Client/server multimedia presentation system

• US 6,993,786 B1
• Filed: 06/21/1999
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Akino, Oka, Toshio, Maruya, Kensuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALCE, JASON P
• Application Number:
  US09/336,699
• Time in Patent Office: 2,416 Days
• Field of Search: 725/88, 725/96, 725/102, 725/98, 725/50, 725/90, 725/114, 725/145, 725/115, 386/46, 386/83
• US Class Current: 725/88
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request

Abstract

A method of presenting, at a client terminal, a video program stored in a server linked with the client terminal via transmission path of a limited transmission band width. Each frame of the video program comprises a basic data portion and at least one level of quality supplement data portions. In the method, in response to one of play control commands from a user, the client terminal determines a start position in the video program according to the issued play control command. The play control commands includes a play, a stop, a head search, a jump forward and a jump backward command. In response to the issued play command, the terminal obtains and uses the basic data portions for playing the video program. In response to the stop command, the terminal obtains the quality supplement data portions for the last displayed frame and uses them for displaying a quality-enhanced version of the last displayed frame.

Claims

1. A method of presenting, at a client terminal, a multimedia program stored on a server wherein the multimedia program includes a video object, each frame of the video object comprising a basic data portion and at least one level of detailed data portions, the method comprising the steps of:

in response to one of play control commands from a user, determining a time count in said multimedia program according to one of said play control commands, said play control commands including a play, a stop, a head search, a jump forward and a jump backward command;

in response to one of said head search, said jump forward and said jump backward commands issued during a stop period, determining whether there is a video object to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program; and

in the event there is said video object to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program, obtaining said at least one level of quality supplement data portions for a first frame to be displayed in the next play operation for displaying a quality-enhanced version of said first frame to be displayed.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps, executed by said client terminal, of:

in response to said stop command, determining whether there is a video object to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program, and

in the event there is said video object to be displayed at said time count, obtaining said at least one level of quality supplement data portions for a first frame to be displayed in a next play operation for displaying a quality enhanced version of said first frame to be displayed.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps o, executed by said client terminal, of in response to said stop command testing to determine if there are multimedia objects which are other than video objects and each comprise a basic data and quality supplement data and which are displayed at said time count in said multimedia program;

and for each said found multimedia objects, obtaining said quality supplement data for displaying a quality enhanced version of said each object.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising the steps, executed by said client terminal, of in response to said stop command, testing to determine if there are-multimedia objects other than video objects and each comprise basic data and quality supplement data and which are to be displayed later, and for each of said found multimedia objects, obtaining said basic data in advance.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising the steps, executed by said client terminal, of in response to said stop command, determining if there are multimedia objects which are other than video objects, which comprise basic data and quality supplement data and which are adapted to be displayed at a later time, and for each of said found multimedia objects, obtaining said basic data in advance.

6. A terminal for presenting a multimedia program stored in a remote server linked therewith via a band-limited transmission path wherein the multimedia program includes a video object, each frame of the video object comprising a basic data portion and at least one level of detailed data portions, the terminal comprising:

means, responsive to one of play control commands from a user, for determining a time count in said multimedia program according to said one of said play control commands, said play control commands including a play, a stop, a head search, a jump forward and a jump backward command;

means, responsive to one of said head search, said jump forward and said jump backward commands issued during a stop period, for determining whether there is a video object to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program; and

means, operative in the event there is said video object to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program, for obtaining said at least one level of quality supplement data portions for a first frame to be displayed in a next play operation for displaying a quality enhanced version of said first frame to be displayed.

7. A terminal as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

means responsive to said stop command, for determining whether there is a video object to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program; and

means, operative in the event there is said video object to be displayed at said time count, for obtaining said at least one level of quality supplement data portions for a first frame to be displayed in a next play operation for displaying a quality enhanced version of said first frame to be displayed.

8. A terminal as defined in claim 6, further comprising means responsive to said stop command, for finding-multimedia objects which are other than video objects, wherein each comprises basic data and quality supplement data and which are adapted to be displayed at said time count in said multimedia program, and means, operative for each of said found multimedia objects, for obtaining said quality supplement data for displaying a quality enhanced version of said each object.

9. A terminal as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

means, responsive to said stop command, for finding multimedia objects that are other than video objects, wherein each comprises basic data and quality supplement data and that are to be displayed later; and

means, operative for each of said found multimedia objects, for obtaining said basic data in advance.

10. A terminal as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

means, responsive to said stop command, for finding at least one multimedia object that is other than a video objects and that comprise basic data and quality supplement data and that are to be displayed later, and

means, operative for each of said found multimedia objects for obtaining said basic data in advance.

11. A server for sending a video program to a plurality of client terminals, the server comprising:

means for preparing a basic data portion and a plurality of levels of quality supplement data for each frame of the video program;

means far storing the basic data portions for the frames of the video program on a tape recording medium;

means for storing pieces of quality supplement data of each level for the frames of the video program on a different tape recording medium, wherein the quality of the video program at each frame that is played by a combination of the basic data portion and each level of quality supplement data is higher than that played by using only the basic data portion;

means for rotating all of the tape recording media synchronously in any of a play operation, a head search operation, a jump forward operation and a jump backward operation; and

means, responsive to a quality supplement data request from a client terminal, for reading the levels of quality supplement data of a last displayed frame while synchronously rotating the tape recording media, and sending the levels of quality supplement data to the client terminal one by one to add each level of quality supplement data to the basic data portion of the last displayed frame and to gradually increase the quality of the video program at the last displayed frame played by a combination of the basic data portion and one level of quality supplement data.

12. A server for sending a video program to a plurality of client terminals, the server comprising:

means for storing a plurality of basic data portions for frames of the video program on a first tape recording medium;

means for storing a plurality of quality supplement data portions for the frames of the video program on a second tape recording medium, wherein the quality of the video program at each frame played by a combination of the basic data portion and the quality supplement data portion is higher than that played by using only the basic data portion;

means for rotating both of the first and second tape recording media synchronously in any of a play operation, a head search operation, a jump forward operation and a jump backward operation; and

means, responsive to a quality supplement data request from each client terminal, for reading the quality supplement data portion of a last displayed frame while synchronously rotating the first and second tape recording media and sending the quality supplement data portion to the client terminal to add the quality supplement data portion to the basic data portion of the last displayed frame and to heighten a quality of the video program at the last displayed frame.

13. A server as defined in claim 12 wherein said supplement data portion comprises a plurality of levels of quality supplement data, and each level of quality supplement data is used in sequence to gradually increase the quality of the video program at the last displayed frame played by a combination of the basic data portion and the level of quality supplement data.