Multimedia network picture-in-picture

• US 20040168185A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Read, Christopher Jensen, Dawson, Thomas Patrick
• Application Number:
  US10/373,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20040168185A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234345 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• 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 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A content server consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention has a mechanism for receiving a picture-in-picture communication to initiate a picture-in-picture function. A video image scaler, responsive to the picture-in-picture communication, scales a secondary video image to produce a reduced size secondary video image. A secondary video image embedder embeds the reduced size secondary video image into a main video image to produce a picture-in-picture video image. A video encoder encodes the analog picture-in-picture video image into a digital video format to produce a digital picture-in-picture video image. A packetizer and streamer packetizes the digital picture-in-picture video image into Internet protocol (IP) packets to form a packetized data stream and addresses the Internet protocol packets to the target networked device prior to transmitting.

Claims

1. A method of realizing a networked picture-in-picture (PIP) function at a content server, comprising:

receiving a picture-in-picture communication that initiates a picture-in-picture function,

responsive to the picture-in-picture communication scaling a secondary video image to produce a reduced size secondary video image;

embedding the reduced size secondary video image into a main video image to produce a picture-in-picture video image; and

transmitting the picture-in-picture video image to a target networked device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the picture-in-picture video image comprises an analog picture-in-picture video image.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

encoding the analog picture-in-picture video image into a digital video format to produce a digital picture-in-picture video image;

formatting the digital picture-in-picture video image into Internet protocol (IP) packets to form a packetized data stream; and

addressing the Internet protocol packets to the target networked device prior to transmitting.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the digital video format comprises one of a JVT compliant format and an MPEG compliant format.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the picture-in-picture video image comprises a digital picture-in-picture video image.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

formatting the digital picture-in-picture video image into Internet protocol (IP) packets to form a packetized data stream; and

addressing the Internet protocol packets to the target networked device prior to transmitting.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the digital picture-in-picture video image is formatted as one of a JVT compliant format and an MPEG compliant format.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the picture-in-picture communication comprises a command to the content server.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the command specifies a location and size of the secondary video image.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the picture-in-picture communication comprises a dialog in which a location and size of the secondary image is specified.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the dialog is implemented using a markup language.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the content server sending an acknowledgment message in response to the picture-in-picture communication.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the picture-in-picture video image is created using a default size and location for the secondary video image.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises routing the picture-in-picture video image to a target networked device based upon an Internet Protocol address.

15. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out a method of realizing a networked picture-in-picture function at a content server according to claim 1.

16. A content server, comprising:

means for receiving a picture-in-picture communication to initiate a picture-in-picture function;

a video image scaler that, responsive to the picture-in-picture communication scales a secondary video image to produce a reduced size secondary video image;

a secondary video image embedder that embeds the reduced size secondary video image into a main video image to produce a picture-in-picture video image; and

a network interface that transmits the picture-in-picture video image to a target networked device.

17. The content server according to claim 16, wherein the picture-in-picture video image comprises an analog picture-in-picture video image.

18. The content server according to claim 17, further comprising:

a video encoder that encodes the analog picture-in-picture video image into a digital video format to produce a digital picture-in-picture video image;

a packetizer and streamer that packetizes the digital picture-in-picture video image into Internet protocol (IP) packets to form a packetized data stream and addresses the Internet protocol packets to the target networked device prior to transmitting.

19. The content server according to claim 18, wherein the digital video format comprises one of a JVT compliant format and an MPEG compliant format.

20. The content server according to claim 16, wherein the picture-in-picture video image comprises a digital picture-in-picture video image.

21. The content server according to claim 20, further comprising:

a packetizer and streamer that packetizes the digital picture-in-picture video image into Internet protocol (IP) packets to form a packetized data stream, and addresses the Internet protocol packets to the target networked device prior to transmitting.

22. The content server according to claim 20, wherein the digital picture-in-picture video image is formatted as one of a JVT compliant format and an MPEG compliant format.

23. The content server according to claim 16, wherein the picture-in-picture communication comprises a command to the content server.

24. The content server according to claim 23, wherein the command specifies a location and size of the secondary image.

25. The content server according to claim 16, wherein the picture-in-picture communication comprises a dialog in which a location and size of the secondary image is specified.

26. The content server according to claim 25, wherein the dialog is implemented using a markup language.

27. The content server according to claim 16, wherein the content server sends an acknowledgment message in response to the picture-in-picture communication.

28. The content server according to claim 16, further comprising switching means for switching a signal the video image scaler as a secondary video image.

29. The content server according to claim 28, wherein the switching means further switches a signal representing the main video image to the secondary video image embedder.

30. The content server according to claim 16, further comprising a router connected to the network interface for routing the picture-in-picture video image to a target network device based upon an Internet Protocol address.

31. A content server, comprising:

a user interface receiving a picture-in-picture communication to initiate a picture-in-picture function, wherein the picture-in-picture communication specifies a location and size of the secondary video image;

a video image scaler that, responsive to the picture-in-picture communication scales a secondary video image to produce a reduced size secondary video image;

a secondary image embedder that embeds the reduced size secondary video image into a main video image to produce a picture-in-picture video image;

switching means for switching a signal carrying content to the video image scaler as the secondary video image and for switching a signal carrying content representing the main video image to the secondary video image embedder;

a packetizer and streamer that formats the picture-in-picture image into Internet protocol (IP) packets to form a packetized data stream, and that addresses the Internet protocol packets to the target networked device prior to transmitting;

a router;

a network interface that transmits the picture-in-picture image to the router; and

wherein the router routes the picture-in-picture video image to a target networked device based upon an Internet Protocol address.

32. The content server according to claim 31, further comprising a video digital video encoder that encodes the picture-in-picture video image into a digital format prior to formatting to IP packets.

33. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the main video image is in a digital format.

34. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the secondary video image is in a digital format.

35. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the secondary video image is encoded into a digital format after being scaled as an analog video image.

36. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the main video image is encoded into a digital format prior to embedding the secondary video image.

37. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the secondary video image is an analog video image that is scaled as an analog video image, and wherein the main video image is also an analog video image, and wherein the embedding is carried out on the analog images to produce an analog picture-in-picture video image.

38. The content server according to claim 37, further comprising a digital video encoder that encodes the analog picture-in-picture video image into a digital format.

39. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the picture-in-picture communication comprises a command to the content server.

40. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the picture-in-picture communication comprises a dialog in which a location and size of the secondary image is specified.

41. The content server according to claim 31, wherein the content server sends an acknowledgment message in response to the picture-in-picture communication.