Display management server

• US 9,509,935 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wilson, Brent, Atkins, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US13/810,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0242 Compensation of deficiencies in the appearance of colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0276 for the purpose of adaptation to the characteristics of a display device, i.e. gamma correction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/02 Graphics controller able to handle multiple formats, e.g. input or output formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• 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 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/04 using circuits for interfacing with colour displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• 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 21/25825 : involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 : environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 : by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 : Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6336 : directed to decoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6379 : directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate
• 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 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

A display management unit configured to provide a modified video signal for display on a target display over an electronic distribution network. The unit may access information regarding the target display and at least one input. The unit comprises a database interface configured to retrieve display characteristics corresponding to the information regarding the target display from a characteristics database, and a mapping unit configured to map at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on the retrieved display characteristics to produce the modified video signal.

Claims

1. A display management unit configured to provide a modified video signal substantially in real-time for display on a target display, the display management unit in communications with the target display and a second target display over an electronic distribution network, the electronic distribution network connected to both the target display and the second target display, and the target display and the second target display having a first set of display characteristics and a second set of display characteristics respectively, the display management unit configured to access information regarding the target display and the second target display and at least one input video signal, the display management unit comprising:

a database interface configured to retrieve display characteristics corresponding to the information regarding the target display from a display characteristics database, the target display in two-way electronic communications during the course of video signal transmission with the display management unit over the electronic distribution network;

a mapping unit configured to map at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on the retrieved display characteristics to produce the modified video signal;

wherein the mapping unit is configured to selectively map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on locations of pixels corresponding to the at least one of tone and color values in image frames of the input video signal;

wherein the display management unit is configured to access metadata characterizing at least one aspect of a creative intent affecting how the video content embodied in the at least one input video signal ought to be displayed, wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on the metadata; and

wherein further the display management unit configured to distribute the modified video signals substantially in real-time to the target display over the electronic distribution network and further wherein the modified video signals are modified in accordance with display information sent from the target display to the display management unit during the course of video signal transmission.

2. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the metadata is contained in the at least one input video signal and the display management unit is configured to extract the metadata from the video signal.

3. The display management unit of claim 1 configured to access ambient information characterizing ambient conditions at the target display, wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on the ambient information.

4. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the information regarding the target display comprises a display class identifier and wherein the database interface is configured to retrieve display class characteristics corresponding to the display class identifier from the display characteristics database, and wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on the retrieved display class characteristics.

5. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the information regarding the target display comprises information regarding at least one individual parameter regarding the target display, wherein the database interface is configured to retrieve adjustment information corresponding to the received at least one individual parameter from the display characteristics database, and wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on the retrieved adjustment information.

6. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the at least one video input signal comprises a first input video signal optimized for a first display and a second input video signal optimized for a second display different from the first display, wherein the mapping unit is configured to generate mapped values by at least one of:

interpolating the at least one of tone and color values from the first and second input video signals;

extrapolating the at least one of tone and color values from the first and second input video signals; and

passing without modification the at least one of tone and color values from a selected one of the first and second input video signals.

7. The display management unit of claim 6 wherein the mapping unit is configured to determine from at least one of the received information regarding the target display and the retrieved display characteristics whether a capability of the target display matches a capability of the displays for which the first and second input video signals were optimized, and, when the capability of the target display matches a capability of a matching one of the displays for which the first and second input video signals were optimized, to generate mapped values by passing without modification the at least one of tone and color values from the matching one of the first and second video signals.

8. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the at least one input video signal comprises a legacy video version and a second video version of quality higher than the legacy video version, wherein the mapping unit is configured to generate mapped values by:

when the retrieved display characteristics do not indicate a valid capability of the target display, passing without modification the at least one of tone and color values from the legacy video version;

when the retrieved display characteristics indicate that the target display is capable of displaying the second video version, one of passing without modification the at least one of tone and color values from the second video version and extrapolating the at least one of tone and color values from the legacy video version and second video version; and

when the retrieved display characteristics indicate that the target display is incapable of displaying the second video version, interpolating the at least one of tone and color values from the legacy video version and the second video version.

9. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the mapping unit is configured to selectively map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on magnitudes of the at least one of tone and color values.

10. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the mapping unit is configured to selectively map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on an assessment of whether mapping the values would likely result in an artefact visible to a human observer.

11. The display management unit of claim 1 wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on image content in the input video signal.

12. The display management unit of claim 11 wherein the mapping unit is configured to map tone values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based on at least one corresponding color value.

13. The display management unit of claim 11 wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on a mean luminance of pixels in the output video signal over a period of time.

14. The display management unit of claim 11 wherein the mapping unit is configured to map the at least one of tone and color values from the at least one input video signal to corresponding mapped values based at least in part on an estimated mean illumination provided by the target display in the display of the output video signal over a period of time, the estimated mean illumination based at least in part on luminance of pixels in the output video signal over a period of time and retrieved display characteristics.