Video conversion technology

• US 9,723,257 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Butterworth, William Evans, Dwinell, Roger Raymond, McMahon, Valerie
• Primary Examiner(s): Teitelbaum, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/965,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20160100128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 348441-445
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• 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 7/0125 one of the standards being a high definition standard

Abstract

Video conversion technology, in which a first stream of video content is accessed and multiple, different layers are extracted from the first stream of the video content. Each of the multiple, different layers are separately processed to convert the multiple, different layers into modified layers that each have a higher resolution. The modified layers are reassembled into a second stream of the video content that has a higher resolution than the first stream of the video content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

extracting, from a stream of video content with a first resolution, a first color layer;

performing a blurring process on the first color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the first color layer, converting the first color layer into a first modified layer with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

extracting, from the stream of video content with the first resolution, a second color layer;

performing the blurring process on the second color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the second color layer, converting the second color layer into a second modified layer with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

extracting, from the stream of video content with the first resolution, a third color layer;

performing the blurring process on the third color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the third color layer, converting the third color layer into a third modified layer with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second stream of the video content with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and

storing, in electronic storage, the second stream of the video content.

2. The method of claim 1:

wherein performing the blurring process on the first color layer, the second color layer, and the third color layer comprises frame by frame detection and the blurring of channel edges in each of the first color layer, the second color layer, and the third color layer.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein the modified first color layer is different than the modified second color layer, and the modified third color layer is different than the modified first color layer and the modified second color layer.

4. The method of claim 1:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into the second stream of the video content comprises reassembling the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second video signal in a high definition format that has a higher resolution than the first video signal in an NTSC format.

5. The method of claim 1:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into the second stream of the video content comprises reassembling the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a modified high definition television video program.

6. The method of claim 1:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into the second stream of the video content comprises identifying features that are present in each of the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer and using the identified features to align the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer in the second stream of the video content.

7. The method of claim 1:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second stream of the video content with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution comprises performing a chromatic level adjustment process that weights, in the second stream of the video content, the first color layer differently than the second color layer, and weights the third color layer differently than the first color layer and the second color layer.

8. The method of claim 1:

wherein the video content comprises video content originally captured and stored on a first electronic storage of a first type from which the first stream of video content is accessed;

wherein the second stream of the video content is stored in a second electronic storage of a second, different type.

9. The method of claim 1:

wherein reassembling the modified layers into a second stream of the video content, the second stream of the video content having the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution, comprises identifying at least one feature in each of the modified layers, and

aligning the at least one feature of each modified layer with at least one feature of each other modified layer, respectively.

10. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first stream of video content having the first resolution comprises visual distortion occupying a first percentage of units of the first resolution; and

wherein the second stream of video content having the second resolution comprises visual distortion occupying a second percentage of units of the second resolution, the second percentage being less than the first percentage.

11. The method of claim 1:

wherein storing the second stream of the video content comprises recording the second stream of the video content onto an electronic storage.

12. A video conversion system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least

one processor to perform operations comprising;

extracting, from a stream of video content with a first resolution, a first color layer;

performing a blurring process on the first color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the first color layer, converting the first color layer into a first modified layer with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

extracting, from the stream of video content with the first resolution, a second color layer;

performing the blurring process on the second color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the second color layer, converting the second color layer into a second modified layer with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

extracting, from the stream of video content with the first resolution, a third color layer;

performing the blurring process on the third color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the third color layer, converting the third color layer into a third modified layer with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second stream of the video content with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and

storing, in electronic storage, the second stream of the video content.

13. The system of claim 12:

wherein performing the blurring process on the first color layer, the second color layer, and the third color layer comprises frame by frame detection and the blurring of channel edges in each of the first color layer, the second color layer, and the third color layer.

14. The system of claim 12:

wherein the modified first color layer is different than the modified second color layer, and the modified third color layer is different than the modified first color layer and the modified second color layer.

15. The system of claim 12:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into the second stream of the video content comprises reassembling the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second video signal in a high definition format that has a higher resolution than the first video signal in an NTSC format.

16. The system of claim 12:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into the second stream of the video content comprises reassembling the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a modified high definition television video program.

17. The system of claim 12:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into the second stream of the video content comprises identifying features that are present in each of the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer and using the identified features to align the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer in the second stream of the video content.

18. The system of claim 12:

wherein reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second stream of the video content with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution comprises performing a chromatic level adjustment process that weights, in the second stream of the video content, the first color layer differently than the second color layer, and weights the third color layer differently than the first color layer and the second color layer.

19. The system of claim 12:

wherein the video content comprises video content originally captured and stored on a first electronic storage of a first type from which the first stream of video content is accessed;

wherein the second stream of the video content is stored in a second electronic storage of a second, different type.

20. At least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

extracting, from a stream of video content with a first resolution, a first color layer;

performing a blurring process on the first color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the first color layer, converting the first color layer into a first modified layer with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

extracting, from the stream of video content with the first resolution, a second color layer;

performing the blurring process on the second color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the second color layer, converting the second color layer into a second modified layer with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

extracting, from the stream of video content with the first resolution, a third color layer;

performing the blurring process on the third color layer;

after performing the blurring process on the third color layer, converting the third color layer into a third modified layer with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;

reassembling, by at least one processor, the first modified layer, the second modified layer, and the third modified layer into a second stream of the video content with the second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and

storing, in electronic storage, the second stream of the video content.