KR20100005760A - Subtitling method using a graphic accelerator of set top box - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a caption processing method utilizing a graphic accelerator of a set top box.

To this end, the present invention receives a signal that the caption image processor of the set-top box outputs the caption image data, selects the image data stored in the database, and uses the function of the graphic accelerator according to the set coordinate value along the upper left of the image data. Outputting to the lower end of the monitor, the first judging step of judging whether the right portion of the image data is to the left side of the right side of the monitor, and in the first judging step, if the caption image processor In such a case, if it is determined that the right portion of the caption image data is on the right side of the left side of the monitor, and if it is determined that the right side is in the second determination stage, go to the first determination stage and correct the coordinate value. Output the subtitle image data. It provides a caption processing method using a graphics accelerator of the set-top box, characterized in that the step of terminating.

According to the present invention, it is possible to output caption image data even in a set top box equipped with a conventional low performance CPU without degrading its performance.

Description

Subtitling Method Using a Graphic Accelerator of Set Top Box}

The present invention relates to a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box, and more particularly, to a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box for implementing an effect of smoothly moving or disappearing subtitle characters in a set-top box. will be.

Among the methods of expressing subtitle characters in a set-top box, the conventional subtitle processing method of moving or disappearing the subtitle characters is simply outputting them from left to right, right to left, or up and down, in particular over the air. While broadcasting, all information, such as weather, news, economic information, etc. were all mobile output at the bottom.

Also, unlike computers, set-top boxes generally have a poor performance because the capacity or performance of the central processing unit is determined in consideration of the price. In conventional set-top boxes, the function of displaying subtitle characters is central processing. Since only the device (CPU) was operated, it was a reality that the implementation of the content through the set-top box, for example, the processing of subtitles while watching a video, could not be processed smoothly in consideration of the CPU performance.

On the other hand, with the advancing of broadcasting technology, the emergence of broadcasting using the Internet network (IPTV), the CPU in the set-top box needs to have good performance and capacity, and the cost increases, which acts as a factor that hinders the appearance of IPTV broadcasting. It came to the following.

As a result, the subtitles are shifted by driving the subtitles through the CPU, which is why it is generally difficult to realize the effect of smoothly flowing the subtitle string on the screen or the effect of gradually appearing and gradually disappearing. The technology was only possible with high-end central processing units.

To this end, the present invention, without improving the performance of the central processing unit (CPU) of the conventional set-top box, while making a subtitle string in advance through the subtitle image generator mounted on a computer or server and stored in the set-top box, or By outputting the stored caption data through the central processing unit by the output signal and outputting it to the screen using the function of the graphic accelerator, the caption string is imaged to realize the effect of flowing smoothly on the screen or gradually appearing and disappearing. When generating (rendering) and displaying a subtitle string, the CPU proposes a method of outputting an image to a screen using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box while only performing a function of receiving and indicating a command.

In order to provide a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box, the present invention receives a signal for outputting caption image data by a caption image processor of a set-top box, selects image data stored in a database, and selects the left side of the image data. Outputting the upper end to the lower end of the monitor using a function of the graphic accelerator according to the set coordinate value; a first judgment step of determining whether the right part of the image data is to the left of the right part of the monitor; In the step, otherwise, the coordinate value is corrected and output, and in such a case, the second judging step of judging whether the right part of the caption image data is on the right side of the left side of the monitor, and the second judging step is determined to be on the right side. Go to the first judgment step and modify the coordinates If force and, if not, characterized by consisting of a terminating the output of the subtitle image data.

In addition, in order to provide a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of the set-top box, the present invention stores the caption image data in a database of the set-top box via a network or the Internet, the caption image processor of the set-top box Receiving a signal to output the, select the image data stored in the database, and outputs the upper left of the image data to the bottom of the monitor using a function of the graphics accelerator according to the set coordinate value, the caption image processor In the first judging step and the first judging step of judging whether the right part is to the left of the right part of the monitor, if not, the coordinate values are corrected and output, and in this case, the right part of the subtitle image data is the left side of the monitor. To determine whether it's right And if it is determined that it is to the right in the second judging step and the second judging step, the method proceeds to the first judging step, and corrects the coordinates and outputs the result, or otherwise terminates the output of the caption image data. .

In addition, in the above invention for providing a caption processing method utilizing a graphics accelerator of the set-top box, the present invention provides a caption image data using a graphics accelerator of the set-top box, characterized in that the subtitle image data is a bitmap, text or image data Provide a treatment method.

Using the technique proposed in the present invention, it is possible to implement a special effect of outputting a string even in a set-top box equipped with an existing low-performance CPU. Therefore, the present invention has the significance of making a product having a high price competitiveness compared to a method of processing a string output using a high performance CPU.

The caption movement technique proposed by the present invention can be used for the caption processing of an advertising set-top box, an emergency message, a news, an advertisement banner, and the like in a broadcasting / IPTV set-top box.

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a network diagram illustrating a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set top box, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set top box, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which caption data is output from right to left at a lower portion of a monitor.

In order to output subtitles, first, a subtitle image to be output must be generated. Generally, this work is done when authoring advertisement content on a server or when creating a banner, and can also work on a general personal computer 10.

Therefore, the subtitle image generator 11 is mounted or installed on the server or the computer 10 so that the image can be generated anytime and anywhere. The caption image generator 11 is a kind of program and corresponds to an application.

The caption image generator 11 receives information such as a font type and size, a thickness, an italicity, an underline, a string attribute, a background color or a background image, a string color, an output method, and the like with a string to be output from the user.

When information is input from the user to the caption image generator 11, the caption image generator 11 synthesizes input information and generates (renders) caption contents to be output on the screen as an image.

As the image format, for example, a bitmap or GIF may be used, but is not limited thereto.

The generated caption images may be transmitted to the set-top box 30 through a network or storage media (USB flash disk, CDROM, etc.), and may be transmitted through the wired or wireless Internet network 20.

Once the caption image is stored in the storage or database 34 through the entry / exit 35 of the set-top box 30, the caption image processor 32 may be output so that the caption image processor 32 smoothly moves or slowly appears and disappears on the screen. The subtitle image processor 32 outputs subtitles in a manner of moving left and right (especially, moving from right to left of the screen), and moving up and down (moving from top to bottom or upward to bottom). And it supports the way it appears and then slowly disappears.

The left and right or up and down directions may be implemented by moving the position of the string image according to a coordinate value or time, and the last method may be implemented by changing an alpha blending factor value with time when outputting a string image.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which caption data is output from right to left at a lower end of a monitor.

The image data generated by the caption image generator 11 is stored in the storage unit or database 34 via the internet network 20 or the network via the entry / exit unit 35.

The caption image processor 32 outputs image data to be output as a kind of application program to the monitor 40 using the function of the graphic accelerator 33.

The caption image processor 32 receives an output signal and analyzes the signal to select stored image data (S10). When the image data to be output to the monitor 40 is selected, the upper left side of the monitor 10 is set to coordinates (0, 0) and the lower right side is set to (width, height) (see FIG. 4). The upper left side is treated as X = width and Y = height-offset and outputted to the lower portion of the monitor 40 by using the flit function of the graphic accelerator 33.

Subsequently, the caption image processor 32 determines whether the right portion of the image data is located on the left side of the right portion of the monitor 40 (S20). Otherwise, the caption image processor 32 corrects and outputs the coordinate value (S30). That is, by correcting and outputting 'X1 = X-delta' and 'Y1 = Y', the image data is output from the right side to the left side at the bottom of the monitor 40, and if the process is repeated, the subtitle image data moves smoothly. Will print.

In addition, the delta value or the offset value may be defined in pixels, and may be output as a function of time. If the delta value is large, the moving time from right to left is short. If the delta value is small, the moving time of the subtitle is long. In addition, when the delta value and the time function are used together, the caption support data is output on the monitor 40 for a predetermined time.

Next, when the caption image processor 32 determines that the caption image data is on the left side in operation S20, the caption image processor 32 determines whether the right portion of the caption image data is on the right side of the left portion of the monitor 40 (S40). If it is determined that the right side in step S40, go to step S30 to correct the coordinate value and output, otherwise, the output of the caption image data is terminated.

That is, if the right part of the caption image data is on the right side of the left side of the monitor, the coordinate value is corrected and the output is continued. Otherwise, the subtitle image data is output from the right to the left side of the lower part of the monitor. Will be done.

So far, the subtitle image data has been smoothly moved by correcting the delta value from the bottom of the monitor to the right to the left, but the method of outputting from the left to the right or the method of outputting the up and down is also used to initialize the coordinate values. If it is set to and outputs by continuously correcting the coordinate value, the caption image data can be output smoothly.

The present invention has been described in detail through the drawings. It will not be necessary for the person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that various modifications can be made without changing the contents of the present invention.

1 is a network diagram for explaining a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box,

2 is a block diagram illustrating a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set top box;

3 is a flowchart for explaining a caption processing method using a graphic accelerator of a set-top box, and

4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which subtitle data is output from the right side to the left side of the monitor.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

10: server or computer 11: subtitle image generator

20: Internet network 30: Set-top box

31: central processing unit (CPU) 32: subtitle image processor

33: graphics accelerator 34: storage or database

35: entry and exit 40: display device or monitor

Claims (3)

In the caption processing method using the graphics accelerator of the set-top box, The caption image processor 32 of the set-top box 30 receives a signal for outputting caption image data, selects image data stored in the database 34, and sets the upper left corner of the image data according to the set coordinate value according to the graphic accelerator ( Outputting to the lower end of the monitor 40 using the function of 33) (S10), The caption image processor 32 determining whether the right part of the image data is located to the left of the right part of the monitor 40 (S20), In the determining step (S20), otherwise correcting and outputting the coordinate value (S30), In the determination step S20, in such a case, determining whether the right part of the caption image data is to the right of the left part of the monitor 40 (S40), and If it is determined that the right side in step S40, go to step S30 to modify the coordinate value and output, otherwise, the step of terminating the output of the caption image data, the caption utilizing the graphic accelerator of the set-top box Treatment method. In the caption processing method using the graphics accelerator of the set-top box, Storing the caption image data in a database 34 of the set-top box 30 via a network or an internet network 20, The caption image processor 32 of the set-top box 30 receives a signal for outputting caption image data, selects image data stored in the database 34, and sets the upper left corner of the image data according to the set coordinate value according to the graphic accelerator ( Outputting to the lower end of the monitor 40 using the function of 33) (S10), The caption image processor 32 determining whether the right part of the image data is located to the left of the right part of the monitor 40 (S20), In the determining step (S20), otherwise correcting and outputting the coordinate value (S30), In the determination step S20, in such a case, determining whether the right part of the caption image data is to the right of the left part of the monitor 40 (S40), and If it is determined that the right side in step S40, go to step S30 to modify the coordinate value and output, otherwise, the step of terminating the output of the caption image data, the caption utilizing the graphic accelerator of the set-top box Treatment method. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the caption image data is bitmap, text, or image data. 4.

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