Personal multimedia device video format conversion across multiple video formats

Abstract

Personal multimedia devices can detect when an incoming video format is different from a native format and make a local decision to convert incoming video formats to a format native to the personal multimedia device. The personal multimedia device may include a media processor that comprises an MPEG decoder/encoder, graphics processors, and a video decoder/encoder. These components increase a frame rate of a received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is less than a frame rate of the native video format of the personal multimedia device and decrease the frame rate of the received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is greater than the native frame rate of the set-top box. The graphics processor scales a frame resolution of the frames in the received video signal to correspond to the native video format.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A personal multimedia device comprising: 
 a media processing component configured to: 
 detect a frame rate of a received video signal;  
 compare the frame rate to a frame rate native to the personal multimedia device;  
 increase a frame rate of the received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is less than the frame rate native to the personal multimedia device by adding frames to the received video signal where the added frames are based on at least one of the received frames, and  
 decrease the frame rate of the received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is greater than the frame rate native to the personal multimedia device by removing frames from the received video signal.  
   
     
     
         2 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein the media processing component further includes at least one graphics processor configured to scale a frame resolution of frames in the received video signal to correspond to a native video format of the personal multimedia device.  
     
     
         3 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein each of the added frames are derived from an odd field of a first frame of the received video signal and an even field of a second frame of the received video signal.  
     
     
         4 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein when the received video signal is a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) formatted video signal and the native video format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal, the media processing component adds one frame for every five received frames.  
     
     
         5 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein when the received video signal is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal and the native video format is a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) formatted video signal, the media processing component removes one frame for every six received frames.  
     
     
         6 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein when the received video signal is a FILM formatted video signal and the native video format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal, the media processing component adds one frame for every four received frames.  
     
     
         7 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein the media processing component further includes: 
 a video decoder/encoder configured to process the scaled video signal to an analog format appropriate for display on a television using the native video format of the personal multimedia device.    
     
     
         8 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a channel decoder configured to decode television signals; and    an input/output interface including logic configured to connect external devices to the personal multimedia device.    
     
     
         9 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 1 , wherein the media processing component determines the frame rate of the received video signal by examining header fields in a compressed version of the received video signal.  
     
     
         10 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 9 , wherein the compressed version of the received video signal is compressed based on one of MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.261, H.263, or H.264 standards.  
     
     
         11 . A personal multimedia device comprising: 
 a media processing component configured to: 
 detect a frame rate of a received video signal;  
 compare the frame rate to a frame rate native to the personal multimedia device; and  
 modify a frame rate of the received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is different than the frame rate native to the personal multimedia device by temporally filtering the sequences of frames in the received video signal to derive a new set of interpolated frames at the frame rate native to the personal multimedia device,  
 wherein the media processing component further includes at least one graphics processor configured to scale a frame resolution of frames in the received video signal to correspond to a native video format of the personal multimedia device.  
   
     
     
         12 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 11 , wherein the media processing component further includes: 
 a video decoder/encoder configured to process the scaled video signal to an analog format appropriate for display on a television using the native video format of the personal multimedia device.    
     
     
         13 . The personal multimedia device of  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 a channel decoder configured to decode television signals; and    an input/output interface including logic configured to connect external devices to the personal multimedia device.    
     
     
         14 . A method for converting a compressed video signal in a first format to a second format, the method comprising: 
 determining a frame rate of the video signal in the first format based on header information included in the compressed video signal;    decoding the compressed video signal to uncompress the video signal;    increasing the frame rate of the video signal in the first format when the determined frame rate is less than a frame rate of the second format by adding frames to the uncompressed video signal of the first format, where each added frame is based on at least one frame in the uncompressed video signal in the first format;    decreasing the frame rate of the video signal in the first format when the determined frame rate is greater than the frame rate of the second format by removing frames from the uncompressed video signal in the first format; and    scaling a frame resolution of each of the frames of the video signal in the first format to adjust a resolution of the video signal in the first format to match a resolution of the video signal in the second format.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein each of the added frames are derived from an odd field of a first frame of the video signal in the first format and an even field of a second frame of the video signal in the second format.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein when the video signal in the first format is a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) formatted video signal and the video signal in the second format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal, increasing the frame rate includes adding one frame for every five received frames.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein when the video signal in the first format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal and the video signal in the second format is a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) formatted video signal decreasing the frame rate includes removing one frame for every six received frames.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein when the video signal in the first format is a FILM formatted video signal and the video signal in the second format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal increasing the frame rate includes adding one additional frame for every four received frames.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein determining a frame rate comprises: 
 determining the frame rate of the video signal in the first format by examining header fields in the compressed video signal in the first format.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the compressed video signal in the first format is compressed based on one of MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.261, H.263, and H.264 standards.  
     
     
         21 . A video conference system comprising: 
 a first personal multimedia device configured to output video signals in a first format and to convert received video signals that are not in the first format to television compatible video signals in the first format;    a first video capture device coupled to the first personal multimedia device and configured to transmit video signals to the first personal multimedia device;    a second personal multimedia device coupled to the first personal multimedia device via a network, the second personal multimedia device configured to output video signals in a second format and to convert received video signals that are not in the second format to television compatible video signals in the second format; and    a second video capture device coupled to the second personal multimedia device and configured to transmit video signals to the second personal multimedia device.    
     
     
         22 . The video conference system of  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 a third personal multimedia device coupled to the first personal multimedia device and the second personal multimedia device via the network, the third personal multimedia device configured to convert the received video signal to a third format when the native format is different from the first and second formats.    
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the first and second personal multimedia devices are set-top boxes.  
     
     
         24 . The video conference system of  claim 21 , wherein the first personal multimedia device includes: 
 a media processing component configured to: 
 increase a frame rate of a received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is less than a frame rate of a native video format of the first personal multimedia device by adding frames to the received video signal where the added frames are based on at least one of the received frames, and  
 decrease the frame rate of the received video signal when the frame rate of the received video signal is greater than a native frame rate of the first personal multimedia device by removing frames from the received video signal, wherein  
   the media processing component further includes at least one graphics processor configured to scale a frame resolution of the frames in the received video signal to correspond to the native video format of the first personal multimedia device.    
     
     
         25 . The video conference system of  claim 21 , wherein each of the added frames are derived from an odd field of a first frame of the received video signal and an even field of a second frame of the received video signal.  
     
     
         26 . The video conference system of  claim 21 , wherein when the received video signal is a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) formatted video signal and the native video format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal, the media processing component adds one frame for every five received frames.  
     
     
         27 . The video conference system of  claim 21 , wherein when the received video signal is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal and the native video format is a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) formatted video signal, the media processing component removes one frame for every six received frames.  
     
     
         28 . The video conference system of  claim 21 , wherein when the received video signal is a FILM formatted video signal and the native video format is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) formatted video signal, the media processing component adds one additional frame for every four received frames.  
     
     
         29 . A device for converting a video signal in a first format to a second format, the device comprising: 
 means for determining a frame rate of the video signal in the first format;    means for increasing the frame rate when the determined frame rate is less than a frame rate of the second format by adding frames to the video signal of the first format, where each added frame is based on at least one frame in the video signal in the first format;    means for decreasing the frame rate when the determined frame rate is greater than the frame rate of the second format by removing frames from the video signal in the first format; and    means for scaling a frame resolution of each of the frames of the video signal in the first format to adjust a resolution of the video signal in the first format to match a resolution of the video signal in the second format.    
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 29 , wherein the device is a set-top box.