COMPACT CAMERA-MOUNTABLE VIDEO ENCODER, STUDIO RACK-MOUNTABLE VIDEO ENCODER, CONFIGURATION DEVICE, AND BROADCASTING NETWORK UTILIZING THE SAME

• US 20090323802A1
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chad Eric Walters
• Original Assignee: Chad Eric Walters
• Inventors: Walters, Chad, Walters, Clifford A.
• Application Number:
  US12/494,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A turn-key solution is provided for the live Internet audio/video broadcasting and the transferring of previously recorded material. A system shares audio/video data over a network by utilizing a compact, camera-mountable video/audio encoder and a connection module mounted to a video camera. The video/audio encoder includes a connection interface for receiving the audio/video data, a digital signal processor for encoding the audio/video data, and a network interface for coupling the video/audio encoder to a network, such as the Internet. The connection module mounts the video/audio encoder to the video camera and provides an electronic interface to the camera to transfer the audio/video data from the camera to the video/audio encoder through the connection interface. A remote controller including a user interface enables the addition of metadata to the audio/video file over a personal area network connection.

Claims

1. A system for sharing audio/video data over a network, comprising:

a video/audio encoder comprising;

a connection interface for receiving audio/video data;

a digital signal processor for encoding the audio/video data;

a nonvolatile memory for storing the audio/video data; and

a network interface for coupling the video/audio encoder to the network; and

a connection module for mounting the video/audio encoder to a camera and for providing an electronic interface to the camera to transfer the audio/video data from the camera to the video/audio encoder through the connection interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection module comprises:

a first mounting apparatus for mounting the connection module onto the camera; and

a second mounting apparatus for mounting the video/audio encoder to the connection module.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first mounting apparatus is configured to fasten the connection module to an accessory shoe on the camera.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the video/audio encoder further comprises:

a first user interface for enabling a user to interact with the video/audio encoder;

a first power supply for providing electrical power to the video/audio encoder;

a first wireless personal area network interface for communicating with one or more wireless peripheral devices; and

a first control unit for controlling the video/audio encoder.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a remote controller comprising a second wireless personal area network interface for communicating with the first wireless personal area network interface of the video/audio encoder.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the remote controller further comprises:

a second user interface for enabling a user to interact with the remote controller;

a second power supply for providing electrical power to the remote controller;

a second control unit for controlling the remote controller.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second user interface comprises a display device and a keypad.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the display device is configured to display information corresponding to a status of the video/audio encoder, and wherein the remote controller is configured to selectively add metadata to the audio/video data in the video/audio encoder in accordance with user input utilizing the user interface.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a backup power supply for providing a secondary power supply to the video/audio encoder;

a global positioning system (GPS) unit for determining a position of the video/audio encoder; and

a system clock for keeping time.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an archive server coupled to the network for receiving and storing the audio/video data and providing access to the stored audio/video data to users of a website.

11. A video/audio encoder comprising:

a connection interface for receiving audio/video data;

a digital signal processor for encoding the audio/video data;

a nonvolatile memory for storing the audio/video data;

a network interface for coupling the video/audio encoder to a network;

a user interface for enabling a user to interact with the video/audio encoder;

a power supply for providing electrical power to the video/audio encoder;

a backup power supply for proving a backup power supply to the video/audio encoder;

a wireless personal area network (PAN) interface for communicating with peripheral devices on a personal area network;

a global positioning system (GPS) unit for determining a location of the video/audio encoder and providing location data corresponding to the location to be appended to the audio/video data;

a system clock for keeping time and providing time data corresponding to the time to be appended to the audio/video data;

a control unit for executing instructions corresponding to an operating system and for controlling the video/audio encoder; and

a connection module for mounting the video/audio encoder to a camera and for providing an electronic interface to the camera to transfer the audio/video data from the camera to the video/audio encoder through the connection interface.

12. A method of distributing audio/video content over a network, the method comprising:

capturing the audio/video content by utilizing a video camera;

transferring the audio/video content to a video/audio encoder mounted on the video camera;

encoding the audio/video content into an encoded audio/video file;

storing a local copy of the audio/video file in a nonvolatile memory in the video/audio encoder;

appending metadata to the audio/video file;

transmitting the audio/video file over a network interface coupled to a network;

storing a remote copy of the audio/video file at an archive server coupled to the network; and

verifying the remote copy by comparing the local copy with the remote copy.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitting of the audio/video file over the network interface comprises concurrently storing the local copy of the audio video file and transmitting the audio/video file over the network as a live stream.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitting of the audio/video file over the network interface comprises automatically transmitting the audio/video file over the network at a completion of the capturing of the audio/video content.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the verifying of the remote copy comprises automatically verifying the remote copy by comparing the local copy with the remote copy at a completion of the capturing of the audio/video content.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the appending of the metadata to the audio/video file comprises determining a location of the video/audio encoder utilizing a global positioning system unit and appending data corresponding to the location to the video/audio encoder.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the appending of the metadata to the audio/video file comprises entering, by a user, data corresponding to the metadata into a user interface on the video/audio encoder.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the appending of the metadata to the audio/video file comprises entering, by a user, data corresponding to the metadata into a user interface on a remote controller and transferring the metadata from the remote controller to the video/audio encoder over a wireless personal area network interface.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the appending of the metadata to the audio/video file comprises entering, by a user, data corresponding to a start point and data corresponding to an end point, the start point and the end point corresponding to edit points between which a portion of the audio/video file is to be viewed by a viewer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transmitting of the audio/video file over the network interface comprises transferring a portion of the audio/video file, the portion corresponding to the start point and the end point.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing the archive server by utilizing a website hosted on a computer server;

displaying a map having a marker showing the location of the video/audio encoder corresponding to the audio/video file;

displaying at least a portion of the audio/video file in accordance with a selection of the marker corresponding to the audio/video file.