Video display system

• US 9,743,119 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skreens Entertainment Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Skreens Entertainment Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Todd, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOMERA, CAROLINE J R
• Application Number:
  US15/056,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 725110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440272 for performing aspect ratio conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Disclosed herein are video display systems and methods. An exemplary video display system includes a computerized media processing unit configured to receive content including video, audio, graphics and internet content from a plurality of content source devices providing such content and configured to output a blended video signal receivable by a display device; and wherein the video signal output by the media processing unit comprises a plurality of arbitrarily shaped video containers all displayable on the display device simultaneously, each of the plurality of video containers capable of being positioned and displaying video content independent of the video content of the other video containers; wherein the video content displayed in one container may comprise a GUI for control of size and position of each of the other of the plurality of video containers in response to user commands.

Claims

1. A video display system comprising:

a computerized media processing unit configured to receive video content from each of a plurality of different source devices, the media processing unit configured to aggregate and blend different video content from the different source devices to generate as output a blended video signal in an HDMI format which is receivable by a television;

wherein one of the plurality of source devices is a network computing device configured to run a web-based application that provides access to internet video content to the media processing unit, provides a graphical user interface for the video display system, and provides control instructions to the media processing unit;

wherein the video signal output by the media processing unit comprises a plurality of video containers all displayable on the television simultaneously with variable size and variable position, wherein each of the plurality of video containers is capable of simultaneously displaying respective video content from one of the plurality of source devices, independent of the size, position, and video content of the other video containers;

wherein a video content displayable in a background video container comprises the graphical user interface, and wherein the media processing unit is configured to control the size and position of each of the other video containers on the background container in response to control instructions of the web-based application, which control instructions comprise at least one of programmed instructions of the web-based application and user interactions with the graphical user interface.

2. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the web-based application runs in a web browser of the network computing device.

3. The video display system of claim 2, wherein the web-based application is one of an HTML, HTML5, javascript, java, adobe, and adobe flash application.

4. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the web-based application is a native application running on the network computing device.

5. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device is one of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, and a smart phone.

6. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is mirrored in a computing device separate from the television for control of the size and position of at least one of the plurality of video containers in response to user commands to the mirrored graphical user interface.

7. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the media processing unit comprises a FPGA that is reconfigurable.

8. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the television is a 4K television.

9. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface also controls the selection of content for at least one of the plurality of video containers displayable on the television in response to user commands.

10. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the media processing unit comprises:

a transcoder module configured to receive content from each of the plurality of source devices and configured to output a video signal in the HDMI format;

a formatting module in communication with the transcoder module, the formatting module configured to instruct the transcoder module as to which of the plurality of source device content to present in which one of the plurality of video containers, and as to the form of the presentation on the display device of each of the plurality of video containers in response to programmed instructions or user commands; and

a streaming module in communication with the transcoder module and the communications network, the streaming module configured to receive the formatted video signal output from the transcoder module, and to output the video signal as a streaming data output to the television.

11. The video display system of claim 10 wherein the formatting module is configured to resize the content of each of the plurality of video source devices to display within a respective one of the plurality of video containers.

12. The video display system of claim 1, wherein a video container is resized or repositioned based on activity detected by the web-based application.

13. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the background video container displays one or more widgets.

14. The video display system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of audio devices, each of the plurality of audio devices in communication with the media processing unit, each of the plurality of audio devices configurable to select and provide an audio output of a video content from one of the plurality of video containers, the audio device capable of changing the audio output to correspond to any one of the plurality of video containers in near real-time.

15. The video display system of claim 1, further including a separate input device for providing control commands to the graphical user interface.

16. The video display system of claim 15, wherein the input device is one associated with a respective one of the plurality of content source devices.

17. The video display system of claim 15, wherein the input device is one of a third party control device and a device associated with the network computing device.

18. The video display system of claim 1, further including a plurality of input devices, each of the input devices under the control of a respective user for controlling a respective one of the plurality of video containers.

19. A video display system comprising:

a computerized media processing unit configured to receive video content from each of a plurality of different source devices including at least one of a cable set top box, a satellite set top box, a gaming station, a streaming video set top box, and a DVD player, and at least one network computing device configured to run a web-based application that provides internet video content to the media processing unit, provides a graphical user interface for the video display system, and provides control instructions to the media processing unit, the media processing unit configured to aggregate and blend different selected video content and generate as output the blended video content as a video signal in a format which is receivable by a television;

wherein the video signal output by the media processing unit comprises a plurality of video containers all displayable on the television simultaneously with variable size and variable position, wherein each of the plurality of video containers is capable of simultaneously displaying respective video content selected from one of the plurality of source devices, independent of the size, position, and video content of the other video containers; and

wherein the media processing unit is configured to control the size and position of each of the video containers on the television in response to control instructions of the web-based application, which control instructions comprise at least one of programmed instructions of the web-based application and user interactions with the graphical user interface.

20. The video display system of claim 19, wherein the video content displayable in a respective one of the plurality of video containers may comprise a portion of the video content from the respective source device up to the entirety of the video content from that source device.

21. A video display system comprising:

a television;

a network computing device for running a web-based application that provides a graphical user interface for the video display system and access to internet video content; and

a computerized media processing unit configured to receive video content from each of a plurality of different source devices, wherein one of the plurality of source devices is the network computing device for providing control instructions to the media processing unit via the web-based application, the media processing unit configured to aggregate and blend different video content from the different source devices and generate as output the blended video content as a single video signal in an HDMI format which is receivable by the television;

wherein the video signal output by the media processing unit comprises a plurality of video containers all displayable on the television simultaneously with variable size and variable position, wherein each of the plurality of video containers is capable of simultaneously displaying respective video content from one of the plurality of source devices, independent of the size, position, and video content of the other video containers, and wherein the media processing unit is configured to control the size and position of each video container on the television in response to control instructions of the web-based application, which control instructions comprise at least one of programmed instructions of the web-based application and user interactions with the graphical user interface.