System and method for decoding 3d stereoscopic digital video

Abstract

Described herein is a MPEG-2 compatible stereoscopic 3D-video image digital decoding method and system. In order to obtain 3D-images from a digital video stream, modifications are made to the current MPEG2 decoders, by means of software and hardware changes in different parts of the decoding process. Namely, the video_sequence structures of the video data stream are modified via software to include the necessary flags at the bit level of the image type in the TDVision® technology. Modifications are also made in the decoding processes as well as in decoding the information via software and hardware, wherein a double output buffer is activated, a parallel and difference decoding selector is activated, the decompression process is executed, the corresponding output buffer is displayed; and the decoder is programmed via software to simultaneously receive and decode two independent program streams, each with an TDVision® stereoscopic identifier.

1 . A method for decoding stereoscopic digital video, comprising:
 receiving one or more video streams, wherein the one or more video streams comprise headers and first eye images;   reading the headers to determine if the one or more video streams do or do not also comprise deltas, wherein the deltas, when present, were calculated by subtracting the first eye images from second eye images, and wherein if the headers indicate that the deltas are present, adding the deltas to the first eye images to form decoded second eye images;   wherein receiving one or more video streams comprises receiving an MPEG-compatible digital video stream comprising a first eye image, a header, and a data structure stored in the MPEG-compatible digital video stream with the first eye image,   wherein reading the headers comprises reading bits in the header of the MPEG-compatible digital video stream to determine if the header has bit flags signifying the presence of a delta stored in the data structure, and wherein the method further comprises
 if the header does not have the bit flags, decoding the first eye image according to MPEG standards and outputting an MPEG-compatible two-dimensional digital video comprising the decoded first eye image; and 
 if the header has the bit flags, decoding the first eye image and the second eye image, the second eye image decoded by comparing the delta stored in the data structure to the first eye image, and outputting a stereoscopic digital video comprising the decoded first eye image and the decoded second eye image. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the bit flags comprise a stereoscopic identifier configured to indicate the presence of a delta stored in the data structure of the digital video stream. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the data structure is a PICTURE_DATA3D( ) data structure. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the data structure is a USER_DATA( ) data structure. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the header further comprises a series of bits configured to indicate the aspect ratio for a two-dimensional digital video, and wherein, if the header does not have the bit flags, the first eye image is decoded using the two-dimensional digital video aspect ratio. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the header further comprises a series of bits configured to indicate the aspect ratio for a stereoscopic digital video, and the first eye image and the second eye image are decoded using the stereoscopic digital video aspect ratio. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the method further comprises configuring a digital signal processor to activate a double buffer and identifying the aspect ratio of the stereoscopic digital video. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the delta stored in the data structure is a B type image frame. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the header does not have the bit flags, the method comprises outputting a two-dimensional digital video comprising an MPEG2 image. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein reading the bits in the header comprises identifying, using a digital signal processor, a video sequence in the digital video stream and determining a type of the digital video stream. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the stereoscopic digital video is outputted to a high definition television system or a stereoscopic vision system. 
     
     
         12 . A system for displaying stereoscopic digital video to a user, comprising:
 a receiver configured to receive one or more video streams, wherein the one or more video streams comprise a header and a first eye image;   a decoder configured to read the header and determine if the one or more video streams do or do not also comprise a delta, wherein the delta, when present, was calculated by subtracting the first eye image from a second eye image to determine a difference between the first eye image and the second eye image, and wherein if the header indicates that the delta is present, adding the delta to the first eye image to form a decoded second eye image;   wherein the receiver is configured to receive an MPEG-compatible digital video stream comprising a first eye image, a header, and a data structure stored in the video stream with the first eye image; and   wherein the decoder is an MPEG-compatible decoder configured to decode the MPEG-compatible digital video stream, the decoder further configured to: read bits in the header,
 determine if the header has bit flags signifying the presence of a delta stored in the data structure, the delta, when present in the data structure, calculated by determining a difference between the first eye image and a second eye image, 
 if the header does not have the bit flags, decode the first eye image according to MPEG standards and output an MPEG-compatible two-dimensional digital video comprising the decoded first eye image, and 
 if the header has the bit flags, decode the first eye image and the second eye image, the second eye image decoded by comparing the delta stored in the data structure to the first eye image, and output a stereoscopic digital video comprising the decoded first eye image and the decoded second eye image. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the bit flags comprise a stereoscopic identifier configured to indicate the presence of a delta stored in the data structure of the digital video stream. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the data structure is a PICTURE_DATA3D( ) data structure. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the data structure is a USER_DATA( ) data structure. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the header further comprises a series of bits configured to indicate the frame rate for a two-dimensional digital video, and wherein, if the header does not have the bit flags, the first eye image is decoded using the two-dimensional digital video frame rate. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the header further comprises a series of bits configured to indicate the frame rate for a stereoscopic digital video, and the first eye image and the second eye image are decoded using the stereoscopic digital video frame rate. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the system further comprises a digital signal processor, and wherein, if the header has the bit flags, the digital signal processor is configured to activate a double buffer and identify the aspect ratio of the stereoscopic digital video. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein, if the header does not have the bit flags, the video output is configured to output a two-dimensional digital video comprising an MPEG2 image. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising a digital signal processor configured to identify a video sequence in the digital video stream and determine a type of the digital video stream. 
     
     
         23 .- 31 . (canceled)