System and method of displaying a video stream

• US 20060123445A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Sullivan, Marc Andrew, Kortum, Philip Ted, Brandt, Jeffrey Lewis
• Granted Patent: US 7,474,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/427 Display on the fly, e.g. simultaneous writing to and reading from decoding memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44029 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56

Abstract

The present disclosure is generally directed to a video stream processing system and to a method of displaying a video stream. In a particular embodiment, the method includes receiving a video stream to be displayed on a display device. During a first time period, a low resolution version of the video stream is displayed while a full resolution version of the video stream is being recovered. The method further includes synchronizing the low resolution version of the video stream with the full resolution version of the video stream, and, during a second time period after the first time period, switching between display of the low resolution version of the video stream to display of the full resolution version of the video stream.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a video stream, the method comprising:

receiving a video stream to be displayed on a display device;

during a first time period, displaying a low resolution version of the video stream while recovering a full resolution version of the video stream;

synchronizing the low resolution version of the video stream with the full resolution version of the video stream; and

during a second time period after the first time period, switching between display of the low resolution version of the video stream to display of the full resolution version of the video stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device is a television.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first period is less than three seconds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a full resolution audio signal is provided to the display device during the first time period while displaying the low resolution version of the video stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a video quality of the full resolution version of the video stream is higher than a video quality of the low resolution version of the video stream.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising temporarily displaying a blurred image while switching between the low resolution version to the full resolution version of the video stream.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a channel change request and wherein the first time period begins within one hundred milliseconds after detecting the channel change request.

8. A method of displaying a video stream, the method comprising:

detecting a channel change;

receiving a video stream corresponding to a changed channel, the video stream to be displayed on a display device;

during a first time period, displaying a first version of the video stream while recovering a second version of the video stream, the first version of the video stream having a lower video display quality than the second version of the video stream;

synchronizing the first version of the video stream with the second version of the video stream; and

switching between display of the first version of the video stream to display the second version of the video stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising during a third time period, displaying a third version of the video stream, the third version having higher video display quality than the second version.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first version, the second version, and the third version together comprise a progressive stream of the video stream.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the video stream is an encoded digital video signal.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first version has a reduced color set than the second version.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first version has a reduced spectral frequency than the second version.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first version has a degraded visual parameter with respect to the second version.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the first time period begins no more than 100 milliseconds after the detected channel change.

16. A method of displaying a video stream, the method comprising:

detecting a channel change;

receiving a video stream to be displayed on a display device;

during a first time period, displaying a still image associated with the video stream while recovering the video stream; and

switching between display of the still image to display of the video stream as a full motion video display.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein an audio signal is provided to the display device during the first time period.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the still image comprises a title screen.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the still image comprises a frame from the video stream.

20. A video stream processing system comprising:

a user interface to detect a channel change request;

a video detection module responsive to the user interface, the video detection module to receive a video stream to be displayed on a display device;

a video generation module responsive to the video detection module, the video generation module to communicate to the display device a first version of the video stream while the video detection module recovers a second version of the video stream, the first version of the video stream having a lower video display quality than the second version of the video stream, the video generation module including synchronization logic to synchronize the first version of the video stream with the second version of the video stream; and

wherein, the video generation module switches between communicating the first version of the video stream to communicate the second version of the video stream to the display device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first version is a low resolution version of the video stream and the second version is a higher resolution version of the video stream.

22. A video stream processing system comprising:

a user interface responsive to a channel change request;

a video detection module responsive to the user interface, the video detection module to receive a video stream to be displayed on a display device; and

a display generation module responsive to the video detection module and coupled to the display device, the display generation module to generate a still image associated with the video stream while the video detection module is recovering the video stream, and after a time period, the display generation module switches between generation of the still image to generation of the video stream for display as a full motion video on the display device.