Composite Video Stream Generation for Interactive Gaming

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Solution Overview

Problem

Interactive gaming applications often leave remote users feeling isolated, lacking awareness of other users' activities and opportunities for interaction during and outside gaming sessions.

Innovation Solution

A data processing apparatus that generates and outputs a composite video stream comprising composite video images from multiple user video streams, allowing users to view each other's activities, with selection and processing techniques to optimize relevance and visibility based on user preferences and relationships.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If multiple video streams are composited together to show other users' activities, then user interaction and awareness is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser awareness of other activitiesVSAvoidvideo compositing system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The composite video stream is segmented into multiple distinct video regions, each displaying a different user's activity. This segmentation allows the system to present multiple information streams simultaneously while maintaining organizational structure, reducing the cognitive load on users and making the complexity manageable through visual separation of content sources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces a composite video stream as an intermediary that aggregates and presents multiple individual video streams in a unified format. This intermediary layer simplifies the complexity by providing a single integrated view that mediates between multiple independent video sources and the user's perception, reducing the need for users to manually manage multiple separate streams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If video streams are selected and composited based on user preferences and relationships, then relevance and engagement are improved, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevideo stream selection adaptabilityVSAvoidvideo stream processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

User preferences, relationships, and video stream selection criteria are pre-configured and stored in the system. When generating composite video streams, the system retrieves these pre-established parameters rather than computing them in real-time, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining high adaptability to individual user needs and preferences.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically selects and composites video streams based on pre-configured user preferences and relationship data without requiring manual intervention. This self-service approach enables the system to adaptively generate relevant composite streams while minimizing the time and computational resources needed for decision-making processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If composite video streams are generated in real-time during gaming sessions, then interaction opportunities are improved, but system performance and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser interaction easeVSAvoidsystem energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple individual video streams into a single composite video stream that can be displayed and processed more efficiently. By combining multiple data sources into one unified stream with a single frame rate and resolution, the system reduces the overall computational burden and energy consumption compared to processing and displaying multiple separate high-performance video streams simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4417278A1Apparatus, systems and method for video compositing
Publication Date: 2024.08.21 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
  • EP4417278A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4417278A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4417278A1 patent drawingFigure 4~7

AI summary

A data processing apparatus comprises receiving circuitry to receive a plurality of video streams associated with a plurality of users, video stream compositing circuitry to generate a composite video stream comprising composite video images, each composite video image comprising a composite video representation associated with video images from two or more of the plurality of video streams, and output circuitry to output the composite video stream.