Digital Video Receiver Error Concealment via Characterization Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital broadcast TV receivers face issues with errors in transport stream packets due to interference, leading to corrupted video and audio data, which results in artifacts during playback.
Innovation Solution
A device with baseband processor circuitry, de-multiplexer circuitry, and decoder circuitry that detects and locates errors in video and audio packets, generates error characterization data, and conceals errors using this data to produce error-free output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional demultiplexer circuitry discards packets with asserted TEI bits, then error propagation to decoders is prevented, but video and audio artifacts appear during playback due to corrupted data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of errors in transport stream packets into a beneficial outcome by detecting errors, characterizing them, and using this error information to guide concealment operations in the decoder. Instead of simply discarding erroneous packets which causes artifacts, the system utilizes the error data to reconstruct missing or corrupted video and audio information, thereby transforming the harmful error condition into an opportunity for improved playback quality through intelligent concealment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary error characterization mechanism between the demultiplexer and decoder. The demultiplexer detects and characterizes errors in transport stream packets, then passes this error characterization data to the decoder as a mediator. This intermediary error information enables the decoder to perform targeted concealment operations rather than blindly processing corrupted data or simply discarding packets, thus resolving the contradiction between error prevention and artifact avoidance
2Object-affected harmful factors
If error detection and concealment circuitry is added to the device, then playback quality improves by reducing artifacts, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by integrating error detection, error characterization, and error concealment guidance capabilities into existing demultiplexer and decoder circuitry. The demultiplexer not only performs its traditional function of separating video and audio streams but also detects and characterizes errors in transport stream packets. The decoder not only decodes video and audio data but also utilizes the error characterization information to perform intelligent concealment. This multi-functional approach improves playback quality without requiring completely separate dedicated error handling systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the decoder to perform self-service error concealment by providing it with error characterization data from the demultiplexer. The decoder uses this information to automatically identify and conceal errors in the video and audio streams without requiring external intervention or complex post-processing systems. The system serves itself by making the error concealment capability intrinsic to the decoding process, thereby improving playback quality while minimizing additional device complexity
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A device to output video and/or audio data (for example, corresponding to a selected channel which is one of a plurality of channels of a broadcast spectrum), the device comprising (i) baseband processor circuitry to demodulate a baseband signal into a data stream (for example, MPEG type data stream, such as an MPEG-2 transport or program data stream) having a plurality of packets including a plurality of video and/or audio packets wherein each video and/or audio packet includes video and/or audio payload, (ii) de-multiplexer circuitry, coupled to the baseband processor circuitry, to: (a) de-multiplex the data stream to obtain the video and/or audio payload of the plurality of video and/or audio packets, (b) detect and locate one or more errors in one or more of the video and/or audio packets, and (c) generate error characterization data (for example, information which is representative of the type of error and/or the location of the error in the video and/or audio payload) which is representative of or characterizes one or more errors in the one or more of the video and/or audio packets; and (iii) decoder circuitry, coupled to the de-multiplexer circuitry, to: (a) receive the video and/or audio payload and the error characterization data, and (b) conceal the one or more errors in the video and/or audio payload using the error characterization data.