End-user-navigable set of zoomed-in images derived from a high-resolution master image

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates generally to the development of interactive visual media, and, more specifically, to the generation of a set of files representing “zoomed-in” sections of a master high-resolution image file and the generation of the logical data required to allow navigation of the generated files.

#2. Background Information

#FIG. 1 is a flow chart of the steps undertaken by the DVD authoring application in an automated implementation.

#FIG. 2 presents more details on the preparation of still images and video objects.

#FIG. 3 presents more details on the preparation of the full-view still.

#As discussed in the Background section, if no high-resolution file of the image in question is available during authoring, there is little that can be done to improve detail when zooming in on a given section. However, if the image is available in high resolution, the method of this invention allows the detail present in the original to be preserved in a zoomed-in section, even when the visual medium within which the image is displayed does not support playback of high-resolution images. At the same time, the method generates the logical data files that allow the user to readily access zoomed-in sections of the image when that image is played back on an interactive media player, computer, or other media playback device. The creation of presentation and logical data using this method may be fully automatic, or the author of the media in which the image appears may be given direct control over some or all parameters involved in the process.

#The general context of the invention is the presentation of image files in interactive visual media, including but not limited to such optical disc formats as DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Video CD, and Super Video CD, as well as media hosted by a server and delivered over a network. The following description covers implementation of the invention in the context of a software application used for authoring DVD-Video discs. In such an implementation, the steps described may be automatic, or the end-user may be given direct control over some or all parameters involved in those steps. The first part of the description below assumes a fully automatic process, followed by the case where the user is given more control.

#The described method starts with a high-resolution digital image (the “source” file), such as might be created by a still digital camera. For this example, it is assumed that the aspect ratio of the source file is 4:3 (four units horizontal to three units vertical), and the video system of the DVD-Video disc being authored is NTSC. It is also assumed that the full image will be divided into nine areas on which it is possible to zoom in, with each area showing one-ninth of the source image (one third horizontally and one third vertically). These assumptions are relaxed below in a more general discussion that follows that of the exemplary embodiment. The exemplary embodiment results in the following nine Sectors: (1) top left, (2) top center, (3) top right, (4) middle left, (5) middle center, (6) middle right, (7) bottom left, (8) bottom center, and (9) bottom right. This arrangement is particularly suited to the standard arrangement of the numbers on a remote control or other numeric keypad.