User interface, system and method for controlling a video stream

• US 9,756,349 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• 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: Perlman, Stephen G., Peltier, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): SALCE, JASON P
• Application Number:
  US12/917,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: 725 40- 41, 725 43- 45, 725 47- 49, 725 52- 53, 725 59, 725 61
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• 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 2300/552 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 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• 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: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• 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 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• 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 19/107 : between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 : Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 : Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/166 : concerning the amount of transmission errors, e.g. bit error rate [BER]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 : the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 : the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• 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 19/46 : Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : 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 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 : directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 : Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution

Abstract

A graphical user interface, system and method are described controlling a video stream. For example, a data processing apparatus according to one embodiment has a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code to generate a graphical user interface (“GUI”) comprising: a plurality of video thumbnails arranged in a pattern, each of the video thumbnails rendering a compressed version of a real-time video of a particular movie, television series, game, or other type of video content; and a selection graphic highlighting a currently-selected video thumbnail, the thumbnails moving within the GUI in relation to the selection graphic in response to user input from an input device.

Claims

1. A server center having a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code to generate a graphical user interface accessed by a client, the server center comprising:

a plurality of servers that generate a plurality of video thumbnails arranged in a pattern, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails resulted from simultaneous scaling down of a video by a shared hardware compression during compression of the video by the shared hardware compression, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails renders linear media and at least one of the video thumbnails renders non-linear media, wherein the linear media includes a compressed version of a real-time video of a particular movie, television series, or other type of linear video content, wherein the non-linear media includes a compressed version of a game video of an interactive video game, and wherein the game video is dynamically generated by a game server; and

a selection graphic highlighting a currently-selected video thumbnail, wherein the video thumbnails move within the graphical user interface in relation to the selection graphic in response to user input from an input device.

2. The server center as in claim 1 wherein in response to the user selecting a first key or key sequence of the input device while the selection graphic is highlighting a particular video thumbnail, generating a first information panel associated with the particular video thumbnail, the first information panel including detailed information related to the movie, television series, game or other type of video content.

3. The server center as in claim 2 wherein the video content comprises a television series and wherein the information panel includes a plurality of additional video thumbnails each including real-time video from an episode of the television series.

4. The server center as in claim 3 wherein the user can select one of the additional video thumbnails using a selection highlighter to cause the episode of the television series to be played back on the apparatus.

5. The server center as in claim 1 further comprising:

a menu displayed above or adjacent to the video thumbnails, the menu comprising a plurality of selectable options for filtering the video thumbnails, at least one of the options comprising a video category.

6. The server center as in claim 5 wherein, in response to user selection of one or more of the selectable options, the video thumbnails not related to the selection are changed to video thumbnails related to the selection.

7. The server center as in claim 6 wherein the video thumbnails are changed by visually rotating the video thumbnails around an axis.

8. The server center as in claim 7 wherein the axis is a horizontal axis.

9. The server center as in claim 1 wherein when the user causes the currently-selected video thumbnail to be highlighted by the selection graphic, a first information panel is automatically displayed and wherein, in response to the user selecting a first key or key sequence of the input device, a second information panel is displayed, the second information panel including no less information related to the selected video thumbnail than the first information panel.

10. The server center as in claim 9 wherein video content associated with the currently-selected video thumbnail comprises a television series and wherein the second information panel includes a plurality of additional video thumbnails each including real-time video from an episode of the television series.

11. The server center as in claim 10 wherein the user can select one of the additional video thumbnails using a selection highlighter to cause the episode of the television series to be played back on the apparatus.

12. The server center as in claim 1, wherein the server sends a request for a video feed to the game server where the interactive video game is being played live.

13. The server center as in claim 12, wherein the request identifies a user who is viewing the graphical user interface, the user being a spectator.

14. The server center as in claim 12, wherein a user playing the interactive video game has selected a privacy mode that allows delayed viewing of the video game.

15. The server center as in claim 14, wherein video feed associated with the interactive video game is delayed using a delay buffer.

16. A server center having a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code to generate a graphical user interface accessed by a client, the server center comprising:

a plurality of servers that generate a plurality of video thumbnails arranged in a pattern, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails resulted from simultaneous scaling down of a video by a shared hardware compression during compression of the video by the shared hardware compression, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails renders linear media and at least one of the video thumbnails renders non-linear media, wherein the linear media includes a compressed version of a real-time video of a particular movie, television series, or other type of linear video content, wherein the non-linear media includes a compressed version of a game video of an interactive video game, and wherein the game video is dynamically generated by a game server; and

a menu displayed above or adjacent to the video thumbnails, the menu comprising a plurality of selectable options for filtering the video thumbnails, at least one of the options comprising a video category.

17. The server center as in claim 16 wherein multiple selectable options of the menu may be selected concurrently and wherein, in response, the video thumbnails are filtered based on the multiple concurrently selected options.

18. A computer-implemented method, performed by a server center, to generate a graphical user interface accessed by a client, comprising:

arranging a plurality of video thumbnails, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails resulted from simultaneous scaling down of a video by a shared hardware compression during compression of the video by the shared hardware compression, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails renders linear media and at least one of the video thumbnails renders non-linear media, wherein the linear media includes a compressed version of a real-time video of a particular movie, television series, or other type of linear video content, wherein the non-linear media includes a compressed version of a game video of an interactive video game, and wherein the game video is dynamically generated by a game server; and

highlighting a currently-selected video thumbnail by a selection graphic, the thumbnails moving within the graphical user interface in relation to the selection graphic in response to user input from an input device.

19. The method as in claim 18 wherein in response to the user selecting a first key or key sequence of the input device while the selection graphic is highlighting a particular video thumbnail, generating a first information panel associated with the particular video thumbnail, the first information panel including detailed information related to the movie, television series, game or other type of video content.

20. The method as in claim 19 wherein video content associated with the currently-selected video thumbnail comprises a television series and wherein the information panel includes a plurality of additional video thumbnails each including real-time video from an episode of the television series.

21. The method as in claim 20 wherein the user can select one of the additional video thumbnails using a selection highlighter to cause the episode of the television series to be played back.

22. The method as in claim 18 further comprising:

displaying a menu above or adjacent to the video thumbnails, the menu comprising a plurality of selectable options for filtering the video thumbnails, at least one of the options comprising a video category.

23. The method as in claim 22 wherein, in response to user selection of one or more of the selectable options, the video thumbnails not related to the selection are changed to video thumbnails related to the selection.

24. The method as in claim 23 wherein the video thumbnails are changed by visually rotating the video thumbnails around an axis.

25. The method as in claim 24 wherein the axis is a horizontal axis.

26. The method as in claim 18 wherein when the user causes the currently-selected video thumbnail to be highlighted by the selection graphic, a first information panel is automatically displayed and wherein, in response to the user selecting a first key or key sequence of the input device, a second information panel is displayed, the second information panel including no less information related to the selected video thumbnail than the first information panel.

27. The method as in claim 26 wherein video content associated with the currently-selected video thumbnail comprises a television series and wherein the second information panel includes a plurality of additional video thumbnails each including real-time video from an episode of the television series.

28. The method as in claim 27 wherein the user can select one of the additional video thumbnails using a selection highlighter to cause the episode of the television series to be played back.

29. A computer-implemented method, performed by a server center, to generate a graphical user interface displayed by a client device, comprising:

arranging a plurality of video thumbnails, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails resulted from simultaneous scaling down of a video by a shared hardware compression during compression of the video by the shared hardware compression, wherein at least one of the video thumbnails renders linear media and at least one of the video thumbnails renders non-linear media, wherein the linear media includes a compressed version of a real-time video of a particular movie, television series, or other type of linear video content, wherein the non-linear media includes a compressed version of a game video of an interactive video game, and wherein the game video is dynamically generated by a game server; and

displaying a menu above or adjacent to the video thumbnails, the menu comprising a plurality of selectable options for filtering the video thumbnails, at least one of the options comprising a video category.

30. The method as in claim 29 wherein multiple selectable options of the menu may be selected concurrently and wherein, in response, the video thumbnails are filtered based on the multiple concurrently selected options.