recording medium in the digital recording device is transferred to the image clip server 5 (storage device B) via, for example, the P1394 interface 34 of the P1394 standard. Is sent. When the storage device B is a DVCR, video / audio data is supplied from the P1394 interface 34 to the DVC interface 61 through the P1394 interface 60.

In the case of DVCR, the digital data is recorded as a transport stream so that the video / audio data supplied to the DVC interface 61 is arranged as a packet and the mechanical deck 64 via the CHCD circuit 62 and the RF circuit 63. Are sent to. In particular, video / audio data separated into packets by the DVC interface 61 may be used in processes such as variable speed playback, TBC (time base correction), parity addition of error correction codes, modulation, etc., as known to those skilled in the art. Is processed by Thereafter, video / audio data is recorded on the DVC 65 inserted in the mechanical deck 64.

Using the P1394 interface, several parts of the equipment can be connected simultaneously. As shown in Fig. 5, for example, video / audio data is supplied from the P1394 interface 34 to a DVD device 5 'which also serves as a video clip server. In particular, video / audio data is supplied from the P1394 interface 34 to the DVD interface 71 via the P1394 interface 70.

In contrast to DVCR, digital data is recorded in a DVD as a program stream in which a plurality of packets are packed in a pack structure. As a result, the video / audio data is converted from the transport stream to the program stream in the DVD interface 71 and supplied to the DVD recording / playback unit 72 for recording on the DVD.

When video / audio data is recorded on the recording medium in the storage device B such as the DVCR 5 and the DVD 5 ', the index information B corresponding to the index information A is also recorded in the storage device B. Index information B includes the absolute address of the position where the video / audio data is recorded on the recording medium.

Absolute address information may be sent with the video / audio data by the service provider. Alternatively, the absolute address information can be added to the recording medium in the storage device B by the digital recording device.

During reproduction of the video / audio data recorded in the storage device B, user commands are supplied to the MPU 42 via input means of the personal computer 1. That is, the index information A recorded in the storage device A is read by the MPU 42 and stored in the memory 43. Based on the stored index information A, the screen image (menu) is displayed on the monitor of the personal computer 1. The menu prompts the user to select video / audio data for playback.

In response to the user selection of the desired video / audio data, the recorded index information B on the recording medium in the storage device B is accessed by the MPU 42. In particular, the read request of the index information B is generated by the MPU 42 via the PCI interface 41 or the ISA interface 40, the transport decoder 31, and the P1394 interface 34. In response to the request, the index information B is retrieved from the recording medium in the storage device B. The obtained index information B is returned to the MPU 42 through the same interfaces described above.

Based on the index information B, the MPU 42 determines the absolute address where the desired video / audio data is recorded on the recording medium of the storage device B. FIG. The storage device B controlled by the MPU 42 performs a search for this address on the recording medium, and reproduction of desired video / audio data from the recording medium is performed.

As an example, when the storage device B is the DVCR 5, the reproduced video / audio signal is processed by the demodulation and error correction process by the RF circuit 63 and the CHCD circuit 62. The demodulated and corrected video / audio data is supplied to the DVC interface 61 and further processed there, and is supplied to the transport decoder 31 via the P1394 interface 60 and the P1394 interface 34.

In the transport decoder 31, the packet structure is removed, and the video / audio data included in the packet structure is supplied to the MPEG decoder 33. The MPEG decoder 33 decompresses the video / audio data, which is then supplied to the video graphics adapter (VGA) card 80 via the interface 37 as an example. Thus, image data arranged as an RGB signal is displayed on the monitor 81.

Alternatively, decompressed video / audio data from the MPEG decoder 33 is supplied to the NTSC decoder 35 for conversion into an NTSC signal. NTSC signals are sent to a television receiver (not shown) for display. Audio data from the MPEG decoder 33 is supplied to a D / A converter (not shown) and a television receiver for subsequent reproduction.

The video / audio data that is played back and displayed on the monitor may include a sample or propaganda information, such as a so-called article sample, such as a digest video image such as a movie broadcast by a service provider.

The user may preview the displayed sample image and request a desired product or service from the service provider. That is, in order to order a desired product, the user follows the instructions of the service provider through a user interface including a monitor of the personal computer 1 and an input device. The order information is supplied to the transport decoder 31 of the interface board 2 via the PCI interface 41, the ISA interface 40, and the like. The modem 36 is connected to the transport decoder 31 to communicate with the service provider via an aerial such as a telephone line. Thus, order information is sent to the service provider via modem 36.

Upon receipt of the order, the service provider examines some information about the user. As an example information such as the amount of credit available on the prepaid card is checked. When the necessary information is confirmed to satisfy the service provider, the ordered goods or services are delivered to the user. Thus, when a movie or the like is ordered, video / audio data of the full length of the ordered movie is transmitted to the user via a communication satellite.

6 shows one modification in the above embodiment of the present invention. By changing the DVC interface, a general digital video camera / recorder 90 or the like can be used to generate stream B. That is, the DVC interface 61 of the first embodiment included in the storage device B of FIG. 5 is connected to the transport decoder 31 and located in the second embodiment as the DVC interface 91 located on the interface board 2. Is inserted. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the same element is given the same reference numeral, and description about it with reference to FIG. 6 is abbreviate | omitted.

Stream B, ie video / audio data, received by the antenna 3 and distributed by the transport decoder 31 via the front end circuit 30 is supplied to the DVC interface 91. Video / audio data is processed by a predetermined packet process in the DVC interface 91 and supplied to the P1394 interface 34.

In this embodiment, the data output from the P1394 interface 34 has already been converted into a form suitable for recording by the DVCR by the DVC interface 91 located on the interface board 2. Thus, using such an interface board 2, the video / audio data received by the antenna 3 can be transferred to a generic desk-top DVCR 5 "or generic digital video camera / recorder 90 by way of example without a DVC interface. Can be recorded.

Conversely, in supplying video / audio data reproduced from a general desk-top DVCR 5 "or digital video camera / recorder 90 to the interface board 2 via the P1394 interface 34, a predetermined packet process is required. Is performed by the DVC interface 91. The reproduced video can be displayed on the monitor or television receiver 81 of the personal computer 1 via the MPEG decoder 33 via the transport decoder 31.

7 is a block diagram showing in detail a multimedia data processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This modification relates to existing digital broadcast systems.

When data in a digital broadcast system is transmitted via a communications satellite, a device known as an Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) is connected to the subscriber's television receiver. In a CATV broadcast system in which data transmission is performed via a cable, this device is commonly called a set-top box and is connected to the subscriber's television receiver.

According to the conventional IRD design, in contrast to the interface board 2, there is a lack of an interface of the storage device B to the personal computer interface and the digital recording device of the storage capacity. That is, in the conventional broadcast system using IRD, data storage cannot be performed, and therefore it is almost impossible to process digital broadcast multimedia service.

The third embodiment of the present invention includes an interface for data transmission between the interface board 2 and the IRD 100. In such an interface, a 24-pin connector may be used as an example. The interface board 2 and the IRD 100 are interconnected, allowing existing communication systems to handle multimedia services without modification of the equipment. In FIG. 7, elements common to those of FIGS. 5 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals as described above, and description thereof is omitted.

The IRD 100 performs a predetermined signal processing operation on the signal received by the antenna 3 to form a video signal corresponding to the NTSC system. The IRD 100 is controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) 106 and has a modem 107 for managing user billing information for a service provided on a public telephone line via a public telephone line.

The bit stream transmitted from the service provider and received by the antenna 3 is supplied to the front end circuit 101. Appropriate channel data is selected from the received bit stream and demodulated in the front end circuit 101. After the error correction is performed, the resulting data is supplied to the descrambling circuit 102. As above, the signal supplied from the service provider is encrypted (scrambled). In the descrambling circuit 102, data is decrypted (descrambled) based on the key assigned by the service provider to each subscriber. The key information can be stored on a prepaid card such as an IC as described above, for example. The prepaid card is attached to the IRD 100 and the key stored on the card is read by the CPU 106.

The descrambled signal is then supplied to the transport demultiplexer 103. An interface for the interface board 2 is provided between the descrambling circuit 102 of the IRD 100 and the transport demultiplexer 103. Accordingly, the signal descrambled by the descrambling circuit 102 is supplied to the transport demultiplexer 103 of the IRD 100 and the transport decoder 31 ′ of the interface board 2.

In the transport decoder 31 ', transport data divided into a plurality of channels is set in one user-selected channel. In addition, video / audio data and general data are classified and distributed according to ID information added to the header of each packet. That is, data is separated by the transport decoder 31 'for transfer to the storage device B and the storage device A.

The general data is supplied by the transport decoder 31 'to the personal computer 1 via the interface 32 according to the ISA or PCI standard, for example. While general data is stored in the storage device A, video / audio data transmitted through the DVC interface 91 and the P1394 interface 34 are stored in the storage device B. In this case, the index information B including the absolute address of the video / audio data recorded on the recording medium is also recorded in the storage device B. FIG.

As above, by providing an interface between the IRD 100 and the interface board 2, digital broadcast multimedia services can be received using a multimedia data processing system according to this embodiment of the present invention without modification to existing equipment. have.

According to this embodiment, during broadcast, the output from the descrambling circuit 102 of the IRD 100 is supplied to the transport demultiplexer 103 and converted into data previously processed with the predetermined packet process and MPEG compression. The output from the transport demultiplexer 103 is supplied to the MPEG decoder 104. In the MPEG decoder 104, data is decompressed and supplied to the NTSC encoder 105 where it is converted into a video signal according to the NTSC format. The television receiver then displays the video signal in response to a user request, for example.

In this embodiment, the DVC interface 91 was included on the interface board 2, thus making it possible to handle general DVCR. However, the present invention is not limited only to this embodiment. As an example, it is also possible not to include the DVC interface 91 on the interface board 2, and therefore the DVD device can be used as the storage device B. FIG.

In accordance with the present invention, multimedia on-line data may include moving image video requiring large storage capacity and non-memory enhancement data such as text data. Based on the ID information located in the header of each transmitted data packet, the video / audio data is separated from the non-memory enhancement data. Thereafter, the two types of data forming the multimedia data are stored in respective storage devices, i.e., a digital recording device such as a DVC, DVD or the like is used to display the video of the multimedia data on a suitable recording medium such as a digital video cassette or a digital video disc. Record the audio section. The interactive portion of the text and multimedia data that does not require storage capacity is recorded on the hard disk of the personal computer with quick access capability. Thus, the user can enjoy a multimedia on-line service including moving picture and the like with high image quality without changing the configuration of his personal computer or other equipment.

According to the present invention, multimedia data can be received, recorded and played back efficiently and quickly. In addition, there is provided a system comprising a personal computer for efficiently and quickly receiving, recording and reproducing multimedia data such that data of a type requiring a large storage capacity is selected for a separate storage device. In addition, data in a form requiring a large storage capacity by efficiently and quickly receiving, recording, and reproducing multimedia data is stored in a storage device having a slow access, and other forms of data requiring a small storage capacity are stored in another memory having a fast access. A system is provided that includes a personal computer to be stored in the apparatus. It also provides an apparatus for use in a personal computer for receiving and recording multimedia data for fast and efficient access to this data without substantially modifying the established computer configuration.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a multimedia data processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A-2C are schematic diagrams illustrating sequencing operations for receiving, storing, and playing multimedia data in accordance with the multimedia data processing system of FIG.

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a multimedia service provider system associated with a multimedia data processing system for transmitting, receiving, recording and outputting multimedia data according to the present invention.

4A-4C are schematic diagrams illustrating the distribution of multimedia data comprising a bit stream sent to a multimedia data processing system in accordance with the present invention.

5 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a multimedia data processing system according to one embodiment of the invention.

6 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a multimedia data processing system according to another embodiment of the invention.

7 is a block diagram illustrating in detail a multimedia data processing system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

★ Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawings ★

1: personal computer 2: interface board

3: antenna 4: audio playback device

5: video clip server 6: data compression and scrambling device

7, 8, 9: multimedia service provider system

31: Transport Decoder 100: Integrated Receiver Decoder

Claims (20)

A multimedia data processing system for receiving, recording and playing multimedia data provided by a multimedia on-line service, the multimedia data processing system comprising: Means for receiving and processing digital signals indicative of the multimedia data, including video, audio and text data broadcast from the multimedia on-line service; Means for separating the video and audio data from the text data; First storage means for recording and reproducing the video and audio data; And second storage means for storing and reproducing the text data including index information for interactively managing the video and audio data via a user interface. The method of claim 1, And said first storage means has a storage capacity for digital data comprising full length moving image video. The method of claim 1, And said second storage means has a smaller storage capacity than said first storage means for storing digital data. The method of claim 1, The monitor for providing a selection menu for selecting the video and audio data for playback on the monitor as a function of the text data and for selectively controlling the storage and playback of the video, audio and text data via the user interface. And a personal computer having a. The method of claim 1, Wherein said multimedia data is divided into a plurality of packets, each packet comprising information of the same kind of data type and including information identifying a data type contained in the packet. The method of claim 5, And the data type is one of video, audio and text data. The method of claim 1, The multimedia on-line service is broadcasted to subscribers via a communication satellite. The method of claim 1, The multimedia on-line service is broadcasted to subscribers via a cable. The method of claim 1, And said first storage means comprises at least one of a digital video disk apparatus, a digital video cassette recorder, a digital video camera, a digital video camera / recorder and a magneto-optical disk drive. The method of claim 9, And said first storage means comprises a recording medium for recording said video and audio data, said recording medium comprising at least a digital video disk or a digital video cassette detachable from said recording devices. The method of claim 1, And said second storage means comprises a hard disk drive. The method of claim 1, And means for charging the subscriber for access to the multimedia on-line service prepaid by the subscriber. The method of claim 1, And the receiving and processing means comprises means for interfacing with a set top box of a cable broadcast. The method of claim 1, The first storage means stores address index information including a recording address of the video and audio data on a recording medium, and the index information of the second storage means is connected to the video, audio and text data via the user interface. And a selection menu for selecting a function, wherein the address index information and the index information correspond to each other. The method of claim 1, And a television set for displaying the video, audio, and text data in response to a user selection via the user interface. A multimedia data processing method for receiving, recording and playing back multimedia data provided by a multimedia on-line service, the method comprising: Receiving and processing a digital signal representing the multimedia data including video, audio, and text broadcast from the multimedia on-line service; Separating the video and audio data from the text data; Recording and reproducing the video and audio data in a first storage means; Storing and reproducing, in a second storage means, the text data comprising index information for interactively managing the video and audio data via a user interface. The method of claim 16, And the multimedia data is divided into a plurality of packets including information identifying a data type included in the packet, and each packet is of the same type of data type. The method of claim 16, Generating a selection menu by a personal computer for selecting the video and audio data for playback as a function of the text data, and selectively controlling storage and playback of the video and audio data by the personal computer Further comprising, the multimedia data processing method. The method of claim 16, Billing the subscriber for access to the multimedia on-line service prepaid by the subscriber. The method of claim 16, Storing address index information including a recording address of the video and audio data on a record carrier, wherein the index information of the second storage means is adapted for the reproduction of the multimedia data for playback via the user interface. And a selection menu for selecting a portion, wherein the address index information corresponds to the index information.