Systems, devices and methods for securely distributing highly-compressed multimedia content

• US 7,457,359 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2004
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interact Devices (Mad Catz Interactive Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Interact Devices (Mad Catz Interactive Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ingraham, Robert W., Wilkinson, John E., Reznick, Lawrence S., Prock, Jack A., Reynolds, Jodie L., Mabey, Danny L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US10/825,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20050018768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240, 375/240.01, 375/240.12, 375/240.14, 370/252
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/105 Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/122 Selection of transform size, e.g. 8x8 or 2x4x8 DCT; Selection of sub-band transforms of varying structure or type
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/142 Detection of scene cut or scene change
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 : the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/177 : the unit being a group of pictures [GOP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/179 : the unit being a scene or a shot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 : involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 : involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 : for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 : involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 : involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 : involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• 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 21/440254 : by altering signal-to-noise parameters, e.g. requantization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 : by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6379 : directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate

Abstract

A multimedia distribution device includes a nonvolatile memory that stores a compressed media signal in which at least two scenes are selectively compressed using different codecs from a codec library, the codecs being automatically selected to produce a highest compression quality for the respective scenes according to a set of criteria without exceeding a target data rate. The nonvolatile memory also stores a plurality of codec indicators specifying which codecs from the codec library were used to respectively compress each scene within the compressed media signal.

Claims

1. A multimedia distribution device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory storing;

a compressed media signal comprising plurality of scenes each comprising a number of temporally adjacent frames in which at least two scenes are selectively compressed using at least two different codecs from a codec library, wherein the at least two different codecs are automatically selected by repeating, for each of the plurality of scenes, the steps of;

testing a plurality of different codecs on the scene to determine how each codec encodes the scene in terms of quality and compression level; and

automatically selecting the codec that produces the highest quality encoded output for the scene according to a set of criteria without exceeding a bandwidth constraint; and

a plurality of codec indicators specifying which codecs from the codec library were used to respectively compress each scene within the compressed media signal.

2. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory further stores the codec library.

3. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory further stores a multi-codec player to selectively decode each scene within the compressed media signal using a particular codec from the codec library specified by a codec indicator.

4. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory includes a link to a multi-codec player on a remote server, wherein the multi-codec player is to selectively decode each scene within the compressed media signal using a particular codec from the codec library specified by a codec indicator.

5. The multimedia distribution device of claim 4, wherein the link comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

6. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory further stores a link to the codec library on a remote server.

7. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein the codecs in the codec library are selected from the group consisting of discrete cosine transform (DCT) codecs, fractal codecs, and wavelet codecs.

8. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein at least one codec is selected by an artificial intelligence (AI) system based on a plurality of characteristics of a scene.

9. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein at least one codec is selected by testing at least a subset of the codecs of the codec library on a scene and automatically selecting the codec that produces a highest compression quality for the scene according to a set of criteria without exceeding the target data rate.

10. The multimedia distribution device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory further stores media identifier that, when presented with authentication data to a token server, results in a transmission of a token comprising a key for decrypting the compressed media signal.

11. A method for distributing multimedia content comprising:

obtaining a media signal comprising a plurality of scenes, each scene comprising a number of temporally adjacent frames;

repeating for each of the plurality of scenes;

testing a plurality of different codecs from a codec library on the scene to determine how each codec encodes the scene in terms of quality and compression level;

automatically selecting the codec that produces the highest quality encoded output for the scene according to a set of criteria without exceeding a bandwidth constraint;

storing the scene encoded using the selected codec in a nonvolatile memory with a codec indicator specifying which codec from the codec library was used to compress the scene, wherein at least two scenes are encoded using different codecs from the codec library.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing the codec library within the nonvolatile memory.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing a multi-codec player within the nonvolatile memory, wherein the multi-codec player is to selectively decode each scene within the compressed media signal using a particular codec from the codec library specified by a codec indicator.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing within the nonvolatile memory a link to a multi-codec player on a remote server, wherein the multi-codec player is to selectively decode each scene within the compressed media signal using a particular codec from the codec library specified by a codec indicator.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the link comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing within the nonvolatile memory a link to the codec library on a remote server.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the codecs in the codec library are selected from the group consisting of discrete cosine transform (DCT) codecs, fractal codecs, and wavelet codecs.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one codec is selected by an artificial intelligence (AI) system based on a plurality of characteristics of a scene.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one codec is selected by testing at least a subset of the codecs of the codec library on a scene and automatically selecting the codec that produces a highest compression quality for the scene according to a set of criteria without exceeding the target data rate.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

storing within the nonvolatile memory a media identifier that, when presented with authentication data to a token server, results in a transmission of a token comprising a key for decrypting the compressed media signal.