EP0782345A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Memory management for a video decoder
Assignee: Technicolor USA Inc
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Filing: 1996-12-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-12-26
Abstract
Abstract An MPEG compatible decoder receives encoded, compressed data in the form of image representative pixel blocks. The decoder includes a frame memory (20) for storing reconstructed pixel blocks incident to the decoding process. The previously decompressed data is re-compressed (30) before being written to the memory. Stored decompressed data is decompressed for display (34, 26), or as needed for decoding functions such as motion compensation processing (32, 22). The compression performed before writing data to memory is block-based compression using compressed data from one of two different compression paths which compress a given pixel block simultaneously.
Inventors
- 👤 Barth Alan Canfield
- 👤 Wai-Man Lam
- 👤 Billy Wesley Beyers, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 20:19
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N19/00; H04N19/42; H04N19/43; H04N19/423; H04N19/426; H04N19/428; H04N19/60; H04N19/61
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
63 words
In a system for processing image representative information, an MPEG compatible decoder characterized by: a decompressor (12,14) for decompressing an input datastream containing MPEG coded data to produce decompressed data; a compressor (30) for compressing said decompressed data to produce a recompressed data; a memory (20) for storing said recompresed data; and an input network (34,26) for processing data stored by said memory.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system according to Claim 1, and further characterized by: a further decompressor for decompressing data stored by said memory before being provided to said output network.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
A system according to Claim 1, further characterized by: a motion information processing network for processing decompressed data, wherein; said compressor compresses data processed by said motion processing network before being stored by said memory; and said output network is an image processor for processing data stored by said memory.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said image representative data comprises blocks of image pixel data of a predetermined size.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
A system according to claim 3, characterized in that said motion processing network comprises: a motion compensation network with an input for receiving stored data from said memory, and an output for providing motion compensated data; a combiner for combining said motion compensated data with said decompressed data from said decompressor; and said compressor conveying combined data from said combiner to an input of said memory unit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system according to claim 5 and further characterized by: a second decompressor for decompressing output data from said memory unit before being provided to said motion compensation network.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system according to claim 5 and further characterized by: a third decompressor for decompressing output data from said memory unit before being conveyed to said output image processor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said compressor is a block-based compressor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said compressor comprises: a first compressor exhibiting a first data compression characteristic; a second compressor exhibiting a different second data compression characteristic and receiving data to be compressed concurrent with said first compressor; and a selection network for conveying compressed data exhibiting a desired compression factor from one or the other of said first and second compressors to said memory unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to claim 9, characterized in that said first compressor exhibits a variable compression characteristic; and said second compressor exhibits a fixed compression characteristic.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
65 words
A system according to claim 10, characterized in that said variable compression is preferred to said fixed compression such that said selection network selects (a) variable compressed data from said first compressor when said variable compressed data exhibits a predetermined desired compression factor or greater, and (b) fixed compressed data from said second compressor when said variable compressed data exhibits less than said compression factor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
133 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said compressor comprises: a block based first compressor exhibiting a variable data compression characteristic; a block based second compressor exhibiting a fixed data compression characteristic, said second processor operating in parallel with said first compressor; means for applying blocks of image data to both said first and second compressors concurrently; means coupled to said first compressor for determining if a data block processed by said first compressor exhibits a desired compression factor; and a selection network for selectively conveying to said utilization network (a) variable compressed data from said first compressor when said variable compressed data exhibits a desired predetermined compression factor or greater, and (b) fixed compressed data from said second compressor when said variable compressed data exhibits less than said compression factor.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of processing a digital datastream of MPEG coded image representative data characterized by the steps of: (a) decompressing said input datastream of MPEG coded data to produce decompressed data; (b) compressing said decompressed data to produce recompressed data; (c) storing said recompressed data; and (d) providing said stored recompressed data to an image information processing network.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to Claim 13, further characterized by the step of: (e) decompressing said stored data before providing said stored data to said image processing network.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 13, characterized in that said compressing step (b) performs block-based compression; and said decompression step (a) performs block-based decompression.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 13, further characterized by the steps of (e) decompressing information stored in said memory to produce output image information for display; and (f) conveying said image information for display to a display processor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method according to Claim 13, further characterized by the steps of: (e) decompressing information stored in said memory to produce decompressed stored information; (f) motion processing said decompressed stored information to produce motion information; and (g) combining said motion information with said decompressed data to produce said information compressed in said compressing step (b).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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