Formatting 3d content for low frame-rate displays

Abstract

Converting three-dimensional ( 3 D) video content for use by a variety of different display devices of different capabilities involves decoding a 3 D video signal into two frame buffers. One implementation includes receiving an input 3 D video signal that comprises video frames having image data for viewing by a first eye and image data for viewing by a second eye. The implementation includes generating, from the input 3 D signal, a first and second frame buffer. The first frame buffer can store a complete first image for viewing by the first eye, while the second frame buffer can store a complete second image for viewing by the second eye. The implementation can further comprise encoding the complete first image into a first video frame and encoding the complete second image into a second video frame of an output 3 D video signal.

1 . At a computer system, the computer system including one or more processors and a memory, a method of formatting three-dimensional video content for display on a low-frame rate display device by decoding three-dimensional video content into two frame buffers, the method comprising the acts of:
 receiving an input three-dimensional video signal, the input three-dimensional video signal comprising one or more video frames including image data for viewing by a first eye and image data for viewing by a second eye;   generating a first frame buffer from the input three-dimensional video signal that includes a complete first image for viewing by the first eye;   generating a second frame buffer from the input three-dimensional video signal that includes a complete second image for viewing by the second eye; and   generating an output three-dimensional video signal by encoding the complete first image from the first frame buffer into a first video frame and encoding the complete second image from the second frame buffer into a second video frame.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the output three-dimensional video signal to a display device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the first frame buffer and generating the second frame buffer comprises decoding first image data and second image data from a plurality of interlaced video frames. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 generating the first frame buffer comprises decoding first image data from a single progressive video frame; and   generating the second frame buffer comprises decoding second image data from a different progressive video frame.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the first frame buffer and generating the second frame buffer comprises decoding the complete first image and the complete second image from a single spatially-compressed video frame. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining an encoding type of the input three-dimensional video signal. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the first frame buffer and generating the second frame buffer comprises decoding the input three-dimensional video signal with a composite decoder that decodes a plurality of three-dimensional 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 encoding the complete first image from the first frame buffer comprises encoding the complete first image into a first plurality of interlaced video frames that include the first video frame; and   encoding the complete second image from the second frame buffer comprises encoding the complete second image into a second plurality of interlaced video frames that include the second video frame.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 encoding the complete first image from the first frame buffer comprises encoding the first image into a progressive video frame that comprises the first video frame; and   encoding the complete second image from the second frame buffer comprises encoding the second image into a different progressive video frame that comprises the second video frame.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending the output three-dimensional video signal to a display device; and   transmitting a blanking signal to one or more blanking devices, the blanking signal instructing the one or more blanking devices to blank the entire display of the output three-dimensional video signal during at least a portion of the display of a transition between a portion of the complete first image and a portion of the complete second image.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the output three-dimensional video signal comprises at least one of upscaling or downscaling a frame rate of the output three-dimensional video signal compared to a frame rate of the input three-dimensional video signal. 
     
     
         12 . At a computer system, the computer system including one or more processors and a memory, a method of decoding a video frame into two frame buffers to generate a three-dimensional video signal capable of display on a low-frame rate display device, the method comprising the acts of:
 receiving an input video frame of a three-dimensional video signal, the input video frame including a first image for viewing by a first eye and second image for viewing by a second eye;   decoding the first image of the input video frame into a first frame buffer;   decoding the second image of the input video frame into a second frame buffer; and   encoding a first output video frame from the first frame buffer, the first output video frame including image data from only the first image; and   encoding a second output video frame from the second frame buffer, the second output video frame including image data from only the second image.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising determining a three-dimensional encoding type of the input video frame. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising generating an output three-dimensional video signal with an upscaled frame by including duplicate output video frames of the first output video frame and the second output video frame. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 generating a blanking signal that includes a plurality of blanking instructions, including:
 a first blanking instruction directing one or more blanking devices to blank at least a portion of the first eye's view of a display device during display of the first output video frame, 
 a second blanking instruction directing the one or more blanking devices to blank at least a portion of the second eye's view of the display device during display of the second output video frame, and 
 a third blanking instruction directing the one or more blanking devices to blank both the first and second eye's view of the display device during display of at least a portion of a transition between display of the first output video frame and the second output video frame; and 
 transmitting the blanking signal to the one or more blanking devices. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the input video frame encodes both the first image and the second image using a spatial compression technique, including at least one of over-under or side-by side. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising transmitting the first output video frame and the second output video frame to a display device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein decoding the first image of the input video frame into a first frame buffer includes parsing the first image from the input video frame and storing only image data from the first image in the first frame buffer. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein decoding the second image of the input video frame into a second frame buffer includes parsing the second image from the input video frame and storing only image data from the second image in the first frame buffer. 
     
     
         20 . A computer program product for implementing a method for formatting three-dimensional video content for display on a low-frame rate display device by decoding three-dimensional video content into two frame buffers, the computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer system, cause one or more processors of the computer system to perform a method comprising the acts of:
 receiving an input three-dimensional video signal, the input three-dimensional video signal comprising one or more video frames including image data for viewing by a first eye and image data for viewing by a second eye;   generating a first frame buffer from the input three-dimensional video signal that includes a complete first image for viewing by the first eye;   generating a second frame buffer from the input three-dimensional video signal that includes a complete second image for viewing by the second eye; and   generating an output three-dimensional video signal by encoding the complete first image from the first frame buffer into a first video frame and encoding the complete second image from the second frame buffer into a second video frame.