Methods and apparatus for generating and using reduced resolution images and/or communicating such images to a playback or content distribution device

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for using selective resolution reduction on images to be transmitted and/or used by a playback device are described. Prior to transmission one or more images of an environment are captured. Based on image content, motion detection and/or user input a resolution reduction operation is selected and performed. The reduced resolution image is communicated to a playback device along with information indicating a UV map corresponding to the selected resolution allocation that should be used by the playback device for rendering the communicated image. By changing the resolution allocation used and which UV map is used by the playback device different resolution allocations can be made with respect to different portions of the environment while allowing the number of pixels in transmitted images to remain constant. The playback device renders the individual images with the UV map corresponding to the resolution allocation used to generate the individual images.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method comprising the steps of:
 selecting a first resolution allocation to be used for at least one image corresponding to a first portion of an environment;   performing a resolution reduction operation on a first image of said first portion of the environment in accordance with the selected first resolution allocation to generate a first reduced resolution image; and   communicating said first reduced resolution image to a playback device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 communicating to the playback device information indicating a first texture map to be used to map portions of said images generated in accordance with the first resolution allocation to a surface of a model of said environment.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 ,
 wherein said information is said first texture map or an identifier identifying said first texture map; and   wherein the size of a first segment in said first texture map is a function of the amount of resolution reduction applied to a corresponding first area of the first image to generate a first segment of said first reduced resolution image.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first texture map includes a second segment corresponding to a portion of the first image which was not subject to a resolution reduction operation, the size of the second segment in said second texture map being the same as the size of the segment in said first image. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the size of the first segment in said texture map is reduced from the size of the source of the corresponding area in the first image by an amount which is based on the amount of resolution reduction applied to the corresponding first area of the first image. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 communicating to said playback device an environmental model; and   wherein said first texture map corresponds to a portion of said environmental model, said first texture map providing information indicating how to map portions of images subject to said first resolution allocation to a portion of said environmental model.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said first image is one image of an image pair said first image and a second image, the first image being one of a left and right eye image pair, the second image being a second one of a left and right eye image pair, the method further comprising:
 performing a resolution reduction operation on the second image in accordance with the selected first resolution allocation to generate a second reduced resolution image; and   communicating said second reduced resolution image to the playback device as part of a first stereoscopic image pair.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 selecting a second resolution allocation to be used for another image corresponding to a first portion of the environment, said another image being a third image;   performing a resolution reduction operation on the third image in accordance with the selected second resolution allocation to generate a third reduced resolution image; and   communicating said third reduced resolution image to a playback device.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 communicating to the playback device information indicating a second texture map to be used to map portions of images generated in accordance with the second resolution allocation to said surface of said model of said environment, said second texture map being different from said first texture map.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the size of a first segment in said second texture map is a function of the amount of resolution reduction applied to a corresponding first area of the third image to generate a first segment of said third reduced resolution image. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the second texture map includes a third segment corresponding to a portion of the third image which was not subject to a resolution reduction operation, the size of the third segment in said second texture map being the same as the size of the segment in said third image. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the size of the first segment in said second texture map is reduced from the size of the source of the corresponding area in the third image by an amount which is based on the amount of resolution reduction applied to the corresponding first area of the third image. 
     
     
         13 . A system comprising:
 a processor configured to:
 select a first resolution allocation to be used for at least one image corresponding to a first portion of an environment; and 
 perform a resolution reduction operation on a first image of said first portion of the environment in accordance with the selected first resolution allocation to generate a first reduced resolution image; and 
   a transmitter configured to communicate said first reduced resolution image to a playback device.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein said transmitter is further configured to:
 communicate to the playback device a first texture map to be used to map portions of said images generated in accordance with the first resolution allocation to a surface of a model of said environment.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the size of a first segment in said first texture map is a function of the amount of resolution reduction applied to a corresponding first area of the first image to generate a first segment of said first reduced resolution image. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the first texture map includes a second segment corresponding to a portion of the first image which was not subject to a resolution reduction operation, the size of the second segment in said second texture map being the same as the size of the segment in said first image. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the size of the first segment in said texture map is reduced from the size of the source of the corresponding area in the first image by an amount which is based on the amount of resolution reduction applied to the corresponding first area of the first image. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein said transmitter is further configured to communicate to said playback device an environmental model; and   wherein said first texture map corresponds to a portion of said environmental model, said first texture map providing information indicating how to map portions of images subject to said first resolution allocation to a portion of said environmental model.   
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, control a system to:
 select a first resolution allocation to be used for at least one image corresponding to a first portion of an environment;   perform a resolution reduction operation on a first image of said first portion of the environment in accordance with the selected first resolution allocation to generate a first reduced resolution image; and   communicate said first reduced resolution image to a playback device.