Transport Stream Adaptation for CI Equipment Pixellation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In digital television broadcasting, manufacturers of visual display apparatuses face challenges in ensuring compatibility with various types of common interface (CI) equipment, leading to potential pixellation issues when unknown or unaccounted-for CI equipment is used, as existing solutions require extensive calibration to adjust settings for different types of CI equipment.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a video signal pixellation detector, processor, and memory that adapts the drive strength and phase shift of the transport stream signal to eliminate pixellation, allowing for recognition and adaptation of previously encountered CI equipment types without the need for extensive calibration, thereby reducing incompatibility risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manufacturers adjust settings during manufacture to suit known types of CI equipment, then compatibility with known equipment is improved, but the apparatus becomes incompatible with new or unknown types of CI equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of pixellation and automatically adjusts drive strength settings before displaying content, eliminating the need for manual manufacturing calibration for each CI equipment type. The memory stores and recalls appropriate settings based on detected equipment characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the drive strength parameter of the transport stream signal based on detected pixellation, allowing automatic adaptation to different CI equipment types without requiring manufacturing adjustments for each specific equipment variant.
2Manufacturing precision
If the drive strength of the transport stream signal is increased to reduce pixellation, then display quality is improved, but signal distortion may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the video signal for pixellation and uses this feedback to automatically adjust the drive strength parameter. This closed-loop control ensures optimal display quality while preventing excessive signal distortion by only applying necessary adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies only the necessary degree of drive strength adjustment to eliminate pixellation without over-adjusting. By detecting the actual presence and severity of pixellation, the system avoids excessive action that would cause signal distortion while still achieving sufficient correction.
3Reliability
If manufacturers test compatibility with various CI equipment during production, then compatibility is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The visual display apparatus performs self-testing and self-adjustment by detecting pixellation in the received signal and automatically modifying drive strength parameters. This eliminates the need for manual compatibility testing during manufacturing, significantly improving production efficiency while ensuring compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs compatibility detection and adjustment automatically upon receiving content from CI equipment, eliminating the need for pre-manufacturing testing. The memory component stores detected equipment characteristics for faster future compatibility verification.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a device and method for use with a common interface (CI) equipment (1), the latter of which is for receiving, decoding and decrypting scrambled television broadcast content, such as video, audio and data. The device (500) is for adapting a transport stream (402, 403) being processed by the common interface equipment (1) to make the transport stream compatible with a visual display apparatus, such as a television set. The device at least comprises a video signal mosaic detector (501), a processor (502) and a memory (503). The processor (502) is operable, in response to detection by the mosaic detector (501) of mosaic in a video signal (404) output from the common interface equipment (1), to instruct a demodulator (102) of the common interface equipment (1) to vary a driving current of the transport stream (402) from which the video signal (404) is derived. Thus the driving current can be varied to reduce or eliminate any mosaicking effect from the video signal (404). If varying the driving current does not eliminate the mosaic completely, the phase shift of the transport stream clock signal can be varied as well. The memory (503) is operable to save a value of the transport stream driving current, and possibly also of the phase shift of the transport stream clock signal, for the particular type of common interface equipment (1) with which the device (500) is in communication. Thus the best value of the driving current, and possibly also of the phase shift, which reduce or eliminate mosaic from the video signal (404) can be saved and recalled for later use if the device is put into communication with the same type of common interface equipment again. The device is most advantageously incorporated into a visual display apparatus, such as a television set. In this way, the visual display apparatus can be used to display broadcast content received by a wide range of different types of CI equipment by adapting the behaviour of the CI equipment to suit the visual display apparatus. This obviates the need for manufacturers of visual display apparatus to test their apparatuses with a wide variety of different types of CI equipment during manufacture, and greatly reduces or eliminates the risk that the display apparatus will encounter a type of CI equipment with which it is incompatible.