Method and apparatus for transmitting video and graphics in a compressed form

• US 20040261104A1
• Filed: 10/28/2003
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gordon, Donald F., Edmonds, Jeremy S., Bayrakeri, Sadik, Ludvig, Edward A., Gershtein, Eugene, Comito, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,380,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 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 21/426 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 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• 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 21/8146 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

Abstract

An apparatus for compressing and transmitting both video and graphics portions of an interactive program guide (IPG). For an IPG that comprises a graphics portion and at least one video portion having audio associated with the video portion, the apparatus separately encodes the video and audio portion and the graphics portion. The video portion is slice-base encoded using a predictive encoder that produces a bitstream comprising intra-coded picture slices and predictive-coded picture slices. The graphics portion is separately slice-base encoded to produce encoded slices of the graphics image. To transmit an IPG, a transport stream is created containing the intra-coded and predicted picture streams as well as the encoded slices that comprise a graphics image that is to be included in the IPG. The receiver reassembles the components of the IPG into a comprehensive IPG.

Claims

1. An encoder apparatus comprising:

a video processor for encoding a video sequence;

a graphics processor for producing a plurality of encoded graphics slices;

means, coupled to said video processor and said graphics processor, for selectively producing for transmission a bitstream comprising said encoded video, associated encoded audio, and said encoded graphics slices; and

a controller, coupled to said video processor and said graphics processor, for selecting the graphics slices to be included in said bitstream and for adjusting the slice boundaries.

2. The encoder apparatus of claim 1 wherein said video processor comprises a video encoder and an audio encoder.

3. The encoder apparatus of claim 1 wherein said graphics processor comprises a database for storing said graphics slices.

4. The encoder apparatus of claim 1 wherein said video is a video portion of an interactive program guide and said encoded graphics slices represent a plurality of guide portions for said interactive program guide.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said video processing comprises

a compositor unit;

and

an encoder unit.

5. Apparatus for distributing an interactive program guide comprising:

an encoder, for encoding at least one video sequence having associated audio as an encoded audio and video portion, and guide graphics as an encoded guide graphics portion, said encoder comprising an audio encoder, a video processor and a graphics processor, wherein said video processor comprises a compositor unit for receiving video information and an encoder unit coupled to said compositor unit;

at least one modem, for transmitting said encoded video and guide graphics portions through a head end channel;

local neighborhood equipment, coupled to said head end channel, for selecting said encoded video portion and said encoded guide graphics portion and producing a transport stream comprising said encoded video portion and said encoded guide graphics portion;

a network, for carrying said transport stream to at least one receiver; and

at least one receiver, coupled to said network, for processing said transport stream to form an interactive program guide.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said graphics processor comprises:

a guide data grid generator for receiving guide information;

a guide encoder coupled to said guide data grid generator; and

a slice form grid page database coupled to said guide encoder.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said encoder produces a plurality of encoded video portions and a plurality of encoded guide graphics portions that are made available to said local neighborhood equipment.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said local neighborhood equipment further comprises:

a modem;

a slice combiner;

a multiplexer; and

modulator.

10. Apparatus for distributing an interactive program guide (IPG) comprising:

an encoder assembly having a video processor for encoding at least one video sequence of said IPG and audio associated with said video sequence-as an encoded video and audio portion, and a graphics processor for encoding guide graphics of said IPG as an encoded guide graphics portion;

means for selecting said encoded video and audio portion and said encoded guide graphics portion, and producing a transport stream comprising said encoded video and audio portion and said encoded guide graphics portion;

a network for carrying said transport stream to at least one receiver; and

at least one receiver, coupled to said network, for processing said transport stream to form an interactive program guide;

wherein said graphics processor comprises;

a guide data grid generator;

a guide encoder; and

a slice form grid page database.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said encoder assembly produces a plurality of encoded video and audio portions and a plurality of encoded guide graphics portions that are made available to said local neighborhood equipment.