KR20120017127A - Stereoscopic image playback device and stereoscopic image playback method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus and a reproducing method, comprising the steps of: receiving a channel switch request signal; when a 3D broadcast channel is selected according to the received channel switch request signal, 3D broadcast method information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel; Determining whether the 3D broadcast channel information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel is stored in the memory unit, and when the 3D broadcast channel information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel is stored, the broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel using the 3D broadcast channel information. It includes the step of displaying.

Description

A method for displaying a stereoscopic image and stereoscopic image playing device}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for reproducing stereoscopic images.

Conventional two-dimensional (2D) displays have been common, but in recent years, interest in three-dimensional (3D) or three-dimensional image display is increasing. Such a three-dimensional display already existed, but the three-dimensional content itself was insufficient in quantity and the marketability was low due to the lack of display technology for quality three-dimensional content.

However, in recent years, as the production of three-dimensional content, which is advantageous for delivering realism and three-dimensional feelings, has been activated in the cultural domain and the like, the interest and technology for the three-dimensional display for viewing him are increasing. The increase in interest and technology for 3D content and display foretells the arrival of an era in which 3D images can be easily and comfortably enjoyed at home in the future.

Meanwhile, the 3D stereoscopic image is generated by synthesizing each of the 2D images according to a plurality of views of the subject by a specific rule. When the synthesized three-dimensional stereoscopic image is displayed on the stereoscopic apparatus, the stereoscopic image of a single view or a multiview can be viewed. Here, a method of making a stereoscopic image includes a method of photographing with a stereoscopic camera and a method of using a 3D modeling program.

Meanwhile, in order to view the 3D broadcast signal, the user needs to change to the 3D mode after moving to the channel where the 3D broadcast appears to view the 3D screen. However, in general, channel switching occurs frequently while watching a broadcast, and there is an inconvenience of changing the 3D mode every time when the 3D broadcast signal and the 2D broadcast signal are alternately viewed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus and a stereoscopic image reproducing method capable of viewing a broadcast in a 3D mode without a separate operation process when switching to a 3D broadcasting channel.

An apparatus for reproducing stereoscopic images according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a decoder unit for decoding input image information, a 3D format generation unit for generating stereoscopic image data by combining left eye images and right eye images that match in time, and an image. A user input processor for receiving a reproduction request signal and a channel switch request signal and transmitting a corresponding signal to the decoder unit and the 3D format generating unit, a memory unit storing 3D broadcasting scheme information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel, and the 3D A control unit for outputting the 3D image generated by a format generation unit and a display unit for displaying the 3D image according to the output control of the control unit, wherein the control unit switches to the 3D broadcast channel according to the channel change request signal. Reading the 3D broadcasting scheme information corresponding to the switched 3D broadcasting channel from the memory unit, It is possible to output the stereoscopic image generated by using the read group of 3D broadcast system information on the display unit.

In addition, the stereoscopic image reproduction method according to an embodiment of the present invention, receiving a channel switch request signal, when the 3D broadcast channel is selected according to the received channel switch request signal, the 3D broadcast method corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel Determining whether information is stored in the memory unit; when the determination result indicates that 3D broadcasting method information corresponding to the 3D broadcasting channel is stored, broadcasting the 3D broadcasting channel using the 3D broadcasting method information. Displaying the signal.

On the other hand, the reproduction method may be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium recording a program for execution in a computer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by storing the broadcasting method information for the 3D broadcast channel in advance, it is possible to watch the 3D broadcast without a separate operation when switching to the 3D broadcast channel.

1 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary view showing an example of a transmission format of a stereoscopic image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a stereoscopic image reproduction method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 to 6 are views illustrating an example of displaying an OSD and a notification window in a stereoscopic image reproducing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the present invention. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, it means that it can further include other components, without excluding other components unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, the terms "... unit", "... group", "module", etc. described in the specification mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation, which is hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. It can be implemented as.

The term 3-D or 3D is used to describe a visual representation or display technique that attempts to play a three-dimensional video with an optical illusion of depth. For the image of the left eye and the image of the right eye, the observer's visual cortex interprets the two images into one three-dimensional image.

The three-dimensional (3D) display technology employs the technology of 3D image processing and representation for a device capable of 3D image display. Optionally, a device capable of displaying 3D images may require the use of a special viewing device to effectively provide the viewer with three-dimensional images.

Examples of 3D image processing and representation include stereoscopic image / video capture, multi-view image / video capture using multiple cameras, and processing of two-dimensional image and depth information. Examples of display devices capable of displaying 3D images include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), digital TV screens, and computer monitors having appropriate hardware and / or software supporting 3D display technology. Examples of special observation devices include specialized glasses, goggles, headgear, eyewear, and the like.

Specifically, 3D image display technology includes anaglyph stereoscopic images (commonly used with passive red blue glasses), polarized stereoscopic images (usually used with passive polarized glasses), and alternating-frame sequencing. (Usually used with active shutter eyeglasses / headgear), autostereoscopic displays with lenticular or barrier screens, and the like. Various ideas and features described below are applicable to such stereoscopic image display technology.

Some 3D image display technologies may use rotating or alternating optical devices, for example segmented polarizers attached to a color filter wheel, which requires synchronization with each other. Another 3D image display technology is a digital light processor based on a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) using a rotatable Microscopic Mirror, arranged in a rectangular array corresponding to the pixels of the image to be displayed. Digital Light Processor (DLP) can be used.

On the other hand, new types of standards related to the rendering and display technology of stereoscopic images (particularly 3D TVs) are currently being developed by various companies, consortiums and organizations, such as The Society Of Motion Picture And Television Engineers (CEA), Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 3d @ Home Consortium, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In addition, other standardization groups such as DVB, BDA, ARIB, ATSC, DVD Forum, IEC, etc. are participating. Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) is involved in 3D video coding of multidimensional video, stereoscopic video, and two-dimensional video with depth information, and is now multiview video coding for MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC). The Multiview Video Coding Extension is being standardized. Stereoscopic image coding and stereoscopic distribution formatting include color shifting, pixel sub-sampling (side-by-side, checkerboard, and quincunx). , And Advanced Video Coding (2D + Delta, 2D + Metadata, 2D with Depth Information). The spirit and features described herein are applicable to this standard.

In addition, at least some of the spirit and features of the invention described herein relate to 3D image display technology described in terms of a video reproduction display environment for digital images or 3D TVs. However, such details are not intended to limit the various features described herein and are applicable to other types of display technologies and devices. For example, 3D TV technology can be applied to Blu-ray ^TM , console games, cable and IPTV transmissions, mobile phone content delivery, as well as TV broadcasts, where other types of TVs, Must be compatible with set-top boxes, Blu-ray devices (eg, Blu-Ray Disk players), DVD players, and TV content distributors.

Meanwhile, a conventional 2D display generates only one image. On the other hand, in the 3D image display device, one 3D image is generated from the left image and the right image.

The stereoscopic image display alternately outputs a left image and a right image to create a three-dimensional space. The left image and the right image should be delivered to the left eye and the right eye, respectively. More than 60 frames per second are sent to the device alternately, so that both images can be combined and displayed on the screen at a frequency of 120 Hz to produce a three-dimensional image without flickering.

Hereinafter, a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus and a reproducing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A configuration of a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1. 1 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The data receiver 105 generates a transport stream (TS) or a packetized stream by loading image data from a storage medium such as airwaves or a disk. In general, image data transmitted by air or disk is formatted in a transport stream format of a moving picture expert group (MPEG) system. Here, the image data may be data applied to a digital broadcasting system that performs 3D broadcasting.

In particular, MPEG-2 is a processing method for compressing high-definition video. It is widely used in various fields such as storage media such as DVD (Digital Verstiale Disk), digital TV broadcasting such as satellite cable, terrestrial wave, storage device, and video transmission over network. It is used.

The generated transport stream is delivered to the TS / PS analyzer 110. The TS / PS analyzer 110 generates an elementary stream including both image information and audio information by performing filtering and parsing to filter packets to be reproduced in the transport stream.

The elementary stream output from the TS / PS analyzer 110 is decoded by a decoder 115 suitable for the corresponding codec and outputs an image frame. The decoder 115 also decodes the audio information.

On the other hand, in a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus using a multiview video codec (MVC), a demultiplexer function is added to an output portion of the decoder 115 so that the image data transmitted in a single stream is left. It is divided into / right image is transmitted to the image enhancement unit 120. At this time, the left image and the right image are synchronized using time stamp information.

Thereafter, the image frame is subjected to de-interlacing or image reinforcement processing in the image reinforcement unit 120. In the 2D image reproducing apparatus, the image frames output from the image reinforcement unit 120 are transmitted to the transmission data generation unit ( 140, and if necessary, it is overformatted to be overlaid with other video or transmitted to a device such as a TV.

Thereafter, the transmission unit 145 such as a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) transmits the image data to a device for displaying an image such as a TV. In this case, when the playback device is integrated with the TV, the playback device may be directly transmitted to the display unit 160 without passing through the transmission unit 145.

On the other hand, in the stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus, after the image reinforcement unit 120 is pulled down (pull-down processing 125), it is transferred to the 3D format generation unit 130 to generate a 3D image format. 3, the 3D format image data is processed in a form that can be transmitted to a device for displaying an image such as a TV and then transmitted through the transmission unit 145.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the memory unit 150 of the stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus may store 3D broadcasting method information corresponding to the 3D broadcasting channel. Here, the 3D broadcast method information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel means 3D broadcast method information previously set by the user when entering the 3D broadcast channel.

The 3D broadcasting scheme information includes 3D operation mode information and 3D broadcasting format information. Here, the 3D operation mode information refers to display method information on image data included in a broadcast signal of a 3D broadcast channel. That is, information indicating that a display method for image data included in a broadcast signal of a 3D broadcast channel entered during channel switching is performed in the 3D operation mode.

In addition, the 3D broadcast format information refers to information about how to format a scene in a process of synthesizing a stereoscopic image. As an example of the 3D broadcast format information, a side by side format is used. , A top / down format, an interlaced format, a frame sequential format, or a checker board format. Such 3D broadcast format information will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The controller 135 may control overall operations in the stereoscopic apparatus. In particular, the control unit 135 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the channel is switched to the 3D broadcast channel according to the channel switch request signal transmitted from the user input processing unit 155, 3D broadcast corresponding to the switched 3D broadcast channel After determining whether the method information exists in the memory unit 150, the 3D format generation unit 130 may output the stereoscopic image generated according to the 3D broadcasting method information according to the determination result.

The user input processing unit 155 controls the device according to a user input input through an input button, a remote controller, a network, or the like. In addition, when the display unit is a touch screen, the user input processing unit 155 may be performed by touching the display unit 160. More specifically, the user input processing unit 155 may perform various control operations including control of playback, stop and double speed operations for the decoder unit 15, transmission data resolution and interface mode control for the transmission data generator 140, and the like. Perform. The user input processor 155 according to an embodiment of the present invention performs a function of receiving a channel switch request signal.

Hereinafter, the display operation according to an embodiment of the present invention in the above-described stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus will be described in detail.

2 is an exemplary view showing an example of a transmission format of a stereoscopic image according to an embodiment of the present invention. Looking at the stereoscopic image to explain the present invention as follows.

Stereoscopic images include stereo (or stereoscopic) images considering two viewpoints and multi-view images considering three or more viewpoints.

The stereo image refers to a pair of left and right images obtained by photographing the same subject with a left camera and a right camera spaced apart by a certain distance. The multi-view image refers to three or more images obtained by photographing the same subject with three or more cameras having a constant distance or angle.

There are two formats of a stereo video transmission format: a single video stream format and a multi video stream format. In the embodiment of the present invention, a single video stream format will be described.

The single video stream format includes side by side of FIG. 2 (a). Top / down of FIG. 2 (b), interlaced of FIG. 2 (c), frame sequential of FIG. 2 (d), checker board of FIG. 2 (e) board).

In the side-by-side format of FIG. 2A, the left image L and the right image R are each half subsampled in the horizontal direction, and the sampled left image L and the right image ( This is the case where one stereo image is created by placing R) on the left and right sides respectively.

In the top / down format of FIG. 2 (b), the left image L and the right image R are each sub-sampled 1/2 in the vertical direction, and the sampled left image L and the right image R are respectively. This is the case where one stereo image is created by placing them at the top and bottom.

In the interlaced format of FIG. 2C, the left image L and the right image R are each half subsampled in the vertical direction, and the pixels and the right image R of the sampled left image L are respectively sub-sampled. The pixels are positioned alternately in each line to make a stereo image, or the left image L and the right image R are each half subsampled in the horizontal direction, and the pixels and the right image of the sampled left image L are This is a case where the (R) pixels are alternately positioned one by one to create a stereo image.

The frame sequential format of FIG. 2 (d) does not subsample the left image (L) and the right image (R), but instead creates a stereo image by sequentially placing each image as one frame. to be.

In the checker board format of FIG. 2E, the left image L and the right image R are 1/2 subsampled in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, and the pixels and the right image R of the sampled left image L are sampled. ) Is a case where stereo pixels are created by alternately positioning pixels one by one.

A method of reproducing a stereoscopic image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a stereoscopic image reproduction method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 to 6 are views illustrating an example of displaying an OSD and a notification window in a stereoscopic image reproducing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 135 receives a channel switch request signal through the user input processor 155 (S210). The channel switch request signal may be a control signal for switching between 2D broadcast channels, a control signal for switching from a 2D broadcast channel to a 3D broadcast channel, or a control signal for switching from a 3D broadcast channel to a 2D broadcast channel.

The controller 135 determines whether the switched channel is a 3D broadcast channel according to the received channel switch request signal (S220). If the switched channel is a 3D broadcast channel as a result of the determination, after entering the 3D broadcast channel (S230), the controller 135 stores 3D broadcast method information corresponding to the switched 3D broadcast channel in the memory unit 150. It is determined whether or not (S240).

As a result of the determination of S240, when 3D broadcasting method information previously stored in the memory unit 150 exists, the stored 3D broadcasting method information is displayed on the display unit 160 (S250).

Here, the 3D broadcasting scheme information displayed in step S250 refers to 3D broadcasting scheme information previously entered and stored by the user with respect to the switched 3D broadcasting channel. As shown in FIG. 4, the 3D broadcasting scheme information on the display unit 160 is displayed. 1 through the notification window 310 may display the previously stored 3D broadcasting method information to inform the user of the information and the setting content of the broadcast mode of the 3D broadcasting channel.

For example, the first notification window 310 displays a text 320 saying “applying to the 3D mode” for the switched 3D broadcasting channel, indicating that the input image data is displayed in the 3D operation mode. In addition, by displaying the display of the 3D operation mode information 330 and the 3D broadcast format information 340 of the 3D broadcast method information together to inform the currently set 3D broadcast method information, it is possible to confirm specific setting information.

Next, the display unit 160 displays the broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel, which has been switched using the 3D broadcast scheme information previously stored in the memory unit 150 (S260). Accordingly, the user can watch the broadcast of the 3D broadcast channel in the 3D operation mode through the channel switching without a separate setting process.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S240, when there is no 3D broadcast information previously stored in the memory unit 150 for the switched 3D broadcast channel, as shown in Figure 5, for the switched 3D broadcast channel In operation S241, an OSD (on screen display) for setting 3D broadcasting information is displayed.

A window 420 for selecting a 3D operation mode is displayed on the OSD 410 for setting the 3D broadcasting method information, and the user can select whether to watch the 3D broadcasting channel in a 2D operation mode or a 3D operation mode. (S242).

In addition, the plurality of 3D broadcast format information 430 is displayed on the OSD 410, and the user selects one of the plurality of 3D broadcast format information (S243). Here, the plurality of 3D broadcast format information includes a side by side format, a top / down format, an interlaced format, a frame sequential format, and a checker board. May be in a format.

The 3D operation mode and 3D broadcast format information selected and set by the user are stored in the memory unit 150. When the channel is changed again for the same 3D broadcast channel, the operations of steps S240 to S250 are performed. It is possible to watch the broadcast of the 3D broadcast channel in the 3D operation mode only by switching the channel without additional setting.

As shown in FIG. 6, the 3D broadcasting method information stored in the steps S242 and S243 displays the 3D broadcasting method information set by the user's selection through the second notification window 510 on the display unit 160 ( S250).

For example, in the second notification window 510, the changed 3D broadcasting channel is changed to 3D mode. Text 520 is displayed, indicating that the input image data is displayed in the 3D operation mode. In addition, by displaying the 3D operation mode information 530 and the 3D broadcast format information 540 of the 3D broadcast method information together to inform the currently set 3D broadcast method information, specific setting information can be confirmed.

Next, the display unit 160 displays the broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel, which has been switched using the 3D broadcast method information stored in steps S242 and S243 (S260).

Meanwhile, as a result of the determination of S220, when the switched channel is the 2D broadcast channel, the broadcast signal is displayed on the display unit 160 according to the 2D broadcast mode in the same manner as the broadcast mode before the channel change (S221).

As such, when the user sets only the first time for the 3D broadcast channel, the user can watch the 3D broadcast channel in the 3D operation mode without setting the channel only by changing the channel.

The above-described stereoscopic image reproducing method according to the present invention may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium that is produced as a program for execution on a computer, and examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM. Magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like, and also include those implemented in the form of carrier waves (eg, transmission over the Internet).

The computer readable recording medium can be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the control method can be easily inferred by programmers in the art to which the present invention belongs.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

Claims (14)

A decoder for decoding the input image information;
A 3D format generation unit for generating stereoscopic image data by combining a left eye image and a right eye image that are matched in time;
A user input processor configured to receive an image reproduction request signal and a channel switch request signal, and to transmit corresponding signals to the decoder unit and the 3D format generator;
A memory unit for storing 3D broadcasting scheme information corresponding to the 3D broadcasting channel;
A controller configured to control to output a stereoscopic image generated by the 3D format generator; And
A display unit for displaying the stereoscopic image in accordance with the output control of the controller,
When the controller switches to the 3D broadcast channel according to the channel switch request signal, the controller reads the 3D broadcast method information corresponding to the switched 3D broadcast channel from the memory unit and uses the read 3D broadcast method information. And a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus outputting the generated stereoscopic image to the display unit. The method of claim 1,
The control unit displays a first notification window for providing the 3D broadcast method information corresponding to the switched 3D broadcast channel on the display unit. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
When the 3D broadcasting scheme information corresponding to the switched 3D broadcasting channel does not exist in the memory unit,
An OSD for setting 3D broadcasting scheme information corresponding to the switched 3D broadcasting channel is displayed on the display unit, and any one of the 3D broadcasting scheme information displayed on the OSD is selected and stored in the memory unit; And a stereoscopic image reproducing apparatus outputting the stereoscopic image generated using 3D broadcasting method information to the display unit. The method of claim 3,
The control unit
And displaying on the display unit a second notification window providing the selected 3D broadcasting method information. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The 3D broadcasting method information includes any one of 3D operation mode information and 3D broadcasting format information. The method of claim 5,
The 3D operation mode information includes a display method information for the image data included in the broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel. The method of claim 5,
The 3D broadcast format information includes any of a side by side format, a top / down format, an interlaced format, a frame sequential format, and a checker board format. Stereoscopic image playback method comprising one. Receiving a channel switch request signal;
When a 3D broadcast channel is selected according to the received channel switch request signal, determining whether 3D broadcast scheme information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel is stored in a memory unit;
And if the 3D broadcast information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel is stored as the result of the determination, displaying the broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel using the 3D broadcast method information. The method of claim 8,
If the 3D broadcast method information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel is stored as a result of the determination, displaying the first notification window for providing the stored 3D broadcast method information. The method of claim 8,
If the 3D broadcast information corresponding to the 3D broadcast channel is not stored as a result of the determination,
Displaying an OSD for setting the 3D broadcasting scheme information;
Selecting one of the 3D broadcasting scheme information displayed on the OSD and storing the selected 3D broadcasting scheme information in the memory unit; And
And displaying a broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel by using the stored 3D broadcast method information. The method of claim 10,
And displaying a second notification window for providing the selected 3D broadcasting method information. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
The 3D broadcasting method information includes one of 3D operation mode information and 3D broadcasting format information. The method of claim 12,
The 3D operation mode information includes a display method information for the image data included in the broadcast signal of the 3D broadcast channel. The method of claim 12,
The 3D broadcast format information includes any of a side by side format, a top / down format, an interlaced format, a frame sequential format, and a checker board format. Stereoscopic image playback method comprising one.

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