Video game system using pre-encoded macro-blocks and a reference grid

• US 8,284,842 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Craig, Robert, Mercer, Clifford Wayne, Sigmund, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Senfi, Behrooz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Hee-Yong
• Application Number:
  US11/178,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20070009043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.24
• US Class Current: 375/240.24
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering

Abstract

A method and related system of generating a frame of video is disclosed. In the method, a request is received and a frame of video is generated using a plurality of pre-encoded macro-blocks. Generating the frame of video includes assigning the plurality of pre-encoded macro-blocks to respective positions in a grid. The frame of video may be compatible with an MPEG compression standard. The plurality of pre-encoded macro-blocks are pre-encoded prior to the request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a video game system comprising one or more video game servers;

storing pre-encoded macro-blocks in a bank of individually addressable pre-encoded macro-blocks; and

for each of two or more video games;

receiving a request to initiate the video game;

receiving a command corresponding to a user action in the video game;

in response to the command, generating a frame of video using a plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks, the generating comprising;

dynamically generating a macro-block in accordance with the user action, or a prior user action, in the video game;

storing respective pointers to respective entries in a grid distinct from the bank, the respective pointers referencing the dynamically-generated macro-block and respective pre-encoded macro-blocks in the bank, the respective entries corresponding to respective locations in the frame of video, wherein the grid comprises a 2-dimensional array of entries having multiple rows of entries, each row of entries in the grid corresponds to a slice of the frame of video, and each entry in the grid stores a pointer to a-corresponding macro-block of the frame of video;

comparing a previous state of the grid with a current state of the grid and selectively including in the data stream corresponding to the frame of video intra macro-blocks and predictive macro-blocks in accordance with the comparing; and

transmitting a data stream corresponding to the frame of video to a user device for display;

wherein the frame of video is compatible with an MPEG compression standard, the pre-encoded macro-blocks are pre-encoded and stored in the bank prior to receiving the requests to initiate the two or more video games, and respective pre-encoded macro-blocks in the bank are shared between the two or more video games.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a respective state of the grid is in accordance with a game state in the video game.

3. The method of claim 1, further including selectively including in the data stream corresponding to the frame of video one or more skipped predictive macro-blocks corresponding to regions of the frame of video that are substantially unchanged with respect to a previous frame of video.

4. The method of claim 1, further including selectively including in the data stream corresponding to the frame of video one or more empty predictive macro-blocks corresponding to regions of the frame of video that are substantially unchanged with respect to a previous frame of video.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a respective pre-encoded macro-block includes meta data, and wherein the meta data includes a quantization factor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks include un-compressed pixel information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically generating a plurality of macro-blocks, wherein the plurality of dynamically-generated macro-blocks include a combination of the subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks that include un-compressed pixel information and image information corresponding to an object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the combination includes blending at least a portion of the subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks that includes un-compressed pixel information and the image information corresponding to the object.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the combination includes superposition of the image information corresponding to the object on a region of the frame of video corresponding to at least a portion of the subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks that include un-compressed pixel information.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the frame of video further comprises storing, in at least a plurality of entries in the grid for a respective video game of the two or more video games, pointers referencing the plurality of dynamically-generated macro-blocks, generated after initiation of the respective video game.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprising;

instructions for storing pre-encoded macro-blocks in a bank of individually addressable pre-encoded macro-blocks; and

for each of two or more video games;

instructions for receiving a request to initiate the video game;

instructions for receiving a command corresponding to a user action in the video game;

instructions for generating, in response to the command, a frame of video using a plurality of pre-encoded macro-blocks, the generating comprising;

dynamically generating a macro-block in accordance with the user action, or a prior user action, in the video game;

storing respective pointers to respective entries in a grid distinct from the bank, the respective pointers referencing the dynamically-generated macro-block and respective pre-encoded macro-blocks in the bank, the respective entries corresponding to respective locations in the frame of video, wherein the grid comprises a 2-dimensional array of entries having multiple rows of entries, each row of entries in the grid corresponds to a slice of the frame of video, and each entry in the grid stores a pointer to a corresponding macro-block of the frame of video; and

comparing a previous state of the grid with a current state of the grid and selectively including in the data stream corresponding to the frame of video intra macro-blocks and predictive macro-blocks in accordance with the comparing; and

instructions for transmitting the frame of video to a user device for display;

wherein the frame of video is compatible with an MPEG compression standard, the pre-encoded macro-blocks are re-encoded and stored in the bank nor to receiving the requests to initiate the two or more video games, and respective pre-encoded macro-blocks in the bank are shared between the two or more video games.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a respective state of the grid is in accordance with a game state in the video game.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, the one or more programs further include instructions for selectively including in the data stream corresponding to the frame of video one or more skipped predictive macro-blocks corresponding to regions of the frame of video that are substantially unchanged with respect to a previous frame of video.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, the one or more programs further include instructions for selectively including in the data stream corresponding to the frame of video one or more empty predictive macro-blocks corresponding to regions of the frame of video that are substantially unchanged with respect to a previous frame of video.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a respective pre-encoded macro-block includes meta data, and wherein the meta data includes a quantization factor.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks include un-compressed pixel information.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, the one or more programs further include instructions for dynamically generating a plurality of macro-blocks, wherein the plurality of dynamically-generated macro-blocks include a combination of the subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks that include un-compressed pixel information and image information corresponding to an object.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions for dynamically generating a plurality of macro-blocks include instructions for blending at least a portion of the subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks that includes un-compressed pixel information and the image information corresponding to the object.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the combination includes superposition of the image information corresponding to the object on a region of the frame of video corresponding to at least a portion of the subset of the plurality of the pre-encoded macro-blocks that include un-compressed pixel information.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions for generating the frame of video further comprise instructions for storing, in at least a plurality of entries in the grid for a respective video game of the two or more video games, pointers referencing a plurality of dynamically-generated macro-blocks, generated after initiation of the respective video game.