Method and system for providing a program guide and multiple video streams using slice-based encoding

• US 8,930,998 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gordon, Donald F., Bayrakeri, Sadik, Ludvig, Edward A., Gershtein, Eugene, Edmonds, Jeremy S., Comito, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US13/221,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 41, 725 43- 49, 725/59, 725/61
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4351 involving reassembling additional data, e.g. rebuilding an executable program from recovered modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Encoding program guides and user interfaces, which may include multiple encoded videos and multiple encoded graphics, is disclosed.

The encoded videos may be combined together as an encoded composite video that is decoded to produce a display screen having each of the videos presented in a different region. Further, each one of the encoded videos may be combined with each one of the encoded graphics to form a second encoded composite video that is decoded to produce a display screen having graphic data presented in one region and a video presented in another region of the display screen.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

decoding a first encoded video stream comprising encoded video data to produce a first video comprising a first plurality of regions, each region of the first plurality of regions comprising one of a plurality of videos;

concatenating, by a computing device, at least a portion of the encoded video data with encoded graphic data to form a second encoded video stream; and

decoding the second encoded video stream to produce a second video comprising a second plurality of regions, a first region of the second plurality of regions comprising a graphic generated from the encoded graphic data, and a second region of the second plurality of regions comprising one video of the plurality of videos.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

extracting, from a transport stream, the first encoded video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a presentation signal comprising the first video; and

adapting the presentation signal to comprise the second video instead of the first video in response to a selection of a region of the first plurality of regions, the selected region comprising the one video of the plurality of videos.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second video does not comprise any of the plurality of videos other than the one video of the plurality of videos in the selected region.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the presentation signal comprises data formatted for display on a display device.

6. The method of claim 3, comprising:

transmitting the presentation signal to a display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encoded video stream comprises a plurality of encoded video data blocks corresponding respectively to the first plurality of regions, and wherein each encoded video data block is identified by a different program identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second video comprises a program guide and the graphic comprises program guide listings.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one video of the plurality of videos comprised in the second region of the second plurality of regions comprises a current broadcast on a broadcast channel, and the graphic comprises information identifying programming available on the broadcast channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video and the second video each comprise data formatted for display on a display device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second encoded video stream comprises the at least a portion of the encoded video data and the encoded graphic data.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

decode a first encoded video stream comprising encoded video data to produce a first video comprising a first plurality of regions, each region of the first plurality of regions comprising one of a plurality of videos;

adapt a presentation signal to comprise the first video;

concatenate at least a portion of the encoded video data with encoded graphic data to form a second encoded video stream;

decode the second encoded video stream to produce a second video comprising a second plurality of regions, a first region of the second plurality of regions comprising a graphic generated from the encoded graphic data, and a second region of the second plurality of regions comprising one video of the plurality of videos; and

adapt the presentation signal to comprise the second video instead of the first video.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive a transport stream; and

extract, from the transport stream, the first encoded video stream.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

adapt the presentation signal to comprise the second video instead of the first video in response to a selection of a region of the first plurality of regions, the selected region comprising the one video of the plurality of videos.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second video does not comprise any of the plurality of videos other than the one video of the plurality of videos comprised in the selected region.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first encoded video stream comprises a plurality of encoded video data blocks corresponding respectively to the first plurality of regions, and wherein each encoded video data block is identified by a different program identifier.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second video comprises a program guide and wherein the graphic comprises program guide listings.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one video of the plurality of videos comprised in the second region of the second plurality of regions comprises a current broadcast on a broadcast channel, and the graphic comprises information identifying programming available on the broadcast channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising a transmitter configured to generate the presentation signal in a format for display on a display device.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the presentation signal comprises data formatted for display on a display device.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory storing further computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

transmit the presentation signal to a display device.

22. A system comprising:

a video processing apparatus comprising;

one or more video encoders configured to encode a plurality of videos into

a first encoded video data stream comprising encoded video data; and

a modulator configured to modulate the first encoded video data stream for transmission over a network; and

a terminal comprising;

a demodulator configured to demodulate the first encoded video data stream received over the network;

a processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal to;

decode the first encoded video data stream to produce a first video comprising a first plurality of regions, each region of the first plurality of regions comprising one of the plurality of videos,

cause to be generated a presentation signal comprising the first video,

concatenate at least a portion of the encoded video data with encoded graphic data to form a second encoded video data stream,

receive a selection of one of the first plurality of regions of the first video, and

in response to the selection;

decode the second encoded video data stream to produce a second video comprising a second plurality of regions, a first region of the second plurality of regions comprising a graphic generated from the encoded graphic data, and a second region of the second plurality of regions comprising one video of the plurality of videos, and

adapt the presentation signal to comprise the second video instead of the first video.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first encoded video data stream comprises a plurality of encoded video data blocks corresponding respectively to the first plurality of regions, and wherein each encoded video data block is identified by a different program identifier.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more video encoders in the video processing apparatus are configured to:

reduce a display size of each of the plurality of videos to fit respectively within the first plurality of regions in the first video.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal to:

transmit the presentation signal to a display device.