Patent Application
20070070094
The present invention is related to the following applications, all of which are incorporated herein by reference:
Commonly assigned application entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR HANDLING HIDDEN DIALOGS IN A MEDIA CENTERED GRAPHICAL USER ENVIRONMENT,” filed on even date herewith by the same inventors herein (Attorney Docket Number 200407710-1).
Media display systems have become increasingly sophisticated as technology advances have made more media streams available to users. From over the air broadcasts to Internet streaming video, media display systems are now enabled to manage and process a variety of complex media streams. In particular, display resolution may vary widely between display formats. For example, a 640×480 resolution may be utilized for accessing menu options of an underlying operating system while a 1920×1080 resolution may be utilized for displaying multimedia entertainment content. In switching between these widely variant resolutions, some media display systems may require users to access hidden display control settings which may or may not be displayed in an acceptable format.
For example,
At a next step 112, adapter tab may be selected. From the adapter tab, list all modes may be selected at a step 114. In this manner, 640×480 resolution may be selected. It may be appreciated that most common television displays have a resolution of 640×480. Therefore selection of 640×480 resolution may, in some examples, be required. A revert dialog box may be displayed and optionally selected at a step 120. Revert permits a user to cancel a selected resolution. At a next step 122, an apply/exit box may be displayed and selected. The method then returns to WINDOWS™ Media Center environment at a step 124. In this manner, display resolution may be managed under prior art methods.
Turning briefly to
As such, easily configured display resolutions for media center displays that may be easily read and managed from a distance may be desirable. Therefore, graphical user interfaces for managing native display resolution from a distance are presented.
The invention provides a graphical user interface for managing native display resolution from a comfortable viewing distance that may be deployed across a wide range of viewing environments and may enhance a user's viewing experience.
An exemplary method for managing display resolution of a display from a distance is presented including: selecting a display resolution within a graphical user interface environment, where the graphical user interface environment is configured to be readable at a distance more than approximately two meters; selecting a native display setting in response to selecting the display resolution; and applying the native display setting to the display. In some embodiments, methods further include displaying a revert selection; and optionally selecting the revert selection such that the applying the native display setting is cancelled. In some embodiment selecting the native display setting includes: accessing a native display setting via a native API; requesting the native display setting via the native API corresponding to the selecting the display resolution; and receiving the native display setting.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
Various embodiments are described hereinbelow, including methods and techniques. It should be kept in mind that the invention might also cover articles of manufacture that includes a computer readable medium on which computer-readable instructions for carrying out embodiments of the inventive technique are stored. The computer readable medium may include, for example, semiconductor, magnetic, opto-magnetic, optical, or other forms of computer readable medium for storing computer readable code. Further, the invention may also cover apparatuses for practicing embodiments of the invention. Such apparatus may include circuits, dedicated and/or programmable, to carry out tasks pertaining to embodiments of the invention. Examples of such apparatus include a general-purpose computer and/or a dedicated computing device when appropriately programmed and may include a combination of a computer/computing device and dedicated/programmable circuits adapted for the various tasks pertaining to embodiments of the invention.
At a next step 412, a resolution may be selected. As noted above, unsupported resolutions generally require a user to navigate several menus and dialog boxes. In examples where a user is not well-versed in display configuration, changing native display resolutions may present an insurmountable hurdle. Thus, a display settings manager may be configured to present all resolutions to a user whether a default operating system user interface shows the settings or not. After a user selects a resolution, the method then accesses a native API to make a selected resolution at a step 416. One method of accessing native display settings is described above for
Once the native API has been accessed and a native display resolution has been selected and enabled, the method then optionally displays a revert dialog at a step 420. A revert dialog allows a user to revert to previous settings if selected settings are unacceptable or cannot be enabled. If a user reverts at a step 424, the user may then determine whether to apply a new selection at a step 428. If the user decides to make a new selection, the method returns to a step 412. If the user declines to make a new selection, the method returns to media center environment at a step 436 whereupon the method ends. If, at a step 424, the user does not revert, the method continues to apply the selected resolution and exit at a step 432 whereupon returns to media center environment at a step 436 and then ends.
Graphical user interface module 520 may be configured for graphically accessing the display selection module 516. In some embodiments, the graphical user interface module 520 may be configured for use from a distance where the distance is at least two meters. As noted above, configuring a graphical user interface in this manner allows a user to access control settings without moving nearer to a display or without switching to a higher resolution display. Remote control module 524 may be configured for remotely accessing graphical user interface module 520. As can be appreciated, computing systems may be generally accessed by a mouse or keyboard. In some examples, use of a mouse or keyboard may be difficult or impossible. Therefore, remote control module 524 further enables wireless communication with computing system 504 using a remote control I/O device. Any number of wireless devices may be utilized without departing from the present invention.
While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents, which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
