Digital Video Zooming System

• US 20080266458A1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Whittaker, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/581
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system for preparing a digital video stream for zooming by a content consumer system, including a video frame processor to prepare a plurality of video frames of the digital video stream, a zoom location processor to prepare a plurality of zoom location indicators in the digital video stream, each of the zoom location indicators including an element indicative of a least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames, and a stream processor to temporally synchronize the zoom location indicators and the video frames in the digital video stream, such that the video frames are available to be zoomed by the content consumer system based on the zoom location indicators during playback of the digital video steam. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Claims

1-70. -70. (canceled)

71. A system for preparing a digital video stream for playing by a content consumer system, comprising:

a video frame processor to prepare a plurality of video frames of the digital video stream;

a location processor to prepare a plurality of location indicators in the digital video stream, each of the location indicators including an element indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames; and

a stream processor to associate the location indicators and the video frames in the digital video stream, such that the video frames are available to be processed by the content consumer system based on the location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

72. The system according to claim 71, further comprising a broadcasting module to prepare the digital video stream for broadcasting to the content consumer system.

73. The system according to claim 71, further comprising a recording module to prepare the digital video stream for recording onto a non-volatile digital storage medium for reading by the content consumer system.

74. The system according to claim 71, wherein:

the location indicators are zoom location indicators; and

the stream processor is operative to associate the zoom location indicators and the video frames in the digital video stream, such that the video frames are available to be zoomed by the content consumer system based on the zoom location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

75. The system according to claim 71, wherein:

the location indicators are obscuring location indicators; and

the stream processor is operative to associate the obscuring location indicators and the video frames in the digital video stream, such that the video frames are available to be obscured by the content consumer system based on the obscuring location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

76. The system according to claim 71, wherein the video frames include:

a first video frame associated with a first location indicator; and

a second video frame associated with a second location indicator; and

at least one intervening video frame temporally located between the first video frame and the second video frame, the display processor being operative to interpolate between the first location indicator and the second location indicator in order to determine an interpolated location indicator for the at least one intervening frame.

77. The system according to claim 71, wherein the element of the location indicators is indicative of a center of a target area.

78. The system according to claim 77, wherein each of the location indicators includes a length indicative of a magnitude of the target area.

79. A content consumer system for receiving a digital video stream, the digital video stream including a plurality of video frames and a plurality of location indicators, each of the location indicators including an element being indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames, the system comprising:

a stream receiver to receive the video frames and the location indicators of the video stream; and

a display processor to process the video frames of the digital video stream based on the location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

80. The system according to claim 79, wherein the display processor is operative to zoom the video frames based on the location indicators while playing the video stream.

81. The system according to claim 80, wherein the magnitude of the zoom is determined by a user of the content consumer system.

82. The system according to claim 79, wherein the display processor is operative to visually obscure at least part of the video frames based on the location indicators while playing the video stream.

83. The system according to claim 82, wherein the display processor is operative to visually obscure at least part of the video frames in accordance with a parental control rule.

84. The system according to claim 79, wherein the video frames include:

a first video frame associated with a first location indicator; and

a second video frame associated with a second location indicator; and

at least one intervening video frame temporally located between the first video frame and the second video frame, the display processor being operative to interpolate between the first location indicator and the second location indicator in order to determine an interpolated location indicator for the at least one intervening frame.

85. The system according to claim 79, wherein the element of the location indicators is indicative of a center of a target area.

86. The system according to claim 85, wherein each of the location indicators includes a length indicative of a magnitude of the target area.

87. A non-volatile digital storage medium readable by a content consumer system, the non-volatile digital storage medium comprising a digital video stream including:

a plurality of video frames; and

at least one location indicator, the at least one location indicator including an element indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames, the video frames and the at least one location indicator being associated such that the video frames are available to be processed by the content consumer system based on the at least one location indicator during playback of the digital video stream.

88. A method for preparing a digital video stream for playing by a content consumer system, comprising:

preparing a plurality of video frames of the digital video stream;

preparing a plurality of location indicators in the digital video stream, each of the location indicators including an element indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames; and

associating the location indicators and the video frames in the digital video stream, such that the video frames are available to be processed by the content consumer system based on the location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

89. A method for playing a digital video stream, the digital video stream including a plurality of video frames and a plurality of location indicators, each of the location indicators including an element being indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames, the method comprising:

receiving the video frames and the location indicators of the video stream; and

processing the video frames of the digital video stream based on the location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

90. A system for preparing a digital video stream for playing by a content consumer system, comprising:

means for preparing a plurality of video frames of the digital video stream;

means for preparing a plurality of location indicators in the digital video stream, each of the location indicators including an element indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames; and

means for associating the location indicators and the video frames in the digital video stream, such that the video frames are available to be processed by the content consumer system based on the location indicators while playing the digital video stream.

91. A content consumer system for receiving a digital video stream, the digital video stream including a plurality of video frames and a plurality of location indicators, each of the location indicators including an element being indicative of at least one horizontal position and at least one vertical position in the video frames, the system comprising:

means for receiving the video frames and the location indicators of the video stream; and

means for processing the video frames of the digital video stream based on the location indicators while playing the digital video stream.