FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
“IMAGE DATA TRANSMISSION DEVICE, IMAGE
DATA TRANSMISSION METHOD, IMAGE DATA
RECEPTION DEVICE, AND IMAGE DATA
RECEPTION METHOD”
SONY CORPORATION, of 1-7-1, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
108-0075, Japan
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in
which it is to be performed.
2
DESCRIPTION
Title of Invention: IMAGE DATA TRANSMITTING APPARATUS, IMAGE
DATA TRANSMITTING METHOD, IMAGE DATA RECEIVING APPARATUS,
AND IMAGE DATA RECEIVING METHOD
Technical Field
[0001]
The present technology relates to an image data
transmitting apparatus, an image data transmitting method,
an image data receiving apparatus, and an image data
receiving method, and more particularly, to an image data
transmitting apparatus, and so on, for transmitting image
data for performing three-dimensional image display,
scalable coded image data, and so on.
Background Art
[0002]
Hitherto, as a coding method for moving pictures, H.
264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) is known (see NPL 1).
Additionally, as an extension of this H. 264/AVC, H. 264/MVC
(Multi-view Video Coding) is known (see NPL 2).
[0003]
In MVC, a mechanism in which items of multi-view image
data are coded together is employed. In MVC, multi-view
image data is coded as one item of base view image data and
more than one item of non-baseview image data.
[0004]
Additionally, as an extension of this H. 264/AVC, H.
264/SVC (Scalable Video Coding) is also known (see NPL 3).
SVC is a technique for coding images hierarchically. In SVC,
hierarchical levels are divided into a basic level
(bottommost level) including image data necessary for
decoding moving pictures with a minimal quality and an
extended level (higher level), which is added to this basic
level, including image data for improving the quality of
moving pictures.
Citation List
Non Patent Literature
[0005]
NPL 1: "Draft Errata List withRevision-Marked
Corrections for H. 264/AVC", JVT-1050, Thomas Wiegand et al.,
Joint Video Team (JVT) of ISO/IEC MPEG & ITU-T VCEG, 2003
NPL 2: Joint Draft 4.0 on MultiviewVideo Coding, Joint
Video Team of ISO/IEC MPEG & ITU-T VCEG, JVT-X209, July2007
NPL 3: Heiko Schwarz, Detlev Marpe, andThomas Wiegand,
"Overview of the Scalable Video CodingExtension of the H.
264/AVC Standard", IEEETRANSACTIONS ON CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS
FOR VIDEO TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 17, NO. 9, SEPTEMBER 2007, pp.
1103-1120.
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
[0006]
In the case of MVC, it is known that a base video
stream obtained by coding image data of a base view as one
picture and a predetermined number of extended video streams,
each being obtained by coding an item of image data of a
non-baseview as one picture, are transmitted in a transport
stream. Moreover, in the case of MVC, it is also known that
a base video stream obtained by coding image data of a base
view and a predetermined number of items of image data of
non-baseviews as one stream is transmitted in a transport
stream, which serves as a container.
[0007]
When there are a plurality of video streams in a
transport stream, that is, when substreams are configured
such that they are constituted by a plurality of streams, it
is necessary that the streams be processed in
synchronization with each other. Also, in this case,
although the bit rate is different among the video streams
since a change in the rate is independent of each other, it
is demanded in the overall transport stream that rate
control be performed, such as in a constant bit rate or a
variable bit rate, in accordance with the system
requirements. Also, in this case, during random access, it
is necessary to smoothly locate the start of a plurality of
streams (mainly I pictures), and thus, an advanced technique
is necessary for multiplexing a plurality of video streams.
[0008]
On the other hand, when only one video stream is
present in a transport stream, that is, when a plurality of
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
one video stream, items of coded data of image data of
individual views are interconnected as each group of, for
example, access unit, and it is possible to decode and
display the coded data by each group represented by the
access unit. Accordingly, less consideration is given to
synchronizing processing and random access.
[0009]
Additionally, it is possible to perform simple
multiplexing, such as performing rate control by considering
a group of a plurality of pictures as a single large picture,
thereby achieving an advantage of facilitating control from
encoding to multiplexing as a whole. Because of this, a
transmission side, in particular, may determine that it is
easier to handle if only one video stream is present in a
transport stream.
[0010]
It is an object of the present technology to facilitate
processing in a reception side by enabling the reception
side to reliably and easily identify before performing
decoding whether substreams are configured such that they
are constituted by a single video stream or a plurality of
video streams.
Solution to Problem
[0011]
A concept of the present technology is an image data
transmitting apparatus including: a transmitting unit that
transmits a container having a predetermined format which
contains a base video stream including first image data and
a predetermined number of items of second image data related
to the first image data; and an information inserting unit
that inserts specific information into a position in a layer
of the container at which information related to the base
video stream is located.
[0012]
In the present technology, a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
items of second image data related to this first image data
is transmitted by the transmitting unit. For example, the
container may be a transport stream (MPEG-2 TS) employed in
the digital broadcasting standards. Further, for example,
the container may be a container of MP4 used in the Internet
distribution or a container having a format other than MP4.
Specific information is inserted, by the information
inserting unit, into a position in a layer of the container
at which information related to the base video stream is
located.
[0013]
Note that, in the present technology, for example, the
specific information may be a descriptor having information
concerning the first image data and the predetermined number
of items of second image data. Moreover, in the present
technology, for example, the container may be a transport
stream, and the information inserting unit may insert the
descriptor into a descriptor portion of a video elementary
loop corresponding to the base video stream under a program
map table.
[0014]
Moreover, in the present technology, for example, the
first image data may be image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display, the second image
data may be image data of a view other than the base view
for performing the three-dimensional image display, and the
descriptor may be an MVC extension descriptor having
information concerning each of the views.
[0015]
Moreover, in the present technology, for example, the
first image data may be image data of a bottommost
hierarchical level which forms scalable coded image data,
the second image data may be image data of a hierarchical
level other than the bottommost hierarchical level which
forms the scalable coded image data, and the descriptor may
be an SVC extension descriptor having information concerning
the image data of each of the hierarchical levels.
[0016]
In this manner, in the present technology, when
transmitting a container having a predetermined format which
contains a base video stream including first image data and
a predetermined number of items of second image data related
to this first image data, specific information is inserted
into a position in a layer of the container at which
information related to the base video stream is located.
[0017]
Accordingly, it is possible for a reception side to
reliably and easily identify that this container contains a
base video stream including first image data and a
predetermined number of items of second image data related
to this first image data. Then, this enables the reception
side to precisely determine, before performing decoding, the
configuration of a buffer memory when decoding is performed
and a decode mode and a display mode.
[0018]
Further, another concept of the present technology is
an image data transmitting apparatus including: a
transmitting unit that transmits a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to the first
image data; and an information inserting unit that inserts
specific information into a position in a layer of the
container at which information related to each of the
predetermined number of extended video streams is located.
[0019]
In the present technology, a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to the first
image data is transmitted. For example, the container may
be a transport stream (MPEG-2 TS) employed in the digital
broadcasting standards. Further, for example, the container
may be a container of MP4 used in the Internet distribution
or a container having a format other than MP4. Specific
information is inserted, by the information inserting unit,
into a position in a layer of the container at which
information related to the base video stream is located.
[0020]
In the present technology, for example, the specific
information may be a descriptor having information
concerning the first image data and the predetermined number
of items of second image data. Moreover, in the present
technology, the container may be a transport stream, and the
information inserting unit may insert the descriptor into a
descriptor portion of a video elementary loop corresponding
to the base video stream under a program map table.
[0021]
Note that, in the present technology, for example, the
first image data may be image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display, the second image
data may be image data of a view other than the base view
for performing the three-dimensional image display, and the
descriptor may be an MVC extension descriptor having
information concerning each of the views.
[0022]
Moreover, in the present technology, for example, the
first image data may be image data of a bottommost
hierarchical level which forms scalable coded image data,
the second image data may be image data of a hierarchical
level other than the bottommost hierarchical level which
forms the scalable coded image data, and the descriptor may
be an SVC extension descriptor having information concerning
the image data of each of the hierarchical levels.
[0023]
In this manner, in the present technology, when
transmitting a container having a predetermined format which
contains a base video stream including first image data and
a predetermined number of extended video streams including a
predetermined number of respective items of second image
data related to this first image data, specific information
is inserted into a position in a layer of the container at
which information related to each of the predetermined
number of extended video streams is located.
[0024]
Accordingly, it is possible for a reception side to
reliably and easily identify that this container contains a
base video stream which includes a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to this first
image data. Then, this enables the reception side to
precisely determine, before performing decoding, the
configuration of a buffer memory when decoding is performed
and a decode mode and a display mode.
[0025]
Further, another concept of the present technology is
an image data receiving apparatus including: a receiving
unit that receives a container having a predetermined
format; and a processing unit that processes, on the basis
of the presence and an insertion position of specific
information in a layer of the container, a video stream
contained in the container so as to obtain a predetermined
number of items of image data related to each other.
[0026]
In the present technology, a container having a
predetermined format is received by the receiving unit.
Then, on the basis of the presence and an insertion position
of specific information in a layer of the container, a video
stream contained in this container is processed by the
processing unit, and a predetermined number of items of
image data related to each other are obtained by the
processing unit. For example, the predetermined number of
items of image data may form image data for performing
three-dimensional image display or image data of scalable
coded data.
[0027]
Note that, in the present technology, for example, when
the specific information is inserted into a position in a
layer of the container at which information related to a
base video stream contained in this container is located,
the processing unit may process this base video stream so as
to obtain the predetermined number of items of image data.
Moreover, in the present technology, for example, when the
specific information is inserted into a position in a layer
of the container at which information related to an extended
video stream contained in this container is located, the
processing unit may process this extended video stream and a
base video stream contained in this container so as to
obtain the predetermined number of items of image data.
[0028]
In this manner, in the present technology, on the basis
of the presence and an insertion position of specific
information in a layer of the container, a video stream
contained in this container is processed, and a
predetermined number of items of image data related to each
other are obtained. In this case, it is possible to
precisely determine, before performing decoding, the
configuration of a buffer memory when decoding is performed
and a decode mode and a display mode, thereby making it
possible to obtain image data smoothly.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0029]
According to the present technology, it is possible for
a reception side to reliably and easily identify before
performing decoding whether substreams are configured such
that they are constituted by a single video stream or a
plurality of video streams.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0030]
[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an
example of the configuration of an image
transmitting/receiving system, which serves as an embodiment
of this invention.
[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the structure (Syntax) of an MVC extension descriptor.
[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an
example of the configuration of a transmission data
generator, which is disposed in a broadcasting station,
forming the image transmitting/receiving system.
[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 shows diagrams schematically
illustrating that an MVC extension descriptor is inserted in
association with a base video stream and an extended video
stream.
[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the configuration (Syntax) of an NAL unit header (NAL unit
header MVC extension).
[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the configuration of a transport stream TS when twodimensional
(2D) images are transmitted.
[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the configuration of a transport stream TS when threedimensional
(3D) images are transmitted.
[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of
the configuration of a transport stream TS when three15
dimensional (3D) images are transmitted.
[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an
example of the configuration of a receiver which forms the
image transmitting/receiving system.
[Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an
example of control processing executed by a CPU on the basis
of the presence and an insertion position of an MVC
extension descriptor.
[Fig. 11] Fig. 11 shows diagrams schematically
illustrating flows of processing executed by a receiver when
various signals are received.
[Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example
of the structure (Syntax) of an SVC extension descriptor.
[Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example
of the configuration (Syntax) of an NAL unit header (NAL
unit header SVC extension).
[Fig. 14] Fig. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an
example of the configuration of a receiver which handles an
SVC stream.
Description of Embodiments
[0031]
Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present
technology (hereinafter referred to as an "embodiment") will
be described. A description will be given in the following
order.
1. Embodiment
2. Modified Example
[0032]
<1. Embodiment>
[Image Transmitting/Receiving System]
Fig. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of
an image transmitting/receiving system 10, which serves as
an embodiment. This image transmitting/receiving system 10
includes a broadcasting station 100 and a receiver 200. The
broadcasting station 100 transmits, through broadcast waves,
a transport stream TS, which serves as a container.
[0033]
When transmitting two-dimensional (2D) images, a video
stream including two-dimensional image data is contained in
a transport stream TS. In this case, the video stream is
transmitted as an AVC (2D) video elementary stream.
[0034]
When transmitting three-dimensional (3D) images, one
video stream including image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display and items of
image data of a predetermined number of views other than the
base view may be contained in a transport steam TS. That is,
this is a case in which substreams are configured such that
they are constituted by a single video stream. In this case,
the video stream obtained by coding image data of a base
view and items of image data of predetermined number of nonbaseviews
as one picture is transmitted as an MVC video
elementary stream (base video stream).
[0035]
In this case, at a position in a layer of the transport
stream TS at which information related to the abovedescribed
base video stream is located, specific information,
for example, a descriptor having information concerning
items of image data of the individual views, is inserted.
In this embodiment, an MVC extension descriptor
(MVC_extension_descriptor) is inserted into a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop corresponding to the base
video stream under a program map table.
[0036]
By inserting the MVC extension descriptor in this
manner, a reception side is able to identify that threedimensional
(3D) transmission is being performed and that
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a single video stream. That is, the reception side is able
to identify that the transport stream TS contains a base
video stream including image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display and items of
image data of a predetermined number of views other than the
base view.
[0037]
On the other hand, when transmitting three-dimensional
(3D) images, a base video stream including image data of a
base view for performing three-dimensional image display and
a predetermined number of extended video streams including
respective items of image data of a predetermined number of
views other than the base view may be contained in a
transport steam TS. That is, this is a case in which
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a plurality of streams.
[0038]
In this case, the video stream obtained by coding the
image data of a base view as one picture is transmitted as
an MVC base-view video elementary stream (base video stream).
Moreover, the predetermined of number of items of video
streams, each being obtained by coding an item of image data
of a non-baseview as one picture, are transmitted as MVC
non-baseview video elementary streams (extended video
streams).
[0039]
In this case, at a position in a layer of the transport
stream TS at which an item of information related to each of
the above-described predetermined number of extended video
streams is located, specific information, for example, a
descriptor having an item of information concerning image
data of each view, is inserted. In this embodiment, an MVC
extension descriptor (MVC_extension_descriptor) is inserted
into a descriptor portion of a video elementary loop
corresponding to an extended video stream under a program
map table.
[0040]
By inserting the MVC extension descriptor in this
manner, a reception side is able to identify that threedimensional
(3D) transmission is being performed and that
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a plurality of streams. That is, the reception side is able
to identify that the transport stream TS contains a base
video stream including image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display and a
predetermined number of extended video streams including
respective items of image data having a predetermined number
of views other than the base view.
[0041]
Fig. 2 illustrates an example of the structure (Syntax)
of this MVC extension descriptor, though a detailed
description of the entire descriptor will be omitted. The
field "view order index_start" indicates the first view
number, and "view order index_end" indicates the final view
number. By these items of information, the number of all
views can be identified. The field "view_id" indicates the
ordinal number of the view (non-baseview) corresponding to
this descriptor. This field "view_id" specifies the content
similar to that of "view_id" in "NAL unit header", which
will be described later, and may be omitted as a reserved
bit.
[0042]
The receiver 200 receives a transport stream TS
transmitted from the broadcasting station 100 through
broadcast waves. In this transport stream TS, when twodimensional
(2D) images are transmitted, an AVC (2D) video
elementary stream including two-dimensional data is
contained. Moreover, in this transport stream TS, when
three-dimensional (3D) images are transmitted, an MVC base
video stream only or a predetermined number of extended
video streams together with this MVC base video stream are
contained.
[0043]
On the basis of the presence and the insertion position
of specific information in a layer of the transport stream
TS, the receiver 200 processes a video stream contained in
this transport stream TS. That is, the configuration of a
buffer memory when decoding is performed and a decoding mode
and a display mode are determined. The receiver 200 obtains
image data for performing two-dimensional (2D) image display
or items of image data of a predetermined number of views
for performing three-dimensional (3D) image display, and
then displays two-dimensional (2D) images or (3D) images.
[0044]
In this embodiment, the receiver 200 determines whether
an MVC extension descriptor is present in a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop (first ES loop)
corresponding to the base video stream under a program map
table. Then, when a descriptor is present in the first ES
loop, the receiver 200 identifies that three-dimensional
(3D) transmission is being performed and that this video
stream includes image data of a base view for performing
three-dimensional image display and image data of a
predetermined number of views other than the base view. In
this case, the receiver 200 decodes the corresponding video
stream contained in the transport stream TS so as to obtain
a plurality of items of image data for performing threedimensional
image display, and then displays threedimensional
images.
[0045]
On the other hand, when a descriptor is not present in
the first ES loop, the receiver 200 determines whether an
extended video stream is contained in the transport stream
TS. Then, when an extended video stream is contained, the
receiver 200 determines whether an MVC extension descriptor
is present in a descriptor portion of a video elementary
loop (second ES loop) corresponding to the extended video
stream under the program map table.
[0046]
Then, when a descriptor is present in the second ES
loop, the receiver 200 identifies that three-dimensional
(3D) transmission is being performed and that this extended
video stream and the base video stream include image data of
a base view for performing three-dimensional image display
and image data of a predetermined number of views other than
the base view. In this case, the receiver 200 decodes a
plurality of video streams contained in the transport stream
TS so as to obtain a plurality of items of image data for
performing three-dimensional image display, and then
displays three-dimensional images.
[0047]
Further, when there is no extended video stream
contained in the transport stream TS or when a descriptor is
not present in the second ES loop, the receiver 200
identifies that two-dimensional (2D) transmission is being
performed. In this case, the receiver 200 decodes the video
stream contained in the transport stream TS so as to obtain
two-dimensional image data, and then performs known, basic
two-dimensional image display.
[0048]
"Example of Configuration of Transmission Data Generator"
Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the configuration of a
transmission data generator 110, which generates the abovedescribed
transport stream, in the broadcasting station 100.
This transmission data generator 110 includes a data
extracting unit (archive unit) 111, a video encoder 112, a
parallax encoder 113, and an audio encoder 114. This
transmission data generator 110 also includes a graphics
generating unit 115, a graphics encoder 116, and a
multiplexer 117.
[0049]
A data recording medium 111a is fixed to the data
extracting unit 111 such that, for example, it is attachable
to and detachable from the data extracting unit 111. In
this data recording medium 111a, together with image data of
a program to be transmitted, sound data associated with this
image data is recorded. For example, in accordance with a
program, image data is switched to image data for performing
three-dimensional (3D) image display or to image data for
performing two-dimensional (2D) image display. Moreover,
for example, in accordance with the content of a program,
such as the program itself of commercials, image data is
switched to image data for performing three-dimensional
image display or to image data for performing twodimensional
image display. A plurality of items of image
data for performing three-dimensional image display is
constituted by image data of a base view and image data of a
predetermined number of non-baseviews, as stated above.
[0050]
When image data is image data for performing threedimensional
image display, parallax information may also be
recorded on the data recording medium 111a. This parallax
information is parallax information (parallax vectors)
indicating parallax between a base view and each nonbaseview,
depth data, or the like. The depth data is
possible to handle as parallax information by performing
predetermined conversion. The parallax information is, for
example, parallax information concerning each pixel (picture
element) or parallax information concerning each of divided
areas obtained by dividing a view (image) by a predetermined
number.
[0051]
This parallax information is used for, for example,
providing parallax by adjusting the position of the same
superpose information (such as graphics information) to be
superposed on an image of a base view and an image of each
non-baseview in a reception side. This parallax information
is also used for, for example, obtaining display image data
of a predetermined number of views by performing
interpolation processing (post processing) on image data of
a base view and image data of each non-baseview in a
reception side. The data recording medium 111a is a disk25
shaped recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like.
The data extracting unit 111 extracts image data, sound data,
parallax information, and so on, from the data recording
medium 111a and outputs them.
[0052]
The video encoder 112 performs coding, for example,
MPEG2video, MPEG4-AVC (MVC), HEVC, or the like, on image
data output from the data extracting unit 111, thereby
obtaining coded video data. Moreover, this video encoder
112 generates a video elementary stream by using a stream
formatter (not shown) which is disposed at the subsequent
stage.
[0053]
That is, when image data is two-dimensional (2D) image
data, this video encoder 112 generates an AVC (2D) video
elementary stream including this two-dimensional image data.
On the other hand, when image data is image data of a
plurality of views for performing three-dimensional (3D)
image display, this video encoder 112 generates one or a
plurality of video elementary streams including image data
of these plural views. For example, if substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a single video
stream, the video encoder 112 codes image data of a base
view and image data of a predetermined number of nonbaseviews
as one picture, thereby generating an MVC video
elementary stream (base video stream).
[0054]
On the other hand, for example, if substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a plurality of
streams, the video encoder 112 codes image data of a base
view as one video elementary stream, thereby generating an
MVC base-view video elementary stream (base video stream).
Additionally, in this case, the video encoder 112 also codes
items of image data of a predetermined number of nonbaseviews
as independent video elementary streams, thereby
generating a predetermined number of MVC non-baseview video
elementary streams (extended video streams).
[0055]
The audio encoder 114 performs coding, such as MPEG2
Audio AAC or the like, on sound data output from the data
extracting unit 111, thereby generating an audio elementary
stream.
[0056]
The parallax encoder 113 performs predetermined coding
on parallax information output from the data extracting unit
111, thereby generating an elementary stream of parallax
information. Note that, as stated above, if the parallax
information is parallax information concerning each pixel
(picture element), it is possible to handle this parallax
information as pixel data. In this case, the parallax
encoder 113 may code the parallax information by using a
coding method similar to that used for the above-described
image data, thereby generating a parallax information
elementary stream. Note that, in this case, coding of
parallax information output from the data extracting unit
111 may be performed by the video encoder 112, in which case,
the parallax information encoder 113 is not necessary.
[0057]
The graphics generating unit 115 generates data
(graphics data) indicating graphics information (also
including subtitle information) to be superposed on an image.
The graphics encoder 116 generates a graphics elementary
stream including graphics data generated by the graphics
generating unit 115.
[0058]
The graphics information indicates, for example, logos.
The subtitle information indicates, for examples, subtitles.
This graphics data is bitmap data. Offset information
indicating superpose positions on an image is added to this
graphics data. This offset information indicates, for
example, offset values in the vertical direction and in the
horizontal direction of distances from the point of origin
at the top left of an image to a pixel at the top left of
graphics information at a superpose position. Note that the
standards for transmitting subtitle data as bitmap data are
standardized as "DVB_Subtitling" by DVB, which is the
European digital broadcasting standards, and are utilized.
[0059]
The multiplexer 117 packetizes and multiplexes
elementary streams generated by the video encoder 112, the
parallax encoder 113, the audio encoder 114, and the
graphics encoder 116, thereby generating a transport stream
TS. When transmitting two-dimensional (2D) images, this
transport stream TS contains an AVC (2D) video elementary
stream including two-dimensional image data. On the other
hand, when transmitting three-dimensional (3D) images, this
transport stream TS contains an MVC base substream and a
predetermined number of extended substreams together with
this MVC base substream.
[0060]
The multiplexer 117 inserts specific information into a
specific position of a layer of the transport stream TS when
transmitting three-dimensional (3D) images. In this case,
the specific position is changed depending on whether
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a single stream or a plurality of streams.
[0061]
If substreams are configured such that they are
constituted by a single video stream, at a position in a
layer of the transport stream TS at which information
related to the above-described base video stream is located,
specific information, for example, a descriptor having
information concerning image data of individual views, is
inserted. In this embodiment, the multiplexer 117 inserts
an MVC extension descriptor (see Fig. 2) into a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop corresponding to the base
video stream under the program map table.
[0062]
Fig. 4(a) schematically illustrates that an MVC
extension descriptor (MVC_extension_descriptor) is inserted
in this manner in association with a base video stream. In
this example, a base video stream having a stream type
(Stream type) "0x1B" includes coded data of base-view image
data and coded data of one item of non-baseview image data.
The coded data of the base-view image data is constituted by
"SPS - Coded Slice", and the coded data of the non-baseview
image data is constituted by "Subset SPS - Coded Slice".
[0063]
Moreover, if substreams are configured such that they
are constituted by a plurality of streams, at a position in
a layer of the transport stream TS at which an item of
information related to each of the above-described
predetermined number of extended video streams is located,
specific information, for example, a descriptor having an
item of information concerning image data of each view, is
inserted. In this embodiment, an MVC extension descriptor
(see Fig. 2) is inserted into a descriptor portion of a
video elementary loop corresponding to an extended video
stream under a program map table.
[0064]
Fig. 4(b) schematically illustrates that an MVC
extension descriptor (MVC_extension_descriptor) is inserted
in this manner in association with an extended video stream.
In this example, a base video stream having a stream type
(Stream type) "0x1B" includes coded data of base-view image
data only. The coded data of this base-view image data is
constituted by "SPS - Coded Slice". Additionally, in this
example, an extended video stream having a stream type
(Stream type) "0x20" includes coded data of non-baseview
image data only. The coded data of this non-baseview image
data is constituted by "Subset SPS - Coded Slice".
[0065]
Fig. 5 illustrates an example of the configuration
(Syntax) of an NAL unit header (NAL unit header MVC
extension). The field "view_id" indicates the ordinal
number of the corresponding view. That is, when decoding is
performed, a reception side is able to identify, on the
basis of field information concerning this field "view_id",
to which item of view image data in a packet each item of
coded data corresponds.
31
[0066]
An operation of the transmission data generator 111
shown in Fig. 3 will be described briefly. Image data (one
item of image data for performing two-dimensional image
display or image data of a plurality of views for performing
three-dimensional image display) output from the data
extracting unit 111 is supplied to the video encoder 112.
In this video encoder 112, encoding processing, for example,
MPEG2video, MPEG4-AVC (MVC), HEVC, or the like, is performed
on this image data, and a video elementary stream including
coded video data is generated and is then output to the
multiplexer 117.
[0067]
That is, in the video encoder 112, in the case of image
data for performing two-dimensional image display, an AVC
(2D) video elementary stream including this image data, for
example, is generated. On the other hand, in the case of
image data of a plurality of views for performing threedimensional
image display, one or a plurality of video
elementary streams including the image data of these plural
views are generated.
[0068]
For example, when substreams are configured such that
they are constituted by a single video stream, an MVC video
elementary stream (base video stream) including image data
32
of a base view and image data of a predetermined number of
non-baseviews is generated. Moreover, for example, when
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a plurality of streams, an MVC base-view video elementary
stream (base video stream) including image data of a base
view is generated. Moreover, in this case, an MVC nonbaseview
video elementary stream (extended video stream)
including each of items of image data of a predetermined
number of non-baseviews is also generated.
[0069]
Moreover, when items of image data of a plurality of
views for performing three-dimensional image display are
output from the data extracting unit 111, parallax
information corresponding to each of the items of image data
of the individual views is also output from this data
extracting unit 111. This parallax information is supplied
to the parallax encoder 113. In the parallax encoder 113,
predetermined encoding processing is performed on the
parallax information, thereby generating a parallax
elementary stream including the coded data. This parallax
elementary stream is supplied to the multiplexer 117.
[0070]
Moreover, when image data is output from the data
extracting unit 111, sound data associated with this image
data is also output from this data extracting unit 111.
33
This sound data is supplied to the audio encoder 114. In
this audio encoder 114, encoding processing, such as
MPEG2Audio AAC or the like, is performed on the sound data,
thereby generating an audio elementary stream including
coded audio data. This audio elementary stream is supplied
to the multiplexer 117.
[0071]
In accordance with image data output from the data
extracting unit 111, in the graphics generating unit 115,
data (graphics data) of graphics information (including
subtitle information) to be superposed on an image (view) is
generated. This graphics data is supplied to the graphics
encoder 116. In the graphics encoder 116, predetermined
encoding processing is performed on this graphics data,
thereby generating a graphics elementary stream including
coded data. This graphics elementary stream is supplied to
the multiplexer 117.
[0072]
In the multiplexer 117, elementary streams supplied
from the individual encoders are packetized and multiplexed,
thereby generating a transport stream TS. When twodimensional
(2D) images are transmitted, an AVC (2D) video
elementary stream including two-dimensional image data is
contained in this transport stream TS. On the other hand,
when three-dimensional (3D) images are transmitted, an MVC
34
base substream and a predetermined number of extended
substreams together with this MVC base substream are
contained in this transport stream TS.
[0073]
Further, in the multiplexer 117, when three-dimensional
(3D) images are transmitted and if substreams are configured
such that they are constituted by a single video stream, an
MVC extension descriptor (see Fig. 2) is inserted into a
descriptor portion of a video elementary loop corresponding
to the base video stream under a program map table. On the
other hand, in the multiplexer 117, when three-dimensional
(3D) images are transmitted and if substreams are configured
such that they are constituted by a plurality of streams, an
MVC extension descriptor (see Fig. 2) is inserted into a
descriptor portion of a video elementary loop corresponding
to an extended video stream under a program map table.
[0074]
Fig. 6 illustrates an example of the configuration of a
transport stream TS when two-dimensional (2D) images are
transmitted. In this example of the configuration, in the
transport stream TS, a PES packet "Video PES1" of a video
elementary stream including image data for performing twodimensional
(2D) image display is contained. Note that, in
this example of the configuration, other PES packets are not
shown for a simple representation of the drawing.
35
[0075]
Moreover, in the transport stream TS, PMT (Program Map
Table) is contained as PSI (Program Specific Information).
This PSI is information indicating to which program each
elementary stream contained in the transport stream TS
belongs. Additionally, in the transport stream TS, EIT
(Event Information Table) for performing the management of
events is contained as SI (Serviced Information).
[0076]
In PMT, a program descriptor (Program Descriptor) for
describing information related to the entire program is
present. Also, in this PMT, an elementary loop having
information related to each elementary stream is present.
In this example of the configuration, a video elementary
loop corresponding to a PES packet "Video PES1" is present.
In this video elementary loop, information, such as a packet
identifier (PID) and stream type (Stream_Type) of a video
elementary stream, is disposed, and a descriptor for
describing information related to this video elementary
stream is also disposed, although it is not shown.
[0077]
Fig. 7 illustrates an example of the configuration of a
transport stream TS when three-dimensional (3D) images are
transmitted. This example of the configuration shows a case
in which substreams are configured such that they are
36
constituted by a single video stream (1-PID case). In this
example of the configuration, in the transport stream TS, a
PES packet "Video PES1" of an MVC video elementary stream
(base video stream) including image data of a base view and
image data of a predetermined number of non-baseviews is
contained. Note that, in this example of the configuration,
other PES packets are not shown for a simple representation
of the drawing.
[0078]
In PMT, a video elementary loop corresponding to the
PES packet "Video PES1" is present. In this video
elementary loop, information, such as a packet identifier
(PID) and stream type (Stream_Type) of a video elementary
stream, is disposed. Then, as one of descriptors for
describing information related to this video elementary
stream, an MVC extension descriptor
(MVC_extension_descriptor), such as that shown in Fig. 2, is
inserted into this video elementary loop.
[0079]
Fig. 8 illustrates an example of the configuration of a
transport stream TS when three-dimensional (3D) images are
transmitted. This example of the configuration shows a case
in which substreams are configured such that they are
constituted by a plurality of streams, here, a case in which
they are constituted by two streams (2-PID case). In this
37
example of the configuration, in the transport stream TS, a
PES packet "Video PES1" of an MVC video elementary stream
(base substream) including image data of a base view is
contained. Also, in this example of the configuration, in
the transport stream TS, a PES packet "Video PES2" of an MVC
video elementary stream (extended substream) including image
data of a non-baseview is contained. Note that, in this
example of the configuration, other PES packets are not
shown for a simple representation of the drawing.
[0080]
In PMT, a video elementary loop corresponding to the
PES packet "Video PES1" is present. In this video
elementary loop, information, such as a packet identifier
(PID) and stream type (Stream_Type) of a video elementary
stream, is disposed, and a descriptor for describing
information related to this video elementary stream is also
disposed, although it is not shown.
[0081]
In PMT, a video elementary loop corresponding to the
PES packet "Video PES2" is also present. In this video
elementary loop, information, such as a packet identifier
(PID) and stream type (Stream_Type) of a video elementary
stream, is disposed. Then, as one of descriptors for
describing information related to this video elementary
stream, an MVC extension descriptor
38
(MVC_extension_descriptor), such as that shown in Fig. 2, is
inserted into this video elementary loop.
[0082]
"Example of Configuration of Receiver"
Fig. 9 illustrates an example of the configuration of
the receiver 200. This receiver 200 includes a CPU 201, a
flash ROM 202, a DRAM 203, an internal bus 204, a remote
controller receiving unit 205, and a remote controller
transmitter 206. This receiver 200 also includes a
container buffer 213, a demultiplexer 214, a coded buffer
215, a video decoder 216, substream video buffers 217-1, ...,
217-N, scalers 218-1, ..., 218-N, and a 3D view display
processing unit 219.
[0083]
The receiver 200 also includes a coded buffer 221, a
parallax decoder 222, a parallax buffer 223, and a parallax
information converting unit 224. The receiver 200 also
includes a coded buffer 225, a graphics decoder 226, a pixel
buffer 227, a scaler 228, and a graphics shifter 229. The
receiver 200 also includes a coded buffer 230, an audio
decoder 231, and a channel mixing unit 232.
[0084]
The CPU 201 controls operations of the individual
elements of the receiver 200. The flash ROM 202 stores
control software and retains data therein. The DRAM 203
39
forms a work area of the CPU 201. The CPU 201 loads
software and data read from the flash ROM 202 into the DRAM
203 and starts the software, thereby controlling the
individual elements of the receiver 200. The remote control
receiving unit 205 receives a remote control signal (remote
control code) sent from the remote control transmitter 206
and supplies the remote control signal to the CPU 201. The
CPU 201 controls the individual elements of the receiver 200
on the basis of this remote control code. The CPU 201, the
flash ROM 202, and the DRAM 203 are connected to the
internal bus 204.
[0085]
The container buffer 213 temporarily stores a transport
stream TS received by a digital tuner or the like. When
two-dimensional (2D) images are transmitted, this transport
stream TS contains, for example, an AVC (2D) video
elementary stream. In this stream, image data for
performing two-dimensional image display is contained.
[0086]
When three-dimensional (3D) images are transmitted,
this transport stream TS contains, for example, an MVC base
substream and a predetermined number of extended substreams
together with this MVC base substream. If substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a single video
stream, image data of a base view and image data of a
40
predetermined number of non-baseviews are contained in the
single MVC video stream. On the other hand, when substreams
are configured such that they are constituted by a plurality
of streams, image data of a base view is contained in this
MVC base substream and image data of a non-baseview is
contained in each of the predetermined number of extended
substreams.
[0087]
Moreover, when three-dimensional (3D) images are
transmitted, specific information is inserted at a position
in a layer of this transport stream TS at which information
related to the base video stream or an extended video stream
is located. In this embodiment, when substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a single video
stream, an MVC extension descriptor is inserted into a
descriptor portion of a video elementary loop corresponding
to the base video stream under PMT. When substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a plurality of
streams, an MVC extension descriptor is inserted into a
descriptor portion of a video elementary loop corresponding
to an extended video stream under PMT.
[0088]
The demultiplexer 214 extracts video, parallax, and
audio streams from a transport stream TS temporarily stored
in the container buffer 213. When three-dimensional (3D)
41
images are transmitted, the demultiplexer 214 also extracts
the above-described MVC extension descriptor from this
transport stream TS, and sends the MVC extension descriptor
to the CPU 201.
[0089]
The CPU 201 is able to determine, depending on the
presence or the absence of this MVC extension descriptor,
whether three-dimensional (3D) image transmission or twodimensional
(2D) image transmission is performed.
Additionally, when the MVC extension descriptor is inserted
into a video elementary loop corresponding to the MVC base
video stream, the CPU 201 is able to determine that
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a single video stream. On the other hand, when the MVC
extension descriptor is inserted into a video elementary
loop corresponding to an MVC extended video stream, the CPU
201 is able to determine that substreams are configured such
that they are constituted by a plurality of streams.
[0090]
The CPU 201 performs control, on the basis of the
presence and the insertion position of the above-described
MVC extension descriptor, so that the management of the
coded buffer 215, the operation of the video decoder 216,
etc. may match the received image data.
[0091]
42
The coded buffer 215 temporarily stores one or a
plurality of video streams extracted by the demultiplexer
214. In the coded buffer 215, the system of management
configuration of the buffer differs depending on whether
two-dimensional (2D) image transmission or three-dimensional
(3D) image transmission is performed. Moreover, in the
coded buffer 215, even when three-dimensional (3D) image
transmission is performed, the system of management
configuration of the buffer differs depending on whether
substreams are configured such that they are constituted by
a single stream or a plurality of streams.
[0092]
That is, when coded data (substream) is supplied from
the demultiplexer 214 as one elementary stream having the
single PID value, write/read address management is performed
only once altogether. In contrast, when coded data
(substream) is supplied from the demultiplexer 214 as a
plurality of elementary streams having different PID values,
write/read address management is performed independently for
each of items of coded data having respective PIDs.
[0093]
The video decoder 216 performs decode processing on a
video elementary stream stored in the coded buffer 215,
thereby obtaining image data. In this case, when twodimensional
(2D) images are transmitted, decode processing
43
is performed by one decoder on an AVC (2D) video elementary
stream, thereby obtaining image data for performing twodimensional
(2D) image display.
[0094]
In contrast, when three-dimensional (3D) images are
transmitted and if substreams are configured such that they
are constituted by a single video stream, decode processing
is performed as follows. That is, for one MVC video stream
including coded data of items of image data of a plurality
of views, the decoder 216 switches a packet to be processed
supplied from the buffer 215 to the decoder 216 on the basis
of "view_id" of "NAL unit header", and then performs decode
processing on each item of image data. As a result of this,
items of image data of a plurality of views for performing
three-dimensional (3D) image display are obtained.
[0095]
On the other hand, when substreams are configured such
that they are constituted by a plurality of streams, decode
processing is performed as follows. That is, the video
decoder 216 switches data to be stored in the buffer 215 on
the basis of "view_id" of "NAL unit header" of an NAL packet
received from the demultiplexer 214. Thereafter, reading of
compressed data from the buffer 215 and processing by the
decoder 216 are performed similarly to decoding of a single
view (view). On an MVC base substream including coded data
44
of image data of a base view and a predetermined number of
MVC extended substreams including coded data of image data
of non-baseviews, decode processing is performed by using
associated decoders. As a result of this, items of image
data of a plurality of views for performing threedimensional
(3D) image display are obtained.
[0096]
The substream video buffers 217-1, ..., 217-N each
temporarily store image data for performing two-dimensional
(2D) image display or items of image data of a plurality of
views for performing three-dimensional (3D) image display
obtained by the video decoder 216. Here, in the case of 3D,
the minimum value of N is 2. The scalers 218-1, ..., 218-N
each adjust levels of the output resolution of the items of
image data of the individual views output from the substream
video buffers 217-1, ..., 217-N to predetermined levels of
resolution.
[0097]
The coded buffer 221 temporarily stores a parallax
stream extracted by the demultiplexer 214. The parallax
decoder 222 performs processing reverse to that performed by
the parallax encoder 113 (see Fig. 3) of the above-described
transmission data generator 110. That is, the parallax
decoder 222 performs decode processing on a parallax stream
stored in the coded buffer 221, thereby obtaining parallax
45
information corresponding to each of items of image data of
individual views. The parallax buffer 223 temporarily
stores parallax information obtained by the parallax decoder
222.
[0098]
The parallax information converting unit 224 generates,
on the basis of parallax information stored in the parallax
buffer 223, parallax information concerning each pixel
matches the size of scaled image data. For example, if sent
parallax information is information concerning each block,
it is converted into parallax information concerning each
pixel. Alternatively, for example, if sent parallax
information is information concerning each pixel but does
not match the size of scaled image data, it is scaled in an
appropriate manner. Or, when superposition of graphics or
the like is performed in a receiver, parallax information
concerning a block at a superpose position is utilized.
[0099]
The coded buffer 225 temporarily stores a graphics
stream extracted by the demultiplexer 214. The graphics
decoder 226 performs processing reverse to that performed by
the graphics encoder 116 (see Fig. 3) of the above-described
transmission data generator 110. That is, the graphics
decoder 226 performs decode processing on a graphics stream
stored in the coded buffer 225, thereby obtaining graphics
46
data (including subtitle data). The graphics decoder 226
also generates graphics bitmap data to be superposed on a
view (image) on the basis of this graphics data.
[0100]
The pixel buffer 227 temporarily stores graphics bitmap
data generated by the graphics decoder 226. The scaler 228
adjusts the size of bitmap data graphics stored in the pixel
buffer 227 to the size of scaled image data.
[0101]
The graphics shifter 229 performs shift processing on
graphics bitmap data subjected to the size adjustment, on
the basis of parallax information obtained by the parallax
information converting unit 224. Then, the graphics shifter
229 generates graphics bitmap data to be superposed on each
of items of image data of individual views output from the
3D view display processing unit 219.
[0102]
When two-dimensional (2D) images are transmitted and if
two-dimensional (2D) image display is performed, the 3D view
display processing unit 219 superposes graphics bitmap data
output from the graphics shifter 229 on scaled image data
for performing two-dimensional (2D) image display input
through, for example, the scaler 218-1, and outputs the
image data to a display.
[0103]
47
On the other hand, when three-dimensional (3D) images
are transmitted and if stereoscopic three-dimensional image
display is performed, the 3D view display processing unit
219 superposes graphics bitmap data subjected to shift
processing output from the graphics shifter 229 on each of
scaled left-eye image data and scaled right-eye image data
input through, for example, the scalers 218-1 and 218-2,
respectively, and outputs the image data to a display.
[0104]
On the other hand, when three-dimensional (3D) images
are transmitted and if multi-view three-dimensional image
display is performed, on the basis of inter-view parallax
data obtained by the parallax data converting unit 224, from
among the items of scaled image data of the individual views
input through, for example, the scalers 218-1 through 218-N,
respectively, the 3D view display processing unit 219
performs inter-view interpolation and synthesis of items of
image data of a predetermined number of views, and outputs
the image data to a display. Then, in this case, the 3D
view display processing unit 219 further superposes the
graphics bitmap data subjected to shift processing output
from the graphics shifter 229 on each of the interpolated
and synthesized items of image data of the individual views,
and outputs the image data to a display.
[0105]
48
The coded buffer 230 temporarily stores an audio stream
extracted by the demultiplexer 214. The audio decoder 231
performs processing reverse to that performed by the audio
encoder 114 (see Fig. 3) of the above-described transmission
data generator 110. That is, the audio decoder 231 performs
decode processing on an audio stream stored in the coded
buffer 230, thereby obtaining sound data. The channel
mixing unit 232 generates, for sound data obtained by the
audio decoder 231, sound data of each channel for
implementing, for example, 5.1 channel surround, and outputs
the sound data.
[0106]
An operation of the receiver 200 shown in Fig. 9 will
be described briefly. A transport stream TS received by a
digital tuner or the like is temporarily stored in the
container buffer 213. When two-dimensional (2D) images are
transmitted, in this transport stream TS, an AVC (2D) video
elementary stream, for example, is contained. On the other
hand, when three-dimensional (3D) images are transmitted, in
this transport stream TS, an MVC base video stream only or a
predetermined number of extended video streams together with
this MVC base video stream, for example, are contained.
[0107]
In the demultiplexer 214, video, parallax, and audio
streams are extracted from the transport stream TS
49
temporarily stored in the container buffer 213. Moreover,
in the demultiplexer 214, when three-dimensional (3D) images
are transmitted, an MVC extension descriptor is extracted
from this transport stream TS and is sent to the CPU 201.
[0108]
In the CPU 201, on the basis of the presence and the
insertion position of this MVC extension descriptor, the
management of the coded buffer 215, the operation of the
video decoder 216, etc. are controlled so that they may
match two-dimensional (2D) image transmission or threedimensional
(3D) image transmission.
[0109]
One or a plurality of video elementary streams
extracted by the demultiplexer 214 are supplied to the coded
buffer 215 and are temporarily stored therein. In the video
decoder 216, decode processing is performed on a video
elementary stream stored in the coded buffer 215, thereby
obtaining image data.
[0110]
In this case, in the video decoder 216, when twodimensional
(2D) images are transmitted, decode processing
is performed on an AVC (2D) video elementary stream by using
one decoder, thereby obtaining image data for performing
two-dimensional (2D) image display.
[0111]
50
Also, in this case, when three-dimensional (3D) images
are transmitted and if substreams are configured such that
they are constituted by a single video stream, items of
image data of a plurality of views for performing threedimensional
(3D) image display are obtained by performing
decode processing as follows. That is, for an MVC base
video stream including coded data of items of image data of
a plurality of views, the decoder 216 switches a packet to
be processed supplied from the buffer 215 to the decoder 216
on the basis of "view_id" of "NAL unit header", and then
performs decode processing on each item of image data.
[0112]
Also, in this case, when three-dimensional (3D) images
are transmitted and if substreams are configured such that
they are constituted by a plurality of streams, items of
image data of a plurality of views for performing threedimensional
(3D) image display are obtained by performing
decode processing as follows. That is, data to be stored in
the buffer 215 is switched on the basis of "view_id" of "NAL
unit header" of an NAL packet received from the
demultiplexer 214. Thereafter, reading of compressed data
from the buffer 215 and processing by the decoder 216 are
performed similarly to that of decoding of a single view
(view). On an MVC base substream including coded data of
image data of a base view and a predetermined number of MVC
51
extended substreams including coded data of image data of
non-baseviews, decode processing is performed by using
associated decoders.
[0113]
Image data for performing two-dimensional (2D) image
display or items of image data of a plurality of views for
performing three-dimensional (3D) image display obtained by
the video decoder 216 are supplied to the substream video
buffers 217-1, ..., 217-N and are temporarily stored therein.
Then, the image data is adjusted to have predetermined
levels of resolution by the scalers 218-1, ..., 218-N and is
supplied to the 3D view display processing unit 219.
[0114]
Further, a parallax data stream extracted by the
demultiplexer 214 is supplied to the coded buffer 221 and is
temporarily stored therein. In the parallax decoder 222,
decode processing on a parallax data stream is performed,
thereby obtaining parallax information corresponding to
image data of each view. This parallax information is
supplied to the parallax buffer 223 and is temporarily
stored therein.
[0115]
In the parallax information converting unit 224, on the
basis of parallax information stored in the parallax buffer
223, parallax information concerning each pixel which
52
matches the size of scaled image data is generated. In this
case, if parallax information obtained by the parallax
decoder 222 is information concerning each block, it is
converted into parallax information concerning each pixel.
Or, when superposition of graphics or the like is performed
in a receiver, parallax information concerning a block at a
superpose position is utilized. Alternatively, in this case,
if parallax information obtained by the parallax decoder 222
is information concerning each pixel but does not match the
size of scaled image data, it is scaled in an appropriate
manner. This parallax information is supplied to the 3D
view display processing unit 219 and the graphics shifter
229.
[0116]
Moreover, a graphics stream extracted by the
demultiplexer 214 is supplied to the coded buffer 225 and is
temporarily stored therein. In the graphics decoder 226,
decode processing is performed on a graphics stream stored
in the coded buffer 225, thereby obtaining graphics data
(including subtitle data). In the graphics decoder 226,
graphics bitmap data to be superposed on a view (image) is
also generated on the basis of this graphics data.
[0117]
This graphics bitmap data is supplied to the pixel
buffer 227 and is temporarily stored therein. In the scaler
53
228, the size of the graphics bitmap data stored in the
pixel buffer 227 is adjusted to the size of scaled image
data.
[0118]
In the graphics shifter 229, shift processing is
performed on the graphics bitmap data subjected to the size
adjustment, on the basis of parallax information obtained by
the parallax information converting unit 224. Then, in this
graphics shifter 229, graphics bitmap data to be superposed
on each of items of image data of individual views output
from the 3D view display processing unit 219 is generated.
This bitmap data is supplied to the 3D view display
processing unit 219.
[0119]
In the 3D view display unit 219, when two-dimensional
(2D) images are transmitted and if two-dimensional (2D)
image display is performed, the following processing is
performed. That is, the graphics bitmap data output from
the graphics shifter 229 is superposed on scaled image data
for performing two-dimensional (2D) image display input
through, for example, the scaler 218-1, and the image data
is output to a display.
[0120]
On the other hand, in the 3D view display processing
unit 219, when three-dimensional (3D) images are transmitted
54
and if stereoscopic three-dimensional image display is
performed, the following processing is performed. That is,
graphics bitmap data subjected to shift processing output
from the graphics shifter 229 is superposed on each of
scaled left-eye image data and scaled right-eye image data
input through, for example, the scalers 218-1 and 218-2,
respectively, and the image data is output to a display.
[0121]
On the other hand, in the 3D view display processing
unit 219, when three-dimensional (3D) images are transmitted
and if multi-view three-dimensional image display is
performed, the following processing is performed. That is,
on the basis of inter-view parallax data obtained by the
parallax information converting unit 224, from among the
items of scaled view image data input through, for example,
the scalers 218-1 through 218-N, respectively, inter-view
interpolation and synthesis of items of image data of a
predetermined number of views is performed, and the image
data is output to a display. Then, in this case, the
graphics bitmap data subjected to shift processing output
from the graphics shifter 229 is superposed on each of the
interpolated and synthesized items of image data of the
individual views, and the image data is output to a display.
[0122]
Moreover, an audio stream extracted by the
55
demultiplexer 214 is supplied to the coded buffer 230 and is
temporarily stored therein. In the audio decoder 231,
decode processing is performed on an audio stream stored in
the coded buffer 230, thereby obtaining decoded sound data.
This sound data is supplied to the channel mixing unit 232.
In the channel mixing unit 232, for the sound data, sound
data of each channel for implementing, for example, 5.1
channel surround, is generated. This sound data is supplied
to, for example, a speaker, and sound is output in
accordance with image display.
[0123]
As stated above, in the CPU 201, on the basis of the
presence and the insertion position of an MVC extension
descriptor, control is performed so that the management of
the coded buffer 215 and also the operation of the video
decoder 216, etc. may match two-dimensional (2D) image
transmission or three-dimensional (3D) image transmission.
[0124]
The flowchart of Fig. 10 illustrates an example of
control processing executed by the CPU 201. The CPU 201
executes the control processing indicated by this flowchart
at a timing at which services, such as channel switching,
are changed.
[0125]
The CPU 201 starts processing in step ST1, and proceeds
56
to processing of step ST2. In step ST2, the CPU 201
determines whether or not an MVC extension descriptor is
present in a descriptor portion of a video elementary loop
(first ES loop) corresponding to a base video stream
(Stream_type=0x1B) under PMT.
[0126]
If an MVC extension descriptor is present in the first
ES loop, in step ST3, the CPU 201 identifies that threedimensional
(3D) image transmission is being performed and
that substreams are configured such that they are
constituted by a single video stream. That is, the CPU 201
identifies that a service using one elementary stream
(elementary stream) is being provided. Then, the CPU 201
performs control so that items of coded data of all
substreams will be subjected to decode processing via the
common buffer.
[0127]
Fig. 11(b) schematically illustrates an example of the
flow in the receiver 200 in this case. Note that this
example is an example in which coded data of image data of a
base view and coded data of image data one non-baseview are
contained in a base video stream having a stream type
(Stream type) of "0x1B". This example is also an example in
which decode processing is performed on the items of coded
data of individual views by using different decoders. The
57
solid lines a indicate a flow of processing of image data of
the base view, while the broken lines b indicate a flow of
processing of image data of the non-baseview. The term
"rendering" means processing in a scaler and the 3D view
display processing unit 219.
[0128]
Further, in step ST2, if an MVC extension descriptor is
not present in the first ES loop, the CPU 201 determines in
step ST4 whether or not an extended video stream
(Stream_type=0x20) is present. If an extended video stream
is present, the CPU 201 determines in step ST5 whether or
not an MVC extension descriptor is present in a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop (second ES loop)
corresponding to the extended video stream under PMT.
[0129]
If an MVC extension descriptor is present in the second
ES loop, in step ST6, the CPU 201 identifies that threedimensional
(3D) image transmission is being performed and
that substreams are configured such that they are
constituted by a plurality of streams. That is, the CPU 201
identifies that a service using a plurality of elementary
streams (elementary streams) is being provided. Then, the
CPU 201 performs control so that the management of buffers
for coded data will be conducted for each substream
(Substream) and the substreams will be subjected to decode
58
processing.
[0130]
Fig. 11(c) schematically illustrates an example of the
flow in the receiver 200 in this case. Note that this
example is an example in which there are two video streams:
one base video stream including coded data of image data of
a base view having a stream type (Stream type) of "0x1B";
and an extended video stream including coded data of image
data of a non-baseview having a stream type (Stream type) of
"0x20". The solid lines a indicate a flow of processing of
image data of the base view, while the broken lines b
indicate a flow of processing of image data of the nonbaseview.
The term "rendering" means processing in a scaler
and the 3D view display processing unit 219.
[0131]
On the other hand, if an extended video stream is not
present in step ST4 or an MVC extension descriptor is not
present in the second ES loop in step ST5, the CPU 201
performs control in step ST7 so that known, basic processing
will be performed. Fig. 11(a) schematically illustrates an
example of the flow in the receiver 200 in this case. Note
that this example is an example in which only a base video
stream including coded data of two-dimensional (2D) image
data having a stream type (Stream type) of "0x1B" is present.
The solid lines a indicate a flow of processing of two59
dimensional image data. The term "rendering" means
processing in a scaler and the 3D view display processing
unit 219.
[0132]
As discussed above, in the image transmitting/receiving
system 10 shown in Fig. 1, when substreams are configured
such that they are constituted by a single video stream, an
MVC extension descriptor is inserted into a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop corresponding to a base
video stream under PMT. On the other hand, when substreams
are configured such that they are constituted by a plurality
of streams, an MVC extension descriptor is inserted into a
descriptor portion of a video elementary loop corresponding
to an extended video stream under PMT.
[0133]
Accordingly, it is possible for a reception side to
reliably and easily identify before performing decoding
whether substreams are configured such that they are
constituted by a single video stream or a plurality of video
streams. This enables the reception side to precisely
determine, before performing decoding, the configuration of
a buffer memory when decoding is performed and a decode mode
and a display mode, thereby making it possible to obtain
image data smoothly.
[0134]
60
<2. Modified Example>
Note that, in the above-described embodiment, an
example in which the present technology is applied to an MVC
stream has been described. That is, an example in which
first image data is image data of a base view for performing
three-dimensional (3D) image display and second image data
is image data of non-base views for performing threedimensional
(3D) image display.
[0135]
However, the present technology is applicable to an SVC
stream in a similar manner. The SVC stream includes a video
elementary stream of image data of the bottommost level,
which forms scalable coded image data. This SVC stream also
includes video elementary streams of items of image data of
a predetermined number of higher levels other than the
bottommost level, which form scalable coded image data.
[0136]
In the case of this SVC stream, first image data is
image data of a bottommost level, which forms scalable coded
image data, and second image data is image data of a level
other than the bottommost level, which forms the scalable
coded image data. As in the above-described MVC stream, in
this SVC stream, too, a case in which substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a single stream
(see Fig. 4(a)) and a case in which substreams are
61
configured such that they are constituted by a plurality of
streams (see Fig. 4(b)) may be considered.
[0137]
When substreams are configured such that they are
constituted by a single stream, a video stream obtained by
coding image data of the bottommost level and image data of
a level other than the bottommost level as one picture is
transmitted as an SVC base video stream. In this case, an
SVC extension descriptor is inserted into a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop corresponding to the base
video stream under PMT.
[0138]
By inserting the SVC extension descriptor in this
manner, a reception side is able to identify that an SVC
stream is being transmitted and that substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a single video
stream. That is, the reception side is able to identify
that the transport stream TS contains a base video stream
obtained by coding image data of the bottommost level and
image data of a level other than the bottommost level as one
picture.
[0139]
On the other hand, when substreams are configured such
that they are constituted by a plurality of streams, an
elementary video stream obtained by coding image data of the
62
bottommost level as one picture is transmitted as an SVC
base video stream. Moreover, an elementary video stream
obtained by coding image data of each of the levels other
than the bottommost level as one picture is transmitted as
an extended video stream. In this case, an SVC extension
descriptor is inserted into a descriptor portion of a video
elementary loop corresponding to an extended video stream
under PMT.
[0140]
By inserting the SVC extension descriptor in this
manner, a reception side is able to identify that an SVC
stream is being transmitted and that substreams are
configured such that they are constituted by a plurality of
streams. That is, the reception side is able to identify
that the transport stream TS contains a base video stream
including image data of the bottommost level and extended
video streams, each including image data of a level other
than the bottommost level.
[0141]
Fig. 12 illustrates an example of the structure
(Syntax) of an SVC extension descriptor, though a detailed
description of the entire descriptor will be omitted. The
field "view order index_start" indicates the bottommost
level number, and "view order index_end" indicates the
topmost level number. By these items of information, the
63
number of all levels can be identified. The field
"dependency_id" indicates the ordinal number of the level
corresponding to this descriptor.
[0142]
Fig. 13 illustrates an example of the configuration
(Syntax) of an NAL unit header (NAL unit header SVC
extension). The field "dependency_id" indicates the ordinal
number of the corresponding level. That is, when decoding
is performed, a reception side is able to identify, on the
basis of field information concerning this field
"dependency_id", to which level of image data each item of
coded data corresponds.
[0143]
Fig. 14 illustrates an example of the configuration of
a receiver 200A which handles the above-described SVC stream.
In Fig. 14, elements corresponding to those shown in Fig. 9
are designated by like reference numerals, and a detailed
explanation thereof will be omitted appropriately.
[0144]
The receiver 200A receives a transport stream TS from
the broadcast station 100 through broadcast waves. In this
transport stream TS, when normal images are transmitted, an
AVC (2D) video elementary stream is contained. On the other
hand, when an SVC stream is transmitted, an SVC base video
stream only or a predetermined number of extended video
64
streams together with this SVC base video stream are
contained in this transport stream TS.
[0145]
On the basis of the presence and the insertion position
of specific information in a layer of the transport stream
TS, the receiver 200A processes a video stream contained in
this transport stream TS. That is, the configuration of a
buffer memory when decoding is performed and a decoding mode
and a display mode are determined. The receiver 200A
obtains image data for performing normal image display or
image data of the bottommost level and image data of higher
levels, and then displays normal images or high-quality
images.
[0146]
The receiver 200A determines whether an SVC extension
descriptor is present in a descriptor portion of a video
elementary loop (first ES loop) corresponding to the base
video stream under PMT. Then, when a descriptor is present
in the first ES loop, the receiver 200A identifies that an
SVC stream is being transmitted and that this base video
stream includes image data of the bottommost level and image
data of higher levels. In this case, the receiver 200A
decodes the base video stream contained in the transport
stream TS so as to obtain items of image data of the
individual levels for performing high-quality image display,
65
and then displays high-quality images.
[0147]
On the other hand, when an SVC extension descriptor is
not present in the first ES loop, the receiver 200A
determines whether an extended video stream is contained in
the transport stream TS. Then, when an extended video
stream is contained, the receiver 200A determines whether an
SVC extension descriptor is present in a descriptor portion
of a video elementary loop (second ES loop) corresponding to
the extended video stream under PMT.
[0148]
Then, when the descriptor is present in the second ES
loop, the receiver 200A identifies that an SVC stream is
being transmitted and that this extended video stream and
the base video stream include image data of the bottommost
level and image data of higher levels. In this case, the
receiver 200A decodes a plurality of video streams contained
in the transport stream TS so as to obtain items of image
data of the individual levels for performing high-quality
image display, and then displays high-quality images.
[0149]
On the other hand, when there is no extended video
stream contained in the transport stream TS or when an SVC
extension descriptor is not present in the second ES loop,
the receiver 200A identifies that normal images are being
66
transmitted. In this case, the receiver 200A decodes the
video stream contained in the transport stream TS so as to
obtain normal image data, and then displays normal images.
[0150]
In the demultiplexer 214, when an SVC stream is
transmitted, an SVC extension descriptor is extracted from
the transport stream TS and is sent to the CPU 201. In the
CPU 201, on the basis of the presence and the insertion
position of this SVC extension descriptor, the management of
the coded buffer 215 and also the operation of the video
decoder 216 are controlled so that they may match normal
image transmission or SVC stream transmission.
[0151]
One or a plurality of video elementary streams
extracted by the demultiplexer 214 are supplied to the coded
buffer 215 and are temporarily stored therein. In the video
decoder 216, decode processing is performed on a video
elementary stream stored in the coded buffer 215, thereby
obtaining image data.
[0152]
In this case, in the video decoder 216, when normal
images are transmitted, decode processing is performed on an
AVC video elementary stream by using one decoder, thereby
obtaining image data for performing normal image display.
[0153]
67
Also, in this case, when SVC frames are transmitted and
if substreams are configured such that they are constituted
by a single video stream, items of image data of a plurality
of levels for performing high-quality image display are
obtained by performing decode processing as follows. That
is, for an SVC base video stream including coded data of
items of image data of a plurality of levels, the decoder
216 switches a packet to be processed supplied from the
buffer 215 to the decoder 216 on the basis of dependency_id
of the NAL unit header, and then performs decode processing
on each item of image data.
[0154]
Also, in this case, when SVC frames are transmitted and
if substreams are configured such that they are constituted
by a plurality of streams, items of image data of a
plurality of levels for performing high-quality image
display are obtained by performing decode processing as
follows. That is, data to be stored in the buffer 215 is
switched on the basis of dependency_id of the NAL unit
header of an NAL packet received from the demultiplexer 214.
Thereafter, reading of compressed data from the buffer 215
and processing by the decoder 216 are performed similarly to
that of decoding of a single stream. In this manner, on an
SVC base video stream including coded data of image data of
the bottommost level and a predetermined number of SVC
68
extended video streams including coded data of items of
image data of higher levels, decode processing is performed
by using associated decoders.
[0155]
In a quality-enhancing processing unit 233, when normal
images are transmitted and if normal image display is
performed, the following processing is performed. That is,
graphics bitmap data output from the graphics shifter 229 is
superposed on scaled image data input through, for example,
the scaler 218-1, and the image data is output to a display.
[0156]
On the other hand, in the quality-enhancing processing
unit 233, when an SVC stream is transmitted and if highquality
image display is performed, the following processing
is performed. That is, image data for performing highquality
image display is generated from items of scaled
image data of individual levels input through, for example,
the scalers 218-1 through 218-N, and graphics bitmap data
subjected to shift processing output from the graphics
shifter 229 is superposed on the image data, and the image
data is output to a display.
[0157]
In this manner, even when the present technology is
applied to an SVC stream, it is possible for a reception
side to reliably and easily identify before performing
69
decoding whether substreams are configured such that they
are constituted by a single video stream or a plurality of
video streams. This enables the reception side to precisely
determine, before performing decoding, the configuration of
a buffer memory when decoding is performed and a decode mode
and a display mode, thereby making it possible to obtain
image data smoothly.
[0158]
Additionally, in the above-described embodiment, an
example in which a transport stream TS is distributed
through broadcast waves. However, the present technology is
applicable in a similar manner when this transport stream TS
is distributed via a network, such as the Internet. On the
other hand, it is needless to say that the present
technology is applicable to a case of the Internet
distribution of a container file format other than a
transport stream TS.
[0159]
Note that the present technology may also be
implemented by the following configurations.
(1) An image data transmitting apparatus including:
a transmitting unit that transmits a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
items of second image data related to the first image data;
70
and
an information inserting unit that inserts specific
information into a position in a layer of the container at
which information related to the base video stream is
located.
(2) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(1), wherein the specific information is a descriptor having
information concerning the first image data and the
predetermined number of items of second image data.
(3) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(2), wherein:
the container is a transport stream; and
the information inserting unit inserts the descriptor
into a descriptor portion of a video elementary loop
corresponding to the base video stream under a program map
table.
(4) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(2) or (3), wherein:
the first image data is image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display;
the second image data is image data of a view other
than the base view for performing the three-dimensional
image display; and
the descriptor is an MVC extension descriptor having
information concerning each of the views.
71
(5) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(2) or (3), wherein:
the first image data is image data of a bottommost
hierarchical level which forms scalable coded image data;
the second image data is image data of a hierarchical
level other than the bottommost hierarchical level which
forms the scalable coded image data; and
the descriptor is an SVC extension descriptor having
information concerning the image data of each of the
hierarchical levels.
(6) An image data transmitting method including:
inserting, when transmitting a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
items of second image data related to the first image data,
specific information into a position in a layer of the
container at which information related to the base video
stream is located.
(7) An image data transmitting apparatus including:
a transmitting unit that transmits a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to the first
image data; and
72
an information inserting unit that inserts specific
information into a position in a layer of the container at
which information related to each of the predetermined
number of extended video streams is located.
(8) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(7), wherein the specific information is a descriptor having
information concerning the first image data and the
predetermined number of items of second image data.
(9) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(8), wherein:
the container is a transport stream; and
the information inserting unit inserts the descriptor
into a descriptor portion of a video elementary loop
corresponding to each of the predetermined number of
extended video streams under a program map table.
(10) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
(8) or (9), wherein:
the first image data is image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display;
the second image data is image data of a view other
than the base view for performing the three-dimensional
image display; and
the specific information is an MVC extension descriptor
having information concerning each of the views.
(11) The image data transmitting apparatus according to
73
(8) or (9), wherein:
the first image data is image data of a bottommost
hierarchical level which forms scalable coded image data;
the second image data is image data of a hierarchical
level other than the bottommost hierarchical level which
forms the scalable coded image data; and
the specific information is an SVC extension descriptor
having information concerning the image data of each of the
hierarchical levels.
(12) An image data transmitting method including:
inserting, when transmitting a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to the first
image data, specific information into a position in a layer
of the container at which information related to each of the
predetermined number of extended video streams is located.
(13) An image data receiving apparatus including:
a receiving unit that receives a container having a
predetermined format; and
a processing unit that processes, on the basis of the
presence and an insertion position of specific information
in a layer of the container, a video stream contained in the
container so as to obtain a predetermined number of items of
74
image data related to each other.
(14) The image data receiving apparatus according to
(13), wherein, when the specific information is inserted
into a position in a layer of the container at which
information related to a base video stream contained in the
container is located, the processing unit processes the base
video stream so as to obtain the predetermined number of
items of image data.
(15) The image data receiving apparatus according to
(13) or (14), wherein, when the specific information is
inserted into a position in a layer of the container at
which information related to an extended video stream
contained in the container is located, the processing unit
processes the extended video stream and a base video stream
contained in the container so as to obtain the predetermined
number of items of image data.
(16) The image data receiving apparatus according to
any one of (13) to (15), wherein the predetermined number of
items of image data form image data for performing threedimensional
image display or image data of scalable coded
data.
(17) An image data receiving method including:
a step of receiving a container having a predetermined
format; and
a step of obtaining a predetermined number of items of
75
image data related to each other by processing a video
stream contained in the container on the basis of the
presence and an insertion position of specific information
in a layer of the container.
[0160]
A major feature of the present technology is that, by
inserting an MVC extension descriptor into a descriptor
portion of a video elementary loop, corresponding to an MVC
base video stream or an extended video stream, under PMT, a
reception side is able to reliably and easily identify
before performing decoding whether substreams are configured
such that they are constituted by a single video stream or a
plurality of video streams (see Figs. 5, 7, and 8).
Reference Signs List
[0161]
10 image transmitting/receiving system
100 broadcasting station
110 transmission data generator
111 data extracting unit
111a data recording medium
112 video encoder
113 parallax encoder
114 audio encoder
115 graphics generating unit
116 graphics encoder
76
117 multiplexer
200, 200A receiver
201 CPU
213 container buffer
214 demultiplexer
215 coded buffer
216 video decoder
217-1 through 217-N substream buffer
218-1 through 218-N scaler
219 3D view display processing unit
221 coded buffer
222 parallax decoder
223 video decoder
224 parallax information converting unit
225 coded buffer
226 graphics decoder
227 pixel buffer
228 scaler
229 graphics shifter
230 coded buffer
231 audio decoder
232 channel mixing unit
233 quality-enhancing processing unit
77
CLAIMS
[Claim 1]
An image data transmitting apparatus comprising:
a transmitting unit that transmits a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
items of second image data related to the first image data;
and
an information inserting unit that inserts specific
information into a position in a layer of the container at
which information related to the base video stream is
located.
[Claim 2]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 1, wherein the specific information is a descriptor
having information concerning the first image data and the
predetermined number of items of second image data.
[Claim 3]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 2, wherein:
the container is a transport stream; and
the information inserting unit inserts the descriptor
into a descriptor portion of a video elementary loop
corresponding to the base video stream under a program map
table.
78
[Claim 4]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 2, wherein:
the first image data is image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display;
the second image data is image data of a view other
than the base view for performing the three-dimensional
image display; and
the descriptor is an MVC extension descriptor having
information concerning each of the views.
[Claim 5]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 2, wherein:
the first image data is image data of a bottommost
hierarchical level which forms scalable coded image data;
the second image data is image data of a hierarchical
level other than the bottommost hierarchical level which
forms the scalable coded image data; and
the descriptor is an SVC extension descriptor having
information concerning the image data of each of the
hierarchical levels.
[Claim 6]
An image data transmitting method comprising:
inserting, when transmitting a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
79
including first image data and a predetermined number of
items of second image data related to the first image data,
specific information into a position in a layer of the
container at which information related to the base video
stream is located.
[Claim 7]
An image data transmitting apparatus comprising:
a transmitting unit that transmits a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to the first
image data; and
an information inserting unit that inserts specific
information into a position in a layer of the container at
which information related to each of the predetermined
number of extended video streams is located.
[Claim 8]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 7, wherein the specific information is a descriptor
having information concerning the first image data and the
predetermined number of items of second image data.
[Claim 9]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 8, wherein:
80
the container is a transport stream; and
the information inserting unit inserts the descriptor
into a descriptor portion of a video elementary loop
corresponding to each of the predetermined number of
extended video streams under a program map table.
[Claim 10]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 8, wherein:
the first image data is image data of a base view for
performing three-dimensional image display;
the second image data is image data of a view other
than the base view for performing the three-dimensional
image display; and
the specific information is an MVC extension descriptor
having information concerning each of the views.
[Claim 11]
The image data transmitting apparatus according to
Claim 8, wherein:
the first image data is image data of a bottommost
hierarchical level which forms scalable coded image data;
the second image data is image data of a hierarchical
level other than the bottommost hierarchical level which
forms the scalable coded image data; and
the specific information is an SVC extension descriptor
having information concerning the image data of each of the
81
hierarchical levels.
[Claim 12]
An image data transmitting method comprising:
inserting, when transmitting a container having a
predetermined format which contains a base video stream
including first image data and a predetermined number of
extended video streams including a predetermined number of
respective items of second image data related to the first
image data, specific information into a position in a layer
of the container at which information related to each of the
predetermined number of extended video streams is located.
[Claim 13]
An image data receiving apparatus comprising:
a receiving unit that receives a container having a
predetermined format; and
a processing unit that processes, on the basis of the
presence and an insertion position of specific information
in a layer of the container, a video stream contained in the
container so as to obtain a predetermined number of items of
image data related to each other.
[Claim 14]
The image data receiving apparatus according to Claim
13, wherein, when the specific information is inserted into
a position in a layer of the container at which information
related to a base video stream contained in the container is
82
located, the processing unit processes the base video stream so
as to obtain the predetermined number of items of image data.
[Claim 15]
The image data receiving apparatus according to Claim 13,
wherein, when the specific information is inserted into a
position in a layer of the container at which information
related to an extended video stream contained in the container
is located, the processing unit processes the extended video
stream and a base video stream contained in the container so as
to obtain the predetermined number of items of image data.
[Claim 16]
The image data receiving apparatus according to Claim 13,
wherein the predetermined number of items of image data form
image data for performing three-dimensional image display or
image data of scalable coded data.
[Claim 17]
An image data receiving method comprising:
a step of receiving a container having a predetermined
format; and
a step of obtaining a predetermined number of items of
image data related to each other by processing a video stream
contained in the container on the basis of the presence and an
insertion position of specific information in a layer of the
container.