Patent ID: 6133956
Filing Date: 2000-10-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A video signal processor for processing first and second video signals, the first video signal having a first number of lines per frame and a first frame rate and the second video signal having a second number of lines per frame and a second frame rate, the processor comprising:an input for receiving a video signal, wherein said video signal is a digital signal consisting of active video data and other data;indicating means for producing an indicator signal indicating whether said video signal at the input is the first video signal or the second video signal;reducing means responsive to said indicator signal to reduce the number of lines per frame and number of pixels per line of the first signal by a first factor to produce a first reduced image and to reduce the number of lines per frame and number of pixels per line of the second signal by a second factor to produce a second reduced image said first and second factors being such that the number of lines per frame and number of pixels per line of the first and second reduced images are equal; said reducing being comprised of:first processing means for processing the digital signal in a frame direction, the processing being dependent on the indicator signal;second processing means for processing the digital signal in a line direction, the first and second processing means being arranged to process the whole digital signal consisting of the active video data and the other data; andselecting means for selecting from the whole processed digital signal the processed active video data which represents the reduced image; andan image data compressor responsive to the indicator signal for compressing the first reduced image by a first compression factor related to the first frame rate and the second reduced image by a second compression factor related to the second frame rate such that the first and second compressed images are represented by substantially equal amounts of data per unit time.