Video telephone system and terminal device therefor

A terminal device for use in a video telephone system, comprising:

• video input means for inputting external video data to the terminal device;
• video data encoding means for encoding input video data from the video input means;
• communicating means for communicating data;
• storage means for beforehand storing at least one video processing method to transmit video data within a range of transmitting performance of the terminal device;
• communicating terminal performance acquiring means for acquiring via the communicating means at least one video processing method and a display screen size suitable for video receiving performance of a terminal device as a communicating party;
• transmission video producing means for obtaining, according to the at least one video processing method and the display screen size acquired by the communicating terminal performance acquiring means, video data for transmission having a size equal to or less than the display screen size acquired from the input video data from the video input means;
• selecting from the at least one video processing method beforehand stored in the storage means, a video processing method not exceeding video processing performance of the video processing method for reception;
• processing, by the video data encoding means in the video processing method thus selected, the video data for transmission and producing encoded video data of the video data for transmission, and transmitting the encoded video data to the communicating terminal device;
• and
• display means for displaying the video data for transmission.

A terminal device for use in a video telephone system, comprising:

• a storage for beforehand storing at least one video processing method for reception suitable for video receiving performance of the terminal device;
• a communicating means for communicating data;
• own terminal performance transmitting means for transmitting, before reception of encoded video data, the at least one video processing method and a display screen size stored in the storage means, via the communicating means to a communicating terminal device as a communicating party;
• video data decoding means for decoding encoded video data of video data having a size equal to or less than the display screen size received from the communicating terminal device via the communicating means according to a video processing method not exceeding video processing performance of the video processing method for reception and thereby obtaining decoded video data;
• and
• display means for displaying the decoded video data.

A terminal device for use in a video telephone system, comprising:

• audio input means for inputting external audio data to the terminal device;
• video input means for inputting external video data to the terminal device;
• audio data encoding means for encoding the audio data inputted from the audio input means;
• video data encoding means for encoding the video data inputted from the video input means;
• audio data decoding means for decoding encoded audio data inputted thereto;
• video data decoding means for decoding encoded video data inputted thereto to produce decoded video data;
• audio output means for producing sound and voice according to audio data decoded;
• display means for displaying video data decoded;
• a communicating means for communicating data;
• a storage for beforehand storing at least one video processing method for reception suitable for video receiving performance of the terminal device and at least one video processing method to transmit video data within a range of transmitting performance of the terminal device;
• own terminal performance transmitting means for transmitting the at least one video processing method and a display screen size stored in the storage means via the communicating means;
• communicating terminal performance acquiring means for acquiring via the communicating means at least one video processing method and a display screen size suitable for video receiving performance of a terminal device as a communicating party;
• and
• transmission video producing means for obtaining, according to the at least one video processing method and the display screen size acquired by the communicating terminal performance acquiring means, video data for transmission having a size equal to or less than the display screen size acquired from the input video data from the video input means;
• selecting, from the at least one video processing method beforehand stored in the storage means, a video processing method not exceeding video processing performance of the video processing method for reception;
• processing, according to the video processing method thus selected, the video data for transmission and producing encoded video data of the video data for transmission, and transmitting the encoded video data to the communicating terminal device.

A method of communicating video data between a first terminal device and a second terminal device having mutually different video processing performance, comprising the steps of:

• notifying, by the first terminal device, before reception of encoded video data, at least one video processing method for reception and a display screen size suitable for video receiving performance of the first terminal device to the second terminal device, the video processing method for reception and the display screen size being notified in a form of at least one attribute;
• and
• obtaining, by the second terminal device according to the at least one attribute notified from the first terminal device, video data for transmission from video data to be processed, the video data for transmission having a size equal to or less than the display screen size notified from the first terminal device,
• processing the video data for transmission according to a video processing method not exceeding video processing performance of the video processing method notified from the first terminal device to produce encoded video data of the video data for transmission, and
• transmitting the encoded video data to the first terminal device.

A method of communicating video data between a first terminal device and a second terminal device having mutually different video processing performance, comprising the steps of:

• notifying, by the first terminal device, before reception of encoded video data, at least one video processing method for reception and a display screen size suitable for video receiving performance of the first terminal device to the second terminal device, the video processing method for reception and the display screen size being notified in a form of at least one attribute;
• beforehand storing, by the second terminal device, at least one video processing method for transmission to transmit video data within a range of transmitting performance of the second terminal device;
• and
• obtaining, by the second terminal device according to the at least one attribute notified from the first terminal device, video data for transmission from video data to be processed, the video data for transmission having a size equal to or less than the display screen size notified from the first terminal device,
• selecting, by the second terminal device, from the at least one video processing method for transmission beforehand stored by the second terminal device, a video processing method not exceeding video processing performance of the video processing method notified from the first terminal device, and processing the video data for transmission according to the video processing method for transmission thus selected to produce encoded video data of the video data for transmission, and
• transmitting the encoded video data to the first terminal device.

A terminal device for use in a video telephone system, comprising:

• audio input means for inputting external audio data to the terminal device;
• video input means for inputting external video data to the terminal device;
• audio data encoding means for encoding the audio data inputted from the audio input means;
• video data encoding means for encoding the video data inputted from the video input means;
• audio data decoding means for decoding encoded audio data inputted thereto;
• video data decoding means for decoding encoded video data inputted thereto to produce decoded video data;
• audio output means for producing sound and voice according to audio data decoded;
• display means for displaying video data decoded;
• communicating means for communicating audio and video data encoded;
• communicating terminal performance acquiring means for acquiring information regarding a size of video data suitable for decoding, display, and reception in a terminal device as a communicating party;
• and
• transmission video producing means for producing video data for transmission using the video data inputted from the video input means, wherein:
• the transmission video producing means determines as a video size for transmission a size less than or equal to the size of video data received by the communicating terminal performance acquiring means suitable for decoding, display, and reception in a terminal device as a communicating party;
• the transmission video producing means cuts video data of the video size for transmission from the video data inputted from the video input means and thereby produces video data for transmission;
• and
• the video data encoding means encodes the video data produced by the transmission video producing means.