Sending control information to a selected video freed

Abstract

The present invention is a video production and control system that uses a touch screen display and user interface, managed by a controller, for video source control. The system may include a set of touch screen windows that display feeds from sources of video information. For a selected feed window, the system displays a set of representations of preset configurations of the video source, which might be a camera, a video recorder, a handheld device, a storage device, a computer, or other source of video data. The representations may be thumbnail images of a view through the video source when it has the corresponding configuration. Selecting a different thumbnail using the touch screen will cause a controller to send control data through an output port that directs the video source to assume the newly chosen preset configuration. Some combination of controls in the touch screen user interface and control panel allow a user to manually reconfigure a video source, and optionally create a new corresponding preset thumbnail.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 a) for each video feed in a set, which includes a plurality of video feeds,
 (i) receiving the video feed through a respective video feed connection in a respective video source interface, which interface also includes a video source control connection corresponding to the video feed connection; and 
 (ii) displaying the content of the video feed on a touch screen, 
   b) sensing a touch event from the touch screen selecting one of the video feeds; and   c) sensing, from a user interface, a sequence of source control events and transmitting corresponding control information through the video source control connection corresponding to the selected video feed.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein transmitting the control information through the video source control connection affects content of the selected video feed. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the user interface includes the touch screen. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the control information includes a pan, tilt, or zoom instruction directed to a camera. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the camera is a physical camera. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the camera is a virtual camera. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 d) simultaneously displaying, in respective windows on the touch screen, the video feeds.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein effects of the sequence of source control events upon the selected video feed are displayed in a window of the user interface in real time. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the content is affected by a change to a configuration of a video source corresponding to the video source control connection. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the user interface further includes a nonempty set of tactile controls housed separately from the touch screen. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the set of tactile controls includes a joystick.