Method and communication apparatus for reproducing a moving picture, and use in a videoconference system

• US 8,064,754 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Imerj Limited
• Inventors: Lomba, Vincent, Dufosse, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/594,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20070182865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 386/200, 386/223, 386/224, 386/328, 386/338
• US Class Current: 386/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for reproducing a moving picture composed of a succession of images and of monophonic sounds, comprising the steps of: determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture to be reproduced by analyzing successive images; identifying said zone in motion as corresponding to a source (P3) from which sound is originated; and reproducing said succession of images on a display (20) and corresponding sounds on at least one left loud speaker (21) and one right loud speaker (22), while applying to said sounds at least an audio 3D effect as a function of said spatial location.

Claims

1. A method for reproducing a moving picture composed of a succession of images captured by a camera and monophonic sounds captured simultaneously with said images, the method comprising:

Determining a spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture by analyzing successive images;

Identifying said zone in motion as corresponding to a source from which sound is originated;

Delivering image data to a display and corresponding monophonic sound data to at least one left loud speaker and one right loud speaker; and

Reproducing said succession of images on said display and said corresponding monophonic sounds on said at least one left loud speaker and one right loud speaker, while applying to said monophonic sounds at least an audio 3D effect as a function of said spatial location.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said step of determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion further comprises the step of comparing successive images and determining at least two coordinates of said zone in a 2D-referential corresponding to displayed images.

3. A method according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that said step of determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture comprises the step of detecting motion of mouths of people captured in the moving picture and the step of determining spatial locations of zones corresponding to detected mouth'"'"'s motions.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that applying to said monophonic sounds at least an audio 3D effect consists at least in adapting the relative gains of left and right loudspeakers as a function of said spatial location.

5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that applying to said monophonic sounds at least an audio 3D effect consists at least in adapting the relative phases and time delays of left and right loudspeakers as a function of said spatial location.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that applying to said monophonic sounds at least an audio 3D effect consists at least in adapting the frequency gain of left and/or right loudspeakers as a function of said spatial location.

7. Use of the method according to anyone of claims 1, 2 or 4-6 in a videoconference system, characterized in that said moving picture to be reproduced has been captured by a videoconference transmitter comprising said camera and a microphone for capturing monophonic sounds, and in that said step of determining spatial location through said step of reproducing are performed at the level of a videoconference receiver comprising said display and said left and right loudspeakers.

8. A method for reproducing a moving picture composed of a succession of images captured by a camera and monophonic sounds captured simultaneously with said images, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

Determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture to be reproduced by analyzing successive images;

Identifying said zone in motion as corresponding to a source from which sound is originated; and

Reproducing said succession of images on a display and corresponding sounds on at least one left loud speaker and one right loud speaker, while controlling at least one characteristic of the first and second loud speakers to provide an audio 3D effect as a function of the determined spatial location.

9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that said step of determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion further comprises the step of comparing successive images and determining at least two coordinates of said zone in a 2D-referential corresponding to displayed images.

10. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that said step of determining spatial location of at least one zone in motion within said moving picture comprises the step of detecting motion of mouths of people captured in the moving picture and the step of determining spatial locations of zones corresponding to detected mouth'"'"'s motions.

11. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that controlling the at least one characteristic of the first and second speakers as a function of the determined spatial location comprises at least adapting the relative gains of left and right loudspeakers as a function of said spatial location.

12. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that controlling the at least one characteristic of the first and second speakers as a function of the determined spatial location comprises at least adapting the relative phases and time delays of left and right loudspeakers as a function of said spatial location.

13. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that controlling the at least one characteristic of the first and second speakers as a function of the determined spatial location comprises at least adapting the frequency gain of left and/or right loudspeakers as a function of said spatial location.

14. Use of the method according to claim 8 in a videoconference system, characterized in that said moving picture to be reproduced has been captured by a videoconference transmitter comprising said camera and a microphone for capturing monophonic sounds, and in that said step of determining spatial location through said step of reproducing are performed at the level of a videoconference receiver comprising said display and said left and right loudspeakers.

15. A method according to claim 8, further comprising before the reproducing:

Delivering image data to a display and corresponding monophonic sounds to said at least one left loud speaker and one right loud speaker.