Streaming interactive video client apparatus

• US 9,272,209 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G., van der Laan, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US12/359,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,594 Days
• Field of Search: 725 78- 85, 725133-134, 725141-142, 725106-120, 348/734, 709217-232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 : Backbone network devices

Abstract

An apparatus is described comprising a Power-over-Ethernet interface, a High-Definition Media Interface (HDMI), a Bluetooth interface, a means for decompressing low-latency streaming interactive video and audio from an Internet-based hosting service and outputting the decompressed audio and video through HDMI, and a means for transmitting to the Internet-based hosting service user control information and statistics from received packets. Further, the apparatus is able to receive two interleaved streams of low-latency streaming interactive video.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface communicatively coupled to the Internet, the network interface configured to transmit control information to a data center hosting one or more video games or applications on the Internet and executing the video games or applications in response to the control information, said data center remote to the apparatus and streaming interactive compressed video from the video games or applications to the apparatus over the Internet;

one or more input devices manipulated by one or more users and responsively providing the control information to the one or more video games or applications hosted by the data center through the Internet;

video decompression logic for decompressing the streaming interactive compressed video received through the network interface, the apparatus rendering video images contained in the streaming interactive compressed video of the video game or application;

wherein the streaming interactive compressed video is streamed to the apparatus over the Internet and decompressed with a latency such that a user of the apparatus has the perception that the video game or application hosted by the data center is responding instantly to the control information.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the streaming interactive video is in the form of a plurality of interleaved video streams.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

network address translation (NAT) logic to perform NAT functions.

4. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the plurality of interleaved video streams comprise left and right eye views to generate stereoscopic 3D video.

5. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the plurality of interleaved video streams comprise the video outputs of a plurality of video game and/or applications.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the network interface is wired.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the network interface is wireless.

8. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

one or more analog audio/video outputs for outputting an analog format of the interactive streaming interactive video and audio.

9. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein at least one of the video outputs comprises a composite video output.

10. The apparatus as in claim 8 wherein at least one of the audio outputs comprises stereo audio outputs.

11. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

a control central processing unit (CPU) for executing program code.

12. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

a universal serial bus (USB) interface capable of receiving control signals from USB devices and sending signals to the USB devices.

13. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the video decompression unit comprises a hardware decompression unit.

14. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the video decompression unit comprises a software decompression unit.

15. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the video decompression unit comprises a combined hardware and software decompression unit.

16. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the video decompression unit is a standalone device.

17. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the video decompression unit is a unit within a larger semiconductor device.

18. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a standalone device.

19. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is embedded within a television.

20. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is embedded within a set-top box.

21. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is embedded within a device which contains a display.

22. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is embedded within a device which is coupled to an external display.

23. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is embedded within a computer.

24. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a general-purpose processor.

25. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

one or more digital audio/video outputs for outputting an digital format of the interactive streaming interactive video and audio.

26. The apparatus as in claim 7 wherein at least one of the digital video outputs comprises HDMI video output.

27. The apparatus as in claim 7 wherein at least one of the digital audio outputs comprises a TOSLINK or S/PDIF output.