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 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. In an exemplary implementation, a method includes: receiving a stream of broadcast video data that is encoded; 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.
105 Citations
16 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 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)
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4. An arrangement for smoothing channel changing, the arrangement comprising:
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decoding means for decoding a video stream 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 (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. 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 to produce a first decoded image; holding the first decoded image in an electronic memory device during an image frame time slot; decoding the video data stream to produce a second decoded image; determining whether a channel change message has been received from a client device during the image frame time slot; and 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 (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification