HANDLING DIFFERENT INPUT SIGNALS

• US 20140362180A1
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bickerstaff, Ian Henry, Benson, Simon Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,095,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/356 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes

Abstract

A head mountable display (HMD) system in which the size and/or distance from the viewer of a virtual screen for display of video material depends upon one or more of the following:

• • whether the video material is in a 2-D or a 3-D format;
  • the image resolution of the video material;
  • the compression quality and/or data rate of the video material;
  • the aspect ratio of the video material;
  • the origin of the video material; and
  • metadata associated with the video material.

Claims

1. A head mountable display (HMD) system comprising:

an HMD having display elements for eyes of a wearer of the HMD, the display elements being configured to provide a virtual screen to the HMD wearer; and

a video processor configured to process video material for display by the display elements of the HMD;

in which the video processor is configured so that one or both of the size and distance from the wearer of the virtual screen for display of video material by the HMD depends upon one or more of the following;

whether the video material is in a 2-D or a 3-D format;

an image resolution of the video material;

one or both of a compression quality and data rate of the video material;

an aspect ratio of the video material;

a spatial frequency content of the video material; and

metadata associated with the video material.

2. A system according to claim 1, comprising:

a detector configured to detect the spatial frequency content of the video material;

the video processor being configured to display the video material on a virtual screen having a size and virtual distance from the wearer of the HMD according to the detected spatial frequency content of the video material.

3. A system according to claim 2, in which, in a case where spatial content of the video material indicates a lower capture resolution than a current resolution of the video material, the video processor is configured to display the video material on a virtual screen having a size and virtual distance from the wearer which depend on the capture resolution indicated by the detected spatial frequency content.

4. A system according to claim 1, comprising an audio processor configured to generate audio content in a simulated audio presentation format dependent upon one or both of the size and distance of the virtual screen from the wearer selected by the video processor.

5. A system according to claim 4, in which the HMD comprises a pair of earpieces;

and in which the audio processor is configured to supply the generated audio content to the earpieces.

6. A system according to claim 4, in which the audio processor is configured:

to simulate a single front central monophonic sound source in respect of audio content associated with video content displayed by a virtual screen of less than a first threshold virtual distance from the wearer; and

to simulate multiple sound sources in respect of other audio content.

7. A system according to claim 1, in which, in the case of the display of 2-D material, one or both of a higher resolution and a higher data rate correspond to a more distant and a larger virtual screen.

8. A system according to claim 1, in which, in the case of 3-D material, the video material is displayed on a virtual screen of no more than 5 m diagonal and no more than 8 m from the user.

9. A system according to claim 1, in which, in the case of 3-D material, the video material is displayed on a virtual screen of no more than 2 m diagonal and a separation of between 2 m and 3 m from the viewer.

10. A system according to claim 1, in which, if metadata defining precautions against window violations is associated with the video material, the metadata is used in rendering of the 3-D video material.

11. A system according to claim 1, in which, if metadata defining precautions against window violations is not associated with the video material, the system is configured to analyse the video material and to change rendering of the video material according to the analysis.

12. A system according to claim 1, in which the system is configured to detect head movements of the HMD in use, and in which the detection of translation as part of a head tracking detection is not used to vary a virtual viewpoint for video display.

13. A system according to claim 1, the system being configured to transition gradually between different virtual screen sizes and different virtual screen distances from the viewer.

14. A video display system in which an image size at which video material is displayed depends upon an image resolution of the video material and one or more of the following:

whether the video material is in a 2-D or a 3-D format;

the image resolution of the video material;

one or both of a compression quality and data rate of the video material;

an aspect ratio of the video material;

an origin of the video material; and

metadata associated with the video material.

15. A method of operation of a head mountable display (HMD) system comprising rendering a virtual screen for display of video material to a viewer, in which one or both of a size and distance from the viewer of the virtual screen depends upon one or more of the following:

whether the video material is in a 2-D or a 3-D format;

an image resolution of the video material;

one or both of a compression quality and data rate of the video material;

an aspect ratio of the video material;

an origin of the video material; and

metadata associated with the video material.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium which stores computer software which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method of claim 15.

16. A method of operation of a video display, in which an image size at which video material is displayed depends upon an image resolution of the video material and one or more of the following:

whether the video material is in a 2-D or a 3-D format;

the image resolution of the video material;

one or both of an compression quality and data rate of the video material;

an aspect ratio of the video material;

an origin of the video material; and

metadata associated with the video material.