Dynamic Media Layout for Aspect Ratio Matching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Media viewing applications face challenges in displaying a collection of media items with varying aspect ratios, leading to cropping or empty space issues, as existing methods either crop significant portions of media items or leave unfilled tiles, making it difficult for users to find specific items.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic media item layout presentation method that generates frame candidates based on aspect ratios and cropping thresholds, allowing for the sorting and matching of media items to frame candidates while minimizing cropping, and dynamically adjusting the layout to ensure all tiles are filled, maintaining the order of media items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a grid layout with uniform tiles is used, then the display structure is simple and regular, but significant portions of media items are cropped or empty space is left
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is segmented into multiple rows and columns of tiles, allowing media items to be distributed across different segments. Each tile can independently display a portion of the media collection, enabling the system to handle various aspect ratios by assigning different media items to different tile segments without cropping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the layout by allowing dynamic reconfiguration of tiles over time. Tiles can be added, removed, or repositioned in subsequent frames based on the aspect ratios of media items, transforming a static 2D grid problem into a dynamic 3D (spatial-temporal) solution that minimizes cropping across the time dimension.
2Area of stationary object
If cropping is used to fill tiles, then the display is complete without empty space, but users cannot identify the underlying aspect ratio and must click each preview to find specific items
Solution Approach 1:
Different tiles in the grid can have different qualities - some tiles display cropped versions of media items while others display uncropped versions with visible aspect ratios. This local differentiation allows the system to maintain complete display coverage in some areas while preserving aspect ratio information in other areas, enabling users to identify specific items without clicking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual indicators (analogous to color changes) such as borders, overlays, or background color variations to indicate the aspect ratio of media items displayed in tiles. These visual cues allow users to quickly identify the underlying aspect ratio without needing to click on each preview, while still maintaining complete display coverage.
3Manufacturing precision
If a fixed layout of varying tile sizes is used, then better aspect ratio matching is achieved, but certain items may not match available sizes and similar cropping/scaling issues present themselves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic layout system where tile sizes and configurations can change over time based on the aspect ratios of media items. Rather than using a fixed layout, the system continuously adapts the grid structure to match the characteristics of the media collection, ensuring high aspect ratio matching precision while maintaining versatility to handle any media item.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of the layout (tile count, tile dimensions, grid configuration) based on the aspect ratios of the media items being displayed. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system achieves precise aspect ratio matching for each media item while maintaining the flexibility to accommodate any aspect ratio in the collection.
4Area of stationary object
If out-of-order placement is used to match available tiles, then better tile utilization is achieved, but users trying to find pictures based on time are hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent preserves the chronological order of media items as a preliminary structure before applying layout optimizations. By maintaining the time-based sequence as the foundation and then applying tiling and arrangement algorithms that work within this constrained order, the system achieves good tile utilization while preserving the temporal structure that users need for finding specific items.
Data Source
AI summary
A method may include generating a list of frame candidates, the list of frame candidates including a plurality of aspect ratios, based on a characteristic of a display device and an aspect ratio of a base tile; receiving a set of media items, each with a respective aspect ratio (AR), to display on the display device; and for each respective media item in the set of media items: filtering the list of frame candidates based on a respective aspect ratio of the list of frame candidates being within a threshold cropping amount of the AR of the respective media item; and matching the respective media to a frame candidate of the filtered list of frame candidates.