HK1157550A - A method and apparatus for a recipient to adjust a video stream - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for a recipient to condition a video stream

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of video communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for enhancing video communication.

Background

The myriad of available camera applications have increased the demand for cameras to the point where they become essential accessories for any computer. This is evident in the trend of integrating cameras into an increasing number of notebook computers. At this time, cameras are commonly used in applications such as, for example, video chat, video conferencing, gaming, and remote monitoring applications.

These applications allow users to maintain connectivity to any location in the world using an internet connection using video communication, which is generally considered an improvement over traditional voice-based communication. However, it is generally recognized that there is a need to improve the quality of video in video communications to enhance the communication process. One reason for the unsatisfactory video quality relates to the fact that currently the recipient of the video is only able to adjust the typical settings on the recipient's display device when adjusting for how the received video can be viewed. By doing so, the recipient readjusts the settings on the recipient's display to the original set of settings each time a video is received from the sender, although the received video appears more desirable to the recipient. This is cumbersome and inconvenient for the recipient.

The problem of readjusting the settings on the recipient's display is exacerbated when there are more than two parties in the communication session. In such a case, readjusting the settings on the recipient's display would be highly unlikely to enable the recipient to view each party in the communication session in a satisfactory manner.

While the recipient may indicate each party's preferences with respect to the recipient to adjust their appearance, this is a very cumbersome process (e.g., adjusting lighting conditions, adjusting the position of the other party's face, adjusting the position with respect to the camera, etc.).

It would be most desirable if the recipient could change the quality of each received video without changing the settings on the recipient's display, as this would eliminate a cumbersome and inconvenient process for the recipient.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a method is provided for adjusting at least one parameter of a video stream being received on a recipient screen, the video stream captured by a sender's video capture device. The method comprises the following steps: providing a control device to the recipient for adjusting at least one parameter of the video stream captured by the sender's video capture device; interfacing the control device with a second application; the receiver uses the control device to adjust at least one parameter of the video stream captured by the sender's video capture device; and the recipient receiving and viewing the video stream on the recipient screen. Advantageously, the video stream viewed on the recipient screen is adjustable for each preference of the recipient, wherein all settings of the recipient screen are not changed after the recipient has adjusted the video stream. The video stream may be generated during, for example, an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a video conference session, or a video recording session.

The control device may be a user interface resident on the computer controlling the recipient screen or a separate device capable of interfacing with the computer controlling the recipient screen. Preferably, the recipient screen may be a display, such as a CRT monitor, an LCD monitor, a plasma screen, and an image projector. The second application may be an Instant Messaging (IM) application, a video conferencing application, or a video playback application. Advantageously, the control device is capable of controlling more than one video capturing apparatus, including the recipient's video capturing apparatus.

Preferably, the at least one parameter includes an image setting and an audio setting. The image settings may be selected from, for example, video effects, video aspect ratio, video image size, brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, exposure, gamma, white balance, backlight compensation, digital zoom, digital pan, and digital zoom, among others. The audio settings may be selected from, for example, bass, treble, balance, volume, audio enhancement effects, noise cancellation effects, and the like. The adjustment of the at least one parameter of the video stream is done either at the server prior to reception at the recipient screen or at the sender's video capture device. The video capture device may be selected from a camera or a digital camera.

Advantageously, freeing up bandwidth in the event of high packet loss may be accomplished, for example, by muting audio in the video stream, reducing video image size, and removing image frames in the video stream. Furthermore, it is advantageous to adjust the video aspect ratio such that the video stream can be displayed at an aspect ratio according to the configuration of the recipient screen.

In another aspect, a control device for adjusting at least one parameter of a video stream being received on a screen of a recipient, the video stream being captured by a video capture device of a sender, is provided. Preferably, the control device is capable of adjusting at least one or more parameters of the video stream at the server or at the sender's video capture device prior to reception at the recipient screen. The video stream may be generated during, for example, an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a video conference session, or a video recording session. The recipient screen can be a display such as a CRT monitor, LCD monitor, plasma screen, image projector, and the like.

Advantageously, the control device is capable of controlling more than one video capturing apparatus, including the recipient's video capturing apparatus. The video capture device may be a camera or a digital camera. The control device may send instructions to a computer controlling the recipient display using either a wired connection or a wireless connection.

Preferably, the at least one parameter includes both image settings and audio settings. The image settings may be selected from, for example, video effects, video aspect ratio, video image size, brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, exposure, gamma, white balance, backlight compensation, digital zoom, digital pan, and digital zoom. Similarly, the audio settings may be selected from, for example, bass, treble, balance, volume, audio enhancement effects, and noise cancellation effects.

Drawings

In order that the present invention may be better understood and readily put into practical effect, there shall now be described by way of non-limitative example only preferred embodiments of the present invention, the description being with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a process flow of the method of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a first presentation of a control device used in the method.

Fig. 3 illustrates a first sub-label of the effects label 58 of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates a second sub-label of the effects label 58 of fig. 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates a third sub-label of the effects label 58 of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 shows a second presentation of a control device used in the method.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, a method 20 for adjusting at least one parameter of a video stream being received on a recipient screen is provided. The recipient screen may be a display selected from, for example, a CRT monitor, an LCD monitor, a plasma screen, an image projector, etc. The video stream may be generated during a session, such as an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a video conference session, a video recording session similar to a video blog, and so forth.

In method 20, a video stream may be captured by a sender's video capture device. The video capture device may comprise either a camera or a digital camera. The video capture device should be enabled to stream video to a server on the internet either directly or through a connection means.

The method 20 includes providing a control device 22 to the recipient. The control device may be used to adjust at least one parameter of a video stream captured by a sender's video capture device. The at least one parameter may include both image settings and audio settings. Image settings include, for example, video effects, video aspect ratio, video image size, brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, exposure, gamma, white balance, backlight compensation, digital zoom, digital pan (pan), and digital tilt (tilt). Similarly, the audio settings may include, for example, bass, treble, balance, volume, audio enhancement effects, and noise cancellation effects. It should be noted that these video effects include, for example, attachment addition effects, background selection, image filtering effects, and so forth. Can be arranged inwww.mylivecam.comMany examples of video effects are found above, which is a camera-related information portal platform operated by Creative Technology, llc.

It should be noted that in case of high packet loss, the audio in the video stream may be muted (muted) by the receiver to free up bandwidth. In such a case, it should be noted that more video images are received on the recipient screen, since muting the audio in the video stream allows for higher rate frame transmission of the video stream. Alternatively, reducing the video image size may also help to free up bandwidth. In another alternative, the recipient may remove image frames in the video stream to free up bandwidth. These options make the video stream appear less unstable and less blocking to the recipient.

There may also be a case where the video stream is transmitted at an aspect ratio that does not fit the aspect ratio of the recipient screen. This is as much as more and more receiver screens have a 16: 9 wide screen ratio as compared to the 4: 3 screen ratio configuration seen in most CRT monitors. Both the video bandwidth and the video image size are adjusted so that the video stream can be displayed at an appropriate aspect ratio according to the configuration of the recipient screen. It should be noted that this configuration may involve both the physical configuration and the settings of the recipient screen. Being able to adjust the aspect ratio allows the video streams to be displayed in an optimal manner so that all of the video streams can be viewed at the appropriate aspect ratio.

The control device should interface 24 with the second application before the recipient can use the control device provided to the recipient. The second application may include, for example, an Instant Messaging (IM) application, a video conferencing application, and a video playback application. The control device may be either a user interface resident on the computer controlling the recipient screen or a separate device such as a remote control capable of interfacing with the computer controlling the recipient screen. The control device may be an application that overlays the second application in an unobtrusive manner. The control device is shown in fig. 2 as an example of a user interface residing on a computer controlling the recipient screen. The recipient may use the control device to adjust at least one parameter 26 of the video stream captured by the sender's image capture device.

Referring to fig. 2, a user interface 50 is shown. In this non-limiting example, user interface 50 is shown to interface with IM application 52 in an unobtrusive manner. The IM application 52 has a video window 53. It should be noted that the video window 53 may be enlarged so that a larger area of the recipient screen is available for the video window 53. It can also be seen that the user interface 50 includes an image settings tab 56. When the image settings tab 56 is selected (as shown), adjustment toolbars 54(a), 54(b), 54(c), 54(d), 54(e) are shown, which are used to adjust image settings exposure, brightness, contrast, color, gamma, respectively. Also shown are effect settings tags 58 for adding effects to the video stream, pan and tilt tags 60 for adjusting the source video viewing area, and audio settings tags 62 for adjusting the audio parameters of the video stream. Of course, the number of tags should not be limited to the aforementioned tags. Each tab may also include a restore default button 66 to allow the video stream to revert to the original set of settings before the recipient makes adjustments using the user interface 50.

When the effects settings tab 58 is selected, sub-tabs like those shown in fig. 3 through 5 are selectable by the recipient. Referring to fig. 3, an attachment sub-tag 102 for adding attachment effects is shown. The attachment selected by the recipient may be located on or overlaid over any portion of the input video stream. The accessories may include, for example, a head gear option 102(a), an eyebrow option 102(b), a hairstyle 102(c), a mustache style 102(d), and so forth. The recipient may remove the attachment effect after selecting the unwanted attachment effect by using the "undo" button 102(e) or may remove all attachment effects used in combination by using the "undo all" button 102 (f). For illustrative purposes, the selection of headwear options is shown in headwear window 103.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a context sub-label 104 for context selection is shown. For illustrative purposes, a selection of a background option is shown in the scene window 105. The background selected by the recipient may be incorporated as a backdrop for the input video stream. It should be noted that the background may be either a photographic image or an artistic image. The recipient may remove the background after selecting the unwanted background by using the "undo" button 104(a), and may also remove all backgrounds used in combination by using the "all undo" button 104 (b).

Referring to FIG. 5, a selected filter sub-label 106 for a visual filter is shown. For illustrative purposes, a select filter option is shown in filter window 107. The filter selected by the recipient may be incorporated into the input video stream. Filter selection by the recipient may change the way the sender makes the recipient look. For example, the filter may make the sender look like the sender is a bouquet of fire, the filter may make the sender look like the sender is a small stature, and so on. The recipient may remove the filter after selecting the unwanted filter by using the "undo" button 106(a), and may also remove all filters used in combination by using the "undo all" button 106 (b).

Also shown in fig. 3-5 are facial emoji sub-labels 100 and graffiti sub-labels 108. Examples of facial emoji sub-labels 100 and graffiti sub-labels 108 are not provided as they are merely further examples. For completeness, the facial expression sub-label 100 is used by the recipient to change the sender's facial expression, while the graffiti sub-label 108 is used by the recipient to incorporate any form of graffiti into the input video stream.

The user interface 50 may also include a device selector 64 because the user interface 50 may be capable of controlling more than one video capture device, including the recipient's own video capture device. This allows the recipient to use a single user interface 50 (control device) to regulate the video streams from multiple parties. The adjustment 28 of the at least one parameter of the input video stream is done either at the server prior to reception at the recipient screen or at the sender's video capture device. In this regard, adjustments made to the video stream by the recipient may not be visible to the sender unless the sender also has access to the recipient's view. In general, the sender should only be related to the content of the video stream and not necessarily how the recipient receives the video stream, since the recipient can define how the video stream is received at the recipient screen. Finally, the recipient receives and views the video stream on the recipient screen 30.

It should be noted that adjusting the video stream for each preference of the recipient only changes the way the video stream makes the recipient look and sound, and all settings of the recipient screen do not change except for the recipient's adjustments to the video stream.

In a second aspect, a control device for adjusting at least one parameter of a video stream being received on a screen of a recipient, the video stream being captured by a video capturing apparatus of the sender is provided. The recipient screen may be a display such as, for example, a CRT monitor, an LCD monitor, a plasma screen, an image projector, etc.

One presentation of the control device may be the user interface 50 of fig. 2, while another presentation of the control device may be seen with the remote control 200 of fig. 6. The type and form of the control device are not limited to the aforementioned user interface 50 and remote controller 200, and may take any other type and form. In the following session, the control device will be described with respect to the remote controller 200, since the user interface 50 has been described in the previous section.

The remote controller 200 is capable of adjusting at least one parameter of the video stream at the recipient screen. The video stream may be generated during a session, such as an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a video conference session, a video recording session, and so forth. The adjustment of the at least one parameter of the video stream may be either at the server prior to receipt of the recipient screen or at the sender's video capture device. In this regard, adjustments made to the video stream by the recipient using remote control 200 may be invisible to the sender unless the sender also has access to the recipient's view. In general, the sender should only be related to the content of the video stream and not necessarily how the recipient receives the video stream, since the recipient can define how the video stream is received at the recipient screen. The video capture device may be either a camera or a digital camera.

The remote control 200 may include a housing 202 that contains all of the components of the remote control 200. The housing 202 may include a touch panel 204, the touch panel 204 also serving as a display, and the remote control 200 may send instructions to a computer controlling the recipient display, either through a wired connection or through a wireless connection. Instructions to either the server or the sender's video capture device are then sent from the computer controlling the receiver's display.

Remote control 200 may include a user interface similar to user interface 50 previously described. The user interface on remote control 200 may include a device selector 64, such as the device selector of user interface 50, for controlling more than one video capture device, including the recipient's own video capture device. This allows the recipient to use remote control 200 to adjust the video stream from multiple parties. The touch sensing panel 204 of the remote controller 200 may also display the tags and sub-tags as shown in fig. 3 to 5 described previously.

The at least one parameter may include both image settings and audio settings. Image settings may include, for example, video effects, video aspect ratio, video image size, brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, exposure, gamma, white balance, backlight compensation, digital zoom, digital pan, and digital tilt. Similarly, the audio settings may include, for example, bass, treble, balance, volume, audio enhancement effects, and noise cancellation effects. It should be noted that the video effects include, for example, an attachment addition effect, a background selection, an image filtering effect, and the like. In thatwww.mylivecam.comMany examples of video effects can be found, which is a camera-related information portal platform operated by innovative technologies, llc.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing description, it will be understood by those skilled in the technology concerned that various changes or modifications in details of design or construction may be made without departing from the present invention.

Claims (22)

1. A method for adjusting at least one parameter of a video stream being received on a recipient's screen, the video stream being captured by a sender's video capture device, the method comprising:

providing a control device to a recipient to adjust at least one parameter of a video stream captured by the sender's video capture device;

interfacing the control device with a second application;

the recipient using the control device to adjust at least one parameter of a video stream captured by the sender's video capture device; and

the recipient receives and views the video stream on the recipient screen,

wherein the video stream viewed on the recipient screen is adjustable for each preference of the recipient, and all settings of the recipient screen are unchanged after the recipient has adjusted the video stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises both image settings and audio settings.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the image settings are selected from the group consisting of: video effect, video aspect ratio, video image size, brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, exposure, gamma, white balance, backlight compensation, digital zoom, digital translation, and digital zoom.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the audio setting is selected from the group consisting of: bass, treble, balance, volume, audio enhancement effect, and noise cancellation effect.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein releasing bandwidth in case of high packet loss is achieved using an option selected from the group consisting of: muting audio in the video stream, reducing video image size, and removing image frames in the video stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is a user interface resident on a computer controlling the recipient screen or a separate device capable of interfacing with a computer controlling the recipient screen.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein adjusting the video aspect ratio enables the video stream to be displayed at an aspect ratio in accordance with a configuration of a recipient screen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the at least one parameter of the video stream is done at a server prior to receipt at the recipient screen or at the sender's video capture device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient screen is selected from the group consisting of: CRT monitors, LCD monitors, plasma screens, and image projectors.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the video stream is generated during a session selected from the group consisting of: an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a video conference session, and a video recording session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second application is selected from the group consisting of: an Instant Messaging (IM) application, a video conferencing application, and a video playback application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the video capture device is selected from a camera or a digital camera.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the control device is capable of controlling more than one video capture device, including the recipient's video capture device.

14. A control device for adjusting at least one parameter of a video stream being received on a recipient screen, the video stream being captured by a sender's video capture device, the control device being capable of adjusting the at least one parameter of the video stream at a server prior to reception at the recipient screen or at the sender's video capture device.

15. The control device of claim 14, wherein the control device is capable of controlling more than one video capture apparatus, including the recipient's video capture apparatus.

16. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the video capture means is selected from a camera or a digital camera.

17. The control device of claim 14, wherein the video stream is generated during a session selected from the group consisting of: an Instant Messaging (IM) session, a video conference session, and a video recording session.

18. The control device of claim 14, wherein the recipient screen is a display selected from the group consisting of: CRT monitors, LCD monitors, plasma screens, and image projectors.

19. The control device of claim 14, wherein the at least one parameter includes both image settings and audio settings.

20. The control device of claim 19, wherein the image settings are selected from the group consisting of: video effect, video aspect ratio, video image size, brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, exposure, gamma, white balance, backlight compensation, digital zoom, digital translation, and digital zoom.

21. The control device of claim 19, wherein the audio setting is selected from the group consisting of: bass, treble, balance, volume, audio enhancement effect, and noise cancellation effect.

22. The control device of claim 14, wherein the control device sends instructions to a computer controlling the recipient display using a wired connection or using a wireless connection.