SIGNALLING OF AUXILIARY INFORMATION THAT ASSISTS PROCESSING OF VIDEO ACCORDING TO VARIOUS FORMATS

• US 20100218232A1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Arturo A., Cook, Benjamin M.
• Application Number:
  US12/713,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20100218232A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8451 using Advanced Video Coding [AVC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In one embodiment, receiving at a video stream receive-and-process (VSRP) device auxiliary information corresponding to a video stream, the auxiliary information corresponding to a fixed quantity of framestores to be allocated in a decoded picture buffer; receiving at the VSRP device the video stream comprising a first portion of compressed pictures having a first picture format and a second portion having a second picture format during transmission over a given channel, wherein the first compressed picture of the second portion of compressed pictures is the first compressed picture in the video stream after the last compressed picture of the first portion of compressed pictures; and decoding the first and second portions of the video stream with the fixed quantity of framestores according to the received auxiliary information and outputting the first and second decoded portions of the video stream with a fixed output resolution per the received auxiliary information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving by a video stream receive-and-process (VSRP) device in a first interval a first video stream, the first video stream corresponding to a first picture resolution format (PRF), the first video stream comprising a first video service in the first PRF, the first video service having an intended picture output as a sequence of pictures in the first PRF;

processing by the VSRP device the first video stream by allocating resources required to process the sequence of pictures of the first video service according to the first PRF of the intended picture output;

receiving by the VSRP device in a second interval a second video stream, the second video stream corresponding to a second PRF, the second video stream comprising a second video service in the second PRF, the second video service having an intended output as a sequence of pictures in the second PRF;

processing by the VSRP device the second video stream by allocating resources required to process the sequence of pictures of the second video service according to the second PRF of the intended picture output;

receiving by the VSRP device in a third interval a third video stream and auxiliary information, the third video stream comprising a third video service in the first PRF in a first portion of the third interval and in the second PRF in a second portion of the third interval, the first and second portions having a different intended picture output; and

processing by the VSRP device the third video stream by allocating a fixed number of resources based on the auxiliary information to process the first portion and the second portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second PRF correspond to a main picture format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second PRF correspond to plural anticipated picture formats.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second PRF correspond to a fixed number of decoded picture buffer (DPB) frames.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second PRF correspond to an intended output picture format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information conveys a sample aspect ratio.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information conveys that the number or quantity K of decoded picture buffer (DPB) pictures is to remain constant and equal to a maximum number of DPB frames corresponding to a maximum picture size expected for a Level signaled in the third video stream, where K is a non-negative integer number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second video streams lack auxiliary information of the type found in association with the third video stream.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources comprise framestores of a decoded picture buffer (DPB).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information is embodied as a transport layer descriptor in a table.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information is embodied as a transport layer data field or data fields.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information is conveyed as system information data.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing, in advance of decoding the third video stream, the output format for display of the pictures corresponding to the first and second portions of the processed third video stream.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting the pictures of the processed first and second video streams according to their respective intended picture output.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving by a first video stream receive-and-process (VSRP) device a first video stream, the first video stream corresponding to a first picture resolution format (PRF), the first video stream comprising a first video service in the first PRF, the first video service having an intended picture output as a sequence of pictures in the first PRF;

processing by the first VSRP device the first video stream by allocating resources required to process the sequence of pictures of the first video service according to the first PRF of the intended picture output;

receiving concurrently by a second VSRP device a second video stream, the second video stream corresponding to a second PRF, the second video stream comprising a second video service in the second PRF, the second video service having an intended output as a sequence of pictures in the second PRF;

processing by the second VSRP device the second video stream by allocating resources required to process the sequence of pictures of the second video service according to the second PRF of the intended picture output;

receiving concurrently by a third VSRP device a third video stream and auxiliary information, the third video stream comprising a first portion of the third video service in the first PRF and a second portion of the third video service in the second PRF, the first and second portions having a different intended picture output; and

processing the third video stream by allocating a fixed number of resources based on the auxiliary information to process the first portion and the second portion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second PRF correspond to a main picture format, plural anticipated picture formats, a fixed number of decoded picture buffer (DPB) frames, an intended output picture format, sample aspect ratio, or a combination of two or more.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the auxiliary information conveys at a transport level encapsulating the third video stream that the number or quantity K of decoded picture buffer (DPB) pictures is to remain constant and equal to a maximum number of DPB frames corresponding to a maximum picture size expected for a Level signaled in the third video stream, where K is a non-negative integer number.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second video streams lack auxiliary information of the type found in association with the third video stream

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

fixing, in advance of decoding the third video stream, the output format for display of the pictures corresponding to the first and second portions of the third video stream in accordance to the auxiliary information;

outputting the first and second portions of the processed third video stream in accordance to the auxiliary information; and

outputting the pictures of the processed first and second video streams according to their respective intended picture output.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving at a video stream receive-and-process (VSRP) device auxiliary information corresponding to a video stream, the auxiliary information corresponding to a fixed quantity of framestores to be allocated in a decoded picture buffer;

receiving at the VSRP device the video stream comprising a first portion of compressed pictures having a first picture format and a second portion having a second picture format during transmission over a given channel, wherein the first compressed picture of the second portion of compressed pictures is the first compressed picture in the video stream after the last compressed picture of the first portion of compressed pictures; and

decoding the first and second portions of the video stream with the fixed quantity of framestores according to the received auxiliary information and outputting the first and second decoded portions of the video stream with a fixed output resolution in accordance with the received auxiliary information.