Patent ID: 7665112
Filing Date: 2010-02-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. In an entertainment network environment with a host computer system having a video codec and at least one electronic device, the host computer system and the electronic device connected by a video stream channel and a back channel, a method of transferring slideshow presentation information from the host computer to an electronic device for rendering a slideshow presentation, the method comprising acts of: the host computer receiving a request to display a slideshow presentation at an electronic device, the slideshow presentation to be produced by an application running on the host computer, the slideshow presentation having slideshow presentation data that includes still image data corresponding to one or more bitmaps; in response to the request, opening an application session for the electronic device at the host computer, the application session for delivering the slideshow presentation data to the electronic device; establishing a remote desktop protocol connection between the application session and an executable abstraction process within the host computer, the remote desktop protocol connection internal to the host computer such that system memory at the host computer stores both ends of the remote desktop protocol connection, the executable abstraction process abstracting the application session from the video codec such that the application session interacts with the executable abstraction process instead of the video codec, the executable abstraction process permitting the application to use existing application program interfaces, without modification to the application, to transfer the slideshow presentation data to the executable abstraction process using remote desktop protocol; the application session generating slideshow presentation data, including still image data corresponding to one or more bitmaps; the application session using the remote desktop protocol to transfer a portion of the slideshow presentation data, including the still image data, to the executable abstraction process over the internal remote desktop protocol connection within the host computer system; the executable abstraction process feeding the portion of the slideshow presentation data, including the still image data, to the video codec for conversion into a video stream; the video codec converting the slideshow presentation data, including the still image data, into a video data stream, the video data stream including video data that represents the slideshow presentation and which is capable of being processed at the electronic device by a video processor to remotely render the still image data at the electronic device, the video data stream further comprising control information, the control information including command data that indicates how the image data is to be visually represented at one or more moments in time within the slideshow presentation, the command data including one or more of an animate, pan, zoom, cross-fade or playing music; and transmitting the video data stream to the electronic device such that the electronic device can use the video processor for rendering the slideshow presentation at the electronic device; receiving user input through the back channel that indicates a change in the ordering or display of the series of bitmaps, the change being one of a pause, skip, stop, fast forward or reverse; and altering the video data stream in accordance with the user input received.