Methods and systems for determining that a video-capturing device is unsteady

• US 10,291,849 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hundemer, Hank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/295,767
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/19 by using information detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 : for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 : Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 : by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/681 : Motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6815 : by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 : performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 : Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0127 : by changing the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal, e.g. frame rate converter
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 : Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 : Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 : for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

In one aspect, an example method includes (i) capturing, by a computing system, via a camera of the computing system, video content; (ii) encoding, by the computing system, the captured video content to generate a video stream; and (iii) while generating the video stream: (a) making, by the computing system, a determination that each condition in a condition set is satisfied, wherein the condition set includes a condition relating to a change in a data rate of the video stream; and (b) responsive to making the determination, outputting, by the computing system, via a user interface of the computing system, an indication that the computing system is unsteady.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a content system of a video production system (VPS), from an end-user device of the VPS, a video stream generated by the end-user device, the video stream representing video content captured by a camera of the end-user device, wherein the video stream has a data rate, wherein the data rate is an amount of data of the video stream that is streamed per unit of time, and wherein the VPS is configured to integrate the video stream into a video program for production; and

while receiving the video stream;

(i) determining, by the content system, one or more encoding parameters being used by the end-user device to generate the video stream;

(ii) based on the determined one or more encoding parameters, selecting, by the content system, at least one threshold for use in making a determination that each condition in a condition set is satisfied;

(iii) making, by the content system, the determination that each condition in the condition set is satisfied, wherein the condition set includes a condition relating to a change in the data rate of the video stream with respect to the selected at least one threshold; and

(iv) responsive to making the determination, causing, by the content system, the end-user device to output, via a user interface of the end-user device, an indication that the end-user device is unsteady.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the end-user device to output the indication comprises transmitting, to the end-user device, an instruction to output the indication, the method further comprising:

while the end-user device is generating the video stream;

(i) receiving, by the end-user device, from the content system, the instruction; and

(ii) responsive to receiving the instruction, outputting, by the end-user device, via the user interface of the end-user device, the indication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is a visual indication, and wherein causing the end-user device to output the indication comprises transmitting, to the end-user device, a message including the visual indication, the method further comprising:

while the end-user device is generating the video stream;

(i) receiving, by the end-user device, from the content system, the message including the visual indication; and

(ii) responsive to receiving the message including the visual indication, displaying, by the end-user device, via the user interface of the end-user device, the message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected at least one threshold includes a threshold amount, and

wherein the condition is that the change in the data rate of the video stream is at least the threshold amount.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated video stream includes a first portion and a second portion that is different from the first portion, the method further comprising:

while generating the video stream, determining, by the content system, a first data rate of the first portion and a second data rate of the second portion,

wherein the selected at least one threshold includes a first threshold data rate and a second threshold data rate, and

wherein the condition is that the determined first data rate is less than the first threshold data rate and the determined second data rate is greater than the second threshold data rate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second portions of the generated video stream include a common portion of the generated video stream.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second portions represent a quantity of frames, wherein the quantity of frames is a value in a range of 80 frames to 100 frames.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first threshold data rate is a value in a range of 300 kilobits per second to 400 kilobits per second, and wherein the second threshold data rate is a value in a range of 600 kilobits per second to 700 kilobits per second.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined one or more encoding parameters includes an encoding standard being used by the end-user device to generate the video stream.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of acts comprising:

receiving, by a content system of a video production system (VPS), from an end-user device of the VPS, a video stream generated by the end-user device, the video stream representing video content captured by a camera of the end-user device, wherein the video stream has a data rate, wherein the data rate is an amount of data of the video stream that is streamed per unit of time, and wherein the VPS is configured to integrate of the video stream into a video program for production; and

while receiving the video stream;

(i) determining, by the content system, one or more encoding parameters being used by the end-user device to generate the video stream;

(ii) based on the determined one or more encoding parameters, selecting, by the content system, at least one threshold for use in making a determination that each condition in a condition set is satisfied;

(iii) making, by the content system, the determination that each condition in the condition set is satisfied, wherein the condition set includes a condition relating to a change in the data rate of the video stream with respect to the selected at least one threshold; and

(iv) responsive to making the determination, causing, by the content system, the end-user device to output, via a user interface of the end-user device, an indication that the end-user device is unsteady.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the generated video stream includes a first portion and a second portion that is different from the first portion, the set of acts further comprising:

while receiving the video stream, determining, by the content system, a first data rate of the first portion and a second data rate of the second portion,

wherein the selected at least one threshold includes a first threshold data rate and a second threshold data rate, and

wherein the condition is that the determined first data rate is less than the first threshold data rate and the determined second data rate is greater than the second threshold data rate.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second portions of the generated video stream include a common portion of the generated video stream.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second portions represent a quantity of frames, wherein the quantity of frames is a value in a range of 80 frames to 100 frames.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first threshold data rate is a value in a range of 300 kilobits per second to 400 kilobits per second, and wherein the second threshold data rate is a value in a range of 600 kilobits per second to 700 kilobits per second.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the selected at least one threshold includes a threshold amount, and

wherein the condition is that the change in the data rate of the video stream is at least the threshold amount.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the determined one or more encoding parameters includes an encoding standard being used by the end-user device to generate the video stream.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the indication is one or more of an audio indication or a visual indication.

18. A content system of a video production system (VPS), the content system comprising:

a communication interface,

wherein the content system is configured for performing a set of acts comprising;

receiving, from an end-user device of the VPS, via the communication interface, a video stream generated by the end-user device, the video stream representing video content captured by a camera of the end-user device, wherein the video stream has a data rate, wherein the data rate is an amount of data of the video stream that is streamed per unit of time, and wherein the VPS is configured to integrate the video stream into a video program for production; and

while receiving the video stream;

(i) determining, by the content system, one or more encoding parameters being used by the end-user device to generate the video stream;

(ii) based on the determined one or more encoding parameters, selecting, by the content system, at least one threshold for use in making a determination that each condition in a condition set is satisfied;

(iii) making the determination that each condition in the condition set is satisfied, wherein the condition set includes a condition relating to a change in the data rate of the video stream with respect to the selected at least one threshold; and

(iv) responsive to making the determination, causing the end-user device to output, via a user interface of the end-user device, an indication that the end-user device is unsteady.

19. The content system of claim 18, wherein the selected at least one threshold includes a threshold amount, and

wherein the condition is that the change in the data rate of the video stream is at least the threshold amount.

20. The content system of claim 18, wherein the generated video stream includes a first portion and a second portion that is different from the first portion, the set of acts further comprising:

while generating the video stream, determining, by the content system, a first data rate of the first portion and a second data rate of the second portion,

wherein the selected at least one threshold includes a first threshold data rate and a second threshold data rate, and

wherein the condition is that the determined first data rate is less than the first threshold data rate and the determined second data rate is greater than the second threshold data rate.