VIDEO DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20120194734A1
• Filed: 02/01/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverpush Pte Limited
• Original Assignee: Vdopia, Inc.
• Inventors: Pandey, Prashant, Upadhyay, Chhavi, Kakani, Srikanth, McConville, Ryan Patrick, Singh, Bhupendra
• Granted Patent: US 9,792,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/441
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/74 Browsing; Visualisation therefor end-user interfaces for requesting or interacting with video content, e.g. video on demand interfaces or electronic program guides, H04N21/472
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image

Abstract

A method for video playback uses only resources universally supported by a browser (“inline playback”) operating in virtually all handheld media devices. In one case, the method first prepares a video sequence for display by a browser by (a) dividing the video sequence into a silent video stream and an audio stream; (b) extracting from the silent video stream a number of still images, the number of still images corresponding to at least one of a desired output frame rate and a desired output resolution; and (c) combining the still images into a composite image. In one embodiment, the composite image having a number of rows, with each row being formed by the still images created from a fixed duration of the silent video stream. Another method plays the still images of the composite image as a video sequence by (a) loading the composite image to be displayed through a viewport defined the size of one of the still images; (b) selecting one of the still images of the composite image; (c) setting the viewport to display the selected still image; and (d) setting a timer for a specified time period based on a frame rate, such that, upon expiration of the specified time period: (i) selecting a next one of the still images to be displayed in the viewport, unless all still images of the composite image have been selected; and (ii) return to step (c) if not all still images have been selected.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a video sequence for display by a browser, comprising:

dividing the video sequence into a silent video stream and an audio stream;

extracting from the silent video stream a number of still images, the number of still images corresponding to at least one of a desired output frame rate and a desired output resolution; and

combining the still images into one or more composite images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each composite image has a number of rows, with each row being formed by the still images created from a fixed duration of the silent video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying heuristic algorithms to the composite image to facilitate smooth video playback.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one heuristic algorithm compiles an index for the still images in each composite image.

5. The method of claim 4, whereas the index is used to calculate each still image'"'"'s position during playback.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein an index of the still images in the composite images specifies the order in which the still images appear in the video sequence.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the index is provided separately from the composite images.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising compressing the composite images.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the composite images are compressed using one or more of JPEG- and Huffman-based compression algorithms.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting still images comprises decomposing each still image into one or more layer of component layers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein decomposing each still image comprises identifying a base still image from a group of still images, and encoding the other still images in the group each as a combination of component layers representing the base still frame and one or more incremental change from the base still image.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising separately storing the audio stream into a separate file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of still images in each composite image is one.

14. The method of claim 1, being carried out in an internet-enabled device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the internet-enabled device comprises one of:

a personal computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, an personal digital assistance, a media player, a mobile telephone, and an internet-enabled television.

16. A method for playing a composite image including a number of still images as a video sequence, comprising:

(a) loading the composite image to be displayed through a viewport which dimensions are defined by the dimensions of one of the still images;

(b) selecting one of the still images of the composite image;

(c) setting up the viewport to display the selected still image; and

(d) setting a timer for a specified time period based on a frame rate, such that, upon expiration of the specified time period;

(i) selecting a next one of the still images to be displayed in the viewport, unless all still images of the composite image have been selected;

(ii) setting up the viewport to display the selected next image; and

(ii) return to step (c) if not all still images have been selected.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the viewport is placed within a banner on a web page.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein setting up the viewport to display a still image comprising specifying the position of the still image in the composite image.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein setting up the viewport to display a still image comprising drawing the still image into a designated memory location.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the still images of the composite image is arranged in a multiple-row array.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each row of the multiple-raw array comprises still images obtained from a video sequence, the number of still images in each row being related to a fixed time duration.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the still images are selected in order from row to row and, within each row, along a predetermined direction.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the still images are selected according to an index attached to the composite image.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the still images are selected by specifying its position within the composite image.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising synchronizing the setting of the selected still image for display with an audio stream.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is carried out by an add-on to a web browser.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the add-on comprises a script written in an industry standard scripting language.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the scripting language comprises javascript.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the browser executes on an internet-enabled device, which comprises one of:

a personal computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, an personal digital assistance, a media player, a mobile telephone, and an internet-enabled television.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method is carried out when a user of the internet-enabled device makes a selection from a web page displayed on a graphical display.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the selection is made by clicking on an icon.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the icon comprises a mute button.

33. The method of claim 16, wherein the number of still image on the composite image is one.

34. A server for video processing, comprising:

an interface for receiving into the server a video sequence for processing;

a processor that (a) transforms the video sequence into one of more composite images, (b) divides the video sequence into a silent video stream and an audio stream;

(c) extracts from the silent video stream a number of still images, the number of still images corresponding to at least one of a desired output frame rate and a desired output resolution; and

(d) combines the still images into one or more composite images; and

an interface for providing the composite images from the sever.

35. The server of claim 34, wherein the video sequence comprises a video for advertising.

36. The server of claim 35, wherein the video sequence is received from an advertising server.

37. The server of claim 35, wherein the still images of the composite images are to be played in one or more predetermined frame rates in a browser to provide a video experience to a user of the browser.

38. The server of claim 37 wherein, when a user requests a web page from a publisher server, the publisher server causes the browser request to the composite images from the advertising server.

39. The server as in claim 37, wherein each composite image has a number of rows, with each row being formed by the still images created from a fixed duration of the silent video stream.

40. The server of claim 34, wherein the processor further applies heuristic algorithms to the composite image to facilitate smooth video playback.

41. The server of claim 40, wherein one heuristic algorithm compiles an index for the still images in each composite image.

42. The server of claim 41, whereas the index is used to calculate each still image'"'"'s position during playback.

43. The server of claim 34, wherein an index of the still images in the composite images specifies the order in which the still images appear in the video sequence.

44. The server as in claim 43, wherein the index is provided separately from the composite images.

45. The server of claim 34, wherein the processor further compresses the composite images.

46. The server of claim 45, wherein the composite images are compressed using one or more of JPEG- and Huffman-based compression algorithms.

47. The server of claim 34, wherein extracting still images comprises the processor decomposing each still image into one or more layer of component layers.

48. The server of claim 47 wherein the processor identifies a base still image from a group of still images, and encodes the other still images in the group each as a combination of component layers representing the base still frame and one or more incremental change from the base still image.

49. The server of claim 34, further comprising separately storing the audio stream into a separate file.

50. The server of claim 34, wherein the number of still images in each composite image is one.

51. The server of claim 34, being carried out in an internet-enabled device.

52. The server of claim 51, wherein the internet-enabled device comprises one of:

a personal computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, an personal digital assistance, a media player, a mobile telephone, and an internet-enabled television.

53. A media player, comprising:

a graphical display;

an interface to a wide area network; and

a processor that executes an industry standard browser, the browser comprising a program which (a) receives over the interface one or more composite images each including one or more still images;

(b) loads the composite image to be displayed through a viewport on the graphical display which dimensions are defined by the dimensions of one of the still images;

(c) selects one of the still images of the composite image;

(d) sets up the viewport to display the selected still image; and

(e) sets a timer for a specified time period based on a frame rate, such that, upon expiration of the specified time period;

the processor (i) selects a next one of the still images to be displayed in the viewport, unless all still images of the composite image have been selected;

(ii) sets up the viewport to display the selected next image; and

(ii) returns to (d) if not all still images have been selected.

54. The media player of claim 53, wherein the viewport is placed within a banner on a web page.

55. The media player of claim 53, wherein the viewport is set up to display a still image by specifying the position of the still image in the composite image.

56. The media player of claim 53, wherein the viewport is set up to display a still image by drawing the still image into a designated memory location.

57. The media player of claim 53, wherein the still images of each composite image is arranged in a multiple-row array.

58. The media player of claim 57, wherein each row of the multiple-raw array comprises still images obtained from a video sequence, the number of still images in each row being related to a fixed time duration.

59. The media player of claim 57 wherein the still images are selected in order from row to row and, within each row, along a predetermined direction.

60. The media player of claim 53, wherein the still images are selected according to an index attached to the composite image.

61. The media player of claim 53 wherein the still images are selected by specifying its position within the composite image.

62. The media player of claim 53, further comprising synchronizing the setting of the selected still image for display with an audio stream.

63. The media player of claim 53, wherein instructions by which the processor carries out (a) to (e) are provided in an add-on to a web browser.

64. The media player of claim 63, wherein the add-on comprises a script written in an industry standard scripting language.

65. The media player of claim 64, wherein the scripting language comprises javascript.

66. The media player of claim 53, wherein the processor carries out (a) to (e) when a user of the media player makes a selection from a web page displayed on a graphical display.

67. The media player of claim 65, wherein the selection is made by clicking on an icon.

68. The media player of claim 67, wherein the icon comprises a mute button.

69. The media player of claim 53, wherein the number of still image on the composite image is one.