Digital Broadcast Reproduction with Universal Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal video recorders (PVRs) struggle to consistently perform trick-play functions, such as pausing and rewinding, when receiving digital broadcasts in both MPEG2 and H.264 formats due to differences in compression formats, leading to inconsistent playback experiences.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that demultiplex and decode digital broadcasts in various compression formats, extracting metadata for trick-play functions and separately storing original streams and metadata, allowing for consistent reproduction and recording across MPEG2 and H.264 formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional PVR uses MPEG2-specific metadata (SEQ header, I/P/B picture locations) for trick-play functions, then MPEG2 transport streams can be reproduced consistently, but H.264 transport streams cannot be reproduced consistently due to format differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal metadata structure that can handle multiple compression formats (MPEG2 and H.264) through a common interface. The system maps format-specific metadata elements (SEQ headers for MPEG2, SPS/PPS for H.264) to a unified metadata schema, allowing the same trick-play functionality to work across different formats without requiring format-specific processing paths
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by introducing abstracted metadata parameters that represent picture locations and timing information in a format-agnostic way. Instead of using concrete MPEG2-specific parameters like SEQ header locations, the system uses generalized parameters such as picture timing information and access unit locations that can be populated differently based on the input format but interpreted uniformly by the reproduction logic
2Ease of manufacture
If the PVR stores only format-specific metadata structures, then the storage and processing for each format can be optimized, but additional software or complex processing is needed to support multiple formats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary metadata layer that sits between the raw transport stream and the reproduction logic. This intermediary structure translates format-specific metadata into a universal representation, acting as a mediator that allows the reproduction system to handle multiple formats through a single, simplified processing path without requiring separate software modules for each format
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a method and apparatus for reproducing a digital broadcast having different compression formats and a method of recording the digital broadcast so that the digital broadcast may be consistently stored and reproduced regardless of a compression format of the digital broadcast. The method of reproducing a digital broadcast includes receiving a transport stream of the digital broadcast which is provided in a compression format; extracting an original stream of a desired program by demultiplexing the transport stream and extracting metadata from the original stream for reproducing or performing trick-play functions on the original stream; separately storing the original stream and the metadata; and decoding the original stream in accordance with the compression format and displaying the original stream. The method and apparatus allows a user to consistently perform functions on the digital broadcast regardless of a compression format of the digital broadcast.