Method and communication apparatus for reproducing a moving picture, and use in a videoconference system

• US 20070182865A1
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Lomba, Vincent, Dufosse, Stephane
• Granted Patent: US 8,064,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for reproducing a moving picture composed of a succession of images and of monophonic sounds, comprising the steps of: determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture to be reproduced by analyzing successive images; identifying said zone in motion as corresponding to a source (P3) from which sound is originated; and reproducing said succession of images on a display (20) and corresponding sounds on at least one left loud speaker (21) and one right loud speaker (22), while applying to said sounds at least an audio 3D effect as a function of said spatial location.

Claims

1. A method for reproducing a moving picture composed, on the one hand, of a succession of images captured by a camera (10), and on the other hand, of monophonic sounds captured simultaneously with said images, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

Determining spatial Location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture to be reproduced by analyzing successive images;

Identifying said zone in motion as corresponding to a source (P3) from which sound is originated;

Reproducing said succession of images on a display (20) and corresponding sounds on at least one left loud speaker (21) and one right loud speaker (22), while applying to said sounds at least an audio 3D effect as a function of said spatial location.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said step of determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion further comprises the step of comparing successive images and determining at least two coordinates of said zone in a 2D-referentiaL corresponding to displayed images.

3. A method according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that said step of determining spatial Location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture comprises the step of detecting motion of mouths of people captured in the moving picture and the step of determining spatial locations of zones corresponding to detected mouth'"'"'s motions.

4. A method according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that applying to said sounds at least an audio 3D effect consists at least in adapting the relative gains of left and right loudspeakers (21, 22) as a function of said spatial location.

5. A method according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that applying to said sounds at least an audio 3D effect consists at least in adapting the relative phases and time delays of left and right loudspeakers (21, 22) as a function of said spatial location.

6. A method according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that applying to said sounds at Least an audio 3D effect consists at least in adapting the frequency gain of left and/or right loudspeakers (21, 22) as a function of said spatial location.

7. Use of the method according to anyone of the preceding claims in a videoconference system, characterized in that said moving picture to be reproduced has been captured by a videoconference transmitter (1) comprising said camera (10) and a microphone (11) for capturing monophonic sounds, and in that said step of determining spatial location through said step of reproducing are performed at the level of a videoconference receiver comprising said display (20) and said left and right loudspeakers (21, 22).

8. Communication apparatus (2) comprising a display (20), at least one left loudspeaker (21) and one right loudspeaker (22) for reproducing a moving picture composed, on the one hand, of a succession of images captured by a camera (10), and on the other hand, of monophonic sounds captured simultaneously with said images, characterized in that it further comprises software means (23) for:

Determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture to be reproduced by analyzing successive images;

Identifying said zone in motion as corresponding to a source from which sound is originated;

Reproducing said succession of images on said display (20) and corresponding sounds on said left and right loud speakers (21, 23) while applying to said sounds at least an audio 3D effect as a function of said spatial location.

9. Communication apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises means (25) for receiving said moving picture to be reproduced from a remote transmitter (1) capturing said moving picture.

10. Communication apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it constitutes a part of a videoconference system, said receiving means being adapted to receive a moving picture captured by a remote videoconference transmitter of said videoconference system.