Video game system using pre-generated motion vectors

• US 20070009035A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sigmund, Ulrich, Craig, Robert, Mercer, Clifford
• Granted Patent: US 9,061,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.160
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/102 characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards

Abstract

A method and related system of generating a frame of video is disclosed. In the method, a request is received. For instance, the request may initiate a video game. A motion search between an object in a subsequent frame of video and the object in a current frame of video is performed. A pre-determined motion vector for the object is selected. The object in the subsequent frame of video may correspond to a set of pre-encoded macro-blocks and the performing the motion search may include searching a corresponding set of macro-blocks associated with the current frame of video. The pre-encoded macro-blocks may be pre-encoded prior to the request. The motion vector may be pre-determined prior to the request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request;

performing a motion search between an object in a subsequent frame of video and the object in a current frame of video; and

selecting a pre-determined motion vector for the object,

wherein the object in the subsequent frame of video corresponds to a set of pre-encoded macro-blocks and the performing the motion search includes searching a set of macro-blocks associated with the current frame of video, and wherein the pre-encoded macro-blocks are pre-encoded prior to the request, and the motion vector is pre-determined prior to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request initiates a video game.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining correction data, wherein the correction data are added to the set of pre-encoded macro-blocks corresponding to the object in the subsequent frame of video.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a predictive macro-block containing the pre-determined motion vector in a data stream, wherein the data stream corresponds to a frame of video.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is an animation sequence.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of macro-blocks associated with the current frame of video includes two macro-blocks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of macro-blocks associated with the current frame of video includes two macro-blocks in a horizontal direction and two macro-blocks in a vertical direction.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving a request;

transmitting a current frame of video corresponding to a first array of macro-blocks; and

for a macro-block of a subsequent frame of video, accessing a pre-determined motion vector pre-determined prior to the request, and when the pre-determined motion vector meets predefined criteria with respect to the current frame and the subsequent frame of video, transmitting the subsequent frame of video including the pre-determined motion vector.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the criteria is an encoding efficiency.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the criteria is an amount of correction data that is less than a predefined threshold.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor; and

a program, wherein the program is stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the program including;

instructions for receiving a request;

instructions for performing a motion search between an object in a subsequent frame of video and the object in a current frame of video; and

instructions for selecting a pre-determined motion vector for the object,

wherein the object in the subsequent frame of video corresponds to a set of pre-encoded macro-blocks and the performing the motion search includes searching a set of macro-blocks associated with the current frame of video, and wherein the pre-encoded macro-blocks are pre-encoded prior to the request, and the motion vector is pre-determined prior to the request.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory means;

a processor means; and

a program mechanism, wherein the program mechanism is stored in the memory means and configured to be executed by the processor means, the program mechanism including;

instructions for receiving a request;

instructions for performing a motion search between an object in a subsequent frame of video and the object in a current frame of video; and

instructions for selecting a pre-determined motion vector for the object,

wherein the object in the subsequent frame of video corresponds to a set of pre-encoded macro-blocks and the performing the motion search includes searching a set of macro-blocks associated with the current frame of video, and wherein the pre-encoded macro-blocks are pre-encoded prior to the request, and the motion vector is pre-determined prior to the request.