Edge device that enables efficient delivery of video to handheld device

• US 8,209,733 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2008
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Quigley, Thomas J., Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Chen, Sherman (Xuemin), Dove, Michael, Rosmann, David, Gordon, Stephen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Sunghyoun
• Application Number:
  US12/172,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20090300698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44029 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A video processing system includes a communications interface and video processing circuitry. The communications interface receives video data from a video source, receives at least one operating parameter regarding a remote wireless device, and transmits an output video stream to the remote wireless device. The video processing circuitry couples to the communications interface, receives the video data and the at least one operating parameter, determines video processing parameters based upon the video data and the at least one operating parameter, processes the video data based upon the video processing parameters to produce the output video stream, and provides the output video stream to the communications interface for transmission to the remote wireless device. The video data (incoming video stream) may be processed by altering a frame rate, PCRs, pixel resolution, color resolution, color content, and/or region of interest content of the incoming video data to produce the output video stream.

Claims

1. A video processing system comprising:

a communications interface that receives video data from a video source, that receives at least one operating parameter regarding a remote wireless device, and that transmits an output video stream to the remote wireless device;

video processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface that receives the video data and the at least one operating parameter, that determines video processing parameters based upon the video data and the at least one operating parameter, that processes the video data based upon the video processing parameters to produce the output video stream, and that provides the output video stream to the communications interface for transmission to the remote wireless device;

wherein the video data is an incoming video stream and the video processing circuitry processes the video data based upon the video processing parameters to produce the output video stream by;

determining a plurality of areas of interest in each video frame of a plurality of video frames in the incoming video stream;

cropping each video frame of the plurality of video frames to produce a first plurality of cropped video frames having one of the plurality of areas of interest;

cropping each video frame of the plurality of video frames to produce a second plurality of cropped video frames having another one of the plurality of areas of interest; and

providing the first plurality of cropped video frames and the second plurality of cropped video frames to produce the output video stream; and

processing circuitry coupled to the communication interface, the processing circuitry operable to;

determine a data throughput requirement to transport the output video stream over a communication link to the remote wireless device;

determine communication link characteristics in response to the data throughput requirement and establish the communication link via the communication interface with the remote wireless device having the communication link characteristics;

transmit the output video stream to the remote wireless device over the communication link having the communication link characteristics;

determine an altered data throughput requirement to transport the output video stream over the communication link to the remote wireless device;

determine altered communication link characteristics in response to the altered data throughput requirement and establish an altered communication link via the communication interface with the remote wireless device having the altered communication link characteristics;

determine second video processing parameters based upon the altered communication link characteristics;

process the video stream based upon the second video processing parameters to generate a second output video stream; and

transmit the second output video stream to the remote wireless device over the altered communication link having the altered communication link characteristics.

2. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein:

processing of the video data includes altering a frame rate of the incoming video stream to produce the output video stream.

3. The video processing system of claim 2, wherein altering the frame rate of the incoming video stream to produce the output video stream includes altering Program Clock References (PCRs) of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

4. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein:

processing of the video data to produce the output video stream includes altering a resolution of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

5. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein:

processing of the video data to produce the output video stream includes altering a color resolution of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

6. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein:

the incoming video stream includes color content; and

processing of the video data includes removing color content of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

7. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein:

processing of the video data includes altering pixel density within one of the plurality of areas of interest in each video frame of the plurality of video frames of the incoming video stream.

8. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein least one operating parameter regarding a remote wireless device comprises:

a buffer fullness of a decoder of the remote wireless device;

a remaining battery life of the remote wireless device;

a serviced display resolution of a display of the remote wireless device;

a serviced color resolution of a display of the remote wireless device;

an indication of data throughput currently allocated to the remote wireless device by a servicing wireless network; and

a decoding error feedback parameter relating to a decoder of the remote wireless device.

9. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein the video processing system is a server computer.

10. The video processing system of claim 9, wherein the communications interface couples the video processing system directly to the video source.

11. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein the video processing system forms a part of a wireless access device that wirelessly communicates with the remote wireless device.

12. The video processing system of claim 1, wherein the communication link characteristics include one or more of the following:

slot assignment parameters;

channel assignment parameters;

transmit power allocation parameters;

beam forming parameters;

Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) parameters;

modulation parameters; and

coding parameters; and

wherein the altered communication link characteristics include one or more of the following;

slot assignment parameters;

channel assignment parameters;

transmit power allocation parameters;

beam forming parameters;

Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) parameters;

modulation parameters; and

coding parameters.

13. A method for processing video data comprising:

receiving video data from a video source;

receiving a plurality of operating parameters regarding a remote wireless device, wherein the plurality of operating parameters includes;

a buffer fullness of a decoder of the remote wireless device;

a remaining battery life of the remote wireless device;

a serviced display resolution of a display of the remote wireless device; and

a serviced color resolution of a display of the remote wireless device;

determining video processing parameters based upon the video data and the plurality of operating parameters;

processing the video data based upon the video processing parameters to produce an output video stream;

determine a data throughput requirement to transport the output video stream over a communication link to the remote wireless device;

determine communication link characteristics in response to the data throughput requirement and establish the communication link with the remote wireless device having the communication link characteristics;

transmit the output video stream to the remote wireless device over the communication link having the communication link characteristics;

determine an altered data throughput requirement to transport the output video stream over the communication link to the remote wireless device;

determine altered communication link characteristics in response to the altered data throughput requirement and establish an altered communication link with the remote wireless device having the altered communication link characteristics; and

transmit the output video stream to the remote wireless device over the altered communication link having the altered communication link characteristics.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the video data is an incoming video stream; and

processing of the video data includes altering a frame rate of the incoming video stream to produce the output video stream.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein altering the frame rate of the incoming video stream to produce the output video stream includes altering Program Clock References (PCRs) of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the video data is an incoming video stream; and

processing of the video data to produce the output video stream includes altering a resolution of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the video data is an incoming video stream; and

processing of the video data to produce the output video stream includes altering a color resolution of video frames of the video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the video data is an incoming video stream having color content; and

processing of the video data includes removing color content of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce video frames of the output video stream.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the video data is an incoming video stream; and

processing of the video data includes altering pixel density within an area of interest of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce the output video stream.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the video data is an incoming video stream; and

processing of the video data includes cropping video information outside of an area of interest of video frames of the incoming video stream to produce the output video stream.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of operating parameters further includes:

an indication of data throughput currently allocated to the remote wireless device by a servicing wireless network; and

a decoding error feedback parameter relating to a decoder of the remote wireless device.