Method and apparatus for generating a mosaic style electronic program guide

• US 20030014752A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Olkha, Lev, Zaslavsky, Eduard
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

In one embodiment, there is provided a method for operating a decoder. The method comprises receiving, on a first channel, an electronic program guide data stream comprising multiple video streams which have been encoded and multiplexed for transmission on the first channel, each video stream comprising a low resolution version of a high resolution video stream which is being simultaneously received on a separate channel; decoding the electronic program guide data stream into frames, each frame defining a mosaic-style image comprising image areas for images in the electronic program guide data stream corresponding to images from each of the multiple video streams; and displaying each of the frames on a display screen coupled to the decoder.

Claims

1. A method for generating electronic program guide data, the method comprising:

combining a number of input video streams into a single output video stream; and

transmitting the single output video stream to a plurality of receivers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each input video stream comprises low resolution images corresponding to high resolution images of a video stream to be televised on a particular channel.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating each input video stream.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating each input video stream comprises applying a size conversion function to each video stream to be televised in order to reduce a resolution of the images therein.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the input video streams comprises encoding and multiplexing the input video streams into the single output video stream, the single output video stream comprising data packets identified by a unique packet identifier.

6. A method for operating a decoder, the method comprising:

receiving, on a first channel, an electronic program guide data stream comprising multiple video streams which have been encoded and multiplexed for transmission on the first channel, each video stream comprising a low resolution version of a high resolution video stream which is being simultaneously received on a separate channel;

decoding the electronic program guide data stream into frames, each frame defining a mosaic-style image comprising image areas for images in the electronic program guide data stream corresponding to images from each of the multiple video streams; and

displaying each of the frames on a display screen coupled to the decoder.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each frame is displayed on a portion of the display screen, the method further comprising displaying images associated with a selected channel on a remainder of the display screen.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating and displaying a border around each image area within a frame.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving user input to select a particular image area within a frame for display;

and selecting the particular image area based on the user input.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising highlighting those image areas within a frame which a user has selected.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying images from a selected image area on a corresponding predefined area of the display screen.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the corresponding predefined area comprises a surface of a multi-dimensional object.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the decoded electronic program guide data stream in a memory as a texture map mapping images from each selected image area to a corresponding surface of the object;

and displaying the images from the selected image areas comprises binding images from each selected image area to its corresponding surface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each input video stream comprises low resolution images corresponding to high resolution images of a video stream to be televised on a particular channel.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising an image processing circuit to generate each input video stream.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image processing circuit comprises a size conversion circuit to reduce a resolution of the images in each video stream to be televised.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the combining circuit comprises an encoding and multiplexing circuit to encode and multiplex the input video streams into the single output video stream comprising data packets identified by a unique packet identifier.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the display circuit displays each frame in a portion of the display screen and simultaneously displays images associated with a selected channel on a remainder of the display screen.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the display circuit generates a border around each image area within a frame.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising an input circuit to receive user input selecting a particular image area within a frame for display, and to select the particular image area in response to the user input.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the display circuit highlights those image areas within a frame which a user has selected.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the display circuit displays images from a selected image area on a corresponding predefined area of the display screen.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the corresponding predefined area comprises a surface of a multi-dimensional object.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising a memory to store the decoded electronic program guide data stream as a texture map mapping images from each selected image area to a corresponding surface of the object.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the display circuit displays the images from the selected image areas by binding the images for each selected image area to its corresponding surface.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein each input video stream comprises low resolution images corresponding to high resolution images of a video stream to be televised on a particular channel.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising video processing means for generating each input video stream.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein video processing means operates to apply a size conversion function to each video stream to be televised in order to reduce a resolution of the images therein.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the combining means operates to encode and multiplex the input video streams into the single output video stream comprising data packets identified by a unique packet identifier.

14. A system for generating electronic program guide data, the system comprising:

a combining circuit to combine a number of input video streams into a single output video stream; and

a transmission circuit to transmit the single output video stream to a plurality of receivers.

19. A system comprising:

a receiving circuit to receive on a first channel, an electronic program guide data stream comprising multiple video streams which have been encoded and multiplexed for transmission on the first channel, each video stream comprising a low resolution version of a high resolution video stream which is being simultaneously received on a separate channel;

a decoding circuit to decode the electronic program guide data streams into frames, each frame defining a mosaic-style image comprising image areas for images in the electronic program guide data stream corresponding to images from each of the multiple video streams; and

a display circuit to display each of the frames on a display screen coupled to the system.

28. A system for generating electronic program guide data, the system comprising:

combining means for combining a number of input video streams into a single output video stream; and

transmission means for transmitting the single output video stream to a plurality of receivers.

33. A system comprising:

receiving means for receiving, on a first channel, an electronic program guide data stream comprising multiple video streams which have been encoded and multiplexed for transmission on the first channel, each video stream comprising a low resolution version of a high resolution video stream which is being simultaneously received on a separate channel;

decoding means for decoding the electronic program guide data stream into frames, each frame defining a mosaic-style image comprising image areas for images in the electronic program guide data stream corresponding to images from each of the multiple video streams; and

display means for displaying each of the frames on a display screen coupled to the system.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the display means displays each frame on a portion of the display screen, while displaying images associated with a selected channel on a remainder of the display screen.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the display means displays a border around each image area within a frame.

36. The system of claim 33, further comprising input means for receiving user input to select a particular image area within a frame for display;

and selecting the particular image area based on the user input.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the display means highlights those image areas within a frame which a user has selected.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the display means displays images from a selected image area on a corresponding predefined area of the display screen.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the corresponding predefined area comprises a surface of a multi-dimensional object.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising images storage means for storing the decoded electronic program guide data stream as a texture map mapping images from each selected image area to a corresponding surface of the object, the display means then operating to bind images from each image area to its corresponding surface.