System and method for transrating based on multimedia program type

• US 9,258,605 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pixelworks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Leung, Lewis, Laksono, Indra
• Primary Examiner(s): HENDERSON, ESTHER BENOIT
• Application Number:
  US11/522,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,434 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440254 by altering signal-to-noise parameters, e.g. requantization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

A multimedia program type of a received multimedia data is determined. Based on the determined multimedia program type, a peak bit rate limit and/or an average bit rate limit are determined. In instances where a transrated version of the multimedia data is to be stored, a remaining storage capacity of a storage device is determined and the peak bit rate limit and/or the average bit rate limit can be adjusted based on the remaining storage capacity. The multimedia data then is transrated to generate transrated multimedia data that has a peak bit rate that does not exceed the selected peak bit rate limit and/or having an average bit rate that does not exceed the selected average bit rate limit. The transrating of the multimedia additionally can include the application of rule sets based on content characteristics. After transrating, the multimedia data can be transmitted via a network to a destination multimedia device, stored locally for subsequent use, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a multimedia program type of a first multimedia data representative of a multimedia program;

determining a remaining storage capacity of a storage device;

determining a peak bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type and the remaining storage capacity;

determining an average bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type, the average bit rate limit being different than the peak bit rate limit; and

transrating the first multimedia data to generate a second multimedia data having a peak bit rate not greater than the peak bit rate limit and an average bit rate not greater than the average bit rate limit.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining the average bit rate limit comprises determining the average bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type and the remaining storage capacity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the second multimedia data at the storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving program information associated with the first multimedia data; and

wherein determining the multimedia program type of the first multimedia data comprises determining the multimedia program type based on the program information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the program information comprises electronic programming guide information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the multimedia program type of the first multimedia data comprises determining the multimedia program type based on whether a multimedia content represented by the first multimedia data comprises a content characteristic associated with the multimedia program type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the peak bit rate limit comprises selecting the peak bit rate limit from a plurality of peak bit rate limits based on the multimedia program type and the remaining storage capacity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the second multimedia data via a network for reception by a multimedia device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the second multimedia data comprises wirelessly transmitting the second multimedia data.

10. A system comprising:

a storage device;

an interface to receive multimedia data representative of a multimedia program;

a content analyzer operably coupled to the interface and configured to;

determine a multimedia program type of the multimedia program;

determine a remaining storage capacity of the storage device;

determine a peak bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type and the remaining storage capacity; and

determine an average bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type, the average bit rate limit being different than the peak bit rate limit; and

a transcoder operably coupled to the interface and the content analyzer, the transcoder configured to transrate the multimedia data to generate transrated multimedia data having a peak bit rate not greater than the peak bit rate limit and having an average bit rate not greater than the average bit rate limit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the transcoder further is configured to provide the transrated multimedia data for storage at the storage device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the content analyzer is configured to:

determine the average bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type and the remaining storage capacity.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the content analyzer is configured to determine the multimedia program type based on program information received in association with the multimedia data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the program information includes electronic programming guide information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the content analyzer is configured to determine the multimedia program type based on whether a multimedia content represented by the first multimedia data comprises a content characteristic associated with the multimedia program type.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the content analyzer is configured to select the peak bit rate limit from a plurality of peak bit rate limits based on the multimedia program type and the remaining storage capacity.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a second interface configured to transmit the transrated multimedia data via a network for reception by a multimedia device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second interface comprises a wireless interface.

19. A system comprising:

a storage device;

an interface to receive multimedia data representative of a multimedia program;

a content analyzer operably coupled to the interface and configured to;

determine a multimedia program type of the multimedia program; and

determine a peak bit rate limit and an average bit rate limit based on the multimedia program type, the average bit rate limit being different than the peak bit rate limit; and

a transcoder operably coupled to the interface and the content analyzer, the transcoder configured to transrate the multimedia data to generate transrated multimedia data having a peak bit rate not greater than the peak bit rate limit and having an average bit rate not greater than the average bit rate limit.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a second interface configured to transmit the transrated multimedia data via a network for reception by a multimedia device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the content analyzer is configured to determine the multimedia program type based on whether a multimedia content represented by the multimedia data comprises a content characteristic associated with the multimedia program type.