Temporal slice persistence method and apparatus for delivery of interactive program guide

• US 20040196906A1
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Edmonds, Jeremy S., Gordon, Donald F., Bayrakeri, Sadik, Comito, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/577 Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures
• 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 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• 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 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 : Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 : involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 : involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• 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 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Techniques to efficiently deliver interactive program guide (IPG) to a number of terminals. Each IPG page can be decomposed into a guide portion that is specific to each IPG page and a background portion that is common for all IPG pages. The background portion can be further decomposed into a time-varying video portion and other static portions. One method includes receiving a viewer selection for imagery, where the imagery includes at least one intracoded slice and at least one predictively coded slice, and each of the intracoded and predictively codes slices are associated with respective bitstreams. Packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice of the selected imagery are extracted, and packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one predictively coded slice of the selected imagery are also extracted. The payload portions of the extracted packets are then arranged to form the selected imagery.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a viewer selection for imagery, said imagery including at least one intracoded slice and at least one predictively coded slice, each of said intracoded and predictively codes slices being associated with respective bitstreams;

extracting packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice of the selected imagery;

extracting packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one predictively coded slice of the selected imagery; and

arranging payload portions of the extracted packets to form said selected imagery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said selected imagery comprises a sequence of image frames forming a group of pictures (GOP), said GOP comprising a first image frame primarily formed using intracoded slices and a plurality of subsequent image frames primarily formed using predictively codes slices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said imagery comprises an interactive program guide (IPG) page including a guide portion and a video portion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each bitstream has associated with it a respective packet identifier (PID), said PIDs being used by said steps of extracting to identify bitstreams corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice and the at least one predictively coded slice forming the selected imagery.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending said extracted packets to a decoder for processing.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

modifying packet identifiers (PIDS) associated with said selected imagery to a predetermined PID value prior to said extracting steps.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said modified PIDs are changed to a PID value equal to a lowest PID value associated with said selected imagery.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said extracting steps comprise extracting said packets having said predetermined PID value.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

setting a discontinuity indicator in an adaptation field of a header of a packet that immediately follows a merge point.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein said extracting packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice of the selected imagery, further comprises:

identifying a splice countdown value in an adaptation field of a packet header for packets having PIDs associated with intracoded slices (I-PIDs).

extracting packets having I-PIDs from said bitstream that have a countdown value approaching and including a countdown value of zero; and

sending payloads of said extracted packets having I-PIDs to a decoder for processing.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a splice countdown value in an adaptation field of a packet header for packets having PIDs associated with predictively coded slices (P-PIDs).

extracting packets having P-PIDs from said bitstream that have a countdown value approaching and including a countdown value of zero; and

sending payloads of said extracted packets having P-PIDs to a decoder for processing.

12. Apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a viewer selection for imagery, said imagery including at least one intracoded slice and at least one predictively coded slice, each of said intracoded and predictively codes slices being associated with respective bitstreams;

means for extracting packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice of the selected imagery;

means for extracting packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one predictively coded slice of the selected imagery; and

means for arranging payload portions of the extracted packets to form said selected imagery.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said selected imagery comprises a sequence of image frames forming a group of pictures (GOP), said GOP comprising a first image frame primarily formed using intracoded slices and a plurality of subsequent image frames primarily formed using predictively codes slices.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said imagery comprises an interactive program guide (IPG) page including a guide portion and a video portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

each bitstream has associated with it a respective packet identifier (PID), said PIDs being used by said steps of extracting to identify bitstreams corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice and the at least one predictively coded slice forming the selected imagery.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

sending said extracted packets to a decoder for processing.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

modifying packet identifiers (PIDs) associated with said selected imagery to a predetermined PID value prior to said extracting steps.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said modified PIDs are changed to a PID value equal to a lowest PID value associated with said selected imagery.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said extracting steps comprise extracting said packets having said predetermined PID value.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for setting a discontinuity indicator in an adaptation field of a header of a packet that immediately follows a merge point.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said extracting packets from the at least one bitstream corresponding to the at least one intracoded slice of the selected imagery, further comprises:

means for identifying a splice countdown value in an adaptation field of a packet header for packets having PIDs associated with intracoded slices (I-PIDs).

means for extracting packets having I-PIDs from said bitstream that have a countdown value approaching and including a countdown value of zero; and

means for sending payloads of said extracted packets having I-PIDs to a decoder for processing.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for identifying a splice countdown value in an adaptation field of a packet header for packets having PIDs associated with predictively coded slices (P-PIDs).

extracting packets having P-PIDs from said bitstream that have a countdown value approaching and including a countdown value of zero; and

sending payloads of said extracted packets having P-PIDs to a decoder for processing.