Method and system for encoding and transmitting high definition 3-D multimedia content

One particular implementation of the present invention may take the form of a method and system for encoding decoding 3-D multimedia content. In one example, visual content having a plurality of source frames may be processed to create a plurality of first and second type frames from each of the plurality of source frames. The plurality of first and second type frames may be arranged to create modified content, and generating a distinguishing signal for the visual content, which may distinguish the first type frame from the second type frame. In another examples, the present invention may take the form of a method decoding 3-D multimedia content encoded with at least content frames and null frames. The method may operate to receive the 3-D multimedia content, extract at least one content frame, at least one null frame, and display information. The method may further operate to reconstruct the content and null frames in a display-sequential manner using the display information to indicate the display order of the at least one content frame. In some examples, the method and system for encoding and decoding multimedia content may encode the multimedia content such that the at least one null frame may not be displayed by a display device.

BRIEFDESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS(1) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system for transmittinghigh definition 3-D content to a display device.(2) FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system for transmitting a high definition 3-D content to a source device.(3) FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a series of frames containing 3-D content and nullframes.(4) FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a series of frames containing 3-D content and null frames.(5) FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating pixels of a 3-D multimedia frame including an in-line synchronization signal contained within the first line of pixels.(6) FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a system for encoding high definition 3-D multimedia content to a computer-readable medium.(7) FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for encoding high definition 3-D content to a computer-readable medium.(8) FIG. 8 is ahigh-level block diagram illustrating a particular system for providing high definition 3-D multimedia content.DETAILED DESCRIPTION(9) Implementations of the present invention involve methods and systems for encoding and/or transmitting high definition 3-D multimedia content, such as 3-D video. The frames of the 3-D video may be encoded or transmitted in a frame-sequential fashion, with some image frames intended for the viewer's right eye and other frames intended for the viewer's left eye. To account for the addition of frames intended for each eye of the viewer, one embodiment may enc