Classifications

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Definitions

• This invention relates generally to video production, photographic image processing, and computer graphics design, and, more particularly, to a multi-format video production system capable of professional quality editing and manipulation of images intended for television and other applications, including HDTV programs
• the present invention takes advantage of general- purpose hardware where possible to provide an economical multi-format video production system
• specialized graphics processing capabilities are included in a high-performance personal computer or workstation, enabling the user to edit and manipulate an input video program and produce an output version of the program in a final format which may have a different frame rate, pixel dimensions, or both
• An internal production format is chosen which provides the greatest compa ibility with existing and planned formats associated with standard and widescreen television, high-defmition television, and film
• the frame rate of the internal production format is preferably 24 fps Images are re-sized by the system to larger or smaller dimensions so as to fill the particular needs of individual applications, and frame rates are adapted by inter- rame interpolation or by traditional schemes, including "3 2 pull-down" for 24-to-30 fps conversions, or by manipulating the frame rate itself using a program storage facility with asynchronous reading and writing capabilities
• the invention comprises a plurality of interface units, including a standard/widescreen interface unit operative to convert the video program in the input format into an output signal representative of a standard/ widescreen formatted image, and output the signal to an attached display device
• a high-defmition television interface unit is operative to convert the video program m the input format into an output signal representative of an
• a centralized controller in operative communication with the video program input, the graphics processor, and an operator interface, enables commands entered by an operator to cause the graphics processor to perform one or more of the conversions using the television interfaces.
• the present invention thus encourages production at relatively low pixel dimensions to make use of lower-cost general-purpose hardware and to maintain high signal-to-noise, then subsequently expands the result into a higher-format final program. This is in contrast to competing approaches, which recommend operating at higher resolution, then down-sizing, if necessary, to less expensive formats which has led to the high-cost, dedicated hardware, the need for which the present invention seeks to eliminate .
• FIGURES 1A-1D show the preferred and alternative image aspect ratios in pixels
• FIGURE 2 shows a functional diagram for disk- based video recording
• FIGURE 3 shows the components comprising the multi-format audio/video production system
• FIGURE 4 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of video program storage means incorporating asynchronous reading and writing capabilities to carry out frame- ate conversions;
• FIGURE 5 shows the inter-relatlonship of the multi-format audio/video production system to many of the various existing and planned video formats
• FIGURE 6 shows the implementation of a complete television production system, including signals provided by broadcast sources, satellite receivers, and data-network interfaces .
• the present invention is primarily concerned with the conversion of disparate graphics or television formats, including requisite frame-rate conversions, to establish an inter-related family of aspect ratios, resolutions, and frame rates, while remaining compatible with available and future graphics/TV formats.
• These formats include images of pixel dimensions capable of being displayed on currently available multi-scan computer monitors, and custom hardware will be described whereby frames of higher pixel-count beyond the capabilities of these monitors may be viewed.
• Images are re-sized by the system to larger or smaller dimensions so as to fill the particular needs of individual applications, and frame rates are adapted by inter-frame interpolation or by traditional schemes such as using "3:2 pull-down" (for 24 to 30 frame-per-second film-to-NTSC conversions) or by speeding up the frame rate itself (as for 24 to 25 fps for PAL television display) .
• the re ⁇ sizing operations may involve preservation of the image aspect ratio, or may change the aspect ratio by "cropping" certain areas, by performing non-linear transformations, such as “squeezing" the picture, or by changing the vision center for "panning," “scanning” and so forth.
• the preferred internal or “production” frame rate is preferably 24 fps. This selection also has an additional benefit, in that the 24 fps rate allows the implementation of cameras having greater sensitivity than at 30 fps, which is even more critical in systems using progressive scanning, for which the rate will be 48 fields per second vs. 60 fields per second in some other proposed systems.
• image dimensions chosen allow the use of conventional CCD-type cameras, but the use of digital processing directly through the entire signal chain is preferred, and this is implemented by replacing the typical analog RGB processing circuitry with fully digital circuitry. Production effects may be conducted in whatever image size is appropriate, and then re-sized for recording. Images are recorded by writing the digital data to storage devices employing removable hard-disk drives, disk drives with removable media, optical or magneto-optical based drives, or tape-based drives, preferably in compressed-data form. As data rates for image processing and reading-fro or writing-to disk drives increase, many processes that currently require several seconds will soon become attainable in real-time, which will eliminate the need to record film frames at slower rates.
• Figure IA illustrates one example of a compatible system of image sizes and pixel dimensions.
• the selected frame rate is preferably 24 per second (2:1 interlaced) , for compatibility with film elements; the selected picture dimension in pixels is preferably 1024 x 576 (0.5625 Mpxl) , for compatibility with the 16:9 "wide- screen" aspect ratio anticipated for all HDTV systems, and the conventional 4:3 aspect ratio used for PAL systems [768 x 576 (0.421875 Mpxl)] . All implementations preferably rely on square pixels, though other pixel shapes may be used.
• Images may be data compressed 5:1 for 16:9 "wide-screen" TV frames, or 10:1 for HDTV; the data files may then be stored on conventional disk drives, requiring only approximately 8.1 MB/sec for wide-screen frames in RGB, and only 16.1 MB/sec for HDTV frames in RGB.
• An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown m Figure IB.
• the user would follow a technique commonly used in film production, in which the film is exposed as a 4:3 aspect ratio image
• the upper and lower areas of the frame may be blocked by an aperture plate, so that the image shows the desired aspect ratio
• NTSC and PAL images produced directly from these images by re-scaling, and the aforementioned wide-screen images would be provided by excluding 96 rows of pixels from the top of the image and 96 rows of pixels from the oottom of the image, resulting in the 1024 x 576 image size as disclosed above
• the data content of each of these frames would be
• FIG. IC Another embodiment of the invention is depicted m Figure IC
• the system would follow the image dimensions suggested in several proposed digital HDTV formats under consideration by the Advanced Television Study Committee of the Federal Communications Commission
• the format to be adopted is expected to assume a wide- screen image having dimensions of 1280 x 720 pixels Using these image dimensions (but at 24 fps with 2 1 interlace) , compatibility with the existing formats would be available, with NTSC and PAL images derived from this frame size by excluding 160 columns of pixels from each side of the image, thereby resulting in an image having a dimension m pixels of 960 x 720.
• This new image would then be re- scaled to produce images having pixel dimensions of 640 x 480 for NTSC, or 768 x 576 for PAL; the corresponding wide-screen formats would be 854 x 480 and 1024 x 576, respectively
• an image having a dimension in pixels of 1280 x 720 would contain 0.87890625 Mpxl, with 1,000 TV lines of resolution; furthermore, the systems under evaluation by the ATSC of the FCC also assume a decimation of the two chrominance signals, w th detail of only 640 x 360 pixels retained.
• the data storage requirements disclosed above would be affected accordingly
• the development path to 24 fps with progressive scanning is both well-defined and practical, as is the use of the previously described methods to produce images having a dimension in pixels of 2048 x 1152
• FIG. 1 A further alternative embodiment of the invention is shown m Figure ID.
• the user follows the tecnnique commonly used in film production, wherein the film is exposed as a 4:3 aspect ratio image
• the upper and lower areas of the frame area again blocked by an aperture plate, so that the image shows the desired aspect ratio (typically 1.85-1 or 1.66:1)
• the desired aspect ratio typically 1.85-1 or 1.66:1
• a positioning or image centering signal may be included within the data stream, so as to allow the inclusion of information which may be utilized by the receiving unit or display monitor to perform a "pan/scan" operation, and thereby to optimize the display of a signal having a different aspect ratio than that of the display unit.
• a program transmitted in a wide-screen forma would include information indicating the changing position of the image center, so that a conventional (4:3 aspect ratio) display unit would automatically pan to the proper location.
• the monitor optionally could be switched to a full "letter-box" display, or the image could be centered and rescaled to include information corresponding to an intermediate situation, such as halfway between full- height (with cropped sides) and letter-box (full-width, but with blank spaces above and below the image on the display) .
• This positioning/rescaling information would be determined under operator control (as is typical for pan/scan operations when performing film transfers to video) so as to maintain the artistic values of the original material, within the limitations of the intended display format.
• Figure 2 shows the functional diagram for the storage-device-based digital recorder employed m the video camera, or separately in editing and production facilities.
• a removable hard disk drive 70 is interfaced through a bus controller 72,- m practice, alternative methods of storage such as optical or magneto-optical drives could be used, based on various interface bus standards such as SCSI-2 or PCMCIA.
• the microprocessor 74 controls the 64-bit or wider data bus 80, which integrates the various components Currently available microprocessors include the Alpha 21064 by Digital Equipment Corporation, or the MIPS R4400 by MIPS Technologies, Inc.; future implementations would rely on the already announced P6 by Intel Corp or the PowerPC 620, which is capable of sustained data transfer rates of 100 MB/sec. Up to 256 MB of ROM, shown at 76, is anticipated for operation, as is 256 MB or more of RAM, shown at 78.
• the graphics processor 82 represents dedicated hardware that performs the various manipulations required to process the input video signals 84 and the output video signals 86; although shown using an RGB format, either the inputs or outputs could be configured m alternative formats, such as Y/R-Y/B-Y, YIQ, YUV or other commonly used alternatives.
• a software-based implementa ion of the processor 82 is possible, a hardware- based implementation is preferred, with the system employing a compression ratio of 5 1 for the conventional/widescreen signals ("NTSC/PAL/Widescreen") , and a 10:1 compression ratio for HDTV signals (2048 x 1152, as described herein above)
• An example of one of the many available options for this data compression is the currently available Motion-JPEG system Image re-sizing may alternatively be performed by dedicated microprocessors, such as the gm865Xl or gm833X3 by Genesis Microchip, Inc Audio signals may be included within the data stream, as proposed m the several systems for digital television transmission already under evaluation by the Federal Communications Commission, or by one of the methods available for integrating audio and video signals used in multi-media recording schemes, such as the Microsoft " AVI" (Audio/Video Interleave) file format
• an independent system for recording audio signals may be implemented, either by employing separate digital recording provisions controlled by the same system and
• Figure 3 shows the components that comprise a multi-format audio/video production system
• an interface bus controller 106 provides access to a variety of storage devices, preferably including an internal hard- disk drive 100, a tape-back-up drive 102, and a hard-disk drive with removable media or a removable hard-disk drive 104
• the interface bus standards implemented could include, among others, SCSI-2 or PCMCIA Data is transmitted to and from these devices under control of microprocessor 110
• data bus 108 would operate as shown as 64-bits wide, employing microprocessors such as those suggested for the computer-disk-based video recorder of Figure 3; as higher-powered microprocessors become available, such as the PowerPC 620, the data bus may be widened to accommodate 128 bits, and the use of multiple parallel processors may be employed, with the anticipated goal of 1,000 MIPS per processor Up to 256 MB of ROM 112 is anticipated to support the requisite software, and at least 1,024 MB of RAM
• a standard/ idescreen video interface 120 intended to operate within the 1024 x 576 or 1024 x 768 image sizes, accepts digital RGB signals for processing and produces digital RGB outputs m these formats, as shown generally at 122.
• Conventional internal circuitry comprising D/A converters and associated analog amplifiers are employed to convert the internal images to a second set of outputs, including analog RGB signals and composite video signals. These outputs may optionally be supplied to either a conventional multi-scan computer video monitor or a conventional video monitor having input provisions for
• RGB signals (not shown) .
• a third set of outputs supplies analog Y/C video signals.
• the graphics processor may be configured to accept or output these signals m the standard NTSC, PAL, or SECAM formats, and may additionally be utilized in other formats as employed in medical imaging or other specialized applications, or for any desired format for computer graphics applications Conversion of these 24 frame-per-second images to the 30 fps (actually,
• NTSC and 25 fps PAL formats may be performed m a similar manner to that used for scanned film materials, that is to NTSC by using the conventional 3:2 "pull-down" field-sequence, or to PAL by running the images at the higher 25 fps rate.
• mtra-frame and inter-frame interpolation and image conversions may be performed by employing comparable techniques well known in the art of computer graphics and television.
• An HDTV video interface 124 intended to operate within the 2048 x 1152 or 2048 x 1536 image sizes (with re-sizing as necessary) , accepts digital RGB (or alternative) signals for processing and produces digital outputs in the same image format, as shown generally at 126.
• digital RGB or alternative
• conventional internal circuitry comprising D/A converters and associated analog amplifiers are employed to convert the internal images to a second set of outputs, for analog RGB signals and composite video signals.
• the third section of the graphics processor 116 shown in Figure 3 is the film output video interface 128, which comprises a special set of video outputs 130 intended for use with devices such as laser film recorders. These outputs are preferably configured to provide a 4096 x 2304 or 4096 x 3072 image size from the image sizes employed internally, using re-sizing techniques discussed herein as necessary for the format conversions. Although 24 fps is the standard frame rate for film, some productions employ 30 fps, especially when used with NTSC materials, and these alternative frame rates, as well as alternative image sizes, are anticipated as suitable applications of the invention. Several additional features of this system are disclosed in Figure 3.
• the graphics processor includes a special output 132 for use with a color printer.
• an image scanner 134 which may be implemented as a still image scanner or a film scanner, thereby enabling optical images to be integrated into the system.
• An optional audio processor 136 includes provisions for accepting audio signals in either analog or digital form, and outputting signals in either analog or digital form, as shown in the area generally designated as 138 For materials including audio intermixed with the video signals as described herein above, these signals are routed to the audio processor for editing effects and to provide an interface to other equipment
• Figure 3 shows only one set of each type of signal inputs
• the system is capable of handling signals simultaneously from a plurality of sources and in a variety of formats
• the system may be implemented with multiple hard disk units and bus controllers, and multiple graphics processors thereby allowing integration of any combination of live camera signals, prerecorded materials, and scanned images
• Improved data compression schemes and advances in hardware speed will allow progressively higher frame rates and image sizes to be manipulated in real-time
• the difference between 30 fps and the exact 29.97 fps rate of NTSC may be palliated by slightly modifying the system frame rate to 23.976 fps. This is not noticeable in normal film projection, and is an acceptable deviation from the normal film rate.
• a digital program signal 404 is provided to a signal compression circuit 408; if the input program signal is provided in analog form 402, then it is first processed by A/D converter 406 to be placed in digital form.
• the signal compressor 408 processes the input program signal so as to reduce the effective data rate, utilizing any of the commonly implemented data compression schemes, such as JPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, etc. well known in the art.
• the digital program signal 404 may be provided in data- compressed form.
• the digital program signal is provided to data bus 410.
• storage means A” 412 and “storage means B” 414 are included for storing the digital program signals presented on data bus 410, under management by controller 418.
• the two storage means 412 and 414 may be used in alternating fashion, with one storing the source signal until it reaches its full capacity. At this point, the other storage means would continue storing the program signal until it, too, reached its full capacity.
• the maximum program storage capacity for the program signals will be determined by various factors, such as the input program signal frame rate, the frame dimensions in pixels, the data compression rate, the total number and capacities of the storage means, and so forth.
• this data storage scheme automatically will result in previously-recorded signals being overwritten; as additional storage means are added, the capacity for time- delay and frame rate conversion is increased, and there is no requirement that all storage means be of the same type, or of the same capacity.
• the storage means would be implemented using any of the commonly available storage techniques, including, for example, magnetic disks, optical or magneto-optical discs, or semiconductor memory.
• the signal processor would perform image resizing and inter-frame interpolation to convert the signal to 30 fps (corresponding to a 525-line broadcast system) .
• Other conversions such as color encoding system conversion from PAL-for at to NTSC, etc., or frame dimension or aspect- ratio conversion
• the output of the signal processor is then available in digital form as 422, or may be processed further, into analog form 426 by D/A converter 424.
• a separate data bus (not shown) may be provided for output signals, and/or the storage means may be implemented by way of dual-access technology, such as dual-port RAM utilized for video- display applications, or multiple-head-access disk or disc storage units, which may be configured to provide simultaneous random-access read and write capabilities.
• dual-access technology such as dual-port RAM utilized for video- display applications, or multiple-head-access disk or disc storage units, which may be configured to provide simultaneous random-access read and write capabilities.
• suitable input buffer and output buffer provisions are included, to allow time for physical repositioning of the record/play head.
• the high-capacity video storage means in effect, assumes the role of a large video buffer providing the fastest practical access time
• other memory means including all solid-state and semiconductor types, depending upon economic considerations, and so forth
• the source signal is provided at a higher frame rate than the output signal, so that a viewer watching a program from the onset of the transmission would fall behind the source signal rate, and the storage means would be required to hold frames of the program to be displayed at a time after the source signal arrival time, in the case of the 120 minute program described above, the viewing of the source program would conclude 300 seconds after the source signal itself had concluded, and comparable calculations are applied for the storage means
• the conversion of frame rates from 30 fos to 24 fps or to 25 fps is more complicated, because some form of inter-frame interpolation is required.
• a multi-frame storage facility would allow this type of interpolation to be performed in a relatively conventional manner, as typically is utilized in NTSC- o-PAL conversions (30 fps to 25 fps) .
• NTSC- o-PAL conversions (30 fps to 25 fps) .
• a 25 fps to 24 fps conversion could be performed, in accordance with the methods and apparatus described herein above.
• An alternative method to carry out this frame rate conversion is to perform, in effect, the reverse of the "3:2 pull-down" procedure. If one were to select every fifth field and delete it from the signal sequence, the resultant ratio of 5:4 of the remaining fields would result in the desired conversion of 30 fps to 24 fps. In this case, it is necessary to re-interlace the image signal, by reversing the field identity (i.e., from odd to even, or from even to odd) of each of the four following fields, so that the signal stream continues to alternate between odd and even fields. The next four fields would be retained, then the fifth field deleted, and the next four again would have their field identity reversed. This pattern would be continued throughout the program.
• the original source material were from 24 fps (for example, film)
• the repeated fields i.e., the "3" field of the 3:2 sequence
• the removal of these fields would simply return the material to its original form.
• the desired conversion is to be from 30 fps to 25 fps
• an equivalent procedure would be performed using the storage-based frame-conversion method described herein above, or, alternatively, every sixth field could be deleted, in accordance with the method described for 30 fps to 24 fps.
• the user would select the method likely to present the least amount of image impairment .
• the presence of the storage means allows the viewer to control the presentation of a program, utilizing a user interface 820 to control the playback delay and other characteristics of the signal while it is being stored or thereafter.
• a wide range of alternatives for input frame rates and output frame rate conversions are made available through this system.
• Figure 5 shows the inter-relationship of the various film and video formats compatible with the invention, though not intended to be inclusive of all possible implementations.
• the multi-format audio/video production system 162 would receive film-based elements 160 and combine them with locally produced materials already in the preferred internal format of 24 frames-per-second .
• materials may be converted from any other format including video at any frame rate or standard.
• the output signals may be configured for any use required, including, but not limited to, HDTV at 30 fps shown as 164, NTSC/widescreen at 30 fps shown as 166, PAL-SECAM/widescreen at 25 fps shown as 170, or HDTV at 25 fps shown as 172.
• output signals at 24 fps are available for use in a film-recording unit 168.
• Figure 6 shows an implementation involving one possible choice for image sizes, aspect ratios, and frame rates to provide a universal television production system. As shown, signals are provided from any of several sources, including conventional broadcast signals 210, satellite receivers 212, and interfaces to a high bandwidth data network 214. These signals would be provided to the digital tuner 218 and an appropriate adapter unit 220 for the data network or "information superhighway" before being supplied to the decompression processor 222.
• the processor 222 provides any necessary data de-compression and signal conditioning for the various signal sources, and preferably is implemented as a plug-in circuit board for a general- purpose computer, though the digital tuner 218 and the adapter 220 optionally may be included as part of the existing hardware.
• the output of processor 222 is provided to the internal data bus 226.
• the system microprocessor 228 controls the data bus, and is provided with 16 to 64 MB of RAM 230 and up to 64 Mb of ROM 232. This microprocessor could be implemented using one of the units previously described, such as the PowerPC 604 or PowerPC 620.
• a hard disk drive controller 234 provides access to various storage means, including, for example, an internal hard disk drive unit 236, a removable hard disk drive unit 238, or a tape drive 240; these storage units also enable the PC to function as a video recorder, as described above.
• a graphic processor 242 comprising dedicated hardware which optionally be implemented as a separate plug-in circuit board, performs the image manipulations required to convert between the various frame sizes (in pixels) , aspect ratios, and frame rates. This graphics processor uses 16 to 32 MB of DRAM, and 2 to 8 MB of VRAM, depending on the type of

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• 1996
  • 1996-01-23 EP EP96904562A patent/EP0997039A4/de not_active Ceased
  • 1996-01-23 WO PCT/US1996/001501 patent/WO1997027704A1/en active Application Filing
• 1998
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