Patents by Inventor Greg A. Kranawetter

Greg A. Kranawetter has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7110006
    Abstract: A video, audio and graphics system uses multiple transport processors to receive in-band and out-of-band MPEG Transport streams, to perform PID and section filtering as well as DVB and DES decryption and to de-multiplex them. The system processes the PES into digital audio, MPEG video and message data. The system is capable of decoding multiple MPEG SLICEs concurrently. Graphics windows are blended in parallel, and blended with video using alpha blending. During graphics processing, a single-port SRAM is used equivalently as a dual-port SRAM. The video may include both analog video, e.g., NTSC/PAL/SECAM/S-video, and digital video, e.g., MPEG-2 video in SDTV or HDTV format. The system has a reduced memory mode in which video images are reduced in half in horizontal direction only during decoding. The system is capable of receiving and processing digital audio signals such as MPEG Layer 1 and Layer 2 audio and Dolby AC-3 audio, as well as PCM audio signals. The system includes a memory controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, Greg A. Kranawetter, Vivian Hsiun, Francis Cheung, Sandeep Bhatia, Ramanujan Valmiki, Sathish Kumar
  • Patent number: 7098930
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The chip includes a single polyphase filter that preferably provides both anti-flutter filtering and scaling of graphics. Anti-flutter filtering may help reduce display flicker due to the interlaced nature of television displays. The scaling of graphics may be used to convert the normally square pixel aspect ratio of graphics to the normally rectangular pixel aspect ratio of video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Patent number: 7057622
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, a graphics input and an audio input simultaneously. The chip includes a display engine that processes graphics images organized as windows. The system includes plurality of line buffers for receiving the graphics contents. The graphics contents are composited into each of the plurality of line buffers by blending the graphics contents with the existing contents of the line buffer until all of the graphics surfaces for the line have been composited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Patent number: 7015928
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, a graphics input and an audio input simultaneously. The chip includes a display engine that processes graphics images organized as windows. The display engine processes graphics images formatted in any one of a plurality of formats including a color look up table (CLUT) format. A color look-up (CLUT) table loading mechanism preferably facilitates the transfer of real-time CLUT table data during graphics composition. The loading mechanism may be triggered by a window descriptor that contains a color look-up table load command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Patent number: 7002602
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The chip blends graphics and video information by various graphics windows using alpha values for the windows, alpha values per pixel, or both. The chip calculates a composite alpha value based on the window's alpha values and the alpha values per pixel. Blended graphics and video may then be composited using the composite alpha value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20050231526
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, a graphics input and an audio input simultaneously. The system may use anti-aliased text and graphics to provide high quality display of graphical elements, or glyphs, which represent an image of a character of text or graphics, on television and other displays. The graphical elements may be superimposed over live video or arbitrary graphics imagery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander MacInnis, Chengfuh Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James Patterson, Greg Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20050175082
    Abstract: A system and method that support display of video fields using related data encoded in data structures. Each data structure is associated with one video field and contains all the information associated with the display of the video field. The data structure is encoded with the video field that is displayed exactly one field prior to the field associated with the data structure. In an embodiment of the present invention, the data structure contains all the information associated with the display of a video field, regardless of whether certain data changes from one field to the next.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Inventors: Jason Herrick, Darren Neuman, Greg Kranawetter, Sandeep Bhatia
  • Patent number: 6927783
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, a graphics input and an audio input simultaneously. The system may use anti-aliased text and graphics to provide high quality display of graphical elements, or glyphs, which represent an image of a character of text or graphics, on television and other displays. The graphical elements may be superimposed over live video or arbitrary graphics imagery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20050168480
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The chip includes a single polyphase filter that preferably provides both anti-flutter filtering and scaling of graphics. Anti-flutter filtering may help reduce display flicker due to the interlaced nature of television displays. The scaling of graphics may be used to convert the normally square pixel aspect ratio of graphics to the normally rectangular pixel aspect ratio of video.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2005
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Inventors: Alexander MacInnis, Chengfuh Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James Patterson, Greg Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20050122335
    Abstract: A video, audio and graphics system uses multiple transport processors to receive in-band and out-of-band MPEG Transport streams, to perform PID and section filtering as well as DVB and DES decryption and to de-multiplex them. The system processes the PES into digital audio, MPEG video and message data. The system is capable of decoding multiple MPEG SLICEs concurrently. Graphics windows are blended in parallel, and blended with video using alpha blending. During graphics processing, a single-port SRAM is used equivalently as a dual-port SRAM. The video may include both analog video, e.g., NTSC/PAL/SECAM/S-video, and digital video, e.g., MPEG-2 video in SDTV or HDTV format. The system has a reduced memory mode in which video images are reduced in half in horizontal direction only during decoding. The system is capable of receiving and processing digital audio signals such as MPEG Layer 1 and Layer 2 audio and Dolby AC-3 audio, as well as PCM audio signals. The system includes a memory controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Inventors: Alexander MacInnis, Chengfuh Tang, Xiaodong Xie, Greg Kranawetter, Vivian Hsiun, Francis Cheung, Sandeep Bhatia, Ramanujan Valmiki, Sathish Kumar
  • Patent number: 6879330
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The chip includes a single polyphase filter that preferably provides both anti-flutter filtering and scaling of graphics. Anti-flutter filtering may help reduce display flicker due to the interlaced nature of television displays. The scaling of graphics may be used to convert the normally square pixel aspect ratio of graphics to the normally rectangular pixel aspect ratio of video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20050036037
    Abstract: A system and method are used to generate pseudo MPEG information from digital video information received at a digital video input. An artificial time stamp module is used to generated the pseudo MPEG information from associating an artificial time stamp with the digital video information. This pseudo MPEG information is received, for example, at an MPEG signal processor in a set-top box. The MPEG signal processor decodes the pseudo MPEG information and outputs the decoded MPEG information under control of the artificial time stamps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2003
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Greg Kranawetter, Iue-Shuenn Chen, Brian Schoner, Darren Neuman
  • Patent number: 6853385
    Abstract: A video, audio and graphics system uses multiple transport processors to receive in-band and out-of-band MPEG Transport streams, to perform PID and section filtering as well as DVB and DES decryption and to de-multiplex them. The system processes the PES into digital audio, MPEG video and message data. The system is capable of decoding multiple MPEG SLICEs concurrently. Graphics windows are blended in parallel, and blended with video using alpha blending. During graphics processing, a single-port SRAM is used equivalently as a dual-port SRAM. The video may include both analog video, e.g., NTSC/PAL/SECAM/S-video, and digital video, e.g., MPEG-2 video in SDTV or HDTV format. The system has a reduced memory mode in which video images are reduced in half in horizontal direction only during decoding. The system is capable of receiving and processing digital audio signals such as MPEG Layer 1 and Layer 2 audio and Dolby AC-3 audio, as well as PCM audio signals. The system includes a memory controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, Greg A. Kranawetter, Vivian Hsiun, Francis Cheung, Sandeep Bhatia, Ramanujan Valmiki, Sathish Kumar
  • Publication number: 20050028220
    Abstract: A television on a chip (TVOC) system that provides a cost effective approach for providing television functionality on a single integrated circuit chip is disclosed. A TVOC includes the functionality necessary to receive and display television signals in a variety of input and output formats. A TVOC can be used in set-top boxes for cable and satellite television, or directly within a television. All functionality provided can be provided on a single integrated circuit. TVOC includes a data transport module, an IF demodulator, a digital audio engine, an analog audio engine, a digital video engine, and an analog video engine. The TVOC also includes three sets of interfaces including output interfaces, control interfaces and ancillary interfaces. Further features and embodiments provide enhanced functionality and increased efficiencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: David Baer, Jeff Tingley, Aleksandr Movshovich, Brad Grossman, Brian Schoner, Chengfuh Tang, Chuck Monahan, Darren Neuman, David Wu, Francis Cheung, Greg Kranawetter, Hoang Nhu, Hsien-Chih Tseng, Iue-Shuenn Chen, James Sweet, Jeffrey Bauch, Keith Klingler, Patrick Law, Rajesh Mamidwar, Dan Simon, Sang Tran, Shawn Johnson, Steven Jaffe, Thu Nguyen, Ut Nguyen, Yao-Hua Tseng, Brad Delanghe, Ben Giese, Jason Demas, Lakshman Ramakrishnan, Sandeep Bhatia, Guang-Ting Shih, Tracy Denk
  • Publication number: 20050007490
    Abstract: Presented herein are a system, method, and apparatus for improving scaling with early deinterlacing. Interlaced frames are deinterlaced prior to scaling. Accordingly, the scaler scales an entire frame, in contrast to individual fields, thereby resulting in an improved scaling function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Alexander MacInnis, Greg Kranawetter, Sandeep Bhatia, Shen-Yung Chen, Mahadhevan Sivagururaman, D. Srilakshmi
  • Publication number: 20040246257
    Abstract: A graphics display system integrated circuit processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The system incorporates a graphics accelerator that includes memory for graphics data. The accelerator preferably includes a coprocessor for performing vector type operations on a plurality of components of one pixel of the graphics data. The accelerator also includes an expanded instruction set for storing and loading data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Patent number: 6819330
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, a graphics input and an audio input simultaneously. The chip includes a display engine that processes graphics images organized as windows. The display engine processes graphics images formatted in any one of a plurality of formats including a color look up table (CLUT) format. A color look-up (CLUT) table loading mechanism preferably facilitates the transfer of real-time CLUT table data during graphics composition. The loading mechanism may be triggered by a window descriptor that contains a color look-up table load command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20040212734
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, graphics input and audio input simultaneously. The system includes a video decoder having a chroma-locked sample rate converter. The chroma-locked sample rate converter converts the samples to those taken at a sample rate that is a multiple of the chroma subcarrier frequency and that is locked to chroma bursts of the analog video signal in a control loop. The video decoder also includes a line-locked sample rate converter that receives samples at a multiple of the chroma subcarrier frequency and converts the samples to samples with a sample frequency that is a multiple of the horizontal line rate of the video input. The line-locked sample rate converter measures the horizontal line rate to an accuracy of a fraction of a pixel and adjusts the sample rate and phase of the line-locked sample rate converter to produce accurate line-locked samples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20040207644
    Abstract: A graphics integrated circuit chip is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics chip processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The chip includes a single polyphase filter that preferably provides both anti-flutter filtering and scaling of graphics. Anti-flutter filtering may help reduce display flicker due to the interlaced nature of television displays. The scaling of graphics may be used to convert the normally square pixel aspect ratio of graphics to the normally rectangular pixel aspect ratio of video.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter
  • Publication number: 20040177190
    Abstract: A graphics display system integrated circuit is used in a set-top box for controlling a television display. The graphics display system processes analog video input, digital video input, and graphics input. The system incorporates a unified memory architecture that is shared by the graphics system, a CPU, and other peripherals. The unified memory architecture uses real time scheduling to service tasks. Critical instant analysis is used to find a schedule for memory usage that does not affect memory requirements of real time tasks while at the same time servicing non-real-time tasks as needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicant: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis, Chengfuh Jeffrey Tang, Xiaodong Xie, James T. Patterson, Greg A. Kranawetter