System and method for generating a mosaic image stream

• US 8,184,687 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Group, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Strasman, Nery, Oz, Ran
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US11/692,934
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 386/68
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• 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 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA

Abstract

A system and method for generating a mosaic image stream, the method includes: retrieving, at a retrieval rate responsive to an encoding rate of a primary stream, mosaic frame information that comprises a primary frame and multiple secondary frames; generating a mosaic frame from the mosaic frame information; and repeating the retrieving and generating to provide a group of mosaic frames; wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises re-fetching a secondary frame of the certain secondary stream; and wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises ignoring a group of secondary frames of the certain secondary stream.

Claims

1. A method for generating a mosaic image stream, the method comprises:

retrieving, at a retrieval rate responsive to an encoding rate of a primary stream, mosaic frame information that comprises a primary frame and multiple secondary frames;

generating a mosaic frame from the mosaic frame information; and

repeating the retrieving and generating to provide a group of mosaic frames;

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises re-fetching a secondary frame of the certain secondary stream; and

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is faster than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises ignoring a group of secondary frames of the certain secondary stream.

2. A method for generating a mosaic image stream, the method comprises:

retrieving, at a retrieval rate responsive to an encoding rate of a primary stream, mosaic frame information that comprises a primary frame and multiple secondary frames;

generating a mosaic frame from the mosaic frame information; and

repeating the retrieving and generating to provide a group of mosaic frames;

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises re-fetching a secondary frame of the certain secondary stream; and

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is faster than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises ignoring a group of secondary frames of the certain secondary stream;

wherein if the reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the generating comprises generating dependently-decodable duplicating frames and associating at least one dependently-decodable duplicating frame with a secondary frame of the certain secondary frame stream.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the retrieving is preceded by storing a small number of primary frame groups at a primary buffer and storing a small number of secondary frame groups from each secondary frame streams at multiple secondary buffers.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the storing comprises storing a pair of primary frame groups at the primary buffer and storing a pair of secondary frame groups from each secondary frame stream at the multiple secondary buffers.

5. The method according to claim 2 further comprising receiving primary audio information associated with a primary frame group and sending to a decoder the primary audio information and at least one group of mosaic frames generated by the composer.

6. A method for generating a mosaic image stream, the method comprises:

retrieving, at a retrieval rate responsive to an encoding rate of a primary stream, mosaic frame information that comprises a primary frame and multiple secondary frames;

generating a mosaic frame from the mosaic frame information; and

repeating the retrieving and generating to provide a group of mosaic frames;

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises re-fetching a secondary frame of the certain secondary stream; and

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is faster than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises ignoring a group of secondary frames of the certain secondary stream;

wherein the retrieving is responsive to a location of a primary frame within the mosaic frame and to locations of secondary frames within the mosaic frame.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the retrieving is preceded by sending to a primary encoder and to multiple secondary encoders the same encoding parameters.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the size of the primary frame is at least seven times a size of each of the secondary frames.

9. A system for generating a mosaic image stream, the system includes:

a retriever, connected to a composer and adapted to retrieve, at a retrieval rate responsive to an encoding rate of a primary stream, mosaic frame information that comprises a primary frame and multiple secondary frames;

wherein the composer is connected to the retriever, and is adapted to generate a mosaic frame from the mosaic frame information;

wherein the system is adapted to repeat the retrieval and generation to provide a group of mosaic frames;

wherein the retriever re-fetches a secondary frame of a certain secondary stream if a reception rate of the certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises re-fetching a secondary frame of the certain secondary stream; and

wherein the retriever is adapted to ignore a group of secondary frames of a certain secondary stream if a reception rate of the certain secondary stream is faster than the retrieval rate.

10. The system according to claim 9 further comprising a primary buffer and multiple secondary buffers;

wherein the primary buffer is adapted to store a small number of primary frame groups, each secondary buffer adapted to store a small number of secondary frame groups.

11. The system according to claim 10 further comprising a primary buffer adapted to store a pair of primary frame groups and each secondary buffer is adapted to store a pair of secondary frame groups.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the system is adapted to generate dependently-decodable duplicating frames and associate at least one dependently-decodable duplicating frame with a secondary frame of a certain secondary frame stream, if the reception rate of the certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate.

13. The system according to claim 9 further comprising a audio buffer adapted to store primary audio information associated with a primary frame group;

wherein the audio buffer is coupled to a decoder that is adapted to retrieve the primary audio information and at least one group of mosaic frames generated by the composer.

14. The system according to claim 9 wherein the retriever retrieves mosaic frame information in response to a location of a primary frame within the mosaic frame and to locations of secondary frames within the mosaic frame.

15. The system according to claim 9 further adapted to send to a primary encoder and to multiple secondary encoders the same encoding parameters.

16. The system according to claim 9 wherein the size of the primary frame is at least seven times a size of each of the secondary frames.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium embedding a computer readable code that includes instructions for:

retrieving, at a retrieval rate responsive to an encoding rate of a primary stream, mosaic frame information that comprises a primary frame and multiple secondary frames;

generating a mosaic frame from the mosaic frame information; and

repeating the retrieving and generating to provide a group of mosaic frames;

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises re-fetching a secondary frame of the certain secondary stream; and

wherein if a reception rate of a certain secondary stream is faster than the retrieval rate then the retrieving comprises ignoring a group of secondary frames of the certain secondary stream.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17 wherein the computer readable code includes instructions for storing a small number of primary frame groups at a primary buffer and storing a small number of secondary frame groups from each secondary frame streams at multiple secondary buffers.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17 wherein the computer readable code includes instructions for generating dependently-decodable duplicating frames and associating at least one dependently-decodable duplicating frame with a secondary frame of the certain secondary frame stream if the reception rate of a certain secondary stream is slower than the retrieval rate.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17 wherein the computer readable code includes instructions for retrieving in response to a location of a primary frame within the mosaic frame and to locations of secondary frames within the mosaic frame.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 17 wherein the computer readable code includes instructions for sending to a primary encoder and to multiple secondary encoders the same encoding parameters.