Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Stephen Estrop

Glenn Frederick Evans

Gary Joseph Sullivan

Matthew C Howard

Shyam Sadhwani

Nicholas P Wilt

Colin D McCartney

Jay Senior

James Morris Alkove

Joseph Cox Ballantyne

Donald J Munsil

Anand Ganesh

Yongjun Wu

Naveen Thumpudi

Alexandre Vicktorovich Grigorovitch

Kirt A Debique

Sohail Baig Mohammed

David R Blythe

Gurpratap Virdi

Gareth Alan Howell

Gregory David Swedberg

Anuj Bharat Gosalia

Jonathan Marshall Cain

Stephen C Rowe

Kan Qiu

Miguel M Valdez

Tim Cowley

Dragos C Avadanei

John (Mingtzong) Lee

A battery operated device, having a display with two or more available refresh rates, has its refresh rate selected so as to match the video frame rate of video data played back on the display. This selection is made by coordinating the resources in the device that are used to process the video from its reception through to its display.

Adaptive control of display refresh rate based on video frame rate and power efficiency

High definition media content processing techniques are described in which enhanced media content rendering techniques may be performed to output high definition media content. In an implementation, luma keying may be provided to define clear pixels in a composite output using an optimum set of graphics processing instructions. In another implementation, techniques are described which may provide clear rectangles in a composite output of one or more video streams. Clear rectangles to appear in the composite output are configured by a media playback application. A texture is arrived at to represent a union of each of the clear rectangles and is applied to form the clear rectangles in the composite output. In another implementation, capture techniques are described in which an image to capture is resolved as strips to an intermediate texture and then from the texture to a capture buffer in system memory.

High definition media content processing

Clear rectangle processing

A video encoding acceleration service to increase one or more of the speed and quality of video encoding is described. The service acts as an intermediary between an arbitrary video encoder computer program application and arbitrary video acceleration hardware. The service receives one or more queries from the video encoder to identify implementation specifics of the video acceleration hardware. The service interfaces with the video acceleration hardware to obtain the implementation specifics. The service communicates the implementation specifics to the video encoder. The implementation specifics enable the video encoder to: (a) determine whether one or more of speed and quality of software encoding operations associated with the video encoder can be increased with implementation of a pipeline of one or more supported encoding pipeline configurations and capabilities, and (b) implement the pipeline by interfacing with the service.

Accelerated video encoding

Strategies are described for processing image information using a data structure which conveys color information. The color information describes color-related formatting applied to the image information. The data structure can be passed down a video processing pipeline, which includes a video mixing renderer module, a device driver, and a graphics module. Each functional component in the pipeline can draw color information from the data structure to improve the accuracy of its processing.

Strategies for processing image information using a color information data structure

Various embodiments provide methods and systems that utilize a protocol which enables media content protection by establishing a secure communication channel and, in some embodiments, a secure data channel, between a device such as a computing device running a protected content playback application, and a downstream component such as an associated driver, such as a graphics driver, of an associated display device such as a monitor, flat panel LCD, television and the like.

Methods and systems for protecting media content

Techniques are provided for facilitating processing of interlaced video images for progressive video displays. A method receives from a renderer a query for a graphics device driver to a graphics processing capability that can be performed by an associated graphics device in de-interlacing video data, communicating the query to the graphics device driver, receiving from the graphics device driver a response to the query that identifies the graphics processing capabilities to the renderer, and communicating the response to the renderer. The method includes receiving from the renderer a further query for the graphics device driver to at least one input requirement associated with the identified graphics processing capability, communicating the further query to the graphics device driver, receiving from the graphics device driver a further response to the further query that identifies the input requirement(s) associated with the graphics processing capability, and communicating the further response to the renderer.

Closing a video stream object

Strategies are described for processing image information using a data structure which conveys color information. The color information describes color-related formatting applied to the image information. The data structure can be passed down a video processing pipeline, where each functional component in the pipeline can draw color information from the data structure to improve the accuracy of its processing. Further, each component can supply previously unknown color information to the data structure for use by other (downstream) components in the pipeline. Exemplary fields of the data structure can include one or more of: a video transfer function field; a color primaries field; an image light field; a transfer matrix field; a nominal range field; and a video chroma sampling field. The transfer matrix field can be used to convert image information from one color space to another, such as a luma-related color space to an RGB-related color space. Processing operations can be performed on progressive and linear RGB image information.

Methods and apparatuses are provided for facilitating processing of interlaced video images for progressive video displays. In accordance with certain exemplary implementations, a method includes receiving from a renderer a query for a graphics device driver as to at least one graphics processing capability that can be performed by an associated graphics device in de-interlacing video data, communicating the query to the graphics device driver, receiving from the graphics device driver a response to the query that identifies the graphics processing capability/capabilities to the renderer, and communicating the response to the renderer. The method further includes receiving from the renderer a further query for the graphics device driver as to at least one input requirement associated with the identified graphics processing capability, communicating the further query to the graphics device driver, receiving from the graphics device driver a further response to the further query that identifies the input requirement(s) associated with the graphics processing capability, and communicating the further response to the renderer.

Methods and apparatuses for facilitating processing of interlaced video images for progressive video displays

Methods and systems provide approaches to start code emulation prevention at a granularity higher than the bit level. By operating at a level other than the bit level, processing capability requirements on both the encoder and decoder side can be reduced. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a start code emulation prevention method looks for data patterns relative to fixed-size data portions larger than single bits. When a particular pattern is found, start code emulation prevention data is inserted to prevent start code emulation. The inserted data is larger than a single bit and, in some embodiments, comprises a byte. When a decoder decodes data that has had start code emulation prevention data inserted, it can easily identify legitimate start codes and then can remove the start code emulation prevention data to provide the original data that was protected. In addition, a data stuffing method is described which allows payload data to be rounded up in size to an integer number of byte sizes, and then allows filler data to be added in a manner which is easily detectable by a decoder.

Methods and systems for start code emulation prevention and data stuffing

Video frame buffers are controlled using a sequence of new-frame-indicators (e.g., FLIP) and no-new-frame-indicators (e.g., NOFLIP) in a frame indicator queue that is accessed with each display refresh. Video samples are loaded into a chain of video frame buffers that is 'rotated' during the vertical blanking signal of the display to swap an old frame buffer out for a new frame buffer. The rotations of the frame buffer chain are controlled based on the frame indicators in the frame indicator queue to present new video samples to the display in a regular pattern, thereby providing smooth video playback.

Frame buffer control for smooth video display

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Carnation, WA, United States of America

Stephen Estrop