Patent Application
20080309816
This disclosure relates to video and television (TV) and more specifically to content management of TV and video signals.
Content management or content control is well known in the information field, and generally refers to controlling use of audio and video material. Often such content control involves modifying a digital video signal to include tags or trigger bits or flags which define how the material can be used by various downstream devices. One aspect of content management is copy protection, typically carried out in the analog domain. Generally copy protection refers to methods and apparatus for processing a video signal to inhibit making of acceptable video recordings and is also referred to here as anticopy process (ACP).
The broader field of content control includes use of so called compliant devices that are designed to include circuitry or software that detects certain predetermined signals (or the absence of same) in a received video signal. The presence (or absence) of the particular signal is interpreted as a command to the receiving device to enable or inhibit recording, for instance, or storage or further transmission. In some cases, this control involves generational copy management where a first generation copy may be made, but subsequent generation copies are prevented. Such copy management is applicable to digital video signals of the types used on video media, such as DVDs and also other types of television signals, including high definition television. These more sophisticated copy control systems typically require dedicated circuitry and/or software in the receiving device to detect and interpret special data provided in the video signal for purposes of content management.
US 2006/0093140 A1, inventor Ronald QUAN and entitled Content Management for High Definition Television and incorporated here by reference in its entirety, is directed to content management in the realm of high definition television video signals using tri-level sync pulses and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. High definition (HD) television is a well-defined video standard. However typically in the video field television signals are processed between devices which do not necessarily adhere to the same television standard and/or which may be receiving signals in different television standards. (Television is a type of video, adapted for transmission over the air, by cable, or by satellite.) Television standards refer to both the well-known so-called legacy television standards which has been around for a long time and generally operating in the analog domain, including NTSC, PAL, SECAM, VGA and others. Also included are the various newer digital television standards, including the 720p standard which provides a picture with 720 vertical lines each with 1,280 pixels horizontally. The p refers to progressive scanning as used in computer displays. HDTV (high definition television) is replacing analog standard (NTSC in the United States) television. Somewhat different HDTV formats are being adopted by different countries and groups of countries typically using different frame rates, as is the case with legacy television. Digital TV (DTV) here refers to particular television formats and is not necessarily the same as so-called digital cable television. Digital TV (in this sense, actually digital broadcast television) actually defines (in the U.S.) eighteen different formats for broadcast television in digital format. Currently, HDTV represents at least six of those eighteen formats.
The present inventors have identified a need to provide a content control system usable for multiple TV standards and that is operative with the conventional content management information such as flags, control bits, data, copy protection signal(s), and/or modification signals. In particular, content control (including copy control also referred to here as copy protection) for high definition TV signals is needed in future TV devices such as TV transmitters, signal translators, recorders, players, displays, or the like. Because there is also a need to accommodate “legacy” TV standards such as 240p, NTSC, PAL, SECAM, VGA, etc., a new content control system is needed to combine the legacy standards with newer TV higher definition standards such as 720p, 1080i, 1080p, etc. for content control.
Currently available TV/video circuits and sets accommodate various TV resolutions (standards), and also tailor each TV standard with specific or programmable copy/content signal(s). What is used in terms of copy/content control with a composite TV signal such as NTSC or PAL, may not be applicable directly to an RGB or component video waveform. For example, a color stripe subcarrier signal for copy control is applicable to NTSC or PAL TV, but not applicable to a component TV/video waveform that lacks a subcarrier signal. One embodiment operates with various TV standards for high definition TV. By mapping from one TV standard's copy/content control signal(s) to another, a cross platform system is achieved.
Copy/content control across various platforms with differing TV resolutions may be implemented by reception of a transmitted signal such as via fiber, satellite, Internet, cable, or phone lines (DSL or dial up) to receive data or programming information to configure copy/content control signals for different TV standards including HDTV. One can also store the configuration information via media and/or memory (e.g., solid state, magnetic, and/or optical), and use the stored configuration information to program the copy/content control signal across many TV standards. Thus, the configuration (of copy/content control signals and/or detection of such signals for multiple resolutions) is changeable or can be updated.
A goal of mapping copy/content control signals across different TV standards is to add security to the control system. A secure control system does not allow for a “loophole” so that all standards have some type of recognizable control signal, such that conversion to another standard is limited or prohibited or, is forced to output the converted video signal with an added copy/content control signal.
One embodiment of the invention encodes or modifies video signals conforming to one or a plurality of HD (high definition) TV standards. TV signals conforming to each standard may include one or more modifications to a portion of the HD signal. For example, each HDTV standard may have its own type of modification or a modification that is in common with another HDTV standard.
Another embodiment is an apparatus or method for providing, generating, synthesizing, or processing a tri-level sync (synchronization) video signal into a video signal with modified levels in a portion of the tri-level sync video signal (e.g., which may combined with specific copy/content control bits) for at least one HDTV standard (e.g., TV is a combined video and audio signal.)
Another embodiment is an apparatus that provides a high definition copy/content control signal along with a providing a standard definition copy protection signal and/or standard definition content control signal.
Another embodiment is a reader or detector, which senses, reads, or detects a standard definition video signal with content control or copy protection signals along with the capability to detect modifications on an HD video signal. For example, this may be a detector or reader device or software program that is capable of detecting signal modifications in SD and/or HD. The reader or detector may be imbedded in a particular device or circuit.
Yet another embodiment is a digital TV tuner, device, and/or receiver, which receives DTV (digital television) in the form of HDTV and/or SDTV, and/or includes a converter for producing a scaled analog and/or digital signal, which includes generating copy protection, data, and/or content control signal(s) for one or more analog and digital TV output. (Note that such video signal conversions, without the content/copy control aspect, are routine in the field.) One example includes generation of a modified HDTV signal with the capability of adding one or more copy control signals in the SDTV standard. For example, a modified HDTV (and/or SDTV) type signal may include modified sync pulses, conventional AGC (Automatic Gain Control) pulses, a data signal added to an overscan area, raised or lowered portion in an overscan area of a TV picture, and/or conventional pseudo sync pulses. For example, reading or sensing any of the modification(s) in the HDTV signal may result in a subsequent modification in a SD video signal. Such video conversion is routine and is done by up sampling or down sampling of TV lines and fields. Commercially available products such as certain DVD players do this.
The tuner, device, and/or receiver may for example, process signals that include RF modulated signals complying to the U.S.A.'s FCC or international broadcast specifications for “off air” broadcasting for analog and/or digital RF signals (e.g., vestigial AM, quadrature AM, DTV, ATSC, multilevel VSB, QAM multi-bit, PSK, AM, WiFi, WiMax, and/or FM) along with analog NTSC or equivalent composite video signals, computer component video signals, component vide signals, digital signals such as HDMI, SDI, DVI, USB, and/or Firewire.
In one embodiment, the detector outputs a signal indicative (or a signal lacking the presence) of a content control signal modification in SD and/or HD. This output signal may or may not be used later on. For example, upon detection of a modification, an output or input video signal may be modified, shut down, or recorded in a particular manner (e.g., not able to record, record for a particular time period, recorded with added content control or copy protection signal, recorded with a different resolution, or the like).
Another embodiment is an apparatus wherein one or more input analog and/or digital TV signal(s) are coupled into the apparatus and wherein one or more video signal output(s) are output from the device. This device may receive a modified input video signal (e.g., containing one or more content control signals and/or at least part of a copy protection signal of one standard to couple/provide a content control signal and/or at least part of a copy protection signal of another standard.) For example, an analog and/or video signal for HD is coupled to the input of such a device (e.g., transcoder, A/D and/or D/A, cross platform standards converter, etc.) with a modification may yield a modification to an SD (or HD or digital) signal for one or more outputs (or vice versa).
The content control modification may include any combination of: one or more positive going pulses, one or more negative going pulses, a data signal, one or more incorrect color signals, level shifting (e.g., positive and/or negative level shifting) in a portion of the video signal, one or more sync pulse modifications (e.g., position, pulse-width, and/or amplitude), added signal(s) to at least a portion of the vertical and/or horizontal blanking interval(s), modified color burst of at least one cycle of incorrect phase and/or frequency, modulated signal that is added/inserted in a portion of the video signal (wherein the modulated signal may include any combination of quadrature modulation, AM, FM, frequency hopping, PCM, PWM, PPM, spread spectrum modulation, PSK, BPSK, FSK, BFSK, and/or the like), which may be including one or more control bits, one or more configuration bits, and/or the like.
Another embodiment includes in the realm of copy protection various TV horizontal blanking interval signal back porch (or front porch) modifications to one or more HD TV standards. These HD modifications may include any number or series of positive and/or negative going pulses/signals in the TV signal back porch in addition to and/or in place of the back porch pulses. For example, one or more HD back porch pulses (or HD pseudo sync signal(s)) may be used for detection by a reader, and/or for encoding for downstream content control purposes.
In accordance with the present invention, control or configuration bit(s) in a TV signal may be used to set or provide one or more modifications to a HD, SD (standard definition), or Low Definition (e.g., low definition may be less than 525 lines) video signal. For example, the content control system defined in the following tables is used in exemplary embodiments.
Table 1 shows a copy control specification using a set of 8 digital data bits designated NO[0] to NO[7] to be inserted into or provided with a video signal as described herein to define various control management states. The first column shows the bit number (zero to 7, where 7 is not used). The second column shows the control management state in terms of e.g. pay-to-tape (bit 6) or various well known analog domain copy prevention schemes, operating in the analog video domain, as defined by Macrovision Corp., see U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,747 incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The third column shows the significance of each bit being “ON” (value 1) or OFF (value zero). The fourth column refers to CPC, copy protection control or commands CPC[0] to CPC[3].
Table 1a shows in the prior art for the NTSC TV standard (525 lines/field, 60 frames/second) timing information in terms of an NTSC video waveform for the Macrovision Corp. well known color stripe process which is bit 3 in Table 1. (“Burst” in Table 1 a refers to the video color burst.)
Table 1b similarly provides detail in the prior art of the color stripe process of Table 1. This process is conventionally used in a 2 (video) line and 4 (video) line format. “Split burst” refers to the feature in the color stripe process where only a part of the color burst is altered. The color burst process, as defined in Table 1b, is only present on the selected video lines as shown.
Tables 2a and 2b are in the prior art similar respectively to Tables 1a and 1b, for PAL standard television (common outside the U.S.A.) having 625 lines per field and 50 frames per second.
Table 3 shows in each line (row) a known HDTV format (standard), and in each column relevant parameters for that format. Columns A, B, C, D, E, F, G refer to the waveform parameters shown in
In one example, the presence of any of the (standard definition) signal modifications of Tables 1, 1a, 1b, or any variants (e.g., different line assignments, different number of pulses, color burst modification, different position, amplitude, or duration of pulses, etc.) may be used to map a set of content control signals to another TV standard (e.g., HDTV or modifications shown in Table 3). For example, one or more modifications in an incoming HDTV signal may be sensed or read so that a set of corresponding signal modification(s) may be applied downstream to a lower definition type TV signal such as standard and/or low definition TV.
A further example includes a signal wherein the TV standard 240p, 525I, or 625I signal includes a color burst or subcarrier modification (e.g., of incorrect phase or frequency) which is coupled to a compliant system that can provide a high definition TV signal. This compliant system upon sensing a color burst or subcarrier modification in signals which are non-HDTV standard can then provide a modified HDTV signal (e.g., an HDTV signal with provided in a blanking interval, a periodic or an aperiodic signal, a positive and/or a negative going pulse in one or more TV line(s)). In another example, a compliant system may receive a HDTV signal that includes a signal modification (e.g., such as a signal or pulse in a blanking interval), and this particular compliant system may provide a non-HDTV signal, which may include a color burst or subcarrier modification. Note in these examples, the color burst or subcarrier modification may be replaced with other copy protection signals such as pseudo sync pulses, AGC pulses, narrowed sync pulses, level shifted pulses (static and/or dynamic).
The output signal from reader 10 may be coupled or integrated to an input terminal of a computer, recorder, player, network, encoder, video compressor, and/or video decompressor device. Reader 10's output signal at terminal 10 may include a command or control sent to a computer, recorder, etc. to limit recording, viewing, or modify the viewing/recording resolution. In essence, the output signal of reader 10 at terminal 12 is coupled to a control input terminal of the computer, recorder, player, network, encoder, video compressor, and/or video decompressor device. For example reader 10 may be utilized to limit recording, storage, transmission, decompression, and/or playing in a device based on interpreting the signal input at terminal 11, which may be in the form of low, standard, and/or high definition signals.
In one example, encoder 20 has the capability to provide modifications to HD, SD, and/or LD signal(s) output at its terminal 22. For instance, encoder 20 may include providing color burst or subcarrier modification(s), AGC pulses, pulses, sync width or amplitude modification, horizontal blanking duration modification, and/or level shifting in the LD and/or SD TV standard, while in HD providing a modification to a tri level sync signal, inserting/generating positive going pulse in one or more horizontal or vertical blanking intervals.
In one implementation, device 60 which is, e.g., an ATSC tuner, set top box, cell (mobile) telephone (e.g., a cell phone receiving DTV, HDTV, or ATSC signals), a WiFi or Wimax apparatus receives RF (radio frequency) signals. Upon receiving program video and a content control command in RF form, device 60 then outputs from its lookup table or performs a mapping function to provide content control signals for multiple or cross platform TV standards (e.g., HDTV content control (or copy protection or weakened copy protection) signal(s) plus SD or LD copy protection (content control) signal(s)). An example of an HDTV copy protection signal is a signal that causes an erroneous gain to be provided in an HD device (e.g., AGC error or clamp error), and/or a signal that causes unreliable timing or synchronization in an HD device (e.g., line or field/frame jitter or tearing effect). An HD content control signal may include a signal that is read or sensed by a compliant device to assert a command (e.g., shut down, change quality of video or audio, restrict program use, scramble, etc.).
In another example, device 60 receives a television signal conforming to a lower resolution standard, but outputs a higher resolution standard video signal, or vice versa. For example if the lower resolution signal is 240 scan lines per field and is provided into device 60, the output signal of device 60 may be a video signal having 480 or 720 or 1080 scan lines by performing scaling. One or more of the scaled output video signal(s) may then include a content control, copy protection, or weakened copy protection signal.
Note that a content control signal may include any part of a copy protection signal or any part of a “weakened” copy protection signal. A weakened copy protection signal is a signal that has little or no conventional copy protection effect e.g., a color burst or subcarrier modification (e.g., incorrect phase and/or frequency) that has little or no effect on a conventional VCR (video cassette recorder), meaning little or no chroma copy protection effect on a VCR, or a weakened version of AGC and/or pseudo sync pulses to invoke little or no AGC effect on a VCR. But, the weakened signal can still be detected by a detector circuit and used for content control.
Device 80 includes conventionally input terminal 82 for receiving digital compressed input TV or video, demodulator 84, demultiplexer 86, decoder 88, conditional access system module 90, processor (CPU) 92, memory 94, storing software applications 96 and electronic program guide 98, flash memory for configuration 100, audio processing circuitry 108, and audio output terminals 110. Also provided is the mostly conventional NTSC/PAL TV encoder 104 also having in accordance with the invention configuration bids 106 for determining copy protection, control registers and on/off mode bits 108 for determining copy protection (“ACP”) 102, and having video output terminals 111 for 3 types of video as indicated.
For example, the HD signal provided from device 80 may include BPP, data signal, negative and/or positive going signals or pulses, and/or modifications to luma and/or chroma channels. For instance, if a color burst (or subcarrier) modification is applied to a composite or S Video signal, a modification of Pb and/or Pr (color e.g., RGB) or color difference channel(s) for component video output(s) may be provided e.g., in HD or progressive TV standard e.g., 480p or 576 or 720p or 1080p, or an interlaced component TV standard. One example of a modification for a Pb and/or Pr channel modifies a level or provides a waveform in a portion of the HBI, VBI, or overscan area in one or more color or color different channel(s). Alternatively if a color burst or subcarrier modification is sensed in composite or S Video, content control signal(s) may be provided in the Y or luma channel of an HD TV signal.
Phase detector 118 is replaced in other embodiments by a copy protection modification detector which detects an AGC pulse, pseudo sync pulse, incorrect color frequency in an overscan area, scaling effect(s), etc. Such a modification detector senses for example a color stripe signal or incorrect color frequency signal, and provides a signal indicative of the presence of the incorrect color subcarrier or burst signal. The indicative signal drives another circuit which inserts or generates a copy protection signal, weakened copy protection signal, control bit, or content control signal to a high definition video signal.
In
The mapping function or programmability of the various copy protection and/or content control signals in device 501 may be updated via transmission, input, or storage methods. The control type signal CP may include one or more mode, APS, and/or configuration bit(s). Signal CP may also be a function of reading data from the video source such as CGMS or the like. In the prior art for standard definition television the copy protection waveform may be updated via a digital file, a transmitted file, or by inputting data into a set top device or compliant device. This feature is implemented here in device 501 to change the HD analog content control signal in a similar fashion.
In
Device 502 allows receiving an HD signal of one type of content control signal and outputting an HD of another content control signal. In one example, device 502 detects a particular copy protection or content control signal for one TV standard, but outputs TV signals of one or more different TV standards. Any of these different TV standards, for example, may have independently or dependently presettable or programmable content control or copy protection signals. Device 502 may also output video having the same type of resolution as the input video or a scaled version of the input. In one example, a standard definition video signal is input to device 502 and the output of device 502 is a high definition video signal with a set of content control waveform(s) or signal(s). For example, if the input signal to device 502 is NTSC format with pseudo sync/AGC pulses, AGC pulses, narrowed sync, and/or color stripe burst signal, the output of device 502 may be in high definition component video (RGB or Y,Pb,Pr or the like), with back porch pulses or HBI (horizontal blanking interval) signals.
An example of apparatus 502 is a circuit or apparatus that includes a detector to detect one or more of the following for added signals in a portion of an HD or tri-level sync video signal A) a positive or negative going pulse(s) in an overscan area, B) a waveform provided in a portion of the HD or tri-level sync video signal, C) AGC (or pseudo sync or sync) pulse position and/or pulsewidth, D) AGC (pseudo sync or sync) pulse amplitude, E) detecting pseudo sync pulses that may be tri-level or two level, F) counting and/or identifying line/field/frame location for AGC pulse, pseudo sync pulse, or added waveform), G) a back porch or AGC signal detector, H) back porch or AGC pulse/signal counter; and or one or more of the following for a non HD or non tri-level sync video signal: 1) a color burst modification detector (such as a color stripe detector, 2) a color burst amplitude (amplitude variation) detector, 3) a frequency detector (e.g., apparatus or circuit to detect an incorrect color (or audio) subcarrier frequency or an incorrect (color and/or audio) subcarrier frequency for an associated TV standard), 4) pseudo sync pulse detector, 5) AGC pulse detector, 6) added/generated waveform (e.g., in a range of 10 KHz to 10 MHz in a portion of an overscan area) detector, 7) level shifted (positive and/or negative) portion of a front and/or back porch detector, 8) sync/pseudo sync duration detector, sync/pseudo position detector, sync/pseudo amplitude detector, an added/generated signal detector (positive and/or negative going pulse/signal/waveform provided in an overscan area or portion of a blanking interval) for one or more component video channel, a detector for a deleted portion of the video signal.
Apparatus 502 may be an encoding (or part of a coder-decoder-codec) apparatus or circuit, which receives a digital and/or analog signal and provides an HD standard with a form of ACP (e.g., a modification to an HD signal or no ACP signal or no effective ACP signal) along with providing a video signal that is not HD, such as SD or LD or composite (PAL, SECAM, or NTSC). Note that 502 may provide a form of composite HD or multiplexed component signal. Part of apparatus 502 is the detector DET, which detects for content control or copy protection or ACP signals or bits for HD and another TV standard.
In another example, a high definition component video signal with back porch, HBI (horizontal blanking interval), AGC or pseudo sync signals is input to apparatus 502, and the device outputs a composite video signal with color stripe signal(s), pseudo sync, sync narrowing, and/or back porch signals. The colors stripe signal here is generically defined as one or more cycles of color burst inserted or added in one or more HBI and being of incorrect phase or frequency. The color stripe signal here may or may not have an actual copy protection effect.
Conventional apparatus 503 of
In another embodiment as shown in
In
A general way to express functionality of embodiments of the invention as described above is logically f(TVstandard0, {ACP signals})→g(TVstandard1-n, {ACP signals1−n}). Here for example, a TV Standard “0” with a set of ACP Signals “0” is transformed or mapped to TV Standard(s) “1−n” with one or more sets of “ACP” Signals “1−n”. ACP (anticopy process) refers to a copy protection signal, weakened copy protection signal, video signal modification, and/or a content control signal. Here n=the number of TV standards. For example, Table 3 above shows 24 TV standards, so n=24 or TV standards that are labeled from 0 to 23, yields 24 TV standards. “f” generally refers to a first TV standard along with an associated ACP or content control signal, which is mapped to “g”, a set of at least one different TV standard and associated ACP or content control signals. In device 521, a set of ACP signals may be a different ACP signal, a weakened ACP signal, or a defeated/removed version of an ACP signal. So apparatus 521 represents both an encoder for processing various sets of ACP signals including HD, or a “black box” (e.g., circumvention device). For example, apparatus 521 may receive NTSC copy protected video with pseudo sync and/or color stripe ACP, and produces an HD signal or PAL signal without content control or copy protection signals.
It is routine engineering, in light of this disclosure, to design and make a chip or device that receives video content control or copy protections signals of one TV standard and then converts the video to another TV standard with removed content control or copy protection signals as described above. That is the chip or device may ignore APS bits, or analog copy protection or content control signals, and convert to a new TV format for anyone's use. In the case of a defeated ACP signal (meaning the ACP signal is weakened or removed) for example, a system of one TV standard may have at least some type of copy protection or content control system may be tranformed to another TV standard, which defeats/modifies/removes/attenuates the copy protection signal or the content control. For example, a TV signal with copy protection coming in for HDTV may be transformed to a SDTV signal with an ineffective ACP copy protection signal, or no ACP signal. “Ineffective” here is similar to weakened but includes having no effect. In one embodiment, FIGS. 14A and 14B-19 represent operation of a circumvention device e.g., when the resulting mapping which mathematically is the range provides an ineffective or removed ACP signal. For example, in apparatus 521, if the mapping relation or function “g” has ACP signal 1−n as ZERO or an ineffective ACP signal this will result in device 521 being an ACP circumvention device. For example, in “g” the ACP signals=0; or “g” means that no ACP or content control signal is provided to the transformed TV signal.
Conversely, a TV signal of one standard that has no ACP signal may be transformed into a signal conforming to another TV standard with an ACP signal. For example, an SDTV signal without ACP may be transformed to an HDTV signal with a form of ACP. In this example, in “f”, the ACP signals=0, but in “g”, the ACP signals=AGC pulses or (equivalent) color stripe signal or pulse pair pseudo sync/AGC signals or content control signal or video signal modification. There may be a need to add copy protection or content control signals whenever a TV standard is scaled or changed, regardless of the original input signal.
For example,
In yet another example,
It is possible for the decoding device (decoder) to receive an unprotected signal of one TV standard and output another TV standard with content control, copy protection, or signal modification, using a programmed algorithm or look up table. This can be a default condition or assume that the unprotected video signal was originally a “hacked” version of a copy protected video signal. For example, the unprotected video signal supplied via a black box may still have parts of the original copy protection signals such as narrowed syncs or lowered back porch, or one or two back porch pulses. Upon sensing any remaining modifications or parts of the original copy protection signal, the decoding device will change the TV standard and apply a more complete (e.g., effective) set of content control signals. The decoding device then can also be used to receive a TV signal and provide a TV signal with an added, strengthened, enhanced, weakened, or defeated form of content control/copy protection signal(s). Suppose an incoming source input video interlaced signal only has BPP (back porch pulse) ACP signals, then a decoding device may add PS (pseudo sync) pulses for progressive TV standards such as 480p or 720p as to prevent displaying on a monitor the input ACP signal. Recall that content control may involve inhibiting displaying (as oppose to inhibiting recording), so one can then say that the BPP signals included in the progressive TV format would stop recording, and the PS pulses added will stop displaying, and therefore the content control is strengthened, but this video signal can be still transmitted for example.
Another apparatus that embodies
A transcoder apparatus may receive and output the same standard but provide a different signal modification in terms of type of content control or copy protection signal(s). For example a copy protection signal a first type A in coupled to the input of the device, which in turn outputs a copy protection signal of a second type. The copy protection signals of the two types may have no copy protection/content control signal in common, or have at least one signal or modification in common (e.g., both may include negative going pulses or positive going pulses, sync modifications, or added waveforms, etc.). Similarly as described here, conditions of the two types of copy protection may apply to a device receiving one TV standard and outputting a different TV standard. In terms of a transcoder, this device may include (or be coupled to) a recorder, storage device, computer, and/or transmitter.
For example, signal Gate 1 may be coincident with selected lines and selected pixel portions in the vertical blanking interval. Thus, signal Gate 1 “windows” in a period or interval when pseudo sync and/or AGC pulses are present. Gate 1 is then coupled to detector 605, which is a threshold detector (e.g., set for above blanking level to detect AGC pulses or set to below blanking level to detect pseudo sync pulses in the luma or Y channel from decoder 609). The output of detector 605 is coupled to a logic circuit 608, which can then identify the presence of positive or negative going pulses in the video signal via identification signal Output LG. This identification signal provides a signal indicative of the location of the ACP signal (e.g., pulses—pseudo sync and/or AGC) and/or the number of such pulses per TV line. This identification may include the width or duration of each pulse that is sensed. (Generally a threshold detector may be implemented to include a digital comparator circuit.)
In a further example, signal Gate 2 may be coincident with the horizontal blanking interval (HBI), which may then allow threshold detector 606 to sense for positive or negative going pulses in a portion of the HBI for the luma or Y channel of decoder D 609.
In another example, the color signal Pb and/or Pr from decoder D 609 is coupled to threshold detector 607, with a Gate N signal coincident with a video back porch portion. If there is a color stripe signal or color burst modification (part or whole) present in the video, the decoded signal Pb and/or Pr will exhibit a signal level different from a normal phase color burst signal. Thus threshold detector 607 may then generate a signal indicative of an ACP color burst modification, and the output of detector 607 is coupled to logic circuit 608.
Logic circuit 608 (via its output signal LG) then indicates one or more of the following:
a positive and/or negative going signal in a portion of the video signal,
an added waveform in a portion of the video signal,
a phase change in color burst (e.g., a color stripe process or weakened or defeated color stripe process),
length of a color burst (modified or unmodified),
amplitude of a color burst,
pixel and/or line location of the a phase change of a color burst,
and/or number or color burst modifications per field or frame.
Circuit elements 605-608 allow up to N types of signals or modifications to a video signal to be identified or read. The output signal LG of logic 608 may then be coupled to a CPU or computational (or arithmetic) unit (see
Logic 608 may also include or have associate with it frequency and/or phase detectors (not shown) to sense waveforms of a selected frequency. In some cases one or more cycles of a particular frequency may be used for a content control signal, so sensing the one or more cycles in a frequency range is indicated in output LG of logic 608.
Circuit elements 605 to 608 of
In some instance, content control signal(s), copy protection signal(s), data, and/or waveform modification may read or sensed in the analog domain from analog input Video A. Also sensing or reading may be done in any combination of analog and/or digital (or software) domain(s). In
In an example for sensing positive or negative going pulses, a gating signal for a portion of the VBI is coupled to enable comparator circuit 612 to output logic signal(s) Out C, Out Cm indicative of positive (e.g., data, CGMS, AGC, positive level shifted portion of a video signal, periodic waveform) or negative going pulses (e.g., pseudo sync pulses, lowered portion(s) of a video signal, period waveform) in a portion of the VBI. Logic circuit A 613 is coupled to receive these output signals from comparator 612 to provide one or more signals Output LGA indicative of content control and/or at least part of a copy protection signal. Logic A circuit 613 may also provide location (e.g., line, field/frame, and/or pixel location(s)), duration, and quantity of the one or more pulses/signals detected in its output signal Output LGA.
For color burst modification detection in an analog domain, the input analog VideoA signal is typically coupled to PLL 614, which may be a phase locked loop circuit (PLL) or a burst continuation oscillator (BCO) or equivalent (e.g., ringing circuit). The output of PLL 614 is a signal of an average phase of the color burst, which is coupled to phase detector 615. Phase detector 615 with the output of line/pixel generator A 611 provides a signal indicative of TV lines that have normal and/or non-normal phase. The output of phase detector 615 is coupled to logic circuit C 616, which provides an output signal Output C indicative of a color burst modification (color stripe). Logic C's output signal Output C may also indicate one or more of the following (see
Duration of color burst
Number of color burst phase switch points
Number of non-normal color bursts or number of color burst modifications per duration (such as field or frame).
Location of TV lines which have a color burst modification
Type of the color stripe process
Duration of normal and/or non-normal phase portion(s) of the modified color burst
Absence or elongation of at least a portion of a color burst (which may be used for content control)
Note that the above are examples and other features of the modified color burst may be present and indicated such as frequency, modulation, and/or amplitude. It should be noted that all of these features may be present in the digital domain and signal Output LG from circuit 608 may include the types of signals in Output signal LGA from logic A 613 and/or Logic C 616, and vice versa.
Such a reader or detector may be programmable. The programmability of a reader or detector for multiple of TV standards (e.g., including HD format(s)), allows the identification of the content control signal, copy protection signal, or other modified signals that would be changed or updated.
For the TV signal (of new standard) from encoder 625, waveform generator 626 adds or provides suitable copy control/copy protection signal modifications to the video signal of the new TV standard. Generator 626 may receive instructions from a configuration control system 628 which may have a preset or stored or data entered bits to command waveform generator 626 to provide one or more modifications in the new TV signal. An exemplary list of such modifications implemented by waveform generator 626 to the converted video signals is shown in Table 636.
Waveform generator 626 for example, generates AGC pulses (e.g., positive pulses) or other signals for the newly converted or scaled TV signal. CPU 627 with its memory 630 controls elements 621, 622, 623, 625, 626, and/or 628. CPU 627 receives information e.g. from the reader of
CPU 627 may then assign a (new) set of content control or copy protection signals for the newly scaled TV signal. The assignment of a set of ACP or content control signals for “g” in apparatus 521 of
In another example, control bits stored in memory element 629 and received from a storage device or receiver (not shown) determine the type of content control or copy protection signals to be assigned for the new TV standard. For example, a DVD player or set top box may receive a file stored in memory 629 pertaining to the type of content control signals to be applied (e.g., to apply a set ACP or content control signals found in the “g” function of 521 of
CPU 627 also selects/controls the output video TV format or standard. Signal VoutNS from encoder 625 is then a new video standard TV signal with a set of content control and/or copy protection signal(s). Signal VoutNS is for example a composite, component, or S-Video signal, or a digital video signal. Configuration element 628 (controlled by CPU 628) represents an alternative way (indicated by the broken lines) to select the various waveforms for generator 626 via an on/off mode and/or APS bits (one or more types of analog protection signals) or configuration (e.g., limited configuration of the various waveforms such as fixed amplitudes of pseudo sync, AGC, color stripe, etc.).
In some cases generator 626 is flexible in terms of providing any modification for signal VoutNS in terms of content control, data, and/or copy protection signal(s), such as via CPU 627. Such waveform generation includes modifying any part of the video signal down to the pixel level.
The devices or methods described here may be embodied conventionally in any combination of analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or software implementation(s). The devices or apparatuses may be enabled or disabled or configured via one or more bits or signals. Furthermore the circuitry (e.g., such as in an integrated circuit) may be disconnected or disabled via program software or use of fusable link(s). Also a memory or storage device may be included. Also an RF (radio frequency) device may be included to operate as e.g. a tuner, modulator, or output stage. Designing and making such devices would be routine in light of this disclosure.
This disclosure is illustrative and not limiting. Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, and are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/934,723 filed Jun. 15, 2007, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60934723 | Jun 2007 | US |
