Method and system for distributing video using a virtual set

• US 20020056120A1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Adam Nemitoff, Altay Murat, Brennan J. Mcternan, Vishal Bangia
• Original Assignee: Adam Nemitoff, Altay Murat, Brennan J. Mcternan, Vishal Bangia
• Inventors: Bangia, Vishal, Nemitoff, Adam, Murat, Altay, McTernan, Brennan J.
• Application Number:
  US09/767,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20020056120A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 : In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 : Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 : Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 : Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 : for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 : by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 : involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for distributing video over a computer network. The video is generated as a set of components including a model for a virtual set in which action occurs, a video of the action compressed to eliminate some or all non-useful portions of the video, and positional data used to position the action within the virtual set and orient the viewpoint of the set. These components are transmitted as separate data items from a server to a client, with the virtual set being preferably transmitted in advance of a specific video. The client reproduces the entire video by rendering the compressed video within the virtual set using the positional data.

Claims

1. A method for distributing video over a network for display on a client device, the method comprising:

storing model data representing a set in which action occurs;

generating video data representing action occurring;

capturing positional data representing a position of a camera during the action in generated video; and

transmitting from a server to the client device as separate data items the model data, generated video, and positional data, to thereby enable the client device to reproduce and display a video comprising the action occurring at certain positions within the set.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting the model data in advance of the video and positional data.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising the client device persistently storing the transmitted model data for use with a plurality of video and positional data items.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising, prior to transmission to the client, cropping the generated video data to eliminate some or all portions of the video in which no action occurs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein cropping the generated video data comprises matting the video to separate the action from other portions of the video data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein matting the video comprises generating a high contrast black and white image of the video wherein a white portion of the image represents the action, and cropping out all or part of a black portion of the image.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating a high contrast image comprises processing the video using a chroma keyer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the video data comprises recording action occurring in front of a blue screen, and wherein generating the high contrast image comprises using a chroma keyer on the recorded video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing positional data comprises capturing data representing the position of the camera with respect to the action in the video data.

10. A method for receiving video over a network and presenting it on a client device, the method comprising:

receiving from a server as separate data items model data representing a set in which action occurs, video data representing action occurring, and positional data representing the position of the camera during the action in the generated video;

rendering the video data within the set at a position within the set determined using the positional data to thereby produce the video; and

presenting the video on a client device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the model data comprises graphical data representing a three-dimensional virtual set.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the graphical data is configured to be rendered as a two-dimensional image at a plurality of viewing angles relative to a virtual camera.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the positional data comprises orientation data representing the position of the virtual camera relative to the action in the video data, and wherein rendering the video data within the set comprises selecting a viewing angle for the set using at least the orientation data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein rendering the video data within the set comprises mapping the video data as a texture map onto the model data.

15. A method for distributing video over a network, the video representing an actor in motion, the set being represented in a three-dimensional rotatable model stored on a client connected to the network, the method comprising:

eliminating all or part of the video not containing the actor including matting the video to separate the actor from other parts of the video;

transmitting from a server to the client as separate data items the video and positional data representing the position of the real camera relative to the actor in the video;

the client receiving the video and positional data;

the client determining based upon the positional data whether to rotate the three-dimensional model of the set to properly orient the video therein, and rotating the model accordingly;

the client rendering the video within the rotated model at a depth determined based upon the positional data; and

the client presenting the rendered video and set.

16. A system for preparing a video for distribution over a network to one or more clients, the video containing one or more actors, the system comprising:

a positional data capturing system for capturing position data representing a position of the one camera relative to the actors in the video;

a video compression system for reducing the video by eliminating all or a portion of the video not containing the actor, the video compression system including a matting system for matting the video to separate the actor from other parts of the video; and

a transmission system for transmitting compressed video in association with corresponding positional data in association with model data representing a set within which the video is rendered for presentation by one or more clients.