31 results about "Horizontal blanking interval" patented technology

A modified Colorstripe™ copy protection process utilizes a basic anti-copy protection (ACP) signal that causes attenuation of a video signal, wherein, in one embodiment, the process modifies (lowers) the level of a front porch portion and adds an incorrect color signal (color burst) in the region of the sync tip. When an illegal copy is made, a pre-blanked end of line portion causes a TV set to trigger the color burst sample pulse ahead of time and cause the incorrect color signal in the sync tip region to be sampled. Thus, since the sync tip region has incorrect color phase or frequency, the resulting illegal copy will have enhanced color distortions. In other embodiments, other portions of the horizontal blanking interval are lowered in level and incorrect color bursts are added to a portion or portions of the back porch and / or a portion of the front porch.A further embodiment employs lowering a back porch portion above a sync tip level near the beginning of a video line to form a pseudo sync / AGC pulse pair. The various embodiments of the process may include an adaptable process, as well as several alternative ACP signals for use in combination with the process.

A method and apparatus is disclosed which reduces or removes the effectiveness of commercial skip systems such as presently found in VCRs, PVRs, etc. which are designed to delete commercials from signal material upon playback of a previously recorded version of the signal material. In an embodiment, the effectiveness of the commercial skip system is reduced or removed by adding a flat field of selected signal level to active line portions of video lines of the signal material. Other embodiments modify the normal fade to black signal indicative of a commercial to provide a fade to non-black signal. In further embodiments, a fade to non-black signal is inserted in an overscan area of the signal picture. Still further embodiments modify audio signals or selected signals in the horizontal blanking interval which may be used in commercial skip systems to detect the presence of commercials. Still other embodiments provide techniques for overcoming the commercial skip system altering effects of the previously mentioned embodiments to at least partially restore the commercial skip system, or to enhance the reliability or effectiveness of an existing commercial skip system which has not been altered.

The horizontal blanking interval (HBI) of a normal video signal is modified to enhance the playability of the applied copy protected video signal while maintaining the copy protection effectiveness. As generally known, a copy protected video signal with positive-going pulses in a back porch region causes possible black level depression. The addition of a negative-going pulse and / or negative-going and positive-going pulse pair immediately prior to the H sync signal in the front porch region causes a reduction in such black level depression while resulting in enhanced playability. In other embodiments, an amplitude extending pulse is added to a latter portion of the H sync pulse or to a latter portion of a pseudo sync pulse, to increase the negative-going amplitude of the respective pulse. Various combinations of the added pulses also are possible.

Techniques are described to transmit commands to a display device during vertical or horizontal blanking intervals. The commands can be transmitted using fields that would otherwise be used to transmit color information. A Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) compliant interface can be used to transmit the commands.

An enhancement is provided for a copy protection method that discourages copying (e.g., by video taping) of video signals. The enhancement adds negative amplitude pulses to the video signal at a location in the horizontal blanking interval “back porch” after the color burst. This enhances jitter when the copy protected signal is recorded on a VCR (video cassette recorder) and the recording is replayed, thereby making the recorded signal not suitable for viewing.

The present invention aims to provide a driving control circuit of a display device that is capable of preventing an unnatural black screen. To this end, the driving control circuit is configured to include a plurality of TMICs, each of which is merged with a timing controller and a source driver, and the time controller is configured to adjust end locations of the horizontal blank intervals of data enable signals to match the end locations outputted from TMICs to an end location of a horizontal blank interval of a data enable signal outputted from another TMIC, and, when a gate output enable signal is supplied, perform adjustment so as to indicate a rising edge of the gate output enable signal before the data latch enable signal having the highest frequency is supplied.

In an active matrix type liquid crystal display, during a non-display period such as the horizontal blanking interval or the vertical blanking interval wherein no pixel TFT (10) is selected, the voltage of the opposing electrode is changed so that the power consumption is reduced with application of sufficient voltage to the liquid crystal and without increasing the amplitude of the display data. Also, a change alleviating voltage VM is applied during the change in the opposing electrode voltage to data lines (22) for supplying display data to each of pixel TFTs during the display period, in order to prevent changes in the potential of the data lines (22) caused by the change in the opposing electrode voltage and large reverse bias from being loaded to switches Hsw for outputting display data to the data lines (22).

A modified Colorstripe™ copy protection process utilizes a basic anti-copy protection (ACP) signal that causes attenuation of a video signal, wherein, in one embodiment, the process modifies (lowers) the level of a front porch portion and adds an incorrect color signal (color burst) in the region of the sync tip. When an illegal copy is made, a pre-blanked end of line portion causes a TV set to trigger the color burst sample pulse ahead of time and cause the incorrect color signal in the sync tip region to be sampled. Thus, since the sync tip region has incorrect color phase or frequency, the resulting illegal copy will have enhanced color distortions. In other embodiments, other portions of the horizontal blanking interval are lowered in level and incorrect color bursts are added to a portion or portions of the back porch and / or a portion of the front porch. A further embodiment employs lowering a back porch portion above a sync tip level near the beginning of a video line to form a pseudo sync / AGC pulse pair. The various embodiments of the process may include an adaptable process, as well as several alternative ACP signals for use in combination with the process.

In a video signal transmitter apparatus that removes a part of a blanking interval of a video signal, generates a converted video signal, based on the video signal including an active interval including video data and the blanking interval excluding the video data, a frequency divider divides a frequency of a pixel clock in synchronization with the video signal by a ratio of transmission frequency division, generate and output a frequency-divided clock as a converted pixel clock. A controller controls a first storage unit to write the video signal for the active interval of the video signal, and read the video signal for the active interval of the converted video signal and output a read video signal as the converted video signal, and to remove a part of a signal included in a horizontal blanking interval existing periodically every horizontal line for the blanking interval of the video signal.

A display device so improved as to reduce the size of a peripheral driving circuit incorporated therein. The display device comprises, on one substrate, a pixel array (4), a vertical driving circuit (5) for sequentially selecting pixels (P) via gate lines (G), and a horizontal driving circuit (6) for writing image signals in the selected pixels (P) via signal lines (S). The vertical driving circuit (5) has shift registers (S / R) so disposed that one stage thereof corresponds to at least two gate lines (G), and outputting shift pulses sequentially from the respective stages thereof; gate circuits (5g) for generating drive pulses by extracting, in response to the shift pulses, the clock pulses supplied thereto externally, and outputting the drive pulses to the gate lines (G) to thereby execute sequential selection of the the pixels (P); and a shaping means (5z) for shaping the clock pulses previously in accordance with a horizontal blanking pulse supplied externally in synchronism with a horizontal blanking interval, and supplying the shaped clock pulses to the gate circuits (5g).

Methods and apparatus for improving the effects of display underflow using a variable horizontal blanking interval are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention is a method of display that includes detecting a data ready signal that indicates availability of display data for transmission from a display pipeline, and generating a line-transmit signal based upon a clock signal and the data ready signal. The line-transmit signal is provided to the display pipeline. The line-transmit signal is substantially coincident with the clock signal if the data ready signal is set, and may be delayed if the data ready signal is not asserted. The display pipeline transmits the display data upon receiving the line-transmit signal. Another embodiment is an apparatus including a display pipeline configured to set a data ready signal when the display data is available for transmission, and a timing generator coupled to the display pipeline and configured to generate a line-transmit signal based on the status of the data ready signal.

A display device so improved as to reduce the size of a peripheral driving circuit incorporated therein. The display device comprises, on one substrate, a pixel array (4), a vertical driving circuit (5) for sequentially selecting pixels (P) via gate lines (G), and a horizontal driving circuit (6) for writing image signals in the selected pixels (P) via signal lines (S). The vertical driving circuit (5) has shift registers (S / R) so disposed that one stage thereof corresponds to at least two gate lines (G), and outputting shift pulses sequentially from the respective stages thereof; gate circuits (5g) for generating drive pulses by extracting, in response to the shift pulses, the clock pulses supplied thereto externally, and outputting the drive pulses to the gate lines (G) to thereby execute sequential selection of the the pixels (P); and a shaping means (5z) for shaping the clock pulses previously in accordance with a horizontal blanking pulse supplied externally in synchronism with a horizontal blanking interval, and supplying the shaped clock pulses to the gate circuits (5g).

A method and apparatus is disclosed which reduces or removes the effectiveness of commercial skip systems such as presently found in VCRs, PVRs, etc. which are designed to delete commercials from signal material upon playback of a previously recorded version of the signal material. In an embodiment, the effectiveness of the commercial skip system is reduced or removed by adding a flat field of selected signal level to active line portions of video lines of the signal material. Other embodiments modify the normal fade to black signal indicative of a commercial to provide a fade to non-black signal. In further embodiments, a fade to non-black signal is inserted in an overscan area of the signal picture. Still further embodiments modify audio signals or selected signals in the horizontal blanking interval which may be used in commercial skip systems to detect the presence of commercials. Still other embodiments provide techniques for overcoming the commercial skip system altering effects of the previously mentioned embodiments to at least partially restore the commercial skip system, or to enhance the reliability or effectiveness of an existing commercial skip system which has not been altered.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a video signal processing method is disclosed wherein video correction data is read from a ROM and written into an LUT, and the video correction data written in the LUT is used to perform data correction of an externally inputted video signal. The video correction data written in the LUT is updated during the horizontal blanking interval of the video signal.

Provided are a method and apparatus for transceiving an asymmetric point-to-point moving signal and securing an uplink channel using a horizontal blanking interval (HBI) in which a video signal transceiving apparatus can combine a plurality of HBIs and a plurality of active lines (ALs) into a single section, and when auxiliary data exists in a corresponding HBI, can change an order of the HBI to the last and transmit map information including arrangement information to a video signal display apparatus, and the video signal display apparatus can receive the map information and analyze the received map information to thereby acquire an uplink channel using HBI excluding auxiliary data and transmit control signal data via the acquired uplink channel.

The present invention aims to provide a driving control circuit of a display device that is capable of preventing an unnatural black screen. To this end, the driving control circuit is configured to include a plurality of TMICs, each of which is merged with a timing controller and a source driver, and the time controller is configured to adjust end locations of the horizontal blank intervals of data enable signals to match the end locations outputted from TMICs to an end location of a horizontal blank interval of a data enable signal outputted from another TMIC, and, when a gate output enable signal is supplied, perform adjustment so as to indicate a rising edge of the gate output enable signal before the data latch enable signal having the highest frequency is supplied.

A method and apparatus is disclosed which reduces or removes the effectiveness of commercial skip systems such as presently found in VCRs, PVRs, etc. which are designed to delete commercials from signal material upon playback of a previously recorded version of the signal material. In an embodiment, the effectiveness of the commercial skip system is reduced or removed by adding a flat field of selected signal level to active line portions of video lines of the signal material. Other embodiments modify the normal fade to black signal indicative of a commercial to provide a fade to non-black signal. In further embodiments, a fade to non-black signal is inserted in an overscan area of the signal picture. Still further embodiments modify audio signals or selected signals in the horizontal blanking interval which may be used in commercial skip systems to detect the presence of commercials. Still other embodiments provide techniques for overcoming the commercial skip system altering effects of the previously mentioned embodiments to at least partially restore the commercial skip system, or to enhance the reliability or effectiveness of an existing commercial skip system which has not been altered.

Artifacts occur in the images rendered on a 100 Hz TV as a result of the vertical and horizontal blanking intervals. These intervals cause transitions between high activity and low activity of the TV's digital processing parts which in return cause disturbances on the power supply lines. By keeping the digital processing parts active during the blanking intervals, the artifacts are removed.

A solid state image sensor capable of preventing image degradation, such as shading and ringing, from occurring in an image portion along the left edge of a screen. The solid state image sensor includes, in addition to a horizontal drive circuit that generates a horizontal drive pulse for driving a horizontal register, a pseudo-horizontal drive circuit that generates a pseudo-horizontal drive pulse successive to the horizontal drive pulse during a horizontal blanking interval. The horizontal drive circuit and pseudo-horizontal drive circuit are connected to a horizontal driver power supply unit, which generates, during the horizontal blanking interval, a current that is equal to a current generated by the horizontal driver power supply unit during an effective interval. This arrangement can prevent any power supply ripples from occurring immediately after the beginning of the effective interval.

An image display method includes increasing a horizontal blanking interval (HBI) data included in a scan line data corresponding to at least a scan line and accordingly generating an adjusted HBI data; and transmitting a non-HBI data included in the scan line data and the adjusted HBI data to a display screen. An image display system includes a display screen, an adjusting circuit, and an output circuit. The adjusting circuit is arranged for increasing an HBI data included in a scan line data corresponding to at least a scan line and accordingly generating an adjusted HBI data. The output circuit is arranged for transmitting a non-HBI data included in the scan line data and the adjusted HBI data to the display screen.

Method and apparatus for controlling subsequent permitted use, such as storage, of video on a digital storage device such as a personal video recorder (PVR). An analog video signal is provided with at least one modification to its video characteristics, for instance in the horizontal blanking interval and vertical blanking intervals, which is of the type having the capacity to inhibit making an acceptable analog video recording of the analog video signal. Examples of these modifications are the well known pseudo-sync (automatic gain control), color stripe (color burst modifications), and added back porch pulses. The pattern of presence or absence or nature of the modifications also serves as a code to carry information as to the subsequent permitted use in the digital realm, such as whether the accompanying content of the video signal is allowed to be digitally recorded in digital form in a compatible PVR personal video recorder, and if it is allowed to be recorded, the length of time that the recording is allowed to persist, for instance one day, one week, one month. Hence the modifications to the analog video signal have a dual use in both inhibiting recording in the analog realm and carrying information across the analog video interface so as to control storage (copying) or other use of the video in the digital realm.

The invention provides a method and a device for controlling display refresh. The method comprises the following steps: detecting change of a plurality of continuous frames of image data; when the change of the plurality of continuous frames of image data satisfies a first condition, entering or maintaining panel self-refresh; and when the change of the plurality of continuous frames of image data satisfies a second condition, exiting from the panel self-refresh or updating image data, saving the updated image data in local cache and maintaining the panel self-refresh at a horizontal blanking interval or a vertical blanking interval. The device is used for implementing the method. Through adoption of the method and the device, the problem of abnormal display since certain line data of a previous frame of image cannot be refreshed automatically for a long time and vertical blanking of the frame of image suddenly changes too much or too little when the panel self-refresh is exited is solved, and smooth switching from a local time sequence at a video receiving end to a time sequence at a video transmitting end is realized.

In a video signal transmitter apparatus that removes a part of a blanking interval of a video signal, generates a converted video signal, based on the video signal including an active interval including video data and the blanking interval excluding the video data, a frequency divider divides a frequency of a pixel clock in synchronization with the video signal by a ratio of transmission frequency division, generate and output a frequency-divided clock as a converted pixel clock. A controller controls a first storage unit to write the video signal for the active interval of the video signal, and read the video signal for the active interval of the converted video signal and output a read video signal as the converted video signal, and to remove a part of a signal included in a horizontal blanking interval existing periodically every horizontal line for the blanking interval of the video signal.

A solid state image sensor capable of preventing image degradation, such as shading and ringing, from occurring in an image portion along the left edge of a screen. The solid state image sensor includes, in addition to a horizontal drive circuit that generates a horizontal drive pulse for driving a horizontal register, a pseudo-horizontal drive circuit that generates a pseudo-horizontal drive pulse successive to the horizontal drive pulse during a horizontal blanking interval. The horizontal drive circuit and pseudo-horizontal drive circuit are connected to a horizontal driver power supply unit, which generates, during the horizontal blanking interval, a current that is equal to a current generated by the horizontal driver power supply unit during an effective interval. This arrangement can prevent any power supply ripples from occurring immediately after the beginning of the effective interval.

The horizontal blanking interval (HBI) of a normal video signal is modified to enhance the playability of the applied copy protected video signal while maintaining the copy protection effectiveness. As generally known, a copy protected video signal with positive-going pulses in a back porch region causes possible black level depression. The addition of a negative-going pulse and / or negative-going and positive-going pulse pair immediately prior to the H sync signal in the front porch region causes a reduction in such black level depression while resulting in enhanced playability. In other embodiments, an amplitude extending pulse is added to a latter portion of the H sync pulse or to a latter portion of a pseudo sync pulse, to increase the negative-going amplitude of the respective pulse. Various combinations of the added pulses also are possible.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a video signal processing method is disclosed wherein video correction data is read from a ROM and written into an LUT, and the video correction data written in the LUT is used to perform data correction of an externally inputted video signal. The video correction data written in the LUT is updated during the horizontal blanking interval of the video signal.

According to a copy protection method of the present invention, as for a component video signal which is composed of a luminance signal and two color-difference signals, copy inhibition information is superimposed upon a first color-difference signal and information indicating that the copy inhibition information is included in the first color-difference signal is superimposed upon a second color-difference signal. Or copy inhibition information is superimposed upon the luminance signal, a vertical blanking interval, or a horizontal blanking interval.Accordingly, it can be judged whether or not the video is capable of copying, without making the viewers conscious, whereby component video signals can be easily copy protected.