Patent · US Expired

Data structure and methods for providing an interactive program guide

US6584153B1 · kind B1 · utility

94Cited by
166References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 15, 1999
Grant dateJun 24, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 15, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N5/45
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A data structure suited to efficiently representing a plurality of image streams including common and non-common portions. Specifically, a plurality of similar group of picture (GOP) data structures representing the corresponding plurality of image streams including common and non-common portions is adapted to provide a first encoded stream comprising only P-picture and B-picture access units of one of the similar GOP data structures, and a corresponding plurality of encoded streams comprising only respective I-picture access units of the similar GOP data structures. In this manner, the redundant P-picture and B-picture access units within the encoded streams are eliminated, thereby greatly reducing the bandwidth or memory resources needed to transmit or store the plurality of image streams.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.