SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOW BANDWIDTH DISPLAY INFORMATION TRANSPORT

• US 20090303156A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NComputing Global, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NComputing De, LLC
• Inventors: Ghosh, Subir, Sartori, Gabriele
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• 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 19/48 using compressed domain processing techniques other than decoding, e.g. modification of transform coefficients, variable length coding [VLC] data or run-length data motion estimation in a transform domain H04N19/547; processing of decoded motion vectors H04N19/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2358 for generating different versions, e.g. for different recipient devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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

A digital video transmission system that operates with three different video rendering paths. A first rendering path operates by receiving display requests and rendering bit-mapped graphics in a local screen buffer. The display information in that local screen buffer is then encoded and transmitted to a remote display system that recreates the content of that local screen buffer in a video buffer of remote display system. A second rendering path operates by receiving encoded video stream requests that can be decoded by the remote display system. Such encoded video streams are sent to the remote display system with minimal addition transport encoding. The third rendering path handles encoded video streams that cannot be handled natively by the remote display system. Such video streams may be either transcoded before transmission or decoded and stored within the local screen buffer.

Claims

1. A method of communicating video information to a remote display system, said method comprising:

receiving a display request for displaying information on said remote display system;

writing said data display request to a video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises a request not associated with displaying a digital video stream;

transmitting digital video from said display request to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that can be decoded by said remote display system; and

transcoding digital video from said display request before transmission to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system.

2. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 1, said method further comprising:

transmitting display video from said frame buffer for said remote display system to said remote display system.

3. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 1, said method further comprising:

decoding digital video from said display request and writing decoded digital video information into said video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system and will not be transcoded due to a transcoding determination.

4. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said transcoding determination determines that resources needed to perform transcoding are not present.

5. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said transcoding determination determines that insufficient resources exist for performing transcoding.

6. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 1, said method farther comprising:

querying said remote display system to determine video rendering capabilities of said remote display system.

7. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said request not associated with displaying a digital video stream comprises a bit-mapped graphics request.

8. A method of communicating video information to a remote display system, said method comprising:

receiving a display request for displaying information on said remote display system;

writing said data display request to a video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises a request not associated with displaying a digital video stream;

transmitting digital video from said display request to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that can be decoded by said remote display system; and

decoding digital video from said display request and writing decoded digital video information into said video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system.

9. The method of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 8, said method further comprising:

transcoding digital video from said display request before transmission to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request and an appropriate transcoder is available.

10. A system of communicating video information to a remote display system, said system comprising:

a virtual graphics adapter for receiving a display request for displaying information on said remote display system, said virtual graphics adapter writing said data display request to a video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises a request not associated with displaying a digital video stream, and said virtual graphics adapter transmitting digital video from said display request to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that can be decoded by said remote display system; and

at least one transcoder, said transcoder for transcoding digital video from said display request before transmission to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system.

11. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 10, said system further comprising:

an interface module for transmitting display video from said frame buffer or said transcoder to said remote display system.

12. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 10, said system further comprising:

at least one video decoder, said video decoder for decoding digital video from said display request and writing decoded digital video information into said video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system and said transcoder will not be used due to a transcoding determination.

13. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said transcoding determination determines that no appropriate video transcoder exists.

14. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said transcoding determination determines that insufficient resources exist for performing transcoding.

15. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said virtual graphics adapter queries said remote display system to determine video rendering capabilities of said remote display system.

16. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said request not associated with displaying a digital video stream comprises a bit-mapped graphics request.

17. A system of communicating video information to a remote display system, said system comprising:

a virtual graphics adapter for receiving a display request for displaying information on said remote display system, said virtual graphics adapter writing said data display request to a video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises a request not associated with displaying a digital video stream, and said virtual graphics adapter transmitting digital video from said display request to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that can be decoded by said remote display system; and

at least one digital video decoder, said video decoder for decoding digital video from said display request and writing decoded digital video information into said video frame buffer associated with said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system.

18. The system of communicating video information to a remote display system as set forth in claim 17, said system further comprising:

at least one transcoder, said transcoder for transcoding digital video from said display request before transmission to said remote display system if said display request comprises an encoded video stream request that cannot be decoded by said remote display system but can be decoded after transcoding by said transcoder.

19. A remote display system for displaying received digital video, said remote display system further comprising:

a control system for receiving data;

a video screen buffer, said video screen buffer comprising memory containing a video image representation;

a video adapter for generating a video signal from said video image representation in said video screen buffer;

a frame decoder for decoding bit-mapped graphics data received from said control system and storing said bit-mapped graphics data in said video screen buffer; and

at least one digital video stream decoder, said digital video stream decoder for decoding an encoded digital video stream received from said control system and rendering video in said video screen buffer.

20. The remote display system set forth in claim 19 wherein said bit-mapped graphics data received from said control system comprises a representation of bit-mapped graphics residing in a buffer of a remote video transmitting system.