KR20110081993A - System for supplying varying content to multiple displays using a single player - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for displaying content on a plurality of electronic display devices using a single video player and transmitter. Some display devices may show dynamic video and other display devices may show static images. Alternatively, all display devices may be showing static images. The player provides video frames that can be encoded with unique display identifiers that instruct the system to display the appropriate frames on the appropriate display devices. The transmitter may communicate wirelessly or wired with the display receivers. In a wired embodiment, display devices may be daisy-chained with each other to reduce the length of wires / cables required.

Description

System for providing various contents to a plurality of display devices using a single player {SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING VARYING CONTENT TO MULTIPLE DISPLAYS USING A SINGLE PLAYER}

This application is a non-provisional application of the United States and claims priority based on US patent application Ser. No. 61/101135, filed on September 29, 2008.

Example embodiments are directed to a system and method for providing video and audio content to a plurality of displays.

It is usually desirable to be able to display a mixture of static video and dynamic video on several different display devices. Conventionally this will be done using a plurality of players and transmitters. Each display device will have its own distinct player and transmitter associated with it.

Conventional systems for providing content to a plurality of display devices are cumbersome and expensive. The cost is greatly increased due to the need to have one player and one transmitter for each display device. In addition, the space required to accommodate all players and transmitters is expensive. As such, where content may include both dynamic video and static video, there is a need for a more efficient system that allows content to be displayed on multiple display devices using only a single player. have.

The system herein provides both dynamic video and static video to a plurality of displays using a single player and transmitter. In an exemplary embodiment of this system, one player is provided with a single output. This video feed is sent to the transmitter. The transmitter then sends its video feed to a plurality of display devices via a receiver associated with each display device. In order to be able to show different content in each display device, the video player or transmitter embeds a display identifier in the data header of the video frame. Receivers associated with each display device read the display identifier embedded in the video frame. If the display identifier matches the display identifier for the associated display device (or one of the identifiers for the associated display device), the image is displayed. If the identifiers do not match, the receiver does not send the image to the display device. The display device continues to show the last image received until a new image is received.

In addition to static video (still images), dynamic video may be provided by the video player. In this embodiment, the player may take one frame of video and update any of the static displays. This makes it possible for a single player to produce a plurality of static images while playing dynamic video on at least one display device. It should be understood that the display devices may be LCDs, OLEDs, LEDs, plasmas, projection displays, light emitting polymers, electroluminescence or any suitable electronic display. In addition, the components may communicate with each other, either hard-wired or wirelessly, depending on the application. In an exemplary embodiment, the transmitter and various display receivers may communicate wirelessly.

In other example embodiments, the player may have a dual output, where one output may be dedicated to dynamic video, while the other output may be used to refresh static display devices. . In some of these embodiments, the dynamic video may not have an identifier in the frame header. However, a static image feed may still have to have an identifier in the header.

These systems can provide a cost effective way to display menu boards in restaurants or to advertise goods in any public place. The system may provide a dynamic video feed to some display devices while providing static images on other display devices. By eliminating a plurality of components in a conventional approach, this system can be cost effective in use compared to conventional systems that were considered ridiculously expensive. Exemplary embodiments have a notable advantage in that content can be displayed on multiple display devices using a single player and transmitter.

Those skilled in the art should also appreciate that audio associated with video can also be supplied to display devices in the same manner. The system described herein can also use a video buffer. By using the embodiments herein with a video buffer system it is ensured that the video continues to be displayed even if signal transmission to the display receivers is interrupted. A daisy-chain wiring method may also be used in the system described herein. This method reduces the amount of physical wires / cables that may be required for installing wired embodiments of the present disclosure. Instead of connecting wires / cables from each display device to the original transmitter, the display devices are connected to each other in a daisy-chain fashion.

The following drawings and detailed description will become apparent or apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of other systems, methods, features and advantages of the present invention. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description and be within the scope of the invention.

The following description includes a discussion of several figures including examples given through implementations of embodiments of the present invention. The drawings are to be understood by way of example and not as limitation.
1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional approach for providing content to a plurality of display devices.
2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a system for providing content to a plurality of display devices using a single output player.
3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a system for providing content to a plurality of display devices using multiple output players.

In conventional digital signage, complicated wiring, a large number of components, and considerable space have been required to provide content to a plurality of display devices. 1 illustrates a conventional content delivery system. In the past, each display device required its own player and transmitter to display various contents on the plurality of display devices. This configuration required a high cost and a lot of space.

Some of the plurality of display devices may have static content, while others may have dynamic content in digital signage applications, as opposed to having individual players associated with each display device (FIG. 1). It is possible to have a single player (10 in FIG. 2) control the content for all display devices. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a system in which a single audio and video player (hereinafter “player”) 10 may be used to update a plurality of display devices 22, 24, 26, 28. . As shown in FIG. 2, player 10 may communicate with transmitter 12. The transmitter 12 also communicates with the plurality of receivers 14, 16, 18, 20 using a hard-wired (such as a CAT-5 cable or any other suitable wire) or a wireless connection. can do.

Each receiver 14, 16, 18, 20 may also be in communication with their respective display device 22, 24, 26, 28. The display devices 22, 24, 26, 28 may be individually addressed by assigning different display identifiers to each display device. Instead, one display device may be associated with a plurality of identifiers. Although shown as having four receivers 14, 16, 18, 20 and four display devices 22, 24, 26, 28, any number of display devices and receivers may be used in a similar manner. ) May be connected.

In order to provide content to the plurality of display devices 22, 24, 26, 28 using a single player 10, the player 10 provides video (sometimes with audio) content to be displayed. The player 10 may provide only static video (still images), dynamic video only, or a mixture of both types of video. Initially, while the present system is described in terms of a mixed form of both types of video, it should be readily appreciated that the example system may also display only one of the two types.

Dynamic video is typically output at a particular frame rate, which may be determined by the video source, the bandwidth of the system, and the electronic display device on which it will be displayed. For example, 30 frames per second (images) are provided for 30 fps of video. Depending on the particular setup, the player 10 or transmitter 12 may split the dynamic video signal into individual frames to compress each frame (compression may not be necessary in some systems, depending on the bandwidth and size of the video data). . A central processing unit (CPU) may be used to perform these functions and the CPU may be a separate unit or embedded in the player 10 or the transmitter 12. Depending on the compression method, JPEG, MPEG, or JPEG2000 is the usual format for play / image compression, but other types of compression methods may be used.

The player 10 or the transmitter 12 may associate the header with each frame. This header may have several bits of information including instructions for decompressing and reassembling the frame. In addition, the player 10 or the transmitter 12 may encode one or more display identifiers in the header for each frame. The display identifiers thus instruct the system which display device should be showing which image. It can also be called a packet by combining frames and headers.

The transmitter 12 can then send packets to each of the receivers 14, 16, 18, 20. Upon receiving the packets, the receivers 14, 16, 18, 20 can read the information contained in the header. If the display identifier in the header matches one of the identifiers of the display devices 22, 24, 26, 28 associated with the receiver 14, 16, 18, 20, then the receiver decompresses the packet (if necessary). Images can be sent to the relevant display device.

If the display identifier does not match the display identifier of the associated display device, the frame is not shown to the display device 22, 24, 26, 28. Each receiver 14, 16, 18, 20 will continue to send previously received image information until it receives a new packet with a matching display identifier. To this end, the receivers 14, 16, 18, 20 or the display devices 22, 24, 26, 28 may have a storage medium in order to have the last matched video frame. In this way, a static image may be sent to a particular display device (or devices) for one frame and that image may remain on the selected display device (or devices) until another image is sent. For example, in an advertising display device, a static image may remain on the display device for a given time (30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc.), and the company pays the advertising company for the exact amount of time their ad is displayed. can do. For informational purposes (i.e., scores of airport terminals and sporting events), the display device can be updated with new static images whenever the information being displayed changes (i.e. the arrival / delay of the plane and the score changes). . Thus, it is readily understood that with a system capable of exporting many packets / frames per second, multiple display devices can be controlled via a single location.

There may be a video buffer (storage medium) in electrical communication with each receiver and / or display device. Some video buffers may store large amounts of video data to be displayed. By using the embodiments herein with a video buffer system it is ensured that the dynamic video continues to be displayed even if the signal transmission to the display receivers is lost.

As mentioned above, it may be desirable to show dynamic video rather than static images on at least one of the display devices 22, 24, 26, 28. For this purpose, the header for each dynamic video packet will have a display identifier for the display device (s) to which this dynamic video should be shown. Other display devices showing static content may receive updated images by replacing one frame of static image with one frame of dynamic video. In other words, if dynamic video is being transmitted at 30 frames per second, to replace the static image on a particular display device, player 10 will provide 29 frames of dynamic video and one frame of static image per second. . The display device showing the dynamic video will simply repeat the frame immediately before the static image update is being sent. Viewers will hardly notice (if at all possible) that there is no new frame in dynamic video. This is especially true for higher frame rates (30 fps and above). As just mentioned above, the very previous frame will be repeated, so there will be no noticeable 'blank screen' or 'flicker'. The interruption of the dynamic video may be further reduced by updating the static images during the break of the dynamic video or during a segment of the dynamic video with little motion or change in the image. In this situation, the surrounding frames are almost identical, making it harder for anyone to see that the previous frame is repeated.

In other embodiments, packets may be sent at different rates. Thus, embodiments that are displaying dynamic video on at least one display device may transmit packets relatively frequently (depending on the frame rate, for example, in packets of 30, 60, or more / less per second). However, embodiments that only display static video may transmit packets relatively rarely (eg, one packet every 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or more times). In addition, some embodiments may display dynamic video for a period of time followed by only static video for a period of time. This can occur especially in advertising systems, where some companies may have dynamic video advertisements while others may have static video advertisements. In these systems there may be periods in which packet transmissions are occurring 30 times per second, followed by periods in which only one packet transmission is occurring per minute.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the present system, in which an embodiment is used to update a plurality of display devices 22, 24, 26, 28 showing a combination of both dynamic video and static images. A single audio and video player 40 with two outputs can be used. In other words, player 40 can communicate with one transmitter 12, which can also communicate with a plurality of receivers 14, 16, 18, 20. The player 40 also outputs a dynamic video feed for the at least one display device to the transmitter 12 and at the same time a second data feed that is used to update other display devices showing a static image. In these types of arrangements, dynamic video may be a fixed video stream that may be used as a 'default' for the majority of display devices and static images may be sent as an override of the default dynamic video. have. These embodiments may be used when television feeds are used fairly consistently with occasional static images. For example, a bar or restaurant may want to display television broadcasts for extended periods of time (most likely evenings when sporting events or other popular broadcasts may be aired). However, during other times (such as during the daytime when popular broadcasts may not be aired), the bar or restaurant may choose to show static images for advertising purposes, menu boards or special menus. In these embodiments, the arrangement of FIG. 3 may be advantageous because each frame of dynamic video may not be required to be encoded (and sometimes compressed) with display identifiers. Instead, a fixed stream can be sent as a default and a static image packet that is sometimes provided with it can be embedded in that fixed stream to override the default dynamic video. Thus, less costly equipment may be used in these embodiments as less processing speed / power may be required for the player and transmitter. In addition, dynamic video may be sent more easily in uncompressed format to avoid unpleasant artifacts that can sometimes exist due to compression.

The static video output designated to update other display devices 22, 24, 26, 28 may be encoded in the same manner as described above. However, if a dynamic video stream is used as the default, the overriding static packets may take many forms. The first form would be to send a packet intended to be displayed indefinitely (until another static packet is sent or until a command packet is sent instructing the display device to show dynamic video). The second form would be to provide instructions in the static packet header that detail how long this static image should be displayed (until back to the default dynamic video). Of course, the embodiments described in connection with FIG. 3 may also include two separate players (for dynamic video and for static images) rather than a single player with two outputs.

The electrical connection between the transmitter 12 and receivers for various display devices may be a wired or wireless connection. Using a wireless connection, multiple receivers can be installed very simply and neatly, and a wireless router can send packets to multiple receivers. If using a wired connection, the wire would actually have to run from the transmitter 12 to the various receivers. When installing with many display devices, especially when the display devices are located far from the transmitter 12, the installation cost and the wiring itself can be very expensive. Thus, a daisy-chain technique can be used. Using this technique, receivers may be 'daisy-chained' with each other, so that only wires that connect each display device to a neighboring display device are needed, as opposed to straight wires from the transmitter. It may be. For this purpose, a serializer / de-serializer (SerDes) technique is used. The signal is generated as a parallel block with a clock and serialized before being sent by the transmitter 12. The serial signal is then sent to the receiver and deserialized at the receiver to recover the original parallel data and clock. Next, clock cleaning circuitry is used to remove jitter and drive the display device associated with the receiver. This signal is serialized again and sent to the next receiver in the daisy chain. This technique can be used to connect many display devices together without having to wire them individually to the original transmitter 12. Many different types of cables (wires) can be used, but CAT 5 is inexpensive and can be used in the exemplary embodiment. This method can be implemented for both compressed and uncompressed video.

Those skilled in the art can also use the embodiments herein to send audio data in addition to video data. It may be advantageous to send two audio packets with each video packet. For example, if dynamic video is being sent at 30 fps (30 Hz), it may be advantageous to include two 60 Hz audio packets with the 30 Hz video packet.

The embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention unnecessarily. These embodiments have been selected and described in order to explain the principles thereof to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Having shown and described the embodiments, equivalents or structural features may be used to practice the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention as reflected in the appended claims and the textbooks and teachings incorporated herein by reference. It is within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art to make changes or modifications, such as through the substitution of batches or through the use of equivalent process steps. Therefore, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope indicated by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (12)

A system for displaying content in a plurality of electronic display devices, the system comprising:
A player for producing at least one video stream by outputting a plurality of frames associated with each video stream;
A transmitter in electrical communication with the player and encoding each frame with one or more display identifiers;
Electrically communicating with the transmitter, receiving each frame from the transmitter and analyzing the display identifiers of the frame to accept the frame if the display identifier is acceptable and reject the frame if the display identifier is unacceptable A plurality of receivers; And
Electronic display device in electrical communication with each receiver and displaying the frame if the frame has been accepted
Display system comprising a. The method of claim 1,
Wherein each receiver is associated with a single unique display identifier. The method of claim 1,
And the electronic display device repeats the previously accepted frame if it rejects the current frame. The method of claim 3,
And a storage medium in electrical communication with each electronic display device and storing previously accepted frames. The method of claim 1,
And a compression device in electrical communication with the player and compressing each frame. The method of claim 1,
And the electrical communication between the transmitter and receiver is wireless electrical communication. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the electrical communication between the transmitter and receiver is provided by a CAT 5 cable. A system for displaying content on a plurality of electronic display devices, the system comprising:
A player for providing a plurality of video frames each having a display identifier as a parallel data stream;
Serializer circuitry in electrical communication with the player and converting the parallel data stream into a serial data stream;
A transmitter in electrical communication with the serialization circuit and transmitting the serial stream;
A display assembly in electrical communication with the transmitter and having a display identifier,
A first display receiver for receiving said serial data stream, a first display deserializer for converting said received serial data stream into a parallel data stream, and said display identifier for each frame in said parallel data stream. A first display central processing unit for analyzing and accepting the frame if the display identifier matches the display identifier for the display assembly and rejecting the frame if the display identifier does not match the display identifier for the display assembly; central processing unit), a first display device for displaying the frame if the frame is accepted and the previously accepted frame if the frame is rejected, serializing the parallel data stream A first display assembly comprising a first display serializer for converting into a data stream, and a first display transmitter for transmitting the serial data stream; And
A display assembly in electrical communication with the first display assembly and having a display identifier,
A second display receiver for receiving the serial data stream, a second display deserialization device for converting the received serial data stream into a parallel data stream, and analyzing the display identifier for each frame in the parallel data stream to display the display identifier. A second display central processing unit that accepts the frame if the frame identifier matches the display identifier for the display assembly and rejects the frame if the display identifier does not match the display identifier for the display assembly; A second display device that displays the frame and displays the previously accepted frame if the frame is rejected, converting the parallel data stream into a serial data stream 2 display serialization device and the second display assembly and a second display transmitter for transmitting the serial data stream
Display system comprising a. The method of claim 8,
And a clock cleaner within each display assembly to synchronize the display device of each display assembly. The method of claim 8,
Wherein said transmission of each serial data stream occurs on a CAT-5 cable. A system for receiving and displaying video frames encoded with one or more display identifiers, the system comprising:
A plurality of receivers associated with one or more display identifiers and receiving the video frames and analyzing the display identifiers of each frame to accept the frame if the display identifier matches and to reject the frame if the display identifier does not match; And
An electronic display device in electrical communication with each receiver that displays the frame if the frame is accepted and repeats the display of the previously accepted frame if the frame is rejected.
Display system comprising a. The method of claim 11,
And a storage medium in electrical communication with each electronic display device, the storage medium storing previously accepted frames.

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