System and related interfaces supporting the processing of media content

• US 7,299,475 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rudolph, Eric H., Miller, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seye; Abdou K.
• Application Number:
  US11/192,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate

Abstract

A software enabled, matrix switch is presented wherein a scalable plurality of inputs, coupled to media content sources, provide media content which is recursively routed through select media processing object(s) coupled to a scalable plurality of matrix switch outputs in accordance with a user-defined media processing project.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage media comprising a software enabled, matrix switch comprising:

a scalable plurality of inputs, dynamically coupled to select source(s) to receive media content; and

a scalable plurality of outputs, dynamically coupled to select software object(s), wherein the software enabled, matrix switch recursively routes media content through the select software object(s) to manipulate the received media content in accordance with a user-defined media processing project;

a programming grid, generated by a render engine in accordance with the user-defined media processing project, to control routing of the media content from the scalable plurality of one or more inputs to the scalable plurality of one or more outputs;

wherein the matrix switch is generated by the render engine in a media processing filter graph to selectively couple one or more inputs to one or more outputs recursively processing media content through a plurality of software objects in accordance with a user-defined media processing project, wherein the software objects include virtual pins that are used to couple the software objects together in a filter graph.

2. A computer-readable storage media comprising a software enabled, matrix switch comprising:

a scalable plurality of inputs, dynamically coupled to select source(s) to receive media content; and

a scalable plurality of outputs, dynamically coupled to select software object(s), wherein the software enabled, matrix switch recursively routes media content through the select software object(s) to manipulate the received media content in accordance wit a user-defined media processing project; and

a programming grid, generated by a render engine in accordance with a user-defined media processing project, to dynamically couple select ones of the scalable plurality of inputs to select ones of the scalable plurality of outputs, wherein the software objects include virtual pins that are used to couple the software objects together in a filter graph.

3. A media processing system comprising:

one or more computer-readable media;

one or more processors; and

computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to provide;

a source to provide media content; and

a software enabled, matrix switch filter, coupled to the source, to receive the media content on one or more of a scalable plurality of inputs and selectively route the content to object(s) coupled to one or more of a scalable plurality of output(s), to recursively transform the received content prior to rendering, wherein the matrix switch filter further comprising a programming grid, dynamically generated by the media processing system to recursively route media content from one or more of the scalable plurality of inputs to the objects coupled to one or more of the scalable plurality of outputs, in accordance with a user defined media processing project, wherein the software enabled, matrix switch is configured to be incorporated in a filter graph comprising multiple software objects that are coupled together via virtual pins.

4. A media processing system comprising:

one or more computer-readable media;

to one or more processors; and

computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to provide;

a source to provide media content; and

a software enabled, matrix switch filter, coupled to the source, to receive the media content on one or more of a scalable plurality of inputs and selectively route the content to object(s) coupled to one or more of a scalable plurality of output(s), to recursively transform the received content prior to rendering

a programming grid, automatically generated by the render engine, to define which of the scalable plurality of inputs are coupled to each of the scalable plurality of outputs during execution of the media processing project;

a render engine, exposing the source and the software enabled, matrix switch filter to higher-level applications, to enable a user to generate a media processing project, wherein the render engine automatically generates a filter graph reflecting a user-defined media processing project, wherein the filter graph includes multiple software objects that are coupled via virtual pins and wherein the software enabled, matrix switch comprises part of the filter graph.

5. A media processing system according to claim 4, wherein the render engine dynamically generates the programming grid to control the software enabled, matrix switch filter to recursively route media content through one or more of the multiple software objects coupled to the scalable plurality of output(s) in accordance with the user-defined media processing project.

6. A storage medium comprising a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed, implement a software enabled matrix switch in a media processing system to recursively route media content from one or more of a scalable plurality of inputs through media processing objects coupled to one or more of a scalable plurality of outputs, in accordance with a user defined media processing project, wherein the matrix switch includes a programming grid, dynamically generated to selectively couple one or more of the scalable plurality of inputs to one or more of the scalable plurality of outputs to recursively process media content through one or more media processing software objects coupled to the outputs, in accordance with the user-defined media processing project, wherein the one or more media processing software objects are coupled into a filter graph using virtual pins.

7. A storage medium according to claim 6, wherein modifications to the user-defined media processing project are dynamically reflected in an updated version of the programming grid in the matrix switch, eliminating the need to tear down and reconstitute an entire filter graph to effect the modification.

8. A computing system implementing a media processing system, the computing system comprising:

one or more computer-readable media;

one or more processors; and

computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to provide;

a media content source; and

a render engine, coupled to the media content source, to generate a filter graph of media processing software objects including a matrix switch filter to recursively process media content through the media processing software objects in accordance with a user-defined media processing project, wherein the render engine dynamically generates a programming grid to control routing of media content through the matrix switch filter, and wherein the media processing software objects are coupled into the filter graph using virtual pins.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

implementing a software matrix switch for processing media content in accordance with a user-defined media processing project, the software matrix switch comprising;

a scalable plurality of inputs dynamically coupleable to select source(s) to receive media content; and

a scalable plurality of outputs dynamically coupleable to select object(s),

wherein said implementing comprises implementing the scalable plurality of inputs as software objects dedicated to communicating information from a software object to the software matrix switch and implementing the scalable plurality of outputs as software objects; and

wherein said implementing is performed, at least in part, by a render engine in a media processing filter graph that is configured to generate said matrix switch, and wherein the filter graph includes multiple software objects coupled together via virtual pins;

processing the media content by;

dynamically coupling one or more of the inputs to one or more of the sources to receive the media content; and

dynamically coupling one or more of the outputs to the select object(s) to recursively route media content through the select software object(s) to manipulate the received media content in accordance with the user-defined media processing project;

generating a programming grid to control routing of the media content from the scalable plurality of inputs to the scalable plurality of outputs.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising dynamically updating the programming grid responsive to modifications to the user-defined media processing project without tearing down and reconstituting an entire filter graph to effect the modifications.