Method and apparatus for compressing video sequences

• US 7,953,160 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gershtein, Eugene, Wild, Joseph R., Edmonds, Jeremy S., Gordon, Donald F., Bayrakeri, Sadik, Ludvig, Edward A., Comito, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe; Gims S
• Application Number:
  US12/402,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20090175355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.28, 375/240.26, 348/466, 370/476
• US Class Current: 375/240.28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/577 Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A method and apparatus for compressing a plurality of video sequences, is provided where each sequence has information that is common with other video sequences. The ensemble encodes the video sequences into an MPEG compliant transport stream using less predicted frame information than separately encoding each video sequence. One illustrative application involves efficiently encoding and transmitting a user interface such as a program guide, interactive program guide, electronic program guide, navigator and the like. The user interface is illustratively embodied in an interactive program guide (IPG).

Claims

1. One or more computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

extract a first plurality of packets containing reference pictures from a transport stream;

extract a second plurality of packets containing predicted pictures from said transport stream;

concatenate payloads from said first plurality of packets and payloads from said second plurality of packets;

decode the concatenated payloads to produce a video sequence; and

conduct a query if one of said reference pictures is desired and identifying a new packet identifier if a new reference picture is desired.

2. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1 wherein concatenating the payloads comprises coupling said reference pictures and said predicted pictures to the decoder in exactly the order in which said packets arrive at a demultiplexer.

3. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a demultiplexer.

4. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1 wherein said payloads of said first plurality of packets contain imagery information that changes across a plurality of interactive program guides and said payloads of said second plurality of packets contain common imagery information of a plurality of interactive program guide pages.

5. One or more computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

re-map a packet identifier of a reference stream to a pre-defined packet identifier;

re-map a packet identifier of a predicted picture stream to said pre-defined packet identifier;

extract from a transport stream the packets of the stream having said pre-defined packet identifier;

couple payloads of transport packets of said transport stream to a video decoder;

decode the payloads to produce a video sequence; and

conduct a query if a reference picture is desired and identifying a new packet identifier if a new reference picture is desired.

6. The one or more computer readable media of claim 5, wherein payloads of said reference stream contain imagery information that changes across a plurality of interactive program guides and payloads of said predicted picture stream contain common imagery information of a plurality of interactive program guide pages.

7. One or more computer readable media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

couple each payload of transport packets of a reference stream to a video decoder, including a packet with a zero splice countdown value;

couple each payload of transport packets of a predicted picture stream to a video decoder upon receiving a reference stream packet with a zero splice countdown value;

decode the payloads to produce a video sequence; and

conduct a query if a reference picture is desired and identifying a new packet identifier if a new reference picture is desired.

8. The one or more computer readable media of claim 7, wherein said payloads from said reference stream contain imagery information that changes across a plurality of interactive program guides and said payloads from said predicted picture stream contain common imagery information of a plurality of interactive program guide pages.

9. The one or more computer readable media of claim 7, wherein said coupling comprises reprogramming a packet identifier filter to receive said packets having said new packet identifier.

10. The one or more computer readable media of claim 7, wherein said coupling comprises coupling said payloads from said reference stream and said payloads from said predicted stream to the decoder in exactly the order in which said packets arrive at a demultiplexer.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

extract a first plurality of packets containing reference pictures from a transport stream;

extract a second plurality of packets containing predicted pictures from said transport stream;

concatenate payloads from said first plurality of packets and payloads from said second plurality of packets;

decode the concatenated payloads to produce a video sequence; and

conduct a query if one of said reference pictures is desired and identifying a new packet identifier if a new reference picture is desired.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein concatenating the payloads comprises coupling said reference pictures and said predicted pictures to the decoder in exactly the order in which said packets arrive at a demultiplexer.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus includes a demultiplexer.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said payloads of said first plurality of packets contain imagery information that changes across a plurality of interactive program guides and said payloads of said second plurality of packets contain common imagery information of a plurality of interactive program guide pages.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

re-map a packet identifier of a reference stream to a pre-defined packet identifier;

re-map a packet identifier of a predicted picture stream to said pre-defined packet identifier;

extract from a transport stream the packets of the stream having said pre-defined packet identifier;

couple payloads of transport packets of said transport stream to a video decoder;

decode the payloads to produce a video sequence; and

conduct a query if a reference picture is desired and identifying a new packet identifier if a new reference picture is desired.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein payloads of said reference stream contain imagery information that changes across a plurality of interactive program guides and payloads of said predicted picture stream contain common imagery information of a plurality of interactive program guide pages.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

couple each payload of transport packets of a reference stream to a video decoder, including a packet with a zero splice countdown value;

couple each payload of transport packets of a predicted picture stream to a video decoder upon receiving a reference stream packet with a zero splice countdown value;

decode the payloads to produce a video sequence;

conduct a query if a reference picture is desired and identifying a new packet identifier if a new reference picture is desired.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said payloads from said reference stream contain imagery information that changes across a plurality of interactive program guides and said payloads from said predicted picture stream contain common imagery information of a plurality of interactive program guide pages.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said coupling further comprises reprogramming a packet identifier filter to receive said packets having said new packet identifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said coupling comprises coupling said payloads from said reference stream and said payloads from said predicted stream to the decoder in exactly the order in which said packets arrive at a demultiplexer.