Method and system for providing reduced bandwidth for picture in picture video transmissions

• US 20040184523A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• 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:
  US10/374,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20040184523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A method and system for providing reduced network bandwidth for picture in picture (PIP) video transmissions. The method includes receiving a request signal from a client display to scale a video signal, a server scaling an auxiliary video signal from which pictures presented in an auxiliary display of a client display are derived and the server encoding signals from which pictures presented in a main display and a auxiliary display of said client display are derived. Further, the method includes combining the signals from which pictures presented in the main display and the auxiliary display are derived and the server transmitting to the client display combined signals from which pictures presented in the main display and the auxiliary display are derived. The client then displays the main image and the PIP image.

Claims

1. A method for providing reduced network bandwidth for picture in picture (PIP) video transmissions comprising:

receiving a request signal from a client display to scale a video signal;

scaling an auxiliary video signal from which pictures presented in an auxiliary display of said client display are derived;

digitally encoding signals from which pictures presented in a main display and said auxiliary display of said client display are derived;

multiplexing together said digital signals from which pictures presented in said main display and said auxiliary display are derived; and

transmitting to said client display multiplexed digital signal from which pictures presented in said main display and said auxiliary display are derived.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving is performed by a wireless content server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said scaling is performed by a video scalar of said wireless content server.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising said wireless content server dynamically adjusting parameters according to available bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said parameters comprise frame rate and image quality, wherein said image quality is adjusted according to the level of digital compression that is applied during digital encoding.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said request signal requests additional bandwidth for the main video.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said digital encoding comprises adjusting the amount of bandwidth allocated to the components of the combined signals corresponding to an auxiliary video image and a main video image respectively, wherein said adjusting comprises adjusting parameters according to available bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said digital encoding comprises reducing the bandwidth space allocated to components of the combined signals corresponding to said auxiliary video image and maintaining or increasing the bandwidth space allocated to components of the combined signals corresponding to said main video image.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a multiplexed digital video signal transmitted from said wireless content server;

separating the received signal into separate digital video signals corresponding to auxiliary and main picture images and decoding said digital video signals wherein said digital video signals are organized into a displayable video format; and

presenting picture images corresponding to said auxiliary and main picture images in PIP and main displays respectively of said client display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said main and auxiliary picture images are derived from the same image source, or from independent sources.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein a portion of said main picture image obscured by said PIP image is left blank so as to increase bandwidth space allocated to video signal components corresponding to said main picture image.

12. A computer server comprising a processor and computer useable medium having computer useable code embodied therein causing said processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request signal from a client display to scale a video signal;

scaling an auxiliary video signal from which pictures presented in an auxiliary display of said client display are derived;

digitally encoding signals from which pictures presented in a main display and said auxiliary display of said client display are derived;

multiplexing said digital signals from which pictures presented in said main display and said auxiliary display are derived; and

transmitting to said client display a combined digital signal from which pictures presented in said main display and said auxiliary display are derived.

13. The content server of claim 12, wherein said receiving is performed via a wired network connection.

14. The content server of claim 12, wherein said transmitting is performed wirelessly, by HPNA (Home Phoneline Networkworking Alliance), COAX, or cable.

15. The content server of claim 14, wherein said method further comprises dynamically adjusting parameters according to available bandwidth.

16. The content server of claim 15, wherein said parameters comprise frame rate and image quality of said signals wherein said image quality is adjusted according to the level of digital compression that is applied during digital encoding.

17. The content server of claim 12, wherein said request signal requests additional bandwidth for the main video image.

18. The content server of claim 17, wherein said encoding comprises adjusting the amount of bandwidth space allocated to the components of the combined signals corresponding to an auxiliary video image and a main video image respectively.

19. The content server of claim 18, wherein said encoding comprises reducing the bandwidth space allocated to components of the video output signal corresponding to said auxiliary video image and maintaining or increasing the bandwidth space allocated to components of the video output signal corresponding to said main video image.

20. The content server of claim 19, wherein a portion of said main video image obscured by a picture in picture (PIP) image is left blank so as to increase bandwidth space allocated to video signal components corresponding to said main video image.

21. A system comprising:

a content server accessing a first video signal and a second video signal, said content server comprising;

a first encoder for digitally encoding said first video signal comprising a main image for display on a client display;

a scaler for scaling said second video signal comprising a picture-in-picture (PIP) image for display on said client display, said scaler scaling according to a request signal from said client display; and

a second digital encoder for encoding an output of said scaler, wherein said content server multiplexes together digital signals from both encoders and transmits a digital video signal over a transmission channel wherein said digital video signal comprises an output of said first encoder and an output of said second encoder.

22. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said content server is a wireless content server and wherein said video signal is wirelessly transmitted.

23. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said content server dynamically adjusts image quality of said PIP image according to available bandwidth in said transmission channel.

24. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said scaler scales said second video signal to reduce the size of said PIP image.

25. A system as described in claim 24 wherein said scaler scales said second video signal to also reduce the resolution of said PIP image.

26. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said scaler scales said second video signal to reduce the frame rate of said second video signal.

27. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said encoder reduces the picture quality of said PIP image wherein said image quality corresponds to the level of digital compression that is applied during digital encoding.

28. A system as described in claim 21 wherein said first video signal and said second video signal are supplied from a same video signal source.

29. A system as described in claim 21 further comprising said client display and wherein said client display is for receiving said video signal and for displaying said main image on a display screen and for displaying said PIP image in a portion of said display screen.

30. A system as described in claim 29 wherein said client display is also for communicating a size of said portion of said display screen to said content server via said request signal.

31. A system as described in claim 21 wherein a portion of said main image obscured by said PIP image is left blank so as to increase bandwidth space allocated to video signal components corresponding to said main image.