Transcoder supporting selective delivery of 2D, stereoscopic 3D, and multi-view 3D content from source video

• US 8,988,506 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON II, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US12/982,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20110164115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 348/46
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/24 using apertured or refractive resolving means on screens or between screen and eye
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/00 Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/139 Format conversion, e.g. of frame-rate or size
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/312 the parallax barriers being placed behind the display panel, e.g. between backlight and spatial light modulator [SLM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/315 the parallax barriers being time-variant
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/332 : Displays for viewing with the aid of special glasses or head-mounted displays [HMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/351 : for displaying simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/359 : Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/361 : Reproducing mixed stereoscopic images; Reproducing mixed monoscopic and stereoscopic images, e.g. a stereoscopic image overlay window on a monoscopic image background
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 : using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 : for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 : Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/403 : the images being monoscopic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/405 : the images being stereoscopic or three dimensional
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 : additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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: H04S 7/303 : Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Transcoders are provided for transcoding three-dimensional content to two-dimensional content, and for transcoding three-dimensional content of a first type to three-dimensional content of another type. Transcoding of content may be performed due to user preference, display device capability, bandwidth constraints, user payment/subscription constraints, device loading, and/or for other reason. Transcoders may be implemented in a content communication network in a media source, a display device, and/or in any device/node in between.

Claims

1. A method performed on first video content, the first video content being three-dimensional video content, the method supporting a visual presentation to a viewer, the method comprising:

receiving the first video content that has first data and second data, the first video content being encoded content, the first data representative of a first perspective view, and the second data representative of a second perspective view;

generating the visual presentation in either three-dimensions or two-dimensions;

forwarding, upon generating the visual presentation in three-dimensions, the first video content; and

extracting, upon generating the visual presentation in two-dimensions, the second data from the first video content to produce second video content, and forwarding the second video content, said extracting comprising

decoding the first video content,

modifying or removing a difference file of the decoded first video content to form decoded second video content, and

encoding the decoded second video content to generate the second video content to include encoded content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video content is encrypted content, the method further comprising decrypting the first video content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoded first video content includes a first frame sequence as the first data and the difference file as the second data, the difference file containing difference information applicable to the decoded first frame sequence to generate a decoded second frame sequence.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said extracting further comprises:

reducing a resolution of frames of a first frame sequence in the decoded first video content to produce a reduced resolution frame sequence included in the second video content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said extracting further comprises:

cropping frames of a first frame sequence included in the decoded first video content to produce a cropped frame sequence included in the second video content, the cropped frames of the cropped frame sequence having a different aspect ratio from frames of the first frame sequence.

4. Video circuitry used with first video content, the first video content being representative of a plurality of perspective views that support a multi-dimensional visual presentation to a viewer, the video circuitry comprising:

content interface circuitry;

processing circuitry that receives the first video content via the content interface circuitry, the first video content being encoded content, the processing circuitry configured to decode the first video content, remove data from the decoded first video content corresponding to at least one of the plurality of perspective views based on a difference file of the decoded first video content to produce second video content, and encode the second video content to generate the second video content to include encoded content; and

output interface circuitry through which the processing circuitry delivers the encoded second video content.

5. The video circuitry of claim 4, wherein the first video content is encrypted content, and the processing circuitry includes a decrypter that performs decryption of at least a portion of the first video content.

6. The video circuitry of claim 4, wherein the processing circuitry changes resolution of the second video content.

7. The video circuitry of claim 4, wherein the processing circuitry removes at least one frame sequence from the decoded first video content to produce the second video content to include a single frame sequence corresponding to a single perspective view.

10. The video circuitry of claim 4, the difference file containing difference information applicable to one or more frame sequences of the first video content to generate at least one additional frame sequence.

11. The video circuitry of claim 4, further comprising:

a frame cropper implemented by the processing circuitry that crops frames of a first frame sequence included in the decoded first video content to produce a cropped frame sequence included in the second video content, the cropped frames of the cropped frame sequence having a different aspect ratio from frames of the first frame sequence.

12. The video circuitry of claim 4, further comprising:

a resolution modifier implemented by the processing circuitry that reduces a resolution of frames of a first frame sequence in the decoded first video content to produce a reduced resolution frame sequence included in the second video content.

14. The video circuitry of claim 4, wherein the video circuitry is included in a computer, a server, a game console, a set top box, a digital video recorder, a stereo receiver, a mobile phone, a gateway device, an access point, or a display device.

20. The video circuitry of claim 4, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to modify or remove the difference file to form the second video content.

8. Video circuitry used with first video content, the first video content being representative of a plurality of perspective views that support a multi-dimensional visual presentation to a viewer, the video circuitry comprising:

content interface circuitry;

processing circuitry that receives the first video content via the content interface circuitry, the first video content being encoded content, the processing circuitry configured to decode the first video content, remove data from the decoded first video content corresponding to at least one of the plurality of perspective views to produce second video content, and encode the second video content to generate the second video content to include encoded content; and

output interface circuitry through which the processing circuitry delivers the encoded second video content;

wherein the processing circuitry removes at least one frame sequence from the decoded first video content to produce the second video content to include a pair of frame sequences corresponding to first and second eye perspective views.

9. Video circuitry used with first video content, the first video content being representative of a plurality of perspective views that support a multi-dimensional visual presentation to a viewer, the video circuitry comprising:

content interface circuitry;

processing circuitry that receives the first video content via the content interface circuitry, the first video content being encoded content, the processing circuitry configured to decode the first video content, remove data from the decoded first video content corresponding to at least one of the plurality of perspective views to produce second video content, and encode the second video content to generate the second video content to include encoded content; and

output interface circuitry through which the processing circuitry delivers the encoded second video content;

wherein the processing circuitry removes at least one frame sequence from the decoded first video content to produce the second video content to include a plurality of pairs of frame sequences corresponding to a plurality of pairs of first and second eye perspective views that correspond to three-dimensional views of a multi-view scene.

13. Video circuitry used with first video content, the first video content being representative of a plurality of perspective views that support a multi-dimensional visual presentation to a viewer, the video circuitry comprising:

content interface circuitry;

processing circuitry that receives the first video content via the content interface circuitry, the first video content being encoded content, the processing circuitry configured to decode the first video content, remove data from the decoded first video content corresponding to at least one of the plurality of perspective views to produce second video content, and encode the second video content to generate the second video content to include encoded content; and

output interface circuitry through which the processing circuitry delivers the encoded second video content;

wherein the processing circuitry removes at least one frame sequence from the decoded first video content to produce the second video content as a result of a received indication of available communication bandwidth.

15. A device associated with first video content, the first video content being representative of a plurality of perspective views that support a multi-dimensional visual presentation to a viewer the device comprising:

content interface circuitry;

processing circuitry that receives the first video content via the content interface circuitry, the first video content being encoded content, the processing circuitry configured to decode the first video content, remove data from the decoded first video content corresponding to at least one of the plurality of perspective views based on a difference file of the decoded first video content to produce second video content, and encode the second video content to generate the second video content to include encoded content; and

output interface circuitry through which the processing circuitry delivers the encoded second video content.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the device is a computer, a server, a game console, a set top box, a digital video recorder, a stereo receiver, a mobile phone, a gateway device, an access point, or a display device.

18. The device of claim 15, the difference file containing difference information applicable to one or more frame sequences of the decoded first video content to generate at least one additional frame sequence.