Transport stream decoder/demultiplexer for hierarchically organized audio-video streams

Claims

The invention claimed is:

1. A transport stream demultiplexer for demultiplexing program data from transport packets, each of said transport packets having a packet identifier PID, a unique PID being assigned to packets carrying program clock references PCRs of a desired program, said apparatus comprising:

a first processor for extracting said unique PID assigned to transport packets carrying said PCRs of said desired program,

a PCR circuit responsive to said unique PID, for extracting each PCR from each received transport packet having said unique PID,

a PCR counter for producing a PCR clock count in response to a clock signal received at a clock input,

an external host processor interface, for transferring to a second external processor one or more values on which a difference between a PCR clock count from said PCR counter and an extracted PCR from said PCR circuit depends and for receiving from the second external processor a digitally filtered PCR clock phase error based on said difference between said PCR clock count and said extracted PCR, and

a digital to analog converter for converting said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error to analog form, and feeding said analog form of said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error via at least a voltage controlled oscillator VCXO to said clock input of said PCR counter, wherein an output of the VCXO is received at said clock input as said clock signal, so as to adjust a phase error of said PCR counter relative to said extracted PCR.

2. The demultiplexer of claim 1 wherein the second external processor is selectively programmable to digitally filter said difference between said PCR clock count and said extracted PCR to produce said phase error in a user-definable fashion.

3. The demultiplexer of claim 1 wherein said external host processor interface transfers from said first processor to said second external processor a program definition of said desired program, including said unique PID, and wherein said external host processor interface transfers said unique PID from said second external processor to said PCR circuit.

4. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 1 wherein:

said first processor responds to selected PIDs by extracting elementary stream data from only particular ones of said transport packets that contain one of said selected PIDs, and separately stores said extracted data of each elementary stream in a memory.

5. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 4 further comprising:

a descrambler interface, for receiving from said first processor scrambled data contained in at least some of said transport packets containing selected PIDs and for outputting descrambled data to said first processor.

6. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 4 wherein said memory in which said first processor stores said external data is an external RAM, said transport stream demultiplexer further comprising:

a memory manager for managing the external RAM, for storing at least some of said extracted data and for transferring data between the external RAM and said external host processor interface.

7. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 6 wherein said first processor causes said memory manager to store said extracted data of each stream in a separate queue maintained by said memory manager in the external RAM.

8. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 7 wherein said memory manager maintains, for each queue, the start address of the queue in the external RAM, and the tail address of the queue in the external RAM.

9. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 8 wherein, for at least some of said queues, said memory manager also maintains the head address of at least one of said queues in the external RAM.

10. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 6 wherein each of said queues has an independently selectable size.

11. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 6 further comprising:

at least one elementary stream interface, for obtaining extracted data from said memory manager for a specific elementary stream and for outputting said extracted data obtained from said memory manager to an external elementary stream decoder.

12. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 11 further comprising:

an internal memory in which said external host processor interface stores a table containing a plurality of entries, including at least one entry which indicates a particular PID and whether or not said at least one table entry is active, said first processor accessing said table for each transport packet, and extracting elementary stream data from only said transport packets containing a PID that matches one of said particular PIDs of each of said table entries indicated as being active.

13. The transport stream demultiplexer of claim 1 wherein the VCXO is an external VCXO, wherein an input of an external RC filter is connected to an output of said digital to analog converter wherein an input of the external VCXO is connected to an output of the RC filter, wherein an output of the external VCXO is connected to said clock input of said PCR counter, and wherein said digital to analog converter is a sigma delta digital to analog converter.

14. A method for demultiplexing program data from transport packets of a transport stream, each of said transport packets having a PID, a unique PID being assigned to packets carrying PCR's of a desired program, said method comprising the steps of:

using a first processor, extracting said unique PID assigned to transport packets carrying said PCRs of said desired program,

in response to said unique PID, extracting each PCR from each received transport packet having said unique PID,

producing a PCR clock count in response to a clock signal received at a clock input,

transferring to a second external processor one or more values on which a difference between a PCR clock count and an extracted PCR depends and for receiving from the second external processor a digitally filtered PCR clock phase error based on said difference between said PCR clock count and said extracted PCR, and

converting said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error to analog form, and feeding said analog form of said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error via at least a voltage controlled oscillator VCXO to said clock input, wherein an output of the VCXO is received at said clock input as said clock signal, so as to adjust a phase error of said PCR clock count relative to said extracted PCR.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

selectively programming the second external processor to digitally filter said difference between said PCR clock count and said extracted PCR to produce said phase error in a user-definable fashion.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

transferring from said first processor to said second external processor a program definition of said desired program, including said unique PID, and

receiving from said second external processor, said unique PID for use in said step of extracting each PCR.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

in response to selected PIDs, using said processor to extract elementary stream data from only particular ones of said transport packets that contain one of said selected PIDs, and to store separately said extracted data of each elementary stream in a memory.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising the steps of:

transferring from said first processor to a descrambler scrambled data contained in at least some of said transport packets containing selected PIDs, and

transferring descrambled data from the descrambler to said first processor.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said memory in which said first processor stores said extracted data is an external RAM, said method further comprising the steps of:

using a memory manager, managing the external RAM, storing at least some of said extracted data in the external RAM, and transferring data between the external RAM and the second external processor.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:

using said first processor and said memory manager, storing said extracted data of each stream in a separate queue maintained by said memory manager in the external RAM.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of:

using said memory manager, maintaining for each queue the start address of said queue in the external RAM, and the tail address of said queue in the external RAM.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of:

using said memory manager, maintaining the head address of at least one of said queues in the external RAM.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein each of said queues has an independently selectable size.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

obtaining extracted data from said memory manager for a specific elementary stream, and

outputting said extracted data obtained from said memory manager to an external elementary stream decoder.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

storing in an internal memory a table containing a plurality of entries, including at least one entry which indicates a particular PID and whether or not said at least one table entry is active,

using said first processor, accessing said table for each transport packet, and extracting elementary stream data from only said transport packets containing a PID that matches one of said particular PIDs of each of said active table entries indicated as being active.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein the VCXO is an external VCXO, said method further comprising the steps of:

using an external RC filter, low pass filtering said analog form of said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error,

inputting said low pass filtered, digitally PCR clock phase error to the external VCXO, and

outputting said clock signal from the external VCXO to said clock input,

wherein said step of converting said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error to analog form comprises using a sigma delta digital to analog converter.

27. A bitstream produced by a method for demultiplexing program data from transport packets of a transport stream, each of said transport packets having a PID, a unique PID being assigned to packets carrying PCR's of a desired program, said method comprising the steps of:

using a first processor, extracting said unique PID assigned to transport packets carrying said PCRs of said desired program,

in response to said unique PID, extracting each PCR from each received transport packet having said unique PID,

producing a PCR clock count in response to a clock signal received at a clock input,

transferring to a second external processor one or more values on which a difference between a PCR clock count and an extracted PCR depends and for receiving from the second external processor a digitally filtered PCR clock phase error based on said difference between said PCR clock count and said extracted PCR, and

converting said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error to analog form, and feeding said analog form of said digitally filtered PCR clock phase error via at least a voltage controlled oscillator VCXO to said clock input, wherein an output of the VCXO is received at said clock input as said clock signal, so as to adjust a phase error of said PCR clock count relative to said extracted PCR.

28. The bitstream of claim 27 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

selectively programming the second external processor to digitally filter said difference between said PCR clock count and said extracted PCR to produce said phase error in a user-definable fashion.

29. The bitstream of claim 27 wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

transferring from said first processor to said second external processor a program definition of said desired program, including said unique PID, and

receiving from said second external processor, said unique PID for use in said step of extracting each PCR.

30. The bitstream of claim 27 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

in response to selected PIDs, using said processor to extract elemen