Method and apparatus for extracting digital data from a video stream and using the digital data to configure the video stream for display on a television set

• US 6,141,693 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen, Goldman, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/107,335
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227-229, 709/236-237, 709/246-247, 709/200-204, 709/217-219, 709/231, 348/6-7, 348/11-14, 348/169-170, 348/180, 348/561-565, 348/23-25, 348/460-461
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2356 by altering the spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

An apparatus and method for combining digital information with at video stream and for using the digital information to modify or augment video frames in the video stream is disclosed. The apparatus for decoding a video stream comprises a video receiver configured to receive a video stream, the video stream including a plurality of video frames. A video processor is configured to receive auxiliary data corresponding to the video stream, the auxiliary data including the information indicative of at least one video frame of the plurality of video frames. The video processor is further configured to modify the video frame in accordance with the auxiliary data. The video processor uses the received auxiliary data to identify a portion of the at least one video frame, the portion being modified in the act of modifying the video frame, other portions of the at least one video frame not being so modified. The video processor applies a filter to the portion of the at least one video frame.

Claims

1. In client a system including a processor and a video display device, a method for modifying a video stream received at the client system, such that the video generated using the video stream conforms to display characteristics of the video display device, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at the client system a video stream that includes a plurality of video frames;

decoding at the client system auxiliary data that has been combined with the video stream, the auxiliary data including;

information identifying a particular video frame of the plurality of video frames; and

information identifying a function that is to be applied to the particular video frame in order to modify the particular video frame to conform to the display characteristics of the video display device; and

modifying at the client system the particular video frame in accordance with the auxiliary data by applying the function to the particular video frame.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including an act of using the received auxiliary data to identify a portion of said particular video frame, said portion being modified in the act of modifying the particular video frame, other portions of said particular video frame not being so modified.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the act of modifying the particular video frame comprises the act of applying a filter to said portion of said particular video frame.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including an act of defining a video frame center point, wherein the function comprises centering the particular video frame at the video frame center point.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame comprises a gamma function associated with the video display device, which enables the particular video frame to be displayed on the video display device in accordance with the gamma function.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame is a scaling function, whereby the particular video frame, in the act of modifying, is scaled for display on the video display device, which has a particular size, without losing any content of the particular video frame.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame is a cropping function, whereby a portion of the particular video frame is eliminated in the act of modifying in order to enable the particular video frame to fit the video display device.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video display device is a television conforming to the NTSC television standard, and wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame enables the particular video frame to be configured for display on the television according to the NTSC television standard.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video display device is a television conforming to the PAL television standard, and wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame enables the particular video frame to be configured for display on the television according to the PAL television standard.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame is a letter box function, whereby a the particular video frame is modified, in the act of modifying, to be displayed in a letter box format on the video display device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video display device is a television conforming to a high-definition television standard, and wherein the function that is to be applied to the particular video frame enables the particular video frame to be configured for display on the television according to the high-definition television standard.

12. An apparatus for modifying a video stream such that the video stream conforms to display characteristics associated with the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a video receiver configured to receive a video stream that includes a plurality of video frames;

a video processor configured to perform the acts of;

decoding auxiliary data that has been combined with the video stream, the auxiliary data including;

information identifying a particular video frame of the plurality of video frames; and

information identifying a function that is to be applied to the particular video frame in order to modify the particular video frame to conform to the display characteristics of the video display device; and

modifying the particular video frame in accordance with the auxiliary data by applying the function to the particular video frame.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the video processor uses the received auxiliary data to identify a portion of said particular video frame, said portion being modified in the act of modifying the particular video frame, other portions of said particular video frame not being so modified.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the video processor applies a filter to said portion of said particular video frame to perform the act of modifying the particular video frame.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the video processor defines a video frame center point, wherein the function comprises centering the particular video frame at the video frame center point.

16. In a client system including a processor and a video display device, a method for modifying a video stream received at the client system, such that the video generated using the video stream conforms to display characteristics of the video display device, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at the client system a video stream that includes a plurality of video frames;

decoding at the client system auxiliary data that has been combined with the video stream, the auxiliary data including;

information identifying a particular video frame of the plurality of video frames;

information identifying a selected region of the particular video frame; and

information identifying a filtering function that is to be applied to selected region of the particular video frame in order to modify the particular video frame to conform to the display characteristics of the video display device; and

at the client system, applying the filtering function to the selected region of the particular video frame without applying the filtering function to portions of the particular video frame other than the selected region.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the auxiliary data has been combined with the video stream at a server computer from which the client computer receives the video stream.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the auxiliary data has been combined with the video stream at the server computer in response to input provided to the server computer from a user of the server computer.