Interactive Menu via Streaming Video Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumer electronics devices in home entertainment systems have limited graphics capabilities to reduce costs, making it difficult to provide a rich user experience without expensive graphics rendering engines, specifically in creating engaging menu systems.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to deliver looping video clips over a first video channel and side channel data through a data channel or second video channel, allowing for interactive menus with navigable elements that can be displayed on a graphics overlay plane, with states for unfocused, focused, and selected appearances, and including navigation directions and actions, enabling seamless user interaction without requiring powerful processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If expensive graphics rendering engines are used to provide rich user experience, then user interface quality is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves menu rendering from the device's graphics processing dimension to the video stream dimension by embedding menu elements as video frames within the content stream. This allows complex graphical interfaces to be delivered through standard video channels without requiring powerful local graphics engines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces side channel data as an intermediary that carries menu definition information separately from the main video content. This side channel acts as a mediator between the content provider and the playback device, enabling rich menu functionality without increasing device complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If powerful processing is provided in CE device to execute 3D rendering engines, then menu system capability is improved, but processing power requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex 3D rendering functionality from the CE device and relocates it to the content delivery infrastructure. Menu elements are pre-rendered as video frames and transmitted through the video stream, eliminating the need for local 3D rendering capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses video frame copies to represent menu elements. Instead of rendering 3D graphics locally, the device displays copied video frames containing menu imagery that have been prepared and encoded into the video stream by the content provider.
3Device complexity
If menus are drawn by user interface application on CE device, then device cost is reduced, but menu visual quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges menu elements with video content by embedding them as overlays within the video stream. The menu graphics are combined with the background video content during encoding, creating a unified video signal that maintains visual quality while using simple playback hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs menu rendering and graphic composition in advance during content encoding rather than at playback time. Menu elements are pre-composited into the video stream with proper timing and positioning, allowing simple devices to display high-quality menus without real-time processing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing a menu for video content is disclosed and may include delivering a looping video clip over a first video channel. The looping video clip may be configured to be displayed on a video plane. The method may also include delivering side channel data over a second video channel. The side channel data may include two or more navigable menu elements that may be configured to be displayed on a graphics overlay plane.