System and method for providing an extensible codec architecture for digital images

• US 20060184783A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goel, Rajat, Gurevich, Peter A., Albert, David, Patil, Rahul V., Wlodarczyk, Robert A., Turner, Richard S. Jr., Hodsdon, Anthony John Rolls, Olsen, Thomas W., Richardson, Cyra S., Sinclair, Robert Earl II, Vandenberg, Eric, Krueger, Frank Alva, Magarint, Radu C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/157 Assigned coding mode, i.e. the coding mode being predefined or preselected to be further used for selection of another element or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field

Abstract

An improved system and method for an extensible codec architecture for digital images is provided. Executable software code may be operably coupled to a codec manager for requesting imaging operations to be performed on a digital image. The codec manager may receive the request to perform an imaging operation on the digital image and may select an imaging component, such as a codec, from one or more imaging components registered in the computer system for performing an imaging operation on the digital image. An arbitration manager may include functionality for requesting enumeration of the operations an imaging component may perform on a particular digital image. One or more pixel format converters may then convert the pixel format in the digital image to a pixel format supported by an imaging component installed on the system.

Claims

1. A computer system for performing imaging operations on a digital image, comprising:

executable software code for requesting an imaging operation to be performed on a digital image;

a codec manager operably coupled to the executable software code for receiving the request to perform an imaging operation on the digital image and for selecting an imaging component for performing the requested imaging operation on the digital image from one or more imaging components registered in the computer system; and

an imaging component operably coupled to the codec manager, the imaging component having registered information in the computer system that may indicate that the imaging component may perform imaging operations on the digital image.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising imaging application programming interfaces operably coupled to the executable software code for receiving the request to perform an imaging operation on the digital image.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a codec arbitrator operably coupled to the codec manager for requesting the imaging component to enumerate imaging operations that the imaging component may perform on the digital image.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a pixel format converter operably coupled to the codec manager for converting a pixel format of the digital image to another pixel format.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a registry operably coupled to the codec manager for providing information about imaging components registered in the computer system.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the imaging component operably coupled to the codec manager comprises a codec.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components comprising the system of claim 1.

8. A method in a computer system for performing an imaging operation on a digital image, comprising:

installing an imaging component in the computer system;

registering the imaging component in the computer system so that the imaging component may be discovered for use in performing an imaging operation;

receiving a request for performing an imaging operation on a digital image;

discovering the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image;

selecting the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image; and

using the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining whether to perform a pixel format conversion on the pixel format of the digital image and, if so, performing the pixel format conversion on the digital image.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein installing an imaging component in the computer system comprises installing one or more pixel format converters that may be used to convert the digital image from one pixel format to another pixel format.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein registering the imaging component in the computer system comprises registering one or more pixel formats for which the imaging component may perform operations.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein registering the imaging component in the computer system comprises registering one or more patterns that may be used to determine whether the imaging component may perform the imaging operation on the digital image.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein discovering the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image comprises using information registered by the imaging component in a registry.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein selecting the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image comprises requesting the imaging component to enumerate the imaging operations that the imaging component may perform on the digital image.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein selecting the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image comprises:

instantiating the imaging component;

requesting an enumeration of operations that may be performed by the imaging component on the digital image;

assigning a weight for each operation that may be performed by the imaging component; and

selecting the imaging component for having a greater sum of weights assigned for each operation that may be performed by the imaging component than the sum or weights assigned for each operation that may be performed by another imaging component.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein determining whether to perform a pixel format conversion on the pixel format of the digital image comprises determining that the imaging component selected for performing the imaging operation on the digital image comprises an imaging component that may perform the requested imaging operation for a different pixel format for the image type of the digital image.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein performing the pixel format conversion on the digital image comprises:

searching a list of pixel format converters for one or more pixel format converters that may perform conversion of the pixel format of the digital image to another pixel format;

selecting a combination of one or more pixel format converters for converting the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image; and

performing one or more pixel format conversions using the combination of the one or more pixel format converters to convert the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein selecting the combination of one or more pixel format converters for converting the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image comprises:

determining whether there may be a pixel format converter in the list of pixel format converters that may convert the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image, and if so, selecting the pixel format converter as the combination of the one or more pixel format converters for converting the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image;

if not, determining whether there may be a first pixel format converter in the list of pixel format converters that may convert the pixel format of the digital image to a first intermediate pixel format and whether there may be a second pixel format converter in the list of pixel format converters that may convert the first intermediate pixel format to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image, and if so, selecting the first pixel format converter and the second pixel format converter as the combination of the one or more pixel format converters for converting the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image; and

if not, determining whether there may be a first pixel format converter in the list of pixel format converters that may convert the pixel format of the digital image to a first intermediate pixel format, whether there may be a second pixel format converter in the list of pixel format converters that may convert the first intermediate pixel format to a second intermediate pixel format, and whether there may be a third pixel format converter for converting the second intermediate pixel format to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image, and if so, selecting the first pixel format converter, the second pixel format converter, and the third pixel format converter as the combination of the one or more pixel format converters for converting the pixel format of the digital image to the pixel format supported by the imaging component selected to perform the imaging operation on the digital image.

19. The method of claim 8 wherein using the imaging component for performing the imaging operation on the digital image comprises using a codec for performing the imaging operation on the digital image.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 8.