Virtual Camera System for Real-Time View Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing videography systems for sporting events in virtual reality environments offer limited user control and interaction, providing only static and non-interactive views, restricting the user's ability to dynamically change camera perspectives during events.
Innovation Solution
A system that synchronizes multiple panoramic video camera heads using time code generators or master-slave synchronization mechanisms, allowing users to control video playback speed, direction, and camera perspectives interactively through a user interface, enabling real-time selection of camera views and regions of interest across all video streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple video streams are captured and synchronized, then user control and interactivity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the video capture and processing into multiple independent camera heads, each capturing video from different perspectives. These segmented camera streams are then synchronized through time code generators or master-slave mechanisms, allowing complex multi-angle viewing functionality while maintaining manageable individual camera units.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronized multi-camera system provides multiple functions within a single integrated platform: it enables users to switch between different camera perspectives, control playback speed and direction, and interact with the video content in real-time. This universal system replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate viewing systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If real-time camera perspective switching is enabled, then user interactivity is improved, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary synchronization of time codes across all camera heads before video capture begins. This pre-synchronization establishes a common temporal reference framework, allowing real-time camera switching without requiring complex post-processing or re-synchronization calculations during playback.
Solution Approach 2:
Time code generators act as intermediary devices that mediate between multiple camera heads and the playback system. These intermediaries provide standardized timing signals that simplify the coordination of multiple video streams, reducing the processing burden on the main playback system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If synchronized multi-camera system is implemented, then view switching capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses time code copying where a master time code signal is replicated and distributed to all slave camera heads. This copying approach ensures all cameras operate on the same temporal reference without requiring complex bidirectional communication or negotiation between devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical synchronization methods (such as physical camera mounting on rotating platforms or mechanical shutters) with electronic time code-based synchronization. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining precise synchronization across multiple camera perspectives.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for virtual camera configuration and selection. For example, one embodiment of a system comprises: a decode subsystem comprising circuitry to concurrently decode a plurality of video streams captured by cameras at an event to generate decoded video streams from a perspective of corresponding virtual cameras (VCAMs); video evaluation logic to apply at least one video quality metric to determine a quality value for the decoded video streams or a subset thereof, and to rank the decoded video streams based, at least in part, on the quality values associated with the decoded video streams; preview logic to provide the decoded video streams or modified versions thereof to one or more computing devices accessible to one or more video production team members and to further provide the quality values and/or the rank generated by the video quality evaluation logic; stream selection hardware logic to select a subset of the plurality of decoded video streams based on input from the one or more video production team members; and transcoder hardware logic to transcode the subset of the plurality of decoded video streams for live transmission over a public or private network.