Method for the production and transmission of enhanced interactive multimedia information

• US 5,845,088 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 1ST Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, Scott W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US08/472,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 364/514 R, 364/514 A, 395/154, 395/155, 395/200.77, 395/200.76, 348/12, 348/13, 348/14, 348/7, 348/397, 348/17, 348/15, 348/19
• US Class Current: 709/247
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/187 the unit being a scalable video layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/192 the adaptation method, adaptation tool or adaptation type being iterative or recursive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/196 being specially adapted for the computation of encoding parameters, e.g. by averaging previously computed encoding parameters processing of motion vectors H04N19/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/37 with arrangements for assigning different transmission priorities to video input data or to video coded data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• 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 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• 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 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63775 for uploading keys, e.g. for a client to communicate its public key to the server key management H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/275 : Generation of keying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals

Abstract

An optimization method is disclosed that enhances the interactivity of multimedia information. The optimization method includes separating a multimedia information into primary and secondary layers and enhancing that information in the primary layers such that the perceived psychographic information quality is improved. This method has the advantage of providing compression and/or transmission algorithms to maximize enhancement of the multimedia information.

Claims

1. An optimization method for an interactive multimedia system for the separation and transmission of multimedia information comprising the steps of:

(a) separating the multimedia information into primary and secondary layers based upon a program model to differentiate between important and less important information,

(b) enhancing the primary layers through psychographic parameters in accordance with the program model to provide a perceived improvement in quality,

(c) providing the secondary layers through alternate psychographic parameters,

(d) transmitting the primary layers and the secondary layers, and

(e) replicating the multimedia information by combining the enhanced primary layers and the secondary layers.

2. The method of claim 1 in which step (c) further comprises encoding the primary layers in accordance with a first compression algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1 in which step (c) further comprises encoding the primary layers in accordance with a first transmission algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1 in which step (c) further comprises encoding the secondary layers in accordance with a transmission algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1 in which step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(a) encoding the primary layers in accordance with a first compression algorithm;

(b) encoding the primary layers in accordance with a first transmission algorithm;

(c) determining the perceived quality of the multimedia information;

(d) if the perceived quality of the multimedia information is not acceptable, encoding the primary layers in accordance with another compression algorithm;

(e) repeating step (c) above, and if the perceived quality of the multimedia information is not acceptable, encoding the primary layers in accordance with another transmission algorithm;

(f) repeating steps (c-e) until the perceived quality of the multimedia information is acceptable.

6. The method of claim 5 in which step (d) further comprises encoding the secondary layers in accordance with a second algorithm.

7. The method of claim 6 which includes the step of decoding the primary and secondary layers.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the psychographic parameters include color, temporal, audio, spatial, and material content.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the separating step is automatic.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the automatic separating step is accomplished via separate sources for the production of the primary and secondary layers.

11. The method of claim 9 in which the automatic separating step is accomplished via keying the primary and secondary layers to a the interactive multimedia information.

12. The method of claim 9 in which the automatic separating means step is accomplished by spatially separating the primary and secondary layer.

13. The method of claim 9 in which the automatic separating step is accomplished by filtering the primary and secondary layers.

14. A method for transmission of multimedia information for enhanced interactivity comprising the steps of:

(a) separating the multimedia information into separate layers with each layer having a particular psychographic parameter information composition for a particular program model,

(b) applying a separate encoding for each of the separate layers of multimedia information according to the psychographic information to maximize the perceived quality of the multimedia information,

(c) transmitting the separate encoded layers along different transmission mediums,

(d) decoding the separate encoded layers, and

(e) recombining the separate layers of multimedia information at a receiving end to provide an improved quality multimedia information.

15. The method of claim 14 in which step (a) comprises automatically separating the layers such that the psychographic parameters are interactively enhanced.

16. The method of claim 15 in which the automatic layer separation comprises providing the layers by separated production sources.

17. The method of claim 15 in which the automatic layer separation comprises keying the layers in accordance with the psychographic parameters.

18. The method of claim 15 in which the automatic layer separation comprises spatially separating the layers in accordance with the psychographic parameter.

19. The method of claim 15 in which the automatic layer separation comprises filtering the layers in accordance with the psychographic parameters.

20. The method of claim 19 in which step (a) further comprises interactively separating the layers into primary and secondary layers, the primary layers including the most important multimedia information to be transmitted.

21. The method of claim 20 in which step (b) further comprises encoding the primary layers in accordance with a first compression algorithm.

22. The method of claim 20 in which step (b) further comprises encoding the primary layers in accordance with a first transmission algorithm.

23. The method of claim 20 in which step (b) further comprises encoding the secondary layers in accordance with a second compression algorithm.

24. The method of claim 20 in which step (b) further comprises encoding the secondary layer in accordance with a second transmission algorithm.

25. The method of claim 19 in which the psychographic parameter information includes spatial, temporal, audio and material content perception.

26. The method of claim 14 in which step (a) comprises interactively separating the layers for highest program model quality and maximum interactivity.

27. A method for enhancing interactivity of multimedia information within a network comprising the steps of:

(a) separating the multimedia information into distinct layers;

(b) compressing the distinct layers;

(c) decompressing the compressed distinct layers to form an expanded compressed multimedia information;

(d) comparing the multimedia information to the expanded compressed multimedia information to produce an error file;

(e) compressing the error file;

(f) transmitting the compressed error file and the compressed multimedia information;

(g) adjusting for errors by combining the compressed error file and the compressed multimedia information; and

(h) decompressing the compressed error file and the compressed multimedia information to provide enhanced multimedia information.

28. An optimization method for an interactive multimedia system within a network for the transmission of multimedia information comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting multimedia information,

(b) in response to receiving the multimedia information, enhancing the multimedia information through psychographic parameters in accordance with a program model, the enhancing step comprising utilizing a key that has an identifiable code which dictates commands on the other side of the network, and

(c) providing enhanced primary layers and the secondary layers to provide multimedia information that is a perceived improvement in quality.

29. The method of claim 28 in which the enhancing step further comprises the key commands of a code table.

30. The method of claim 28 in which the command table contains data about the multimedia information to be displayed.

31. The method of claim 28 in which the command tables contains data that allows for the accessing of particular commands.

32. The method of claim 28 in which the command table contains data for program branch keying.