Virtual Window

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques are provided for displaying video. In some embodiments, novel tools and techniques might be provided for sensing the presence and/or position of a user in a room, and/or for customizing displayed content (including video call content, media content, and/or the like) based on the sensed presence and/or position of the user. In particular, in some aspects, a user device (which might include, without limitation, a video calling device, an image capture device, a gaming console, etc.) might determine a position of a user relative to a display device in communication with the user device. The user device and/or a control server (in communication with the user device over a network) might adjust an apparent view of video or image(s) displayed on the display device, based at least in part on the determined position of the user relative to the display device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 determining, with a user device comprising a camera, a position of a user relative to a display device in communication with the user device; and   adjusting an apparent view of video on the display device in response to the determined position of the user relative to the display device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting an apparent view of video on the display device comprises adjusting an apparent field of view of the video to correspond to the determined position of the user relative to the display device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting an apparent view of video on the display device comprises adjusting an apparent perspective of the video to correspond to the determined position of the user relative to the display device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user device comprises a video calling device, and wherein the video on the display device comprises a video call. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user device comprises a video game console, and wherein the video on the display device comprises a video game. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video on the display device comprises one of a video program, a television program, movie content, video media content, audio media content, game content, or image content. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the video on the display device comprises a live video stream captured by a camera in a location remote from the user device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adjusting an audio track of the video in response to the determined position of the user relative to the display device.   
     
     
         9 . A user device, comprising:
 a sensor;   a processor; and   a computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the processor to cause the user device to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising:
 instructions for determining a position of a user relative to a display device in communication with the user device; and 
 instructions for adjusting an apparent view of video on the display device in response to the determined position of the user relative to the display device. 
   
     
     
         10 . The user device of  claim 9 , wherein the user device comprises the display device. 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 determining, with a video calling device, a position of a first party to a video call relative to a display device that displays video of a video call;   adjusting an apparent view of the video call, based at least in part on the determined position of the first party to the video call.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the video calling device comprises:
 a video input interface to receive video input from a set-top box;   an audio input interface to receive audio input from the set-top box;   a video output interface to provide video output to the display device;   an audio output interface to provide audio output to an audio receiver;   a video capture device to capture video;   an audio capture device to capture audio;   a network interface;   at least one processor; and   a storage medium in communication with the at least one processor, the storage medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the video calling device to:
 control the video capture device to capture a captured video stream; 
 control the audio capture device to capture a captured audio stream; 
 encode the captured video stream and the captured audio stream to produce a series of data packets; and 
 transmit the series of data packets on the network interface for reception by a second video calling device. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein adjusting an apparent view of the video call comprises adjusting an apparent field of view of the video call. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein determining a position of a first party comprises determining a distance of the first party from the display device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein adjusting an apparent field of view of the video comprises zooming the video based on the determined distance of the first party from the display device. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein determining a position of a first party comprises determining a horizontal position of the first party in a horizontal dimension of a plane parallel to a face of the display device. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein adjusting an apparent field of view of the video comprises panning the video in a horizontal direction, based on the determined horizontal position of the first party. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein determining a position of a first party comprises determining a vertical position of the first party in a vertical dimension of a plane parallel to a face of the display device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein adjusting an apparent field of view of the video comprises panning the video in a vertical direction, based on the determined vertical position of the first party. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein adjusting an apparent view of the video call comprises modifying, at the video calling device, a video signal received by the video calling device. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the video is received from a second video calling device, and wherein adjusting an apparent view of the video call comprises instructing the second video calling device to adjust a view of one or more cameras of the second video calling device. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein instructing the second video calling device to adjust a view of one or more cameras comprises instructing the second video calling device to adjust a field of view of the one or more cameras. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the second video calling device comprises an array of cameras, and wherein the field of view of the one or more cameras comprises a field of view of a composite image captured by a plurality of cameras within the array of cameras. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the apparent view of the video call comprises a virtual perspective of the composite image. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the virtual perspective represents a perspective of the first party to the video call relative to the display device. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein instructing the second video calling device to adjust a view of one or more cameras comprises instructing the second video calling device to adjust a perspective of the one or more cameras. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein instructing the second video calling device to adjust a view of one or more cameras comprises instructing the second video calling device to pan a camera in at least one of a horizontal dimension or a vertical dimension. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein instructing the second video calling device to adjust a view of a camera comprises instructing the second video calling device to zoom a camera. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein instructing the second video calling device to adjust a view of a camera comprises instructing the second video calling device to crop frames of a video stream captured by the camera. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining, with the video calling device, that the first party has moved relative to the display device; and   modifying the apparent view of the video call, in response to determined movement of the first party.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein modifying the apparent view of the video call comprises modifying an apparent perspective of the video call, in response to determined movement of the first party. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein modifying the apparent view of the video call comprises modifying the apparent view of the video call substantially in real time with the determined movement of the first party. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the video calling device comprises a camera, and determining a position of a first party to a video call comprises capturing one or more images of the first party with the camera. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the one or more images comprise a video stream. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising transmitting the video stream to a second video calling device as part of the video call. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein determining a position of a first party to a video call further comprises analyzing the one or more images to identify the position of the first party. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein analyzing the one or more images comprises identifying, in the one or more images, positions of one or more eyes of the first party to the video call. 
     
     
         38 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by one or more computers to cause the one or more computers to:
 determine a position of a first party to a video call relative to a display device that displays video of a second party to the video call; and 
 adjust an apparent view of the video of the second party to the video call, based at least in part on the determined position of the first party to the video call. 
   
     
     
         39 . A system, comprising:
 a video calling device, comprising:
 at least one first processor; and 
 a first computer readable medium in communication with the at least one first processor, the first computer readable medium having encoded thereon a first set of instructions executable by the at least one first processor to cause the video calling device to:
 determine a position of a first party to a video call relative to a display device that displays video of a second party to the video call; 
 
   a computer, comprising:
 one or more second processors; and 
 a second computer readable medium in communication with the one or more second processors, the second computer readable medium having encoded thereon a second set of instructions executable by the one or more second processors to cause the computer to:
 adjust an apparent view of the video of the second party to the video call, based at least in part on the determined position of the first party to the video call. 
 
   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the video calling device comprises the computer. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the video calling device comprises a first video calling device, the system further comprising a second video calling device that comprises a camera that records the video of the second party to the video call. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein adjusting an apparent field of view of the video of the second party to the video call comprises transmitting, to the second video calling device, instructions for adjusting a field of view of the camera of the second video calling device. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the computer is a control server separate from the video calling device. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the computer is incorporated within a second video calling device that further comprises a camera that captures the video of the second party to the video call. 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the video calling device comprises:
 a video input interface to receive video input from a set-top box;   an audio input interface to receive audio input from the set-top box;   a video output interface to provide video output to a display device;   an audio output interface to provide audio output to an audio receiver;   a video capture device to capture video; and   an audio capture device to capture audio;   wherein the first set of instructions further comprises instructions executable by the first processor to cause the video calling device to:
 control the video capture device to capture a captured video stream; 
 control the audio capture device to capture a captured audio stream; 
 encode the captured video stream and the captured audio stream to produce a series of data packets; and 
 transmit the series of data packets on the network interface for reception by a second video calling device.