ADAPTIVE PROCESSING OF PROGRAMS WITH MULTIPLE VIDEO STREAMS
Methods and systems for the efficient and non-redundant transmission of a single video program in multiple frame rates, optionally employing a combination of video coding standards, in a way that is backwards-compatible with legacy receivers only supportive of some subsection of frame rates or of some subsection of video coding standards.
1 . A method, comprising:
receiving a program comprising a multiplexed plurality of streams (MPOS), the MPOS for the program comprising a first video stream, wherein the first video stream comprises a first representation of the program;
processing the first video stream exclusively when the MPOS consists of only the first video stream; and
processing the first video stream and a second video stream when the MPOS comprises of the first video stream and the second video stream, wherein the first video stream corresponds to a first picture format and a combination of the first video stream and the second video stream corresponds to a second picture format, wherein the combination of the first and second video streams comprise a second representation of the program.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the first and second video streams further comprises:
processing the first video stream at a first set of processing devices of a receiver; and
processing the second video stream at a second set of processing devices of the receiver.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving further comprises receiving the first video stream in an interlaced format, wherein processing exclusively the first video stream further comprises decoding compressed pictures of the first video stream received in interlaced format.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising de-interlacing the decoded pictures based on information in two or more fields, including a current field.
5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising providing the de-interlaced pictures to a display device, the display device configured for progressive format display.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving comprises receiving the first and second video streams, and wherein the first video stream comprises the same spatial resolution as the second video stream.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting the processed first and second video streams according to the second picture format.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting the processed first video stream according to the second picture format.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein processing exclusively the first video stream or the first and second video streams is according to a type of video display capability.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising receiving information that indicates that the display device is not a progressive format display.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein responsive to the information, processing the first video stream to the exclusion of the second video stream to provide the processed pictures to the non-progressive format display device.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the information is received via user input or a discovery mechanism.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the first and second video streams comprises decoding, and further comprising routing the first and second video streams to a hard disk prior to decoding of the first and second video streams.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving further comprises receiving temporal reference numbers associated with the first and second video streams.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein processing further comprises re-ordering the temporal references numbers for presentation of a sequence of the processed pictures corresponding to the first and second video streams on a display device, wherein the re-ordering is according to a picture type.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein processing further comprises composing each processed picture in the sequence of processed pictures from a decoded picture from the first video stream and a decoded picture from the second video stream.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein processing further comprises decoding the first video stream and the second video stream independently.
18 . An apparatus, comprising:
a receiver, comprising:
a memory;
a receiver interface configured to receive a program comprising a multiplexed plurality of streams (MPOS), the MPOS for the program comprising a first video stream, wherein the first video stream comprises a first representation of the program;
one or more processing devices configured to process the first video stream exclusively when the MPOS consists of only the first video stream, otherwise process the first video stream and a second video stream when the MPOS comprises of the first video stream and the second video stream, wherein the first video stream corresponds to a first picture format and a combination of the first video stream and the second video stream corresponds to a second picture format, wherein the combination of the first and second video streams comprise a second representation of the program.
19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the one or more processing devices comprises:
a first set of processing devices of the receiver configured to process the first video stream; and
a second set of processing devices of the receiver configured to process the second video stream.
20 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the one or more processing devices are further configured to decode the first and second video streams independently from one another.