Simultaneous multiple-angle presentation of DVD audio/visual content

• US 6,728,477 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watkins, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/473,382
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/46, 386/52, 386/35, 386/97, 386/117, 386/125, 345/719, 345/723, 345/781, 345/783, 345/845
• US Class Current: 386/354
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A DVD player or computer with a DVD drive simultaneously presents multiple angles of video on a display. DVD standards provide for formatting and storing video that was filmed from more than one angle. Desired angles are selected, and the DVD player multiplexes between each angle of the playback to decode video frames for each selected angle. The frames for each angle being played back are filtered down to a size that fits into a fragment of the display. Each of the filtered frames are assembled into a single frame that can be presented on the display to simultaneously playback each angle.

Claims

1. A method of playing DVD content having multiple angles of video comprising the steps of:

decoding frames of DVD video for a selected plurality of the multiple angles; and

simultaneously playing back the DVD video content of the selected plurality of the multiple angles by simultaneously displaying the decoded frames of each of the selected plurality of the multiple angles in a single display.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

fragmenting the display into display fragments; and

correlating each display fragment to one of the angles; and

wherein;

the displaying step further comprises displaying the decoded frames for each angle in the correlated display fragments.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

filtering the decoded frames to a size corresponding to one of a plurality of fragments of the display; and

wherein;

the displaying step further comprises simultaneously displaying the filtered frames in the display.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the filtering step further comprises filtering frames for each angle in parallel.

5. A method as defined in claim 3 further comprising the step of:

assembling the filtered frames into presentable frames containing one filtered frame for each angle.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the presentable frames contain the filtered frames in locations on the display corresponding to the fragments of the display.

7. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the fragments of the display comprise separate non-overlapping portions of the display.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the decoding step decodes one frame at a time and multiplexes between frames for each angle.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

loading a DVD bitstream comprising data for the multiple angles of video; and

wherein;

the decoding step decodes the frames from the DVD bitstream.

10. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the displaying step displays decoded frames in a plurality of displays.

11. A method of controlling playback of DVD content having multiple angles of video, the playback being for presentation on a display, comprising the steps of:

providing multiple angles of video capable of being played back on the display;

selecting a plurality of desired angles from the multiple angles; and

simultaneously playing back the desired angles on the display.

12. A method as defined in claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a number of fragments of the display from one to nine fragments;

fragmenting the display into the selected number of display fragments; and

wherein;

the playing back step displays the desired angles with each desired angle in a display fragment.

13. A method as defined in claim 12 further comprising the step of:

selecting a correlation between the display fragments and the desired angles; and

wherein;

the playing back step displays each desired angle in its correlated display fragment.

14. A method as defined in claim 11 further comprising the step of:

trimming the display size of an angle of video to display only a portion of the angle on the display.

15. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the DVD content has multiple audio tracks, further comprising the steps of:

selecting an audio track to accompany the playing back the desired angles; and

playing the selected audio track simultaneously with playing back the desired angles on the display.

16. A DVD player for playing DVD content on a display, the DVD content containing multiple angles of video of a single scene, the DVD player comprising:

a decoder comprising an input which receives a bitstream for each one of the multiple angles in a multiplexed manner, the bitstream representing the DVD content for each one of the multiple angles, and the decoder decoding a portion of the bitstream for each angle into frames for each angle on a continuing basis for simultaneous seamless playback of each angle; and

a display controller connected to the decoder and the display, and operative to receive the decoded frames from the decoder, to convert the decoded frames into a display signal containing information describing multiple simultaneous angles of a single scene, and to send the display signal to the display for use by the display in displaying multiple simultaneous angles of the scene.

17. A DVD player as defined in claim 16 further comprising:

an assembling unit connected to the decoder and the display controller, and operative to receive the decoded frames for each angle from the decoder, to assemble the decoded frames into presentable frames containing a frame for each angle, and to send the presentable frames to the display controller; and

wherein;

the display controller is operative to convert the presentable frames into the display signal to simultaneously present the multiple angles of video on the display.

18. A DVD player as defined in claim 16 further comprising:

a filter connected to the decoder and the assembling unit, and operative to receive the decoded frames for each angle and to filter the decoded frames for each angle to a size corresponding to a fragment of the display; and

wherein;

the assembling unit assembles the filtered frames into the presentable frames.

19. A DVD player as defined in claim 18 further comprising:

a frame store unit connected to the decoder and the filter, and operative to receive the decoded frames one at a time and to provide the decoded frames to the filter in parallel.

20. A DVD player as defined in claim 17 wherein the presentable frames contain the decoded frames in spaces corresponding to non-overlapping fragments of the display, each angle being correlated to one non-overlapping fragment.

21. A DVD player as defined in claim 18 wherein the filter is operative to filter one frame per angle for all of the angles in parallel.

22. A DVD player as defined in claim 16 further comprising:

a control unit comprising buttons with which a user can select desired angles to be viewed from among the multiple angles.

23. A DVD player as defined in claim 16 further comprising:

a plurality of display controllers connected to the decoder and corresponding to a plurality of displays, and operative to receive the decoded frames and present the decoded frames on the plurality of displays.