Video network

• US 20060146184A1
• Filed: 01/16/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chen, Jian-Rong, Wilson, Daniel, Compton, Matthew, Gillard, Clive Henry
• Application Number:
  US10/542,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146184A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/398.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/352 Gigabit ethernet switching [GBPS]

Abstract

A video network comprises: a plurality of video sources to launch onto the network first, higher resolution, video data and second, lower resolution, video data providing a lower resolution representation of the higher resolution video data; at least one destination device operable to process video received via the network; a network switch for selectively routing data from the video sources to the destination devices; and a network control arrangement connected to the network switch and having: a display device; a graphical user interface (GUI) arranged to display, on the display device, the lower resolution representations of video data from at least a subset of the plurality of sources together with identifiers associating the lower resolution representations with the respective sources; means for user selection, by use of the GUI, of a source of video of the higher resolution and a corresponding destination device; and means for controlling the routing of the higher resolution video data from the selected video source to the selected destination device.

Claims

1. A video network comprising:

a plurality of video sources to launch onto the network first, higher resolution, video data and second, lower resolution, video data providing a lower resolution representation of the higher resolution video data;

at least one destination device operable to process video received via the network;

a network switch for selectively routing data from the video sources to the destination devices; and

a network control arrangement connected to the network switch and having;

a display device;

a graphical user interface (GUI) arranged to display, on the display device, the lower resolution representations of video data from at least a subset of the plurality of sources together with identifiers associating the lower resolution representations with the respective sources;

means for user selection, by use of the GUI, of a source of video of the higher resolution and a corresponding destination device; and

means for controlling the routing of the higher resolution video data from the selected video source to the selected destination device.

2. A network according to claim 1, in which the network control arrangement comprises a personal computer.

3. A network according to claim 1, in which the display device is arranged to display a plurality of display areas, each display area displaying the lower resolution representation from a respective video source, together with the associated identifier.

4. A network according to claim 1, in which the GUI provides one or more user-operable switches, identified by the identifiers, for selecting a destination device to be connected to a selected video source.

5. A network according to claim 4, in which:

the network control arrangement comprises a user input device for selecting display screen areas; and

the user operable switches are display screen areas selectable by the user input device.

6. A network according to claim 4, in which:

the display screen is a touch-sensitive display screen; and

the user operable switches are display screen areas selectable by the user touching those display screen areas.

7. A network according to claim 4, in which the network control arrangement comprises a plurality of user-operable buttons, the buttons corresponding to video sources and/or destination devices for selection.

8. A network according to claim 4, in which the GUI provides at least one selection display area and is arranged so that a source is selected for connection to a destination by dragging and dropping a displayed representation corresponding to that video source into the selection display area.

9. A network according to claim 1, the network being a packet-based network in which the video sources are associated with different respective multicast groups.

10. A network according to claim 9, in which sources are associated with at least two respective multicast groups, one multicast group being associated with the higher resolution video from that source and another multicast group being associated with the lower resolution video from that source.

11. A network according to claim 9, in which the network control arrangement controls routing from a selected video source to a selected destination device by sending a message to the destination device to cause the destination device to join the multicast group of the selected source.

12. A network according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of destination devices.

13. A network according to claim 1, in which at least one destination device comprises a video switching device.

14. A network according to claim 1, in which at least one destination device comprises a video display device.

15. A network according to claim 1, in which at least one video source comprises a video tape recorder.

16. A network according to claim 1, in which at least one video source comprises a video camera.

17. A network according to claim 1, in which:

at least one of the video sources and/or destination devices is arranged to launch status packets providing device status information onto the network; and

the GUI is arranged to display such status information in association with a representation of that device.

18. A network according to claim 1, in which:

the GUI provides user controls to control the operation of at least one of the video sources and/or destination devices; and

the network control arrangement is operable to transmit control packets providing control information to such a device.

19. A network according to claim 1, in which the network control arrangement is arranged to provide access to different respective subsets of representations and/or control functionality to different users of the network.

20. A video network control arrangement for use in a video network having a plurality of video sources to launch onto the network first, higher resolution, video data and second, lower resolution, video data providing a lower resolution representation of the higher resolution video data;

at least one destination device operable to process video received via the network; and

a network switch, connectable to the network controller, for selectively routing data from the video sources to the destination devices;

the network control arrangement comprising;

a graphical user interface (GUI) arranged to display, on a display device, the lower resolution representations of video data from at least a subset of the plurality of sources together with identifiers associating the lower resolution representations with the respective sources;

means for user selection, by use of the GUI, of a source of video of the higher resolution and a corresponding destination device; and

means for controlling the routing of the higher resolution video data from the selected video source to the selected destination device.

21. A network control arrangement according to claim 20, comprising a display device.

22. A method of operation of a video network controller in a video network having a plurality of video sources to launch onto the network first, higher resolution, video data and second, lower resolution, video data providing a lower resolution representation of the higher resolution video data;

at least one destination device operable to process video received via the network; and

a network switch, connectable to the network controller, for selectively routing data from the video sources to the destination devices;

the method comprising;

displaying, on a display device, the lower resolution representations of video data from at least a subset of the plurality of sources together with identifiers associating the lower resolution representations with the respective sources;

providing user selection of a source of video of the higher resolution and a corresponding destination device; and

controlling the routing of the higher resolution video data from the selected video source to the selected destination device.

23. Computer software having program code for carrying out a method according to claim 22.

24. A medium by which software according to claim 23 is provided.

25. A medium according to claim 24, the medium being a storage medium.

26. A medium according to claim 24, the medium being a transmission medium.