The present disclosure relates in general to the display of images, and more particularly to a system and method for communicating data for display on a remote display device.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Today, networks are typically used to connect information handling systems, such as personal computers, workstations and servers, with network devices such as network attached storage devices, file servers, print servers, modems, hubs, display devices and other devices, including but not limited to other information handling systems. Examples of such networks include local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and wide area networks (WANs). These networks enable information handling systems to share information and resources. The information handling systems and network devices are often coupled to a switch fabric including one or more switching devices in order to facilitate communication among the devices. Generally speaking, devices coupled to the fabric may be capable of communicating with all other devices coupled to the fabric.
In some applications, networks are used to couple information handling systems to remote display devices in order to communicate data or information to the remote display devices. In such applications, remote display devices may be used to display airport arrival and departure schedules, subway, train or bus station schedules, advertising, moving images (e.g., at a sports stadium, sports arena and/or other public area), financial trading floor information, call center statistics, other digital signage, and/or other types of data, images or information.
Using conventional approaches to communicate data for remote display devices, an image rendering device (e.g., a graphics adapter in an information handling system) and one or more remote display devices are often interconnected via analog RGB video systems using analog modulation and amplifiers to redistribute video content to the remote display devices. This method typically results in poor signal quality, causing ghosting, smearing or jittering of video images on the remote display device screens. Such signal quality problems are of particular concern as the distance between a remote display device and the rendering device transmitting image data to the remote display device increases. Thus, conventional techniques limit the distance a remote device may be located from an information handling system or other image rendering device.
In addition, under conventional approaches, controlling a remote display device (e.g., powering the display “on” or “off”) and monitoring the status of a remote display device is often accomplished via proprietary control systems electrically wired from an information handling system to the remote display device. Such proprietary control systems are generally wired separately from the analog video systems described in the previous paragraph. Thus, individual installations of remote devices often require highly customized layout architectures with little flexibility for device location changes.
In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, various disadvantages and problems associated with communicating data to a remote display device have been substantially reduced or eliminated. In a particular embodiment, display data may be converted into a network packet and transmitted via a data network.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for communicating data for display on a remote display device is provided. The method may include converting at least one first DisplayPort transfer unit into a network packet capable of being transmitted via a data network. The DisplayPort transfer unit may include uncompressed display data. The network packet may be transmitted via the data network and converted into at least one second DisplayPort transfer unit.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for communicating data for display on a remote display device may comprise a data network, a first converter and a second converter. The first converter may be communicatively coupled to the data network and may be operable to convert at least one first DisplayPort transfer unit into a network packet capable of being transmitted via the data network. The Display Port transfer unit may include uncompressed display data. The second converter may be communicatively coupled to the data network and may be operable to convert the network packet into at least one second DisplayPort transfer unit.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for the display of images may comprise a host device, a data network, a first converter, a second converter, and a display device. The host device may be operable to transmit a first set of uncompressed display data representing an image to be displayed. The first converter may be communicatively coupled to the host and the data network, and may be operable to convert the display data into one or more network packets capable of being transmitted via the data network. The second converter may be communicatively coupled to the data network, and may be operable to convert the one or more network packets into a second set of uncompressed display data. The display device may be communicatively coupled to the second converter, and may be operable to display the image.
A more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
Preferred embodiments and their advantages are best understood by reference to
For the purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic. Additional components or the information handling system may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communication between the various hardware components.
Host device 12 may generally include any system or apparatus operable to process, store, render and/or transmit display data in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. Host device 12 may include one or more information handling systems, as defined herein. In some embodiments, host device 12 may comprise a digital media server operable to store and/or transmit digital media from a digital source (e.g. host device 12) to a video and/or audio device (e.g. display devices 20). In the same or alternative embodiments, host device 12 may comprise a DisplayPort transmitter (as depicted in
Converter 14 may generally include any system or apparatus operable to convert and/or translate display data transmitted from host device 12 into network data capable of being transmitted over data network 16. In certain embodiments, display data converted, translated and/or routed by converter 14 may be uncompressed display data. Each of converters 14 may also be able to route display data to one or more converters 18. In certain embodiments, converter may be operable to convert DisplayPort data into network data as further depicted in
Data network 16 may be a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a virtual private network (VPN), an intranet, the Internet or any other appropriate architecture or system that facilitates the communication of signals, data and/or messages (generally referred to as data). In a particular embodiment, data network 16 may transmit media using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and/or Internet Protocol (IP) standards over an Ethernet network. In the same or alternative embodiments data network 16 may transmit media using the IEEE 802.3ae and/or 802.3av 10 gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) standard. Although subsequent description will primarily focus on Ethernet and TCP/IP standards and protocols, it should be understood that other appropriate methods of transmitting media over a network, such as a Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Fibre Channel (FC), other packet-based protocol, or other transmission protocols and standards are also included within the scope of the present disclosure.
Each of converters 18 may generally include any system or apparatus operable to convert and/or translate network data transmitted over network 16 into display data capable of being displayed on a display device 20 and/or operable to control controlling display device 20. Each of converters 18 may also be operable to route display data to one or more display devices 20. In certain embodiments, each of converters 18 may be operable to convert network data into DisplayPort data as further depicted in
Each of display devices 20 may generally include any system or apparatus operable to display one or more images corresponding to display data transmitted by one or more of converters 18. Each of display devices 20 may be operable to process display data and display images according to any image and/or video standard, protocol, format, and/or resolution, including without limitation video graphics array (VGA), super video graphics array (SVGA), extended graphics array (XGA), wide extended graphics array (WXGA), super extended graphics array (SXGA), super extended graphics array plus (SXGA+), wide super extended graphics array plus (WSXGA+), ultra extended graphics array (UXGA), wide ultra extended graphics array (WUXGA), quad extended graphics array (QXGA), wide quad graphics extended array (WQXGA), 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. In certain embodiments, each of display devices 20 may include a DisplayPort receiver (as further detailed in
In operation, host device 12 may transmit a first set of display data (e.g. DisplayPort data) to converter 14. In some embodiments the first set of display data may include uncompressed digital data. In the same or alternative embodiments, the first set of display data may include uncompressed DisplayPort data. In certain embodiments, the first set of display data may correspond to one or more images to be displayed on a display device 20. In the same or alternative embodiments, the first set of display data may include control data for controlling a display device 20 (e.g., turning the display device “on” or “off,” or adjusting the brightness contrast, tint or color of the display device). Converter 14 may convert the first set of display data into one or more network packets capable of being transmitted over data network 16. In some embodiments, the one or more network packets may be Ethernet packets. Converter 14 may additionally route the network packets to one or more converters 18 based on an address included in each of network packets. Converter 18 may convert any or all of the network packets into a second set of data capable of being displayed on one or more of display devices 20 and/or capable of controlling one or more of display devices 20. In some embodiments, the second set of data may be substantially similar to the first set of data. In some embodiments, converters 18 may convert the network packets into DisplayPort data. After conversion of data by converter 18, converter 18 may route the second set of display data to one or more display devices 20 for display and/or control.
System 10 depicted in
Micro-packet stream 30 may include one or more DisplayPort transfer units 32. Pursuant to the DisplayPort Specification, a transfer unit is a data structure used to carry pixel stream data in compressed form in a DisplayPort compliant medium. Each transfer unit 32 may comprise control signal 31 and data symbols 33. In certain embodiments, each control symbol and each data symbol may be eight (8) or ten (10) bits in length, in accordance with the DisplayPort Specification. In the same or alternative embodiments, transfer units 32 may comprise sixty-three (63) data symbols, in accordance with the DisplayPort specification. In the same or alternative embodiments, control symbol 31 of transfer units 32 may include data representing an address corresponding to one or more display devices 20, in order to ensure proper delivery of display data to the correct display devices 20.
Converter 14, depicted in
Although
Network packet 36 may include a destination address (DA) field 37 and an IP data field 38. DA field 37 may include an address representing a destination address of network packet in 37. DA field 37 may include an address identifying one or more converters 18 and/or display devices 20 as the destination(s) of network packet 36. In particular embodiments, DA field 37 may be six (6) bytes.
In accordance with the Ethernet standard, data field 38 may comprise between 45 to 1500 bytes, inclusive. Data field 38 may comprise IP packet data field 40, which may include IP header field 42 and data payload field 44. IP header field 42 may include an address identifying one or more converters 18 and/or display devices 20 as the destination(s) of network packet 36. Data payload field may comprise display data, for example one or more DisplayPort transfer units 32.
In operation, converter 14 may encapsulate transfer units 32 within the data payload fields 44 of one or more Ethernet packets 36 without altering and/or compressing the content of transfer units 32. The transmission of uncompressed transfer units 32 may avoid the need for image data decompression and the decrease in image quality often associated with decompression techniques. In addition, during the conversion converter 14 may extract address data from the control symbols 31 of transfer units 32, and, based at least on the extracted address, write an address to DA field 37 or IP header 42 corresponding to one or more destination converters 18 and/or one or more display devices 20 for the display data.
Converter 18 may also route one or more of transfer units 48 to a particular display device 20 for display on and/or control of such display device 20. Converter 18 may route transfer units 48 based at least on address data in a DA field 37 or IP header 42 of a network packet 36 and/or a control symbol 47 of one or more of transfer units 48.
DisplayPort receiver 50 may convert micro-packet stream 46 into a recovered pixel stream 52 corresponding to an image to be displayed in accordance with the DisplayPort standard. In some embodiments, DisplayPort receiver 50 may be integral to display device 20. After micro-packet stream 46 has been converted into recovered pixel stream 52, an image corresponding to recovered pixel stream 52 may be displayed on display device 20.
Although
In one embodiment, method 60 includes a first set of display data transmitted from host device 12 to converter 14, where the first set of display data is converted into a network packet and transmitted over network 16. In some embodiments the first set of display data is not compressed and/or altered when converted into a network packet. The network packet is received at one or more converters 18, where the packet is converted into a second set of display data which is routed to one or more display devices 20.
According to one embodiment, method 60 preferably begins at step 62. As mentioned above, teachings of the present disclosure may be implemented in a variety of configurations of system 10. As such, the preferred initialization point for method 60 and the order of the steps 62-74 comprising method 60 may depend on the implementation chosen.
At step 62, a host device (or other suitable system or apparatus), such as host device 12, may convert a frame buffer corresponding to an image to be displayed on a remote display device, such as frame buffer 24, to a pixel stream, such as source pixel stream 26. At step 64, a transmitter, such as DisplayPort transmitter 28, may convert source pixel stream 26 into at least one first DisplayPort transfer unit 32. Transmitter 28 may also transmit the at least one first transfer unit 32 to converter 14.
At step 66, converter 14 may convert the at least one first DisplayPort transfer unit 32 into a network packet 36 capable of being transmitted via data network 16. At step 68, converter 14 or another suitable component of system 10 may transmit network packet 36 via data network 16. In some embodiments, converter 14 may be an integral part of a router and/or information handling system.
At step 70, converter 18 (which may be an integral part of a router and/or information handling system) may convert network packet 36 into at least one second DisplayPort transfer unit 48, as depicted in
It should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alternations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as illustrated by the following claims.