Seamless digital channel changing
First Claim
1. A system for smoothing channel changing in a digital video environment, the system comprising:
- a decoder that receives a digital video stream, the decoder decoding the digital video stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks to produce a series of uncompressed images over time;
an image holding buffer that accepts uncompressed images of the series of uncompressed images;
an encoder that is capable of receiving at least one uncompressed image from the image holding buffer, the encoder adapted to encode the at least one uncompressed image into an intra frame; and
a channel change message handler that is capable of communicating with the encoder, the channel change message handler adapted to activate the encoder to encode the at least one uncompressed image into the intra frame responsive to receipt of a channel change message from a client device to avoid a waterfall effect.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Seamless channel changing in a digital-television-based entertainment network can be implemented, for example, by providing an intra frame to a client device upon a change to a new channel even when the broadcast video data is previously compressed on a macroblock basis. In an exemplary implementation, a method includes: receiving a stream of broadcast video data that is encoded on a macroblock basis; continuously decoding the stream of broadcast video data into successive decoded images; and transmitting, responsive to a channel change message received from a client device, an intra frame that has been encoded from a decoded image of the successive decoded images. Other exemplary implementations are described herein.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A system for smoothing channel changing in a digital video environment, the system comprising:
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a decoder that receives a digital video stream, the decoder decoding the digital video stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks to produce a series of uncompressed images over time; an image holding buffer that accepts uncompressed images of the series of uncompressed images; an encoder that is capable of receiving at least one uncompressed image from the image holding buffer, the encoder adapted to encode the at least one uncompressed image into an intra frame; and a channel change message handler that is capable of communicating with the encoder, the channel change message handler adapted to activate the encoder to encode the at least one uncompressed image into the intra frame responsive to receipt of a channel change message from a client device to avoid a waterfall effect. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An arrangement for smoothing channel changing, the arrangement comprising:
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decoding means for decoding a video stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks over time to produce decoded images; encoding means for selectively encoding selected ones of the decoded images of the decoding means to produce encoded intra frames; and handling means for handling channel change messages received from client devices, the handling means configured to cause the encoding means to select for encoding those decoded images of the decoding means that correspond to the channel change messages to avoid a waterfall effect. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for smoothing channel changing in a digital video environment, the system comprising:
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one or more memories, the one or more memories including buffering space and electronically-executable instructions; one or more processors, the one or more processors capable of executing the electronically-executable instructions to perform actions comprising; decode a video data stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks into a first uncompressed image; hold the first uncompressed image in the buffering space while a second uncompressed image is produced by further decoding of the video data stream; determine whether a channel change message has been received; and if so, to avoid a waterfall effect, encode the first uncompressed image into an intra frame of video data. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. One or more electronically-accessible media comprising instructions that, when executed, direct a server to:
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continuously decode a plurality of video data streams into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamate the plurality of intra macroblocks into decoded images, each video data stream of the plurality of video data streams corresponding to a respective channel of a plurality of channels; periodically provide, based on the decoding of the plurality of video data streams, a plurality of respective decoded images each respective decoded image of the plurality of respective decoded images corresponding to an intra frame of the respective channel of the plurality of channels; determine whether a channel change message has been received, the channel change message indicating a new channel; and if a channel change message has been received, encoding the respective decoded image of the plurality of respective decoded images that corresponds to a respective new channel of the plurality of channels into an encoded intra frame ready for transmission to a client device to avoid a waterfall effect, the respective new channel of the plurality of channels being the indicated new channel from the channel change message. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for smoothing channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the method comprising actions of:
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decoding a video data stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks into a first decoded image; holding the first decoded image during an image frame time slot; decoding the video data stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks into a second decoded image; determining whether a channel change message has been received from a client device during the image frame time slot; if so, to avoid a waterfall effect, encoding the first decoded image into an intra frame of video data; and sending the intra frame of video data to the client device. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for a client device for smoothing channel changing, the method comprising actions of:
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receiving a video data stream comprising a digitally-encoded stream of video data that has been encoded on a macroblock basis; receiving a channel change input from a user, the channel change input ordering a change to a new channel; sending a channel change message responsive to the channel change input, the channel change message including an indication of the new channel; to avoid a waterfall effect, receiving an intra frame of broadcast video data for the new channel at least as a result of the action of sending the channel change message; and receiving a plurality of macroblocks of broadcast video data for the new channel at least as a result of the action of receiving the channel change input from the user, the plurality of macroblocks of broadcast video data being decodable with reference to the intra frame of broadcast video data. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39)
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40. A method for one or more nodes of a television-based entertainment network, the method comprising actions of:
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receiving a stream of broadcast video data that is encoded on a macroblock basis for a particular channel; continuously decoding the stream of broadcast video data into successive decoded images for a particular channel; receiving a channel change massage from a client device, the channel change message indicating a new channel that corresponds to the particular channel; and responsive to the channel change message receive from the client device; transmitting towards the client device an intra frame that has been encoded from a decoded image of the successive decoded images, the intra frame comprising a complete frame that may be decoded by the client device without reference to any other frame or to macroblocks, thereby allowing the client device to avoid a waterfall effect upon changing to the new channel; and transmitting toward the client device the stream of broadcast video data that is encoded on a mcroblock bases. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A system that is capable of smoothing channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the system comprising:
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a receiver to receive a message that relates to a change to a new channel from a client device; a decoder to decode a broadcast video stream into a plurality of intra macroblocks, and amalgamating the plurality of intra macroblocks into decoded images; an encoder that is capable of encoding at least one of the decoded images into a complete frame; and a transmitter that is capable of transmitting the complete frame to the client device; wherein to avoid a waterfall effect the transmitter transmits the complete frame for the new channel responsive to receipt of the message that relates to the change to the new channel from the client device. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification