Patent Application
20090167962
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer monitors and to systems of computers and computer monitors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
Personal computers were originally used predominantly for processing numbers and words. However, in recent years, personal computer have been used increasingly for viewing and/or listening to media data 24 (such as pictures, movies, movie clips, and audio) which have been downloaded from the internet, received with an email or transferred to the computer from the user's camera or a removable memory card. Indeed, the recently launched Vista operating system 26 includes extensive “Media Center” functionality whereby a computer can become a complete entertainment system. The Media Center functions can be controlled through a remote control 28 (see also
Media data can also be viewed and/or listened to using a dedicated media player 32, an example of which is also shown schematically in
Newer operating systems such as Vista are making use of the increasing availability of multi-media sources and presenting them through tools such as ‘Sideshow’. Sideshow is a function that enables a general-purpose computer to drive a variety of media players 32 and other auxiliary display devices with their own processors, enabling access to information and media through the media player 32 even when the computer 14 is turned off. The media player 32 can be updated using Sideshow with a wide range of multi-media data, such as video, music, contacts, maps, calendar appointments, and email messages. The media player 32 can then provide access to data and multimedia content even though the general-purpose computer 14 is turned off.
While the multi-media capabilities of a general-purpose desktop computer 14 are nowadays extensive, desktop computers 14 are not energy efficient compared with a dedicated media player 32, especially when off-line content is played. In order to obtain the benefits of a general-purpose desktop computer 14 and a dedicated media player 32, it is necessary, with the current state of the art, for a user to possess a media player 32, a desktop computer 14 and a monitor 10 for the computer 14, i.e. three main pieces of equipment.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer monitor comprising input means for receiving from a computer a video signal representing a video image, a screen, and driver means for causing the screen to display a video image represented by a video signal, the monitor further including storage means for storing video and/or picture data, retrieval means for retrieving video and/or picture data from the storage means and producing a video signal therefrom, and switching means for switching the monitor between (i) a first mode in which the driver means causes the screen to display the video image represented by the signal received by the input means and (ii) a second mode in which the driver means causes the screen to display the video and/or picture image represented by the signal produced by the retrieval means. The first aspect of the invention therefore provides the functionality of a media player in a computer monitor so that, when the monitor is not being used for displaying the video output from a general-purpose computer, it can be used instead as a media player, reducing the number of main pieces of equipment required from three to two, and enabling the general-purpose computer to be switched off and therefore to conserve energy when merely the media playing functions are required.
The switching means is preferably arranged to be controlled automatically in dependence upon a signal produced or received by the monitor. For example, the switching means is more preferably arranged to be controlled automatically in dependence upon whether or not a video signal is being received by the input means such that, when such a video signal is being received by the input means, the first mode is selected. In other words, the monitor can act to display the video output from the computer when a video signal is being received, but at other times acts as a media player, without requiring any specific intervention by the user to change the mode of operation.
In accordance with second aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer monitor of the first aspect of the invention, in combination with a computer having means for generating a video signal for supply to the input means of the monitor.
The computer and monitor may be provided in further combination with a remote control arranged to produce and transmit remote control signals in dependence upon operation of the remote control by a user; the computer monitor having means to receive such transmitted remote control signals, means to decode such received remote control signals, and means for affecting operation of the monitor in dependence upon such decoded remote control signals; the computer having means to receive such transmitted remote control signals, means to decode such received remote control signals, and means for affecting operation of the computer in dependence upon such decoded remote control signals; wherein at least some operations of the remote control by the user have similar effects on the computer and on the monitor. For example, a single Vista Media Centre remote control may be used not only to control the Media Centre functionality of the computer when the computer is active, but also to control the media player functionality of the monitor when the computer is inactive, in each case causing the computer or the monitor to respond appropriately to a command from the remote control. There is therefore no need for two separate remote controls.
The computer monitor preferably further includes means for connecting the monitor to the computer for communication of data between the monitor and the computer, and in this case the monitor is preferably arranged, when in the first mode, to present the storage means of the monitor to the computer as a removable storage device accessible by the computer. For example, when the computer is active, the computer may play media files in the storage means of the monitor as if they were stored in the storage means of the computer, and media files may simply be copied or moved between the storage means of the computer and of the monitor.
In the case where the computer monitor including controls arranged to be manually operable by a user, at least some of the controls are preferably arranged to affect the monitor in different manners in dependence upon the mode in which the monitor is. For example, user-operable buttons on the monitor may be used not only to adjust brightness, contrast, etc when in the first mode, but also to start and stop the play of media files when in the second mode, without requiring a corresponding increase in the number of buttons required.
At least the screen, driver means, retrieval means and switching means of the computer monitor are preferably housed in a common housing.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer monitor of the first aspect of the invention in combination with a loudspeaker, wherein: (i) the input means is also arranged to receive an audio signal from the computer, (ii) the storage means is also arranged to store audio data, (iii) the retrieval means is also arranged to retrieve audio data from the storage means and produce an audio signal therefrom, (iv) the driver means is also arranged to cause the loudspeaker to produce sound represented by an audio signal, (v) when in the first mode the driver means causes the loudspeaker to produce the sound represented by the audio signal received by the input means, and (vi) when in the second mode the driver means causes the loudspeaker to produce the sound represented by the audio signal produced by the retrieval means. The monitor therefore deals with the switching between audio signals in a similar manner to the switching between video signals.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a system comprising a computer, a computer monitor and a remote control; the computer having means for generating a video signal representing a video image; the monitor comprising input means for receiving the video signal from the computer; storage means for storing video and/or picture data; and a housing which houses a screen, a driver means, a retrieval means and a switching means; the retrieval means being arranged to retrieve video and/or picture data from the storage means and produce a video signal therefrom; the switching means being arranged to switch the monitor automatically in dependence upon a signal produced or received by the monitor between (i) a first mode in which the driver means causes the screen to display the video image represented by the signal received by the input means and (ii) a second mode in which the driver means causes the screen to display the video and/or picture image represented by the signal produced by the retrieval means; the remote control being arranged to produce and transmit remote control signals in dependence upon operation of the remote control by a user; the computer monitor having means to receive such transmitted remote control signals, means to decode such received remote control signals, and means for affecting operation of the monitor in dependence upon such decoded remote control signals; the computer having means to receive such transmitted remote control signals, means to decode such received remote control signals, and means for affecting operation of the computer in dependence upon such decoded remote control signals; and wherein at least some operations of the remote control by the user have similar effects on the computer and on the monitor.
Referring to
Similarly to a conventional monitor 10 described above with reference to
Unlike a conventional monitor, the housing 78 of the media-playing monitor 64 also includes a media-player section 80 comprising: permanent storage 82 (such as a high capacity flash memory) which stores media data files 84 and an operating system 86 of the media player section 80; a reader 88 for removable memory 90 such as a flash card; a processor 92; and a USB data port 94 which can communicate with a complementary data port 58 of a computer 14 so that media data can be transferred between the storage 96 of the computer 14 and the storage 82 of the media-playing monitor 64. When playing a media data file 84, the processor 92 causes video and/or audio signals 98,100 to be output from the media-player section 80.
The media-playing monitor 64 also has input ports 102,104 for receiving video and audio signals 106,108 from the computer 14, and a detection circuit 110 which determines when such a video signal 106 is being received and supplies a 1-bit signal 112 to the media-player section 80 and also to a switch 114 as a control signal. The detection circuit 110 may operate in any convenient way, for example by detecting the presence of the clock signal or a synchronisation signal in the case of VGA video. The detection circuit 110 and switch 114 are arranged so that, when a video signal 106 is being received from the computer 14, the video and audio signals 106,108 from the computer 14 are passed on as the video and audio signals 74,76, respectively, to the driver circuits 72, this being a “monitor mode” of the media-playing monitor 64, whereas when a video signal 106 is not being received from the computer 14, the video and audio signals 98,100 from the computer 14 are passed on as the video and audio signals 74,76, respectively, to the driver circuits 72, this being a “media-playing mode” of the media-playing monitor 64.
The media-playing monitor 64 has a control panel 116 with a number of push-button switches, including a standby switch 122 and a set-up switch 124 to which the processor 92 can respond. The processor 92 is arranged to respond differently to some of the switches of the control panel 116 in dependence upon the mode, as shown in the Table A:—
As can be seen, in any mode, operation of switch “1” 122 toggles the media-playing monitor 64 between a “standby” state and an “on” state. When in the monitor mode, operation of switch “2” 124 toggles between a monitor set-up sub-mode and a normal monitor sub-mode. When in the normal monitor sub-mode, the remaining switches “3” to “7” may be inoperative, or some of the switches may be used to control the audio output from the loudspeaker 70. However, when in the monitor set-up sub-mode, an on-screen display (“OSD”) is provided on the LCD panel 66 and the OSD set-up functionality of a conventional computer monitor is provided by the switches “3” to “7” for adjusting settings such as the brightness, contrast, focus and colour of the display on the LCD panel 66. By contrast, when in the media player mode, operation of switch “2” 124 toggles between a media-player set-up sub-mode and a normal media-player sub-mode. When in the normal media-player sub-mode, the remaining switches “3” to “7” are operable to provide basic control over the media-player, for example to stop and start playback of a media file and to control the audio output from the loudspeaker 70. However, when in the media-player set-up sub-mode, an on-screen display is provided on the LCD panel 66 and OSD set-up functionality is provided by the switches “3” to “7” for adjusting settings of the media-player section 80.
The media-playing monitor 64 also has an infra-red remote control receiver 118 which can receive remote control signals 120 from a remote control 28, and the processor 92 is arranged to respond to the received signals, but only when the signal 112 from the video detection circuit 110 indicates that a video signal 106 is not being received from the computer 14. The same remote control 28 is used for controlling the computer 14 and the media-playing monitor 64. In the case where the computer 14 employs the Vista operating system, the remote control 28 is preferably a conventional Windows Media Center remote control such as the Compact Media Center Edition remote control 28 as shown in
It will be noted that the majority of the buttons on the remote control 28 are operable to cause identical responses from the Media Center running on the computer 14 when the computer 14 is operating (and the monitor 64 is therefore automatically in its monitor mode) to the responses from the media-player section 80 of the monitor 64 when the computer 14 is not operating (and the monitor 64 is therefore automatically in its media-playing mode). It should also be noted that the remote control 28 controls the computer 14 when it is active, and the media-player section 80 when the computer 14 is inactive, without the user needing to select on the remote control 28 which piece of equipment is to be controlled.
When the monitor 64 is in the media-player mode, the media-player section 80 can play the media data files 84 that are stored in the permanent flash storage 82 and in any flash card 90 that may be inserted into the flash reader 88. On the other hand, when the monitor 64 is in the monitor mode, the media-player section 80 communicates with the computer 14 via the USB ports 94,58 not only so that the media-player section 80 appears to the computer 14 as a conventional auxiliary display device through the Sideshow functionality of Vista, but also so that the permanent flash storage 82 of the monitor 64 appears as a removable drive of the computer 14, and any inserted flash card 90 appears as a further removable drive of the computer 14. The user of the computer 14 therefore has access to the media files 84 of the monitor 80 so that they can be played, copied, moved and deleted.
The various modes of the media-playing monitor 64 are shown in the state diagram of
It will be appreciated that many modifications and developments may be made to the embodiment of the invention described above. For example, in the case where the USB port 58 of the computer 14 provides power when the computer 14 is active but no power when the computer 14 is inactive, the video detection circuit 110 may be replaced by a circuit which detects whether or not power is being received by the USB port 94 and signals the media-player section 80 and switch 114 accordingly. Alternatively, in the case where the audio signal 108 from the computer always contains hum when the computer 14 is active but not when the computer 14 is inactive, the video detection circuit 110 may be replaced by a circuit which detects whether or not hum is being received by the audio port 104 and signals the media-player section 80 and switch 114 accordingly.
It should be noted that the embodiment of the invention has been described above purely by way of example and that many modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.
In the following claims, the reference numerals are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.
