U.S. patent application number 15/282347 was filed with the patent office on 2017-01-19 for system and method for formatting and displaying video data.
This patent application is currently assigned to Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The applicant listed for this patent is Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America. Invention is credited to NAM CHIN CHO, DALLAS DWIGHT HICKERSON.
Application Number | 20170019625 15/282347 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41200810 |
Filed Date | 2017-01-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170019625 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHO; NAM CHIN ; et
al. |
January 19, 2017 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMATTING AND DISPLAYING VIDEO DATA
Abstract
There is provided a system (200) and method (400) of displaying
video content. In a method (400) in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, a native aspect ratio of the
video content is determined (404) and an optimized viewing format
is selected (406) from a plurality of viewing formats based at
least in part on the native aspect ratio of the video content. The
video content is displayed (408) in the optimized viewing
format.
Inventors: |
CHO; NAM CHIN; (Newnan,
GA) ; HICKERSON; DALLAS DWIGHT; (Sharpsburg,
GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of
Panasonic Corporation of North America |
Peachtree City |
GA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Panasonic Automotive Systems
Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North
America
|
Family ID: |
41200810 |
Appl. No.: |
15/282347 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12148062 |
Apr 16, 2008 |
9485455 |
|
|
15282347 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60K 2370/152 20190501;
H04N 21/234363 20130101; B60K 2370/18 20190501; H04N 21/440272
20130101; H04N 7/0122 20130101; B60K 35/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/01 20060101
H04N007/01 |
Claims
1. A method of displaying video content, the method comprising:
determining a native aspect ratio of the video content; selecting a
viewing format from a plurality of viewing formats based at least
in part on the native aspect ratio of the video content, wherein
the plurality of viewing formats comprises a full viewing format in
which the video content is stretched along one axis until it fills
an entire display panel; and displaying the video content in the
selected viewing format.
2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of viewing
formats comprises a normal viewing format in which the video
content is displayed in its native aspect ratio.
3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein a zoom viewing format in
which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify an
area of the video content is automatically selected as the viewing
format if the native aspect ratio of the video content is 4:3.
4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein a zoom viewing format in
which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify an
area of the video content is selected as the viewing format if the
video content comprises non-anamorphic video data and the native
aspect ratio of the video content is in the range of 1.66:1 to
2.35:1.
5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein a full viewing format in
which the video content is stretched along one axis until it fills
an entire display panel is selected as the viewing mode if the
video content comprises anamorphic video data and the native aspect
ratio of the video content is in the range of 1.66:1 to 1.85:1.
6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein a zoom viewing format in
which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify an
area of the video content is selected as the viewing format if the
video content comprises anamorphic video data and the native aspect
ratio of the video content is 2.35:1.
7. The method recited in claim 1, comprising selecting the viewing
format based at least in part on a characteristic of the video
content other than the native aspect ratio.
8. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the characteristic of the
video content other than the native aspect ratio is whether the
video content is in an anamorphic format.
9. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the characteristic of the
video content other than the native aspect ratio is whether the
video content is in a non-anamorphic format.
10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein determining the native
aspect ratio of the video content comprises reading the native
aspect ratio from a medium containing the video content.
11. A method of displaying video content, the method comprising:
determining a native aspect ratio of the video content; selecting a
viewing format from a plurality of viewing formats based at least
in part on the native aspect ratio of the video content, wherein
the plurality of viewing formats comprises a zoom viewing format in
which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify an
area of the video content; and displaying the video content in the
selected viewing format.
12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the plurality of
viewing formats comprises a normal viewing format in which the
video content is displayed in its native aspect ratio.
13. The method recited in claim 11, wherein a zoom viewing format
in which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify
an area of the video content is automatically selected as the
viewing format if the native aspect ratio of the video content is
4:3.
14. The method recited in claim 11, wherein a zoom viewing format
in which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify
an area of the video content is selected as the viewing format if
the video content comprises non-anamorphic video data and the
native aspect ratio of the video content is in the range of 1.66:1
to 2.35:1.
15. The method recited in claim 11, wherein a full viewing format
in which the video content is stretched along one axis until it
fills an entire display panel is selected as the viewing format if
the video content comprises anamorphic video data and the native
aspect ratio of the video content is in the range of 1.66:1 to
1.85:1.
16. The method recited in claim 11, wherein a zoom viewing format
in which the video content is stretched along two axes to magnify
an area of the video content is selected as the viewing format if
the video content comprises anamorphic video data and the native
aspect ratio of the video content is 2.35:1.
17. The method recited in claim 11, comprising selecting the
viewing format based at least in part on a characteristic of the
video content other than the native aspect ratio.
18. The method recited in claim 11, wherein determining the native
aspect ratio of the video content comprises reading the native
aspect ratio from a medium containing the video content.
19. A method of displaying video content, the method comprising:
determining a native aspect ratio of the video content, wherein
determining the native aspect ratio of the video content comprises
reading the native aspect ratio from an information file associated
with the video content; selecting a viewing format from a plurality
of viewing formats based at least in part on the native aspect
ratio of the video content; and displaying the video content in the
selected viewing format.
20. The method recited in claim 19, wherein the plurality of
viewing formats comprises a normal viewing format in which the
video content is displayed in its native aspect ratio.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/148,062, filed on Apr. 16, 2008 which is
currently under allowance, the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to video systems. In
particular, the present invention relates to a system and method
for formatting the display of video data based at least in part on
a native aspect ratio of the video data.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various
aspects of art which may be related to various aspects of the
present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This
discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with
background information to facilitate a better understanding of the
various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be
understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and
not as admissions of prior art.
[0004] In existing video systems, video content may be provided in
a wide variety of aspect ratios (the ratio of the length of
viewable display area to the height of viewable display area).
Moreover, there is no standard aspect ratio for video content.
Popular aspect ratios include 1.33:1 (4:3), 1.66:1 (15:9), 1.78:1
(16:9), 1.85:1 and 2.35:1, to name just a few examples.
[0005] Most display systems have a display device with a fixed
aspect ratio. This means that a displayed image may appear
distorted to a viewer if the native aspect ratio of the video
content is different from the aspect ratio of the display device.
Another potential problem is the display of "black bars" (areas
where no video content is present) at the top and bottom or sides
(or both) of a displayed image having a different aspect ratio.
This results in a smaller video display, which can cause viewer
dissatisfaction. Some known systems have "zoom" features, which
perform an adjustment on displayed video to better accommodate the
showing of video content from a source having a different aspect
ratio. However, the large number of aspect ratios currently
available could render the use of such "zoom" features cumbersome
and ineffective for at least some aspect ratios. Moreover, the user
may be forced so choose from among several display options by trial
and error to find the desired setting. An improved system and
method for formatting video data having a different native aspect
ratio relative to a display device is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] There is provided a system and method of displaying video
content. In a method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, a native aspect ratio of the video content
is determined and an optimized viewing format is selected from a
plurality of viewing formats based at least in part on the native
aspect ratio of the video content. The video content is displayed
in the optimized viewing format.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the
present invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become
apparent and be better understood by reference to the following
description of one embodiment of the invention in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a motorized vehicle in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a video subsystem of the vehicle
shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing several examples of how an
optimized viewing format is selected in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0011] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of a method in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out
herein illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, in one
form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting
in any manner the scope of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] One or more specific embodiments of the present invention
will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise
description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual
implementation are described in the specification. It should be
appreciated that in the development of any such actual
implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous
implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the
developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related
and business-related constraints, which may vary from one
implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that
such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but
would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication,
and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of
this disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a motorized vehicle in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The motorized vehicle is generally represented by the reference
number 100. The exemplary motorized vehicle 100 comprises an engine
102, a power train 104, a plurality of electronic control systems
106 that may be adapted to control a number of vehicle systems (for
example, the engine, the power train, a heating ventilation air
conditioning (HVAC) system, to name a few examples), and a chassis
108. The chassis 108 is adapted to support the engine 102, which is
adapted to drive the power train 104. Also included in the
exemplary motorized vehicle 100 is an entertainment system, which
may provide audio/visual entertainment, computer networking
capability or the like to occupants of the motorized vehicle 100.
The entertainment system 110 comprises a video subsystem 112, the
operation of which is explained in greater detail below. In
particular, the video subsystem 112 is adapted to select an
optimized viewing mode for video data read from a source input
regardless of the native aspect ratio of the video data.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the video subsystem 112 of the
vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention. The video subsystem 112
comprises a processor or microcontroller 200, which is adapted to
control the overall operation of the video subsystem 112. The
processor 200 may be adapted to read instructions and/or data from
a tangible machine-readable media, such as a disc drive, a memory
or the like. The instructions may enable the processor 200 to
perform a method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
[0016] The processor 200 is operatively connected to a DVD deck
202, which may contain a DVD media 204 as a source of video
information. In addition to storing one or more files of video
data, the DVD media 204 may additionally store an information file
206, such as an .ifo file or the like. The information file 206 may
contain information pertaining to where chapters of different video
information start on the DVD media 204, where certain audio tracks
are located or the like. In addition, the information file 206 may
store other information such as a native aspect ratio of video
information stored on the DVD media 204, whether the video data is
in anamorphic format, whether the video data is in non-anamorphic
format or the like.
[0017] The video subsystem 112 includes a user control panel 208.
As shown in FIG. 2, the user control panel 208 may comprise
controls such as MENU, SET-UP, FAST FORWARD, REWIND, PAUSE, PLAY,
or the like. Users of the video system 112 may use the controls on
the control panel 208 to control the operation of the video
subsystem 112.
[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
processor 200 is adapted to select an optimized viewing format for
video information so that it is displayed effectively on a display
panel 210. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the
display panel 210 has a fixed aspect ratio of 16:9. The processor
200 uses the aspect ratio information obtained about the video data
being played to optimize the image displayed on the display panel
210. In particular, an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention selects an optimized viewing format based on design
considerations such as using the maximum screen area of the display
panel 210 for displaying the image while minimizing distortion of
the image, regardless of the native aspect ratio of the video
information being displayed. Specific examples of how the optimized
viewing format is selected in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing several examples of how an
optimized viewing format is selected in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The diagram is
generally referred to by the reference number 300. The diagram 300
illustrates four different video formatting scenarios, each
representing the displaying of video data having a particular
aspect ratio, range of aspect ratios and other defining
characteristics. Three screen views are shown for each of the four
video formatting scenarios: a normal viewing mode, a full viewing
mode and a zoom viewing mode. Thus, each of the four horizontal
groupings of screen views corresponds to one of the four different
video display scenarios illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0020] As explained in detail below, a video system that operates
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
is adapted to determine a native aspect ratio of video content that
is being displayed and to select an optimized viewing mode (for
example, the normal viewing mode, the full viewing mode or the zoom
viewing mode) based at least in part on the native aspect ratio of
the video content. In an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the normal viewing mode displays data in its native
aspect ratio regardless of the aspect ratio of the display screen.
In an exemplary full viewing mode, video data is "stretched" along
one axis (for example, horizontal or vertical) so that the entire
display screen is filled. In an exemplary zoom viewing mode, video
data may be stretched along both axes (for example, horizontal and
vertical) to essentially magnify an area of content while filling
the entire display screen. In the exemplary zoom viewing mode,
video data is less distorted in some cases than in the full viewing
mode, but all of the original video data may not be displayed
because of cropping excess video data to allow the picture to be
expanded along the opposite axis. For example, video data may be
cropped from the top and bottom as the image is expanded along the
horizontal axis to fill the entire display panel.
[0021] The viewing format chosen as the optimized viewing format
may vary depending on the aspect ratio of the display panel of a
particular video system. For example, the optimized viewing format
may not be the same in a video system having a display panel with
an aspect ratio of 4:3 as it would be in a video system having a
display panel with an aspect ratio of 16:9. All the screen views
shown in FIG. 3 represent how video data would be displayed on a
display screen having an aspect ratio of 16:9. This corresponds to
the aspect ratio of the display screen 210 (FIG. 2). Those of
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the determination of
which viewing mode is chosen as the optimized viewing mode may be
made based on which available viewing mode would result in filling
the most of the display panel with video data while providing the
least amount of distortion.
[0022] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
processor 200 (FIG. 2) may be adapted to automatically read the
aspect ratio of video data being displayed. For example, the aspect
ratio may be read from the information file 206 (FIG. 2). In other
exemplary embodiments, the native aspect ratio of the video data
being displayed may be determined by any suitable method known to
those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0023] A first video formatting scenario 302 relates to the
formatting of image data having a native aspect ratio of 4:3. This
type of video content includes video data that may have been
created in another aspect ratio and subsequently processed using a
technique know to those of ordinary skill in the art as "pan and
scan" formatting. In pan and scan formatting, a 4:3 window of video
content is selected from video data in a different (normally wider)
format to produce video content having an aspect ratio of 4:3. The
normal view for the first video scenario 302 shows a screen view of
the image area that would be displayed on a display having an
aspect ratio of 16:9 if the video information is displayed in its
native 4:3 aspect ratio format. As shown in FIG. 3, this normal
view would result in black borders having no video image content on
both the right and left sides of the screen.
[0024] In the full view for the first video formatting scenario
302, the image is stretched horizontally so that it occupies the
entire 16:9 display. This horizontal stretching results in moderate
image distortion because no corresponding vertical stretching is
performed on the image.
[0025] In the zoom view of the first video formatting scenario, the
full image is stretched vertically so that some video information
is cropped from the display, as shown by the arrows in the zoom
view for the first video formatting scenario 302. By performing the
additional vertical stretching, image distortion is reduced with
respect to the full view.
[0026] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is adapted
to select the zoom viewing mode as the optimized viewing mode if
the video content being displayed has a native aspect ratio of 4:3
if the display panel of the video system is 16:9. By automatically
displaying video content having a native aspect ratio of 4:3 in the
zoom mode as the optimized viewing mode, the user is provided with
a picture that fills the entire display screen and has relatively
low distortion with respect to the full viewing mode. Thus, an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an optimized
display without requiring the user to manually select the viewing
mode from a plurality of choices. In an alternative embodiment of
the invention, the user may be given the opportunity to provide an
input regarding a preference of viewing modes. For example, the
user could be allowed to select a particular viewing mode to be
used for displaying all video, regardless of native aspect ratio.
As another example, the user could be allowed to enter a preference
selected from a group of choices such as "least distortion" or
"maximum screen utilization."
[0027] A second video formatting scenario 304 relates to the
formatting of video having a native aspect ratio in the range of
1.66:1 to 2.35:1 that is additionally in non-anamorphic format.
Such video formatting may be described as wide-screen
non-anamorphic video formatting. In colloquial terms, this type of
formatting is sometimes referred to as "letter boxed"
formatting.
[0028] In the normal view of the second display formatting scenario
304, the entire image is displayed, but there are borders on all
sides of the screen that contain no video data. In the full viewing
mode of the second video formatting scenario 304, the image is
horizontally stretched so that it occupies the entire horizontal
range of the display. Nonetheless, borders having no video data are
still present on the top and bottom of the screen, resulting in
moderate to high image distortion. In the zoom view of the second
video formatting scenario 304, the video data that would be
presented in the full view is stretched vertically, as shown by the
arrows in the zoom view. The zoom view in the second video
formatting scenario 304 thus presents the viewer with a full video
display with low to moderate image distortion.
[0029] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is adapted
to select the zoom viewing mode as the optimized viewing mode if
the video content being displayed is non-anamorphic and has a
native aspect ratio in the range of 1.66:1 to 2.35:1 if the display
panel of the video system is 16:9. By automatically displaying
video content with these characteristics in the zoom mode as the
optimized viewing mode, the user is provided with a picture that
fills the entire display screen and has relatively low distortion
with respect to the full viewing mode.
[0030] A third video formatting scenario 306 relates to the
formatting of media content having an aspect ratio in the range of
1.66:1 to 1.85:1 that is in anamorphic format. Such video content
is typically referred to as wide-screen anamorphic video content.
In the normal view of the third video formatting scenario 306, the
wide-screen anamorphic video data appears to be horizontally
squeezed, as shown by the inward arrows. The result is moderate
image distortion and bands containing no video information along
the left and right sides of the display.
[0031] In the full view of the third video formatting scenario 306,
the anamorphic wide-screen video data is horizontally stretched
with respect to the normal view so that it occupies the entire
display. The result is a distortion-free image that fills the
entire display screen. In the zoom view of the third video
formatting scenario 306, the full image is stretched vertically so
that some video information is cropped from the display as shown by
the arrows. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
the processor 200 (FIG. 2) may be adopted to automatically display
the full view as the optimized viewing mode for wide screen
anamorphic video content having a native aspect ratio in the range
of 1.66:1 to 1.85:1. In this manner, the viewer is automatically
presented with a completely filled video screen having no image
distortion.
[0032] A fourth video formatting scenario 308 relates to the
formatting of anamorphic video content having an aspect ratio of
2.35:1. In the normal view of the fourth video formatting scenario
308, the image appears to be squeezed horizontally, as shown by the
inward arrows. The result is a highly distorted video image having
borders on both sides as well as on the top and bottom. In the full
view of the fourth video formatting scenario 308, the native image
is stretched horizontally so that it is displayed without image
distortion. This nonetheless leaves borders with no video content
along the top and bottom edges of the screen. In the zoom view of
the fourth video formatting scenario 308, the full image is
stretched vertically until it fills the entire screen. This results
in a low-level of image distortion.
[0033] For anamorphic video data having a native aspect ratio of
2.35:1, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be
adapted to automatically select either the full viewing mode or the
zoom viewing mode as the optimized viewing mode based on system
design considerations. Choosing the full viewing mode as the
optimized viewing mode results in an image that has no distortion
but that does not fill the entire display screen. Choosing the zoom
mode as the optimized viewing mode produces an image that fills the
entire video panel but has some amount of distortion. Those of
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the aspect ratio of
the display panel of the video system in which the invention is
applied may influence the choice of optimized viewing mode under
these conditions.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of a method in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The method
is generally referred to by the reference number 400.
[0035] At block 402, the process begins. At block 404, the native
aspect ratio of video content to be displayed is determined. As set
forth above, the aspect ratio may be read from an information file
206 (FIG. 2) such as an .ifo file or determined by any other
suitable method.
[0036] At block 406, an optimized viewing format is selected from
among a plurality of viewing formats based at least in part on the
native aspect ratio of the video content. In the exemplary
embodiment of the present invention discussed above with reference
to FIG. 3, the optimized viewing mode is determined to be a normal
viewing mode, a full viewing mode or a zoom viewing mode. In
addition to the native aspect ratio of the video content to be
displayed, other factors may be considered. Examples of other
factors that may influence the choice of the optimized viewing mode
include whether the video data to be displayed is anamorphic or
non-anamorphic.
[0037] At block 408, the video data is displayed in the optimized
viewing format. At block 410, the process ends.
[0038] While the invention may be susceptible to various
modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been
shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in
detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention
is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed.
Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents
and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined by the following appended claims.
* * * * *