Optimal frame rate selection user interface

• US 6,081,264 A
• Filed: 02/13/1998
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Honey, Brian D., Painter, John A., Heaton, William J., Rosen, Andrew D., Zack, Philip G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sealey, Lance W.
• Application Number:
  US09/023,527
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/328, 345/433, 348/700
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

An optimal frame rate selection user interface is disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, a method has two steps. First, a video clip is displayed within at least one window, to permit dividing the clip into a plurality of shots (where each shot has a plurality of frames). Second, each shot is displayed in at least two windows, to permit selecting a desired frame rate for each shot. Desirably, each of these windows displays a given shot at a different frame rate. Therefore, a user is able to view each shot at a number of different frame rates to determine an optimal frame rate for each shot.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

a) displaying a video clip within at least one window to permit dividing the clip into a plurality of shots, each shot having a plurality of frames; and

,

b) displaying each shot within at least two windows to permit selecting a desired frame rate for each shot.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising between a) and b), c) dividing the clip into the plurality of shots.

3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein c) includes receiving input events from a user to signify boundaries between temporally adjacent shots.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein the input events are selected from the group of input events consisting of pressing a button on an input device and pressing a key on a computer keyboard.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein a) includes displaying a graphical meter having a moving position indicator corresponding to the video clip.

6. The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the graphical meter further includes indicators denoting boundaries between temporally adjacent shots.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising after b), d) selecting the desired frame rate for each shot.

8. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein d) includes receiving for each shot an input event from a user to signify the desired frame rate for the shot.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein each of the at least two windows within which a shot is displayed has a different frame rate.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the input event comprises selecting one of the at least two windows having the desired frame rate.

11. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising after b), e) modifying at least one of a Q value and a bit rate for each of one or more shots within a video clip to compensate for one of a buffer underrun condition and a buffer overrun condition.

12. The computerized method of claim 11, wherein e) includes graphically displaying for each shot of the video clip a first indicator corresponding to the Q value of the shot, and a second indicator corresponding to the bit rate of the shot.

13. The computerized method of claim 12, wherein directionally dragging the first indicator for a shot causes a corresponding change in the Q value of the shot.

14. The computerized method of claim 12, wherein directionally dragging the second indicator for a shot causes a corresponding change in the bit rate of the shot.

15. A computerized system comprising:

a plurality of video engines, each video engine capable of processing frames of shots of a video clip according to a desired standard;

a console device to appropriately direct the plurality of video engines to process frames of shots of the video clip; and

,

a user interface provided by the console device and having multiple windows to permit a user to select a desired frame rate for each of the shots of the video clip via selection of one of the multiple windows.

16. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein each video engine includes at least a processor.

17. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein the desired standard comprises an MPEG standard.

18. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein the console device comprises a computer.

19. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein the user interface includes a loop indicator to toggle enablement of a loop mode wherein a given shot is continually displayed within the multiple windows while the user selects the desired frame rate for the given shot.

20. The computerized system of claim 19, wherein the loop indicator comprises a graphical check box.

21. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein the user interface further has at least one window to permit dividing the clip into the shots.

22. The computerized system of claim 21, wherein the user interface further has a graphical meter including a moving position indicator corresponding to the video clip.

23. The computerized system of claim 22, wherein the graphical meter also includes indicators denoting boundaries between temporally adjacent shots.

24. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein each of the multiple windows has a different frame rate.

25. The computerized system of claim 15, wherein the user interface further has a shot view including for each shot of a video clip a first indicator corresponding to a Q value for the shot and a second indicator corresponding to a bit rate for the shot.

26. The computerized system of claim 25, wherein directional dragging of the first indicator for a shot by the user causes a corresponding change in the Q value of the shot.

27. The computerized system of claim 25, wherein directional dragging of the second indicator for a shot by the user causes a corresponding change in the bit rate of the shot.

28. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable medium; and

,

a computer program executed by the processor from the medium and providing a user interface to permit a user to select a desired frame rate for each of a plurality of shots of a video clip via selection of one of at least two windows.

29. The computer of claim 28, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a memory.

30. The computer of claim 28, wherein the computer program is executed within an operating system.

31. The computer of claim 30, wherein the operating system comprises a version of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

32. The computer of claim 28, wherein the user interface includes a loop indicator to toggle enablement of a loop mode wherein a given shot is continually displayed within the at least two windows while the user selects the desired frame rate for the given shot.

33. The computer of claim 28, wherein the user interface further has at least one window to permit dividing the clip into shots.

34. The computer of claim 28, wherein the user interface further has a shot view including for each shot of a video clip a first indicator corresponding to a Q value for the shot and a second indicator corresponding to a bit rate for the shot.

35. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for execution on a suitably equipped computer, the computer program providing a user interface to permit a user to select a desired frame rate for each of a plurality of shots of a video clip via selection of at least two windows.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the computer-readable medium is selected from the group of mediums consisting of a floppy disk and a CD-ROM.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the user interface includes a loop indicator to toggle enablement of a loop mode wherein a given shot is continually displayed within the at least two windows while the user selects the desired frame rate for the given shot.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the user interface further has at least one window to permit dividing the clip into shots.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the user interface further has a shot view including for each shot of a video clip a first indicator corresponding to a Q value for the shot and a second indicator corresponding to a bit rate for the shot.

40. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a computer system to execute a method comprising:

displaying a video clip within at least one window to permit dividing the clip into a plurality of shots, each shot having a plurality of frames; and

,

displaying each shot within at least two windows to permit selecting a desired frame rate for each shot.

41. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a computer system to execute a method comprising:

displaying a video clip within at least one window to permit dividing the clip into a plurality of shots, each shot having a plurality of frames;

displaying each shot within at least two windows to permit selecting a desired frame rate for each shot, wherein at least two of such windows have a different frame rate; and

selecting the desired frame rate for each shot.