Multi-video receiving method and apparatus

• US 7,966,636 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FanVision Entertainment, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kangaroo Media Incorporated (Game Day Entertainment LLC)
• Inventors: Arseneau, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks; Charles N
• Application Number:
  US10/478,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,317 Days
• Field of Search: 725/100
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/435 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/607 for more than one sound signal, e.g. stereo, multilanguages H04N5/602 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0806 the signals being two or more video signals H04N7/0803, H04N7/081 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/12 Systems in which the television signal is transmitted via one channel or a plurality of parallel channels, the bandwidth of each channel being less than the bandwidth of the television signal H04N7/24 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for receiving a plurality of video signals using a single video signal transmitted using a point-to-multipoint connection; the plurality of video signals originate from various locations of an event. Information received using a reception unit comprises at least one of the plurality of video signals, at least one of the plurality of sound track signals related to the at least one of the plurality of video signals, data transmitted using the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the single video signal and graphics.

Claims

1. A method for providing a plurality of video programs to a plurality of portable video program receivers at a venue hosting a live event, comprising:

receiving a plurality of video streams derived from video cameras capturing images of the live event;

reducing image resolution of the plurality of video streams to produce multiple resolution reduced video streams;

accessing data content that includes menu data and computer generated graphics related to the live event, the menu data for use by the portable program receivers to create and display a menu, the menu includes a list of options to make selections, one or more of the options is to access and display the computer generated graphics related to the live event, the computer generated graphics are not video data captured from a video camera, the data content is independent of the video streams;

combining the multiple resolution reduced video streams and data content into a combined signal that includes the multiple resolution reduced video streams, the menu data and the computer generated graphics combined such that the plurality of portable video program receivers can extract one of the video streams and the plurality of portable video program receivers can extract the data content; and

generating a wireless RF signal to wirelessly convey the combined signal to the plurality of portable video program receivers.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, including receiving a plurality of sound tracks associated with respective video streams and wirelessly conveying audio information derived from the sound tracks to the plurality of portable video program receivers.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, including receiving a data signal from a data source, the data content is derived from the data signal.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the live event is a sporting event, the data content conveying information about ranking of a participant in the live event.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the live event is a motor sports event.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each video stream has an image resolution of 720 pixels by 480 pixels before said reducing.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein each resolution reduced video stream has a resolution of 360 pixels by 240 pixels.

8. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the wireless RF signal is digital.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the wireless RF signal is contained within a single frequency band.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the single frequency band has a bandwidth of about 6 MHz.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the wireless RF signal at a portable video program receiver of the plurality of portable video program receivers;

automatically identifying the data content in the RF signal; and

storing the data content in a buffer to be used when in a graphics mode of the portable video program receiver.

11. An apparatus for broadcasting multiple video programs to a plurality of portable video program receivers at a venue hosting a live event, said apparatus comprising:

a first input interface that receives a plurality of video streams derived from video cameras capturing images of the live event;

a second input interface that receives a data signal from a data source, the data signal includes menu data and computer generated graphics related to the live event, the menu data for use by the portable program receivers to create and display a menu, the menu includes a list of options to make selections, the computer generated graphics are not video data captured from a video camera, the data content is independent of the video streams; and

a transmitter that generates and transmits a wireless RF signal to the plurality of portable video program receivers, the wireless RF signal includes the plurality of video streams, the menu data and the computer generated graphics in a common wireless RF signal such that the plurality of portable video program receivers can extract one of the video streams to display and the plurality of portable video program receivers can extract the menu data to create a menu based on the menu data.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the wireless RF signal is digital.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the wireless RF signal is contained within a single frequency band.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the single frequency band has a bandwidth of about 6 MHz.

16. A method for providing a plurality of video programs to a plurality of portable video program receivers at a venue hosting a live event, comprising:

receiving a plurality of video streams derived from video cameras capturing images of the live event;

reducing image resolution of the plurality of video streams to produce multiple resolution reduced video streams;

accessing data content that includes menu data, the menu data for use by the portable video program receivers to create a menu, the menu includes a list of options that can be selected on the portable video program receivers;

combining the multiple resolution reduced video streams and data content into a combined signal that includes the multiple resolution reduced video streams and the menu data combined such that the plurality of portable video program receivers can extract one of the multiple resolution reduced video streams and the plurality of portable video program receivers can extract the menu data; and

generating a wireless RF signal to wirelessly convey the combined signal to the plurality of portable video program receivers using a point-to-multipoint transmission.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the wireless RF signal is contained within a single frequency band.

18. A method for providing a plurality of video programs of a live event, comprising:

receiving a wireless signal at a portable receiver, the wireless signal comprises a plurality of video streams from video cameras capturing images of the live event combined with data content, the data content includes menu data, the menu data provides for the portable receivers to display a menu, the menu includes a list of options for selection;

receiving a selection of one of the video streams;

extracting the selected video stream from the combined video streams and data content;

displaying the selected video stream on the portable receiver;

extracting the data content from the combined video streams and data content;

creating a menu on the portable receiver using the data content extracted from the combined video streams and data content;

receiving a selection in the menu to access data;

retrieving the data in response to the selection; and

providing the retrieved data to the user.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the wireless signal is received at a single frequency band.

20. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein:

the data content includes computer generated graphics related to the live event; and

the menu includes a list of options to make selections, one or more of the options is to access and display the computer generated graphics related to the live event, the computer generated graphics are not video data captured from a video camera, the data content is independent of the video streams.

21. A portable video program receiver for use at a event, comprising:

a receiver for wirelessly receiving a plurality of video streams from video cameras capturing images of the event and data content in a combined wireless signal, the data content includes menu data;

a display;

data storage; and

a processing system in communication with the display, the data storage and the receiver;

the processing system receives a selection of one of the video streams, extracts the selected video stream from the combined wireless signal, causes the selected video stream to be displayed, extracts the data content from the combined wireless signal, creates a menu on the display using the data content extracted from the combined wireless signal, receives a selection in the menu to access data, retrieves the data in response to the selection and provides the retrieved data to the user.

22. The portable video program receiver as defined in claim 21, wherein:

the processing system comprises a microprocessor and a FPGA.