Video content generation

• US 9,204,123 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Vrbas, Austin J., Holden, Danial E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAHI, SHAN E
• Application Number:
  US13/007,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 348/43, 348/469
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/172 image signals comprising non-image signal components, e.g. headers or format information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/007 Aspects relating to detection of stereoscopic image format, e.g. for adaptation to the display format

Abstract

The features relate generally to acquiring, formatting, and distributing video content to a variety of devices in multiple geographies. Some features described herein relate to preserving the stereoscopic effect for the formatting and distribution of 3D video content. Additionally, features described herein relate to customized and/or dynamic generation of a 3D stream based on a user device and/or user preferences.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for 3D content;

determining a 3D-compatible format, by one or more processors based on the request, wherein the determining the 3D-compatible format comprises;

a top-bottom format if the request indicates a progressive display, and

a side-by-side format if the request indicates an interleave display;

receiving, by a decoding system, a first encoded video signal and a second encoded video signal, wherein the first encoded video signal corresponds to a first video content for a first eye of a viewer, and wherein the second encoded video signal corresponds to a second video content for a second eye of the viewer;

decoding, by the decoding system, the first encoded video signal to produce a first decoded video signal;

decoding, by the decoding system, the second encoded video signal to produce a second decoded video signal;

synchronizing the first decoded video signal with the second decoded video signal into a synchronized video signal; and

formatting the synchronized video signal to the 3D-compatible format.

2. The method of claim 1, where the decoding system is remotely located from user premise equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronized video signal is a frame-compatible 3D video signal.

4. The method of claim 3, where the 3D-compatible format comprises one or more of:

top/bottom format, left/right format, interlaced format, line interleaved format, page flip format, checkerboard format, and 2D+depth format.

5. The method of claim 1, where the 3D-compatible format comprises one or more of:

full resolution top/down format, full resolution left/right format, and MVC plus delta format.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first encoded video signal and the second encoded video signal are full resolution signals.

7. The method of claim 1, where the first encoded video signal and the second encoded video signal are independently received, over a network operatively connected to a remote central office.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the synchronized and formatted video signal over a packet switched network in an Internet Protocol (IP) datastream.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting further comprises:

compressing the synchronized video signal according to a 3D-compatible compression format and transmitting the synchronized and formatted video signal over a network to user premise equipment.

10. The method of claim 9, where the synchronized video signal after the compressing is in accordance with one of:

MPEG-2 and H.264.

11. The method of claim 1, where the decoding the first encoded video signal further includes decompressing the first encoded video signal, and wherein the decoding the second encoded video signal further includes decompressing the second encoded video signal.

12. The method of claim 1, where the second encoded video signal comprises an audio signal associated with at least one of the first encoded video signal and the second encoded video signal, and the decoding the second encoded video signal includes decoding the second encoded video signal into the second decoded video signal and the audio signal, and the synchronizing includes synchronizing the audio signal with the first decoded video signal and second decoded video signal.

13. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause a 3D content delivery system to perform the following;

determining a 3D-compatible format based on a request from user premise equipment, wherein the 3D-compatible format comprises;

a top-bottom format if the request indicates a progressive display; and

a side-by-side format if the request indicates an interleave display;

receiving a first encoded video signal and a second encoded video signal,

wherein the first encoded video signal corresponds to a first video content for a first eye of a viewer, and wherein the second encoded video signal corresponds to a second video content for a second eye of the viewer, and wherein the first video content comprises images;

decoding the first encoded video signal to produce a first decoded video signal;

decoding the second encoded video signal to produce a second decoded video signal;

synchronizing the first decoded video signal with the second decoded video signal into a synchronized video signal;

formatting the synchronized video signal to the 3D-compatible format; and

transmitting the synchronized and formatted video signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the synchronized video signal comprises a frame-compatible 3D video signal formatted in one or more of:

top/bottom format, left/right format, format, interlaced format, line interleaved format, page flip format, checkerboard format, and 2D+depth format.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the synchronized video signal comprises a service-compatible 3D video signal formatted in one or more of:

full resolution top/down format, full resolution left/right format, and MVC plus delta format.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a request from user premise equipment;

determining, by the computing device, a 3D-compatible format based on the request from the user premise equipment, wherein the determining the 3D-compatible format comprises;

determining the 3D-compatible format as a top-bottom format when the request indicates a progressive display; and

determining the 3D-compatible format as a side-by-side format when the request indicates an interleave display; and

formatting a video signal to the 3D-compatible form.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the formatted video signal comprises a frame-compatible 3D video signal formatted in one or more of:

top/bottom format, left/right format, interlaced format, line interleaved format, page flip format, checkerboard format, and 2D+depth format.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the formatted video signal comprises a service-compatible 3D video signal formatted in one or more of:

full resolution top/down format, full resolution left/right format, and MVC plus delta format.