Communication terminals that vary a video stream based on how it is displayed

• US 20060203080A1
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lessing, Simon, Hansson, Emil
• Granted Patent: US 7,535,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234354 by altering signal-to-noise ratio parameters, e.g. requantization
• 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 21/6379 directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A communication terminal includes a communication module, a camera device, a display device, and a controller. The communication module receives a display characteristic command and an input video data stream from a remotely located other communication terminal and sends an output video data stream thereto. The camera device generates an initial video data stream based on incident light. The display device displays a received input video data stream from the remote communication terminal. The controller generates the output video data stream based on the initial video data stream and a received display characteristic command from the remote communication terminal.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising:

a communication module that is configured to receive a display characteristic command and an input video data stream from a remotely located other communication terminal and to send an output video data stream thereto;

a camera device that is configured to generate an initial video data stream based on incident light;

a display device that is configured to display a received input video data stream from the remote communication terminal; and

a controller that is configured to generate the output video data stream based on the initial video data stream and a received display characteristic command from the remote communication terminal.

2. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the received display characteristic command is indicative of a resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal; and

the controller is further configured to vary a resolution at which the output video data stream represents the initial video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

3. The communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to compress the initial video data stream to generate the output video data stream using a compression rate that varies responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

4. The communication terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to compress the initial video data stream to generate the output video data stream using a lossy data compression algorithm that provides a variable quality of video, and wherein the quality of video is varied responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

5. The communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to vary a frame rate of the output video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

6. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the received display characteristic command is indicative of a frame rate at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal; and

the controller is further configured to vary a frame rate of the output video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the frame rate at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

7. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the received display characteristic command is indicative of a frame rate at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal; and

the controller is further configured to vary a resolution of the output video data stream relative to the initial video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the frame rate at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

8. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the received display characteristic command is indicative of whether the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal; and

the controller is further configured to selectively transmit or not transmit the output video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of whether the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

9. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the communication module comprises a wireless communication module that is configured to receive the display characteristic command and the input video data stream over a wireless communication interface from the remote communication terminal and to transmit the output video data stream thereto over the wireless communication interface.

10. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to vary a maximum amount of data bandwidth of the wireless communication interface that is to transmit the output video data stream to the remote communication terminal responsive to the received display characteristic command.

11. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein:

the received display characteristic command is indicative of a resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal; and

the controller is further configured to vary a resolution of the output video data stream based on the initial video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the resolution at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

12. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein

the received display characteristic command is indicative of a frame rate at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal;

and

the controller is further configured to vary a frame rate of the output video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of the frame rate at which the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

13. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein:

the received display characteristic command is indicative of whether the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal; and

the controller is further configured to selectively transmit or not transmit the output video data stream responsive to the indication by the received display characteristic command of whether the output video data stream will be displayed on the remote communication terminal.

14. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to receive an input audio data stream from the remote communication terminal and to send an output audio data stream thereto, and further comprising:

a microphone that is configured to generate the output audio data stream responsive to incident sound; and

a speaker that is configured to generate sound responsive to the input audio data stream.

15. A communication terminal comprising:

a communication module that is configured to receive an input video data stream from a remotely located other communication terminal and to send a display characteristic command and an output video data stream thereto;

a camera device that is configured to generate the output video data stream based on incident light;

a display device that is configured to display a received input video data stream from the remote communication terminal according to a variable video resolution and/or a variable video frame rate; and

a controller that is configured to control the display device to display the input video data stream with a particular one of the variable video resolutions and/or a particular one of the variable video frame rates, and to generate the display characteristic command so that it is indicative to the remote communication terminal of the particular video resolution and/or the particular video frame rate at which the input video data stream is displayed on the display.

16. The communication terminal of claim 15, further comprising a user interface through which a user can generate a command to change a size of a portion of the display device that is used to display the input video data stream, and wherein the controller is further configured to vary the particular video resolution and/or the particular video frame rate at which the display device displays the input video data stream responsive to the indication from a user via the user interface, and to generate the display characteristic command so that it is indicative to the remote communication terminal of the particular video resolution and/or the particular video frame rate at which the input video data stream is displayed on the display.

17. The communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to command the remote communication terminal through the display characteristic command to compress the video data stream sent to the communication terminal using a compression rate that varies responsive to the indication by the display characteristic command of the particular video resolution and/or the particular video frame rate at which the input video data stream is displayed on the display.

18. The communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to command the remote communication terminal through the display characteristic command to compress the video data stream sent to the communication terminal using a lossy data compression algorithm that provides a variable quality of video which is varied responsive to the indication by the display characteristic command of the particular video resolution and/or the particular video frame rate at which the input video data stream is displayed on the display.

19. The communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to command the remote communication terminal through the display characteristic command to vary a video frame rate of the video data stream that is sent to the communication terminal as the input video data stream responsive to the indication by the display characteristic command of the particular resolution and/or the particular video frame rate at which the input video data stream is displayed on the display.

20. The communication terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to selectively display or not display the input video data stream on the display device responsive to a command from a user, and to command the remote communication terminal through the display characteristic command to stop sending the input video data stream when the controller does not display the input video data stream on the display device.

21. The communication terminal of claim 15, wherein the communication module comprises a wireless communication module that is configured to receive the input video data stream from the remote communication terminal over a wireless communication interface and to transmit the display characteristic command over the wireless communication interface.

22. The communication terminal of claim 21, wherein the controller is configured to command the remote communication terminal through the display characteristic command to vary a maximum amount of data bandwidth of the wireless communication interface that it uses to transmit the video data stream to the communication module of the communication terminal.