Methods and apparatus for selecting wire video size

• US 6,731,325 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Qi, Emily H., Ing, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Application Number:
  US09/392,103
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14-1-, 348/14-7-, 348/747, 382/232, 382/238-239, 725/137, 709/204, 370/260-261, 345/753, 375/240.03, 375/240.12, 375/240.25
• US Class Current: 348/14.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A method and apparatus select the wire video size and capture video size of a video telephony product depending upon the desired remote video size. A target frame rate is taken into account when choosing the wire video size and capture video size. Wire video size is chosen as close to the desired remote video size as possible. To provide high quality, the video capture frame rate and capture video sizes are maintained above a predetermined level.

Claims

1. A method for choosing a wire video size (WVS) for a video telephony product, comprising:

deriving a wire video size (WVS) from a remote video size of a remote viewing device;

choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate;

determining if the derived WVS has a capture frame rate less than a threshold percentage of a maximum frame rate of the remote viewing device and a capture video size less than a threshold percentage of a maximum stretch of the WVS;

selecting a new WVS if the capture frame rate is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum frame rate or if the capture video size is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum stretch of the WVS; and

if a new WVS is selected, repeating choosing through determining.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate is based on an expected bandwidth of a communication link to the remote viewing device and a processing speed of the remote viewing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein deriving a WVS comprises:

obtaining a list of available WVS'"'"'s from a video capture device of a video telephony product;

obtaining the remote video size from the remote viewing device;

comparing available WVS'"'"'s to the remote video size; and

selecting the WVS closest to the remote video size.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the WVS closest to the remote video size further comprises selecting a WVS not exceeding the desired remote video size.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a new WVS comprises:

selecting a WVS from the remaining WVS'"'"'s, wherein the new WVS is smaller than the current WVS.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recited operations are performed in a different order from the order in which they are recited in claim 1.

7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

monitoring the remote video size; and

rechoosing the WVS if the remote video size changes.

8. A method for choosing a wire video size (WVS) for a video telephony product, comprising:

choosing a WVS from a WVS list;

choosing a capture video size (CVS) for the video telephony product;

obtaining a capture frame rate (CFR) for the chosen CVS based on the WVS;

determining a target frame rate for the chosen NVS;

determining whether the CFR is less than a predetermined maximum frame rate threshold;

determining whether the CVS is less than a predetermined maximum stretch threshold of the WVS; and

setting the WVS to the CVS or the CFR is not less than the maximum frame rate threshold and if CVS is not less than the maximum stretch threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein choosing a WVS comprises choosing the closest available WVS to a desired remote video size.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein choosing a CVS comprises:

determining whether the video telephony device can capture the chosen WVS;

setting the CVS to the WVS if the video telephony device can capture the chosen WVS, and

setting the CVS to the closest WVS to the chosen WVS if the video telephony device cannot capture the chosen WVS.

11. The method or claim 8, wherein determining the target frame rate is based on an expected bandwidth of a communication link to the remote viewing device and a processing speed of the remote viewing device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the maximum frame rate threshold is a predetermined percentage of a maximum frame rate.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the maximum stretch threshold is a predetermined percentage of a maximum stretch of the WVS.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the recited operations are performed in a different order from the order in which they are recited in claim 8.

15. The method of claim 8, and further comprising:

monitoring the remote video size; and

rechoosing the WVS if the remote video size changes.

16. A machine readable medium comprising machine readable instructions for performing a method comprising:

deriving a wire video size (WVS) from a desired remote video size of a remote viewing device;

choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate;

determining if the derived WVS has a capture frame rate less than a threshold percentage of a maximum frame rate of the remote viewing device and a capture video size less than a threshold percentage of a maximum stretch of the WVS;

selecting a new WVS if the capture frame rate is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum frame rate or if the capture video size is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum stretch of the WVS; and

if a new WVS is selected, repeating choosing through determining.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein deriving a WVS comprises:

obtaining a list of available WVS'"'"'s from a video capture device of a video telephony product;

obtaining the desired remote video size from the remote viewing device;

comparing the available WVS'"'"'s to the desired remote video size; and

selecting the WVS closest to the desired remote video size.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein selecting the WVS closest to the desired remote video size further comprises selecting a WVS not exceeding the desired remote video size.

19. A video conferencing station, comprising:

a host video conferencing device having a video capture device, a transmission device to transmit video, and a central processing unit; and

a computer readable medium capable of execution by the central processing unit, the computer readable medium to cause the central processing unit to execute a method comprising;

deriving a wire video size (WVS) from a remote video size of a remote viewing device;

choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate based on expected bandwidth and processing speed of the remote viewing device;

determining if the derived WVS has a capture frame rate less than a threshold percentage of a maximum frame rate of the remote viewing device and a capture video size less than a threshold percentage of a maximum stretch of the WVS;

selecting a new WVS if the capture frame rate is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum frame rate or if the capture video size is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum stretch of the WVS; and

if a new WVS is selected, repeating choosing through determining.

20. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate is based on an expected bandwidth of a communication link to the remote viewing device and a processing speed of the remote viewing device.

21. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein deriving a WVS comprises:

obtaining a list of available WVS'"'"'s from the video capture device;

obtaining the desired remote video size from the remote viewing device;

comparing the available WVS'"'"'s to the desired remote video size; and

selecting the WVS closest to the desired remote video size.

22. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein selecting the WVS closest to the desired remote video size further comprises selecting a WVS not exceeding the desired remote video size.

23. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein selecting a new WVS comprises:

selecting a WVS from the remaining WVS'"'"'s, wherein the new WVS is smaller than the current WVS.

24. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein selecting a new WVS further comprises selecting a smaller available WVS.

25. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein the video capture device comprises a video phone.

26. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein the video capture device comprises a digital camera.

27. The video conferencing station of claim 19, wherein the video capture device comprises a video camera.

28. A method of choosing a wire video size (WVS) for video signals transmitted over a transmission link between a video capture device of a local video telephony product and a remote viewing device, comprising:

monitoring by the local video telephony product of a remote video size chosen by the remote viewing device; and

choosing the wire video size (WVS) based on the remote video size, wherein choosing the WVS includes;

deriving a WVS from a remote video size of the remote viewing device;

choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate;

determining if the derived WVS has a capture frame rate less than a threshold percentage of a maximum frame rate of the remote viewing device and a capture video size less than a threshold percentage of a maximum stretch of the WVS;

selecting a new WVS if the capture frame rate is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum frame rate or if the capture video size is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum stretch of the WVS; and

if a new WVS is selected, repeating choosing through determining.

29. The method of claim 28, and further comprising:

rechoosing the WVS if the remote video size changes.

30. A method of choosing a wire video size (WVS) for a local telephony product, comprising:

monitoring by the local video telephony product of a remote video size chosen by a remote viewing device;

deriving the wire video size (WVS) from the remote video size of the remote viewing device;

choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate;

determining if the derived WVS has a capture frame rate less than a threshold percentage of a maximum frame rate of the remote viewing device and a capture video size less than a threshold percentage of a maximum stretch of the WVS;

selecting a new WVS if the capture frame rate is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum frame rate or if the capture video size is less than the threshold percentage of the maximum stretch of the WVS; and

if a new WVS is selected, repeating choosing through determining.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein choosing a remote viewing device target frame rate is based on an expected bandwidth of a communication link to the remote viewing device and a processing speed of the remote viewing device.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein deriving a WVS comprises:

obtaining a list of available WVS'"'"'s from a video capture device of the local video telephony product;

obtaining the remote video size from the remote viewing device;

comparing available WVS'"'"'s to the remote video size; and

selecting the WVS closest to the remote video size.