Method and apparatus for authoring stereoscopic 3D video information, and method and apparatus for displaying such stereoscopic 3D video information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9547928-B2
Application number	US-201214001701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2012
Priority date	Mar 1, 2011
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for authoring stereoscopic 3D video information comprising a 3D video stream and 3D overlay graphics are described. A depth range in z-space for the stereoscopic presentation of the 3D video stream is determined for a plurality of time codes. A reference plane in z-space for placing the 3D overlay graphics is then determined such that depth conflicts between the 3D video and the reference place are reduced. A comfort zone surrounding a display screen plane and comprising the reference plane is defined, wherein the comfort zone specifies a depth range in z-space for preferable presentation of the stereoscopic 3D video information. It is then determined whether a depth conflict between the reference plane and the 3D video stream remains for the respective time codes and/or whether a depth conflict exists between the comfort zone and the 3D overlay graphics for the respective time codes. In this way a set of conflict intervals is generated, which is stored on a media source comprising the 3D video stream and the 3D overlay graphics. The set of conflict intervals is used during playback to adapt a presentation of the 3D video stream or a presentation of the 3D overlay graphics.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for displaying stereoscopic 3D video information comprising a 3D video stream and 3D overlay graphics, the method comprising:
retrieving a set of depth conflict intervals associated with the 3D video stream from a media source comprising the 3D video stream and the 3D overlay graphics, wherein the set of depth conflict intervals is provided together with the stereoscopic 3D video information, and wherein a depth conflict interval indicates a time span during which a minimum depth value of the 3D video stream falls within a depth range provided for presentation of the 3D overlay graphics, or during which the minimum depth value of the 3D video stream or a minimum depth value of the depth range provided for presentation of the 3D overlay graphics falls outside a comfort zone defined in an authoring process, wherein the comfort zone specifies a depth range in z-space for preferable presentation of the stereoscopic 3D video information, said time span being comprised between a first time and a second time, said first time and said second time are defined to be a time for which the minimum depth value of the 3D video stream equals a depth value of a reference plane of the 3D overlay graphics; and
adapting a presentation of the 3D video stream or a presentation of the 3D overlay graphics for time codes of the 3D video stream that are located in one of the time spans indicated by the depth conflict intervals so as to resolve the corresponding depth conflict.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the adapting the presentation of the 3D overlay graphics comprises varying a z-space expansion of the 3D overlay graphics.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the adapting the presentation of the 3D overlay graphics comprises switching a presentation mode for the 3D overlay graphics or for the 3D video stream from a stereoscopic 3D mode to a flat 2D mode.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the adapting the presentation of the 3D overlay graphics comprises adapting a transparency value for at least a part of the 3D overlay graphics.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the transparency value is adapted for a part of the 3D overlay graphics causing the depth conflict.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the adapting the presentation of the 3D overlay graphics comprises delaying a user request for presentation of 3D overlay data until the end of the depth conflict interval.

7. A method for authoring stereoscopic 3D video information comprising a 3D video stream and 3D overlay graphics, the method comprising:
determining a depth range in z-space for the stereoscopic presentation of the 3D video stream for a plurality of time codes;
determining a depth range in z-space for placing the 3D overlay graphics;
defining a comfort zone surrounding a display screen plane, wherein the comfort zone specifies a depth range in z-space for preferable presentation of the stereoscopic 3D video information;
determining time spans during which a minimum depth value of the 3D video stream falls within the depth range provided for presentation of the 3D overlay graphics, or during which the minimum depth value of the 3D video stream or a minimum depth value of the depth range provided for presentation of the 3D overlay graphics falls outside the comfort zone, said time span being comprised between a first time and a second time, said first time and said second time are defined to be a time for which the minimum depth value of the 3D video stream equals a depth value of a reference plane of the 3D overlay graphics;
determining a set of depth conflict intervals indicating the determined time spans; and
storing the set of depth conflict intervals on a media source comprising the 3D video stream and the 3D overlay graphics.

Assignees

• Hoerentrup Jobst
• Thomson Licensing

Inventors

• Hoerentrup Jobst

Classifications

• G06T15/00 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] image rendering · CPC title

• H04N13/0033

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0292

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/004

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0456

  Electricity · mapped topic