System and method for improving the graphics performance of hosted applications

• US 9,446,305 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dietrich, Douglas Sim Jr., Benitez, Nico, Cotter, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOSHI, ANKIT B
• Application Number:
  US13/430,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/32 : Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 : intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 : Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/188 : the unit being a video data packet, e.g. a network abstraction layer [NAL] unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/436 : using parallelised computational arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 : Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/2381 : Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 : Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 : Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 : Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

A system and method for efficiently processing a video stream using limited hardware and/or software resources. For example, one embodiment of a computer-implemented method for efficiently processing a video stream with a processor pipeline having a plurality of pipeline stages, comprises: identifying a bottleneck stage within the processor pipeline the bottleneck stage processing frames of the video stream; receiving a feedback signal from the bottleneck stage at one or more upstream stages, the feedback signal providing an indication of the speed at which the bottleneck stage is processing the frames of the video stream; and responsively adjusting the speed at which the one or more upstream stages are processing frames of the video stream to approximate the speed at which the bottleneck stage is processing the frames of the video stream.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for efficiently processing a video stream with a processor pipeline having a plurality of pipeline stages, comprising:

identifying a bottleneck stage within the processor pipeline, the bottleneck stage having a first clock and processing frames of the video stream;

receiving a feedback signal from the bottleneck stage at one or more upstream stages, at least one of the upstream stages having a second clock, the feedback signal including information as to time required by the bottleneck stage to operate on data and information as to time the data spent queued; and

responsively adjusting the speed at which the one or more upstream stages are processing frames of the video stream to approximate the speed at which the bottleneck stage is processing the frames of the video stream, wherein the speed is adjusted, at least in part, by modifying a frequency of the second clock.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the processor pipeline includes one or more stages within a central processor unit (CPU) and one or more stages within a graphics processing unit (GPU).

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the video stream is generated by program code of a video game being played by a user.

4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the video game is executed on a hosting server, wherein the user plays the video game from a client computer, and wherein the pipeline stages are stages within the hosting server.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the processor pipeline includes one or more stages within a central processor unit (CPU) and one or more stages within a graphics processing unit (GPU).

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the video stream is generated by program code of a video game being played by a user.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the video game is executed on a hosting server, wherein the user plays the video game from a client computer, and wherein the pipeline stages are stages within the hosting server.

5. A method, comprising operations of:

identifying a bottleneck stage within a processor pipeline with a plurality of pipeline stages, wherein the bottleneck stage has a first clock and processes frames of a video stream;

receiving a feedback signal from the bottleneck stage at one or more upstream stages, wherein at least one of the upstream stages has a second clock and wherein the feedback signal includes information as to time required by the bottleneck stage to operate on data and information as to time the data spent queued; and

responsively adjusting the speed at which the one or more upstream stages are processing frames of the video stream to approximate the speed at which the bottleneck stage is processing the frames of the video stream, wherein the speed is adjusted, at least in part, by modifying a frequency of the second clock, and wherein each of the operations is performed by hardware components that contain hardwired logic.