Apparatus and method for providing media content

• US 9,185,438 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2015
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson, Shen, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marandi, James R
• Application Number:
  US14/613,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/393 Enlarging or reducing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234372 for performing aspect ratio conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440245 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440272 for performing aspect ratio conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44029 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45 Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45455 applied to a region of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0117 involving conversion of the spatial resolution of the incoming video signal for graphics images G09G2340/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving video content at a mobile device via a network from a video server wherein a single version of the video content is provided by the video server to a group of mobile devices that includes the mobile device, utilizing the mobile device for adjusting dimensions of an area of attention in an image of the video content based on a desired display resolution to generate an adjusted area of attention, utilizing the mobile device for adjusting dimensions of a peripheral portion that surrounds the area of attention in at least one of a horizontal or vertical direction based on the adjusted area of attention to generate an adjusted peripheral portion of an adjusted image, and replacing the image with the adjusted image during presentation of the video content at a display of the mobile device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a display;

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory and the display, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

performing image pattern recognition on a received video content to identify images in the video content;

identifying a first area of attention in an image of the video content based on the image pattern recognition;

determining a first shape for the first area of attention;

identifying a second area of attention in the image based on the image pattern recognition;

determining a second shape for the second area of attention;

adjusting the first shape to a first resolution based on a desired display resolution for the video content to generate an adjusted first shape for the first area of attention;

adjusting the second shape to a second resolution based on the desired display resolution to generate an adjusted second shape for the second area of attention;

identifying a first peripheral portion that surrounds the first shape;

identifying a second peripheral portion that surrounds the second shape;

identifying a boundary zone between the first shape and the second shape, wherein the boundary zone utilizes a third display resolution having a value between the first and second resolutions; and

presenting the adjusted first shape, the boundary zone, and the adjusted second shape in place of one of the first or second areas during presentation of the video content at the display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the video content over a network from a video server, wherein the adjusted first shape has at least two different display resolutions, wherein a first display resolution is utilized within the adjusted first shape of the first area of attention and wherein a second display resolution is utilized within the first peripheral portion of the adjusted first shape.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first display resolution is a highest display resolution enabled by the display.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise accessing metadata associated with the video content.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise determining a subject matter of the video content based on the metadata, wherein the image pattern recognition is performed to locate an area of attention based on the subject matter.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the adjusted second shape has at least two different display resolutions, wherein a first display resolution is utilized within the adjusted second shape and wherein a second display resolution is utilized within the second peripheral portion.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the image pattern recognition identifies objects in the first and second shapes, wherein the first and second areas of attention are identified based on the objects.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise providing a linear change of a display resolution along a transition area between the adjusted first shape and the first peripheral portion.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise accessing user preferences, wherein one of a desired display resolution or a desired aspect ratio is determined based on the user preferences.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the first shape proportionally enlarges the first area of attention.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise stretching the first peripheral portion in one of a horizontal or vertical direction based on the adjusting of the first shape, a desired display resolution, and a desired aspect ratio for the video content to generate an adjusted first peripheral portion for the first shape.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the adjusted first peripheral portion removes a portion of the first peripheral portion.

13. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processor performs operations comprising:

performing image pattern recognition on an image of video content to identify a first area and a second area in the video content;

adjusting a resolution of the first area to generate an adjusted area of attention having a first resolution as a first adjusted area;

adjusting a resolution of the second area to generate an adjusted area of attention having a second resolution as a second adjusted area;

adjusting a size of a peripheral portion that surrounds the first adjusted area in one of a horizontal or vertical direction based on the first adjusted area as an adjusted peripheral portion, a desired display resolution, or a desired aspect ratio to generate an adjusted peripheral portion that utilizes a first display resolution within the first adjusted area and a second display resolution in the adjusted peripheral portion;

identifying a boundary zone between the first adjusted area and the second adjusted area, wherein the boundary zone utilizes a third display resolution having a value between the first and second resolutions; and

replacing the image with the first adjusted area, the second adjusted area, and the boundary zone during presentation of the video content at a display device.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising receiving the video via one of a broadcast or a multicast.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise accessing metadata associated with the video content, wherein the performing image pattern recognition is based on the metadata.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the video content over a network from a video server, and

wherein the adjusting of the size of the peripheral portion comprises adjusting an aspect ratio for the first adjusted area based on a subject matter of the video content based on the metadata.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a fault associated with the video content;

transmitting a request to a video server for another version of the video content that is different from a first version of the video content received by the display device;

responsive to the request, receiving the other version of the video content, wherein the other version of the video content includes more error correction data than is included with the first version of the video content;

performing image pattern recognition for another area of attention in another image of the other version of the video content;

adjusting a size of the other area of attention based on the desired display resolution to generate another adjusted area of attention;

adjusting a size of another peripheral portion that surrounds the other area of attention in one of the horizontal or vertical direction based on the other adjusted area of attention, the desired display resolution and the desired aspect ratio to generate another adjusted peripheral portion of another adjusted image that utilizes the first display resolution within the adjusted area of attention and a third display resolution in the adjusted peripheral portion; and

replacing the other image with the other adjusted image during presentation of the other version of the video content at the display device.