Display device and method, transmission device and method, and reception device and method

1. A transmission device for transmitting stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of stereoscopic video images and control information, comprising:

a control unit operable to set a 3D playback mode in the control information when a user operation or an instruction of an application program causes a device being a transmission destination of the stream data to process a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images, the control unit operable to set a 2D playback mode in the control information when a user operation or an instruction of an application program causes the device being the transmission destination to process only a left-view frame or a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images;

a format conversion unit operable to convert the stream data into a predetermined transmission format so that a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame is transmitted over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images, regardless of whether the control information indicates the 3D playback mode or the 2D playback mode; and

a transmission unit operable to transmit the stream data converted in the transmission format.

2. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein

the stream data further includes a graphics stream multiplexed therein, the graphics stream representing monoscopic graphics images,

the format conversion unit generates a graphics plane from the graphics stream,

the format conversion unit provides a left offset and a right offset for horizontal coordinates in the graphics plane, combines one of a graphics plane having the left offset and a graphics plane having the right offset with a left-view frame, and combines the other thereof with a right-view frame when the control information indicates the 3D playback mode, and

the format conversion unit combines the graphics plane as generated with each of a left-view frame and a right-view frame when the control information indicates the 2D playback mode.

3. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein

the stream data further includes a graphics stream multiplexed therein, the graphics stream representing monoscopic graphics images,

the format conversion unit generates a graphics plane from the graphics stream, and

the format conversion unit provides a left offset and a right offset for horizontal coordinates in the graphics plane, combines one of a graphics plane having the left offset and a graphics plane having the right offset with a left-view frame, and combines the other thereof with a right-view frame, regardless of whether the control information indicates the 3D playback mode or the 2D playback mode.

4. The transmission device according to claim 1 , wherein

the format conversion unit adopts a format compliant with an HDMI standard as the transmission format and converts the control information into an AVI info frame.

5. A method for transmitting stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of stereoscopic video images and control information, comprising:

receiving a user operation or an instruction of an application program;

setting a 3D playback mode in the control information when the user operation or the instruction of the application program causes a device being a transmission destination of the stream data to process a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images;

setting a 2D playback mode in the control information when the user operation or the instruction of the application program causes the device being the transmission destination to process only a left-view frame or a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images; and

converting the stream data into a predetermined transmission format so that a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame is transmitted over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images, regardless of whether the control information indicates the 3D playback mode or the 2D playback mode; and

transmitting the stream data converted in the predetermined transmission format.

6. A reception device for receiving stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of stereoscopic video images and control information, comprising:

a reception unit operable to receive the stream data converted into a predetermined transmission format so that a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame is received over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images; and

a signal processing unit operable to alternately extract the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data in the predetermined transmission format, then

to transmit a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode, and

to reduce a frame rate to a level of one frame per frame period of the stereoscopic video images to transmit only the left-view frames, the right-view frames, or frames of monoscopic video images reconstructed from the left-view frames and the right-view frames, at the reduced frame rate when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode.

7. A reception device for receiving stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of stereoscopic images and control information, comprising:

a reception unit operable to receive the stream data; and

a signal processing unit operable to alternately extract the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data, then

to transmit a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode, and

to transmit a single left-view frame or a single right-view frame twice over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode.

8. The reception device according to claim 6 , wherein

the reception unit adopts a format compliant with an HDMI standard as the predetermined transmission format and converts the control information into an AVI info frame.

9. A method for receiving stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of stereoscopic video images and control information, comprising:

receiving the stream data converted into a predetermined transmission format so that a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame is received over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images;

alternately extracting the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data in the predetermined transmission format;

transmitting a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode; and

reducing a frame rate to a level of one frame per frame period of the stereoscopic video images to transmit only the left-view frames, the right-view frames, or frames of monoscopic video images reconstructed from the left-view frames and the right-view frames, at the reduced frame rate when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode.

10. A display device for displaying stereoscopic video images on a screen, comprising:

a reception unit operable to receive stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of the stereoscopic video images and control information and that is converted in a predetermined transmission format so that a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame is received over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images;

a signal processing unit operable to alternately extract the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data, then

to transmit a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode, and

to reduce a frame rate to a level of one frame per frame period of the stereoscopic video images to transmit only the left-view frames, the right-view frames, or frames of monoscopic video images reconstructed from the left-view frames and the right-view frames, at the reduced frame rate when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode; and

a display unit operable to display each frame transmitted from the signal processing unit on the screen for a predetermined time period.

11. A display device for displaying stereoscopic video images on a screen, comprising:

a reception unit operable to receive stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of the stereoscopic video images and control information;

a signal processing unit operable to alternately extract the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data, then

to transmit a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode, and

to transmit a single left-view frame or a single right-view frame twice over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode; and

a display unit operable to display each frame transmitted from the signal processing unit on the screen for a predetermined time period.

12. The display device according to claim 11 , further comprising:

a left/right signal transmitting unit operable to control shutter glasses to alternately make a left lens and a right lens of the shutter glasses opaque in synchronization with switching of frames by the display unit, regardless of whether the control information indicates the 3D playback mode or the 2D playback mode.

13. The display device according to claim 10 , further comprising:

a left/right signal transmitting unit operable to control shutter glasses to alternately make a left lens and a right lens of the shutter glasses opaque in synchronization with switching of frames by the display unit while the control information indicates the 3D playback mode, and the left/right signal transmitting unit operable to control the shutter glasses to maintain both the left and right lenses transparent while the control information indicates the 2D playback mode.

14. The display device according to claim 10 , wherein

the reception unit adopts a format compliant with an HDMI standard as the predetermined transmission format and converts the control information into an AVI info frame.

15. A method for controlling a display device to display stereoscopic video images on a screen, comprising:

controlling the display device to receive stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of the stereoscopic video images and control information and that is converted in a predetermined format so that a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame is received over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images;

controlling a signal processing unit of the display device to alternately extract the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data;

controlling the signal processing unit to transmit a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode;

controlling the signal processing unit to reduce a frame rate to a level of one frame per frame period of the stereoscopic video images to transmit only the left-view frames, the right-view frames, or frames of monoscopic video images reconstructed from the left-view frames and the right-view frames at the reduced frame rate when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode; and

controlling a display unit of the display device to display each frame transmitted from the signal processing unit on the screen for a predetermined time period.

16. A method for receiving stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of stereoscopic video images and control information, comprising:

receiving the stream data;

alternately extracting the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data;

transmitting a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode; and

transmitting a single left-view frame or a single right-view frame twice over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode.

17. A method for controlling a display device to display stereoscopic video images on a screen, comprising:

controlling the display device to receive stream data that includes left-view frames and right-view frames of the stereoscopic video images and control information;

controlling a signal processing unit of the display device to alternately extract the left-view frames and the right-view frames from the stream data;

controlling the signal processing unit to transmit a pair of a left-view frame and a right-view frame over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 3D playback mode;

controlling the signal processing unit to transmit a single left-view frame or a single right-view frame twice over one frame period of the stereoscopic video images when the control information indicates a 2D playback mode; and

controlling a display unit of the display device to display each frame transmitted from the signal processing unit on the screen for a predetermined time period.