System for abstracting audio-video codecs

• US 20060242551A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Maciesowicz, Maciej, Smith, Derek, Pickford, David, Steinglass, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• 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 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence

Abstract

A game system utilizes a codecs abstraction laver (CAL) to allow the game system to accommodate new and/or modified codecs without requiring the game application code to be modified. The CAL, functioning as an application programming interface (API), operates between media sources and the game application. The game application interacts with the CAL and not the codec. Differences between codecs are transparent to the game application. New codecs can be introduced and used by existing applications without modifying the existing application code. The CAL processes media from a variety of sources such as memory, files, http sources, queues, custom sources, external drives, or game media sources (e.g., XMedia). The CAL determines the source of the media, the type of media being received (e.g., audio, video, image, animation, or game), and the codec used to compress the media. The CAL provides the decoded media to the game application.

Claims

1. A method for providing media to a media player, said method comprising:

receiving encoded media from at least one of a plurality of media sources, said encoded media being encoded in accordance with at least one of a predetermined number of encoding techniques;

decoding said encoded media in accordance with a respective predetermined decoding technique; and

rendering said decoded media via at least one of a plurality of media players, said plurality of media players comprising at least one game media player, wherein modification of at least one of said encoding and decoding techniques requires no modification of said game media player.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

formatting said received encoded media in accordance with a predetermined format; and

providing said formatted encoded media for decoding.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of media sources comprises at least one of a file, memory, an http source, a queue, a custom source, a network, and a game media source.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said encoded media comprises at least one of encoded audio media, encoded video media, encoded image media, encoded animation media, and encoded game media.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said media is formatted in accordance with at least one of WAV, MP3, AAC, MP4, WMA, PAC, DPCM, ADPCM, JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.

19. An API in accordance with claim 5, wherein said media is formatted in accordance with at least one of WAV, MP3, AAC, MP4, WMA, PAC, DPCM, ADPCM, JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.

6. A system for providing media to a media player, said system comprising:

a receiver for;

receiving encoded media from at least one of a plurality of media sources; and

providing said encoded media in a predetermined format, said encoded media being encoded in accordance with at least one of a predetermined number of encoding techniques;

a decoder for;

receiving said formatted media; and

respectively decoding said formatted media in accordance with said at least one of

a predetermined number of decoding techniques; and

a renderer for;

receiving said decoded media; and

rendering said decoded media via at least one of a plurality of media players, said plurality of media players comprising at least one game media player, wherein modification of at least one of said encoding and decoding techniques requires no modification of said game media player.

7. A system in accordance with claim 6, further comprising at least one memory queue, each memory queue for:

receiving decoded media decoded in accordance with a respective one of said predetermined number of decoding techniques; and

providing said decoded media to said renderer.

8. A system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said plurality of media sources comprises at least one of a file, memory, an http source, a queue, a custom source, a network, and a game media source.

9. A system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said encoded media comprises at least one of encoded audio media, encoded video media, encoded image media, encoded animation media, and encoded game media.

10. A system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said media is formatted in accordance with at least one of WAV, MP3, AAC, MP4, WMA, PAC, DPCM, ADPCM, JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.

11. A system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said rendered media comprises at least one of audio media, video media, image media, movie media, and game media.

12. A system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said media player comprises at least one of an audio media player, a video media player, a moving video media player, a DVD, a CD, and a game media player.

13. An application programming interface (API) for providing media to a media player, said API comprising:

a stream object for receiving encoded media from at least one of a plurality of media sources and for providing said encoded media in a predetermined format, said encoded media being encoded in accordance with at least one of a predetermined number of encoding techniques;

a decoder object for receiving said formatted media and for respectively decoding said formatted media in accordance with said at least one of a predetermined number of decoding techniques; and

a renderer object for receiving said decoded media and rendering said decoded media via at least one of a plurality of media players, said plurality of media players comprising at least one game media player.

14. An API in accordance with claim 13, wherein encoding techniques are extensible within said predetermined number of encoding techniques without modifying an application interfaced to said API.

15. An API in accordance with claim 13, wherein decoding techniques are extensible within said predetermined number of decoding techniques without modifying an application interfaced to said API.

16. An API in accordance with claim 13, further comprising at least one memory queue, each memory queue for:

receiving decoded media decoded in accordance with a respective one of said predetermined number of decoding techniques; and

providing said decoded media to said renderer.

17. An API in accordance with claim 13, wherein said plurality of media sources comprises at least one of a file, memory, an http source, a queue, a custom source, a network, and a game media source.

18. An API in accordance with claim 13, wherein said encoded media comprises at least one of encoded audio media, encoded video media, encoded image media, encoded animation media, and encoded game media.

20. An API in accordance with claim 13, wherein said rendered media comprises at least one of audio media, video media, image media, movie media, and game media.