METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR USE IN MAINTAINING MEDIA DATA QUALITY UPON CONVERSION TO A DIFFERENT DATA FORMAT

• US 20090265617A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROVI Product Corporation (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sonic Solutions (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Oetzel, Kenneth G., Taylor, James H., Randall, Bruce W., Ely, Mark N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• 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

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for use in maintaining data quality upon conversion to a different data format. Some embodiments provide methods that receive media data in a first format, initiate a first conversion of the media data at the first format to a second converted format, identify parameters dictating the conversion to the second converted format, record the parameters, and distribute the recorded parameters to remote systems such that the parameters at least in part control the remote systems during a conversion of the media data to the second converted format.

Claims

1. A method for use in converting multimedia content, comprising:

receiving media data in a first format;

initiating a first conversion of the media data at the first format to a second converted format;

evaluating the media data converted to the second converted format;

identifying, in accordance with the evaluation of the media data converted to the second converted format, parameters dictating the conversion to the second converted format;

recording the parameters; and

distributing the recorded parameters to remote systems such that the parameters at least in part control the remote systems during a conversion, at the remote systems, of the media data to the second converted format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting a set of parameters, prior to the recording of the parameters, to improve the conversion of the media data from the first format to the second converted format;

and

the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted set of parameters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting the set of parameters comprises adjusting video parameters that are utilized to optimize a generation of a video image upon encoding of the media data to the second converted format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting a parameter, prior to the recording the parameters, to enhance conversion of the media data to the second converted format;

initiating a second conversion of the of the media data in the first format to the second converted format while applying the adjusted parameter;

determining whether a quality of the media data converted to the second converted format during the second conversion has been enhanced relative to the media data converted to the second converted format achieved during the first conversion; and

the recording comprises recording the adjusted parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a quality of a first portion of the media data in the second converted format converted while applying a first parameter having a first state;

the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting the parameter to a second state that is different than the first state, where the adjusted first parameter improves data quality of at least the first portion of the media data when the first portion of the media data is converted to the second format upon a subsequent conversion of the first portion of the media data in the first format to the second converted format while applying at least the adjusted first parameter; and

the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the identifying the parameters further comprises determining whether the first portion of the media data in the second converted format, converted to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state, has a quality that exceeds a quality of the first portion of the media data in the second converted format when converted to the second converted format while applying the first parameter in the first state;

and

the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter when the first portion of the adjusted media data in the second converted format, converted to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state, has a quality that exceeds the quality of the first portion of the media data in the second converted format when converted to the second converted format while applying the first parameter in the first state.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the identifying the parameters further comprises:

initiating a segment re-encode of at least the first portion of the media data at the first converted format to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state; and

determining whether the re-encoded first portion of the media data, re-encoded while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state has a quality that exceeds the quality of the first portion of the media data in the second converted format when converted to the second converted format while applying the first parameter in the first state.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting a second parameter, where the adjusted second parameter improves data quality of a second portion of the media data when the second portion of the media data is converted to the second format upon a subsequent conversion of the second portion of the media data to the second converted format while applying at least the adjusted second parameter; and

the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter in relation to the second portion of the media data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting the media data in the first format to a third converted format; and

the distributing comprises distributing the recorded parameters and the media data in the third converted format to the remote systems to be used by remote systems in playing back the media data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving media data in the first format comprises receiving the media data in an original source format.

11. A method for use in converting media content, comprising:

receiving a first formatted content stream configured according to a first format;

initiating a first conversion of the first formatted content to a second format producing a second formatted content;

recording a first set of parameters that at least in part control the first conversion of the first formatted content to the second format;

evaluating at least a first portion of the second formatted content;

adjusting a first parameter;

recording the adjustment of the first parameter; and

supplying the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter to a remote system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

initiating a second conversion of at least the first portion of the first formatted content to the second format while applying the adjusted first parameter producing a first portion of third formatted content formatted according to the second format;

evaluating the first portion of the third formatted content; and

implementing the recording of the adjustment of the first parameter when the first portion of the third formatted content is desired over the first portion of the second formatted content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the supplying the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter comprises supplying the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter to the remote system to be utilized at the remote system to at least in part control a remote conversion of the first formatted content stream to the second format.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the supplying the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter comprises distributing the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter with the first formatted content to the remote system.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the supplying the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter comprises streaming the first set of parameters and the adjustment of the first parameter over a network to the remote system communicationally coupled with the network.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the initiating the first conversion comprises decoding at least the first portion of the first formatted content producing decoded content and encoding the decoded content according to the second format;

and

the evaluating at least the first portion of the second formatted content comprises decoding the second formatted content and determining a quality of the decoded second formatted content.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an initial set of parameters associate with the content in the first format; and

applying the initial set of parameters during the first conversion.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

reviewing the initial set of parameters following the evaluating of at least the first portion of the second formatted content;

determining that a second parameter is set in the initial set of parameters; and

preventing action relative to the second parameter.

19. An apparatus for use in converting multimedia content, comprising:

a converter system that receives content in a first format and converts the content to a second format;

a memory storing a plurality of parameters that control the converter system during the conversion of the content to the second format;

an analyzer system coupled with the converter system, the analyzer system receives the second formatted content, analyzes a quality of at least a first portion of the second formatted content, and determines adjustments to a first set of parameters that improve a quality of at least the first portion of the content when subsequently converted to the second format while the adjustments to the first set of parameters are applied; and

a distribution unit coupled with the converter that detects the adjustments to the first set of parameters and distributes at least the adjustment to the first set of parameters to remote client systems.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

an adjustor system coupled with the converter system and the analyzer, such that the adjuster system receives the determined adjustments from the analyzer, implements the adjustments to the first set of parameters and applies the adjusted first set of parameters to the converter system while the converter system subsequently converts at least the first portion of the content to the second format.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the converter comprises a transcoder;

and

the analyzer system comprises a user interface.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the analyzer system receives the subsequently converted first portion of the second formatted content, analyzes the quality of at least the subsequently converted first portion of the second formatted content, and determines an adjustment to a first parameter of the first set of parameters that further improves the quality of at least the first portion of the content when subsequently converted to the second format while the adjusted first parameter is applied.

23. A method for use in converting content, comprising:

receiving media content in a first converted format converted from a source format for distribution of the media content;

receiving parameter data associated with the media for use in converting the media content to a secondary format;

converting, without performing an analysis of the media content to improve conversion, the media content in the first converted format to the secondary format; and

applying the parameter data while converting the media content to the secondary format such that the parameter data at least in part controls the conversion of the media content to the secondary format.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the receiving the parameter data comprises:

determining whether the parameter data is received with the media content in the first converted format;

retrieving the parameter data when the parameter data is received with the media content in the first converted format; and

remotely retrieving the parameter data from over a network when the parameter data is not with the media content in the first converted format.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the applying the parameter data comprises:

identifying a portion of the media content to convert to the secondary format;

determining whether parameters, as defined within the parameter data, are to be altered for the portion of the media content;

altering the parameter data when the parameter data is to be adjusted for the portion of the media content;

converting the portion of the media content while applying the altered parameter data to the secondary format; and

providing access to the media content in the secondary format.