JPH0722359B2 - Controller for video array pattern in multi-screen display - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a video arrangement pattern in a multi-screen display in which a plurality of TV screens are arranged.

2. Description of the Related Art A recent trend of video displays is to arrange TV screens vertically and horizontally to form a so-called multi-screen.
A method of simultaneously photographing the same or two or more images is adopted. As a typical multi-screen method, the same TV
It is desirable to play back multiple images taken in parallel by the program in parallel.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the multi-screen method as described above, a video display having a high display effect can be obtained by changing the arrangement of a plurality of images to be reproduced in parallel for each music or voice message segment accompanying the main image. It can be configured, but conventionally this was processed by a computer.

The present invention is intended to provide a method for automatically performing effective image pattern switching in the multi-screen method as described above.

To achieve the above objectives, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a plurality of video sources each containing a plurality of video information to be played together with common audio information, and these video information are selectively and concurrently used. A multi-screen consisting of an array of a plurality of TV units for playback, and a desired arrangement of a plurality of videos within the multi-screen by selectively connecting the outputs of the plurality of video sources to the plurality of TV units. In a multi-screen display device including a matrix switcher for performing the parallel reproduction while forming a pattern, among the video tapes forming the plurality of video sources, the audio information arranged in parallel in a video track arrangement direction. Aside from the track containing A master tape is constructed by writing an update time signal to the channel of this extra audio track in one video tape in which racks are also arranged in parallel, and the matrix switcher is provided with a plurality of tapes read from the plurality of sources. Pattern storage unit for storing various arrangement patterns of the video of the video in the multi-screen, a pattern program storage unit for storing an update program for those patterns, and synchronously reading a plurality of video information from the plurality of video sources. In the meantime, by counting the update time signal read from the master source, and switching the input / output circuit of the matrix switcher according to the update program stored in the pattern program storage unit using this count as a reference, A video array pattern control device for a multi-screen display, comprising a control unit for selecting one of the plurality of stored video array patterns for multi-screen display Is.

Operation According to the control method described above, by reading the time signal input to the master source, the image array patterns can be sequentially switched according to a predetermined order. Also, even when a video source such as a VTR is played back from the middle of a series of recorded images, it is clear that the array pattern can be easily updated as the images progress, and it is easy to change the pattern on site. .

Example FIG. 1 (a), (b) and (c) show video tape images A, B, which are reproduced together with common audio information.
This is an example of the arrangement pattern of C and D, each square section is one TV screen, and a large frame (1) in which 4 × 4 = 16 unit sections are gathered is 4 rows and 4 columns. It is a representation of a multi-screen, including arranged TV screens. In this case, in the video arrangement pattern (a) of the multi-screen (1), the TV in the first row is video A, the TV in the second row is video B, the TV in the third row is video C, and the TV in the third row is from the top. The TV is an example of a horizontal 4-row arrangement displaying the video D. In the pattern (b), the TV in the first column is video A, the TV in the second column is video B, and the TV in the third column is video C from the left side. , The fourth column TV is an example of a vertical four-column arrangement in which the video D is arranged, and the pattern (c) is, for example, from the left to the first and the second.
And the third column TV displays video A and the fourth column TV displays video D. These video array patterns (a), (b) and (c) and others are sequentially switched in the method of the present invention at the most appropriate time with the progress of audio information and the like. In this case, the TV screens constituting the multi-screen are specified by the numbers 1 to 16 as shown in FIG. 2, and the control circuit to be described later gives these TVs a video source (A, B, C, D in FIG. 1). ) Is appropriately distributed and supplied.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a preferred circuit configuration for carrying out the method of the present invention. In this case, video source is a three VTR 1, VTR 2, VTR 3, TV units constituting the multi-screen is a nine TV ₁ ~TV _9, the input consists of two VTR in extreme cases It is also possible that the multi-screen is composed of only four TVs, and conversely, the number of video sources and TV monitors can be increased from the example shown in the figure. In FIG. 3, the VTR1 constituting the first video source also records audio information shared by the other VTR2 and VTR3 and is used as a master VTR. The video tape used in this VTR1 has a track arrangement as shown in FIG. The video tape (2) has a track containing video and audio (two-channel) records as indicated by M, and L and R channels as general audio tracks. A time code (3) is imprinted on such a master video tape (2), for example, in the R channel of a general track.

In FIG. 3, VTR1, VTR2 and VTR3 are connected to the input side of a programmable and controllable matrix switcher (4). This matrix switcher (4) has VTR1
A control unit (5) for receiving the time code (3) of the master video tape supplied from the computer and determining the type and update time of the video array pattern; and a pattern for storing the video information pattern in association with the address of the TV unit. It has a storage unit (6) and a switching circuit unit (7). The control unit (5) commands the input / output connection relation of the switching circuit unit (7) according to the pattern change program set by the user and stored in the pattern program storage unit (8), and the switching circuit unit (7) run the commanded connection, it is to properly distribute and supply the video input from the VTR 1, VTR 2 and VTR3 to TV ₁ ~TV ₉ is a display unit.

The control unit (5) of the matrix switcher (4) normally counts the time code stamped on the master video tape to generate a signal indicating the time and type of change of the video array pattern. In some cases, the time code of the master video tape can also include information designating the video arrangement pattern.

In the above circuit configuration, the three VTRs start reproduction at the same time, whereby the monitor TV ₁ to monitor ₉ update the video array pattern according to the program. Further, since the time code of the master video tape can be rewritten as desired, the pattern changing program itself can be modified very easily.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform a dynamic multi-screen display in accordance with the demands of the times, and this method does not require complicated procedures such as computer processing and is configured as a dedicated machine. PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pattern control method capable of setting a control program only by a program setting operation using a keyboard of a matrix switcher and a time code driving operation on a master tape.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of video patterns, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the addresses of TVs arranged as a multi-screen, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration for carrying out the method of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of tracks on a master video tape used in the method of the present invention. (1) …… Multi-screen (2) …… Master video tape (3) …… Time code (4) …… Matrix switcher (5) …… Control unit (6) …… Pattern storage unit (7) …… Switching Circuit part

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication H04N 5/93 7734-5C H04N 5/93 E

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of video sources respectively recording a plurality of video information to be reproduced together with common audio information, and an arrangement of a plurality of TV units for selectively reproducing these video information in parallel. By selectively connecting outputs of the multi-screen and the plurality of video sources to the plurality of TV units, the parallel reproduction is performed while forming a desired array pattern of the plurality of videos in the multi-screen. In a multi-screen display device having a matrix switcher for switching, a plurality of video tapes forming the plurality of video sources, apart from the tracks containing the audio information arranged in parallel in the video track array direction, Also, a single video composed of empty tracks of one channel similarly arranged in parallel. On the tape, a master tape is constructed by writing the update time signals of the channels of this extra audio track, wherein the matrix switcher has various arrangements within the multi-screen of a plurality of videos read from the plurality of sources. A pattern storage unit that stores patterns, a pattern program storage unit that stores update programs for those patterns, and an update time signal that is read from the master source while synchronously reading a plurality of video information from the video sources. And the input / output circuit of the matrix switcher is switched according to the update program stored in the pattern program storage unit with this count as a reference, so that the plurality of stored video array patterns are stored at a necessary time. A control device for a video array pattern in a multi-screen display, comprising a control unit for selecting one of the turns to perform multi-screen display.