WO2010110765A1

WO2010110765A1 - Method and apparatus for recording video sequence of screen displays

Info

Publication number: WO2010110765A1
Application number: PCT/US2009/001793
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Robert Naylor; Scott Patrick Murray; Matthew Albert Ivey
Original assignee: Thomson Licensing
Priority date: 2009-03-23
Filing date: 2009-03-23
Publication date: 2010-09-30

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for selecting at least a portion of a screen display for recording in a video format different from that of the screen display. One or more user interface controls are provided for specifying at least one of a position and size of a window that includes at least the selected portion of the screen display, and for creating a list that includes at least the selected portions of screen displays for recording.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECORDING VTOEO SEQUENCE OF SCREEN DISPLAYS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application contains subject matter related to a commonly assigned, PCT application, "Method and Apparatus for Recording Screen Displays", by Naylor et al. (Docket No. PU080202), filed concurrently with this application. The commonly assigned PCT application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording a screen display in a format different from the display format and for recording a video sequence of screen displays.

BACKGROUND

It is often desirable to record images displayed on computer screens in a broadcast video format so that the records can be processed, edited and displayed using the same tools and techniques that are widely available for normal broadcast video. Conventional broadcast video recording equipment such as video tape decks ("decks") can be used to set up the recording and acquire the computer screen signal in a broadcast video format.

Existing approaches of making broadcast video format recordings of computer screens often involve pointing a video camera at the screen, and the region of the screen to be recorded is determined by the camera operator, e.g., by aligning the camera with respect to a specific portion of the screen. The main disadvantage of this method is that it relies on free field optical transmission of the image on the computer screen to the recording device, which may introduce undesirable artifacts such as rolling pictures due to differences between the computer screen's refresh rate and the camera's frame rate, unsteady pictures due to camera shake, degradation of picture information due to reflections from the computer screen and foreign bodies coming between the screen and the camera. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for selecting at least one portion of a computer screen for recording in a video format different from that of the screen, and for recording a video sequence based on a list of selected portions of screen displays.

One embodiment provides a method, which includes providing a first signal for identifying at least a first portion of a screen and a second signal for identifying at least a second portion of a screen, providing at least a third signal representing video content for display on the screen, the third signal having a screen video format, and generating a fourth signal by processing the third signal based on the first signal and the second signal, in which the fourth signal represents video content in the first portion and second portion of the screen, and has a video format different from the screen video format.

Another embodiment provides a method, which includes creating a list for identifying at least two portions of a screen using at least one user interface, the at least two portions of the screen being included in respective windows having positions and dimensions that are adjustable by at least a different user interface, and recording video content on display in the at least two portions of the screen based on the list to generate recorded video content, in which the recorded video content has a format different from a format of the video content on display. Another embodiment provides an apparatus, which includes at least one user interface for creating a list identifying at least two portions of a screen, and a processor for converting a first signal and a second signal associated with images in the at least two portions of the screen into a third signal based on the created list, in which the third signal has a video format different from a video format of the first and second signals. Another embodiment provides an apparatus, which inlcudes means for creating a list identifying at least two portions of a screen, and means for converting a first signal and a second signal associated with images in the at least two portions of the screen into a third signal based on the created list, in which the third signal has a video format different from a video format of the first and second signals. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a screen and a window, showing various window parameters that can be adjusted according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration showing different windows relative to a display screen; Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of user interfaces for implementing embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for selecting at least one region of a display screen and recording the content displayed in that region in a video format different from that of the screen. Furthermore, a record list can be created by selecting one or more screen displays for recording as a video sequence. One or more user interfaces are provided to enable the selections of the region of the screen display as well as the particular screen displays for recording. In one embodiment, one or more user interfaces on existing (conventional) video recording devices are modified to provide new functionalities according to the present invention. As used herein, the video recording device can take a variety of forms including, for example, a magnetic tape based recording device, a disk-based recording device, or a solid-state memory-based recording device, among others. Embodiments of the present invention can be applied generally to any display screens associated with a variety of devices or equipment, including, for example, display monitors for computer systems, imaging devices (e.g., medical imaging), transportation monitoring, surveillance systems, among others.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a display screen and a window having parameters that can be adjusted according to one embodiment of the present invention. A display screen 100, e.g., a computer screen, has a height (S_h) and width (S _w) expressed in number of pixels. The aspect ratio, or S_w/S_h, which is one aspect of the video format, is fixed for a given type of screen. According to one embodiment of the present invention, content displayed in any region of the screen 100 (e.g., the format of the displayed content being the same as that of the screen) can be selected for video recording in a format that is different from that of the displayed content or screen, but compatible with the format of one or more video recording devices.

For example, a region on the screen 100 may be selected by specifying a window 110 characterized by one or more parameters that are related to a location and size of the window 110. In one embodiment, x and y coordinates (Z_x and Z_y) are used to specify a position for the center of the window 110, and parameters Z_h, Z_w, are used to specify the height and width of the window, respectively. These parameters can be adjusted by using one or more user interfaces according to embodiments of the invention. The window 110 may also be referred to as a zoom window, or a capture window. The Z_x and Z_y coordinates can be adjusted independently, as long as they lie within the area of the screen 100. In one embodiment, the width and height parameters (Z_w, Z_h) cannot be independently varied. Instead, they can only be varied in a manner such that the aspect ratio Z_w/Z_h of the window 110 remains fixed, e.g., equal to a predetermined value.

FlG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating various windows that may be specified for the purpose of recording content displayed on portions of the screen 100 that are included in the windows. In one example, the aspect ratio of the window is the same as that of a recording device. For example, window 200, having a height 200H and width 200W, represents a full-height setting, in which the window's height 200H is equal to the height S_h of the screen 100. However, if the aspect ratio of the screen 100 is different from that of a video recording device (not shown), e.g., 4:3 for the screen and 16:9 for the video recording device, then one or more portions 202, 204 of the window 200 will be blank, because there is no overlap between these portions 202, 204 of the window with active pixels of the screen 100. In this scenario, the window 200 has an area that is larger than that of screen 100.

Another window 210 (shown by dashed lines), having a height 210H and width 210W, represents a full-width zoom setting, in which the window's width 210W is equal to the width S_w of the screen 100. In this case, the difference between the aspect ratios of the display screen 100 and the window 210 results in one or more portions 102, 104 of the display screen 100 being excluded from the region specified by the window 210. The aspect ratio of window 210, given by 210W/210H, is equal to that of window 200, i.e., 200W/200H.

Window 220 represents another setting in which only a portion of the screen 100 is selected, e.g., by specifying the corresponding position and size of the window 220. Similar to windows 200 and 210, the position of window 220 as well as its width 220W and height 220H can be selected using one or more user interfaces of the present invention, as discussed below. Each window includes at least a portion of the screen 100, and its video format or aspect ratio remains fixed even as its width and height are varied.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a number of user interfaces, controls or buttons according to one embodiment of the present invention. These user interfaces (or interface means), which are provided on a control panel 300 of a video recording device of the present invention, are similar to those commonly found on standard or conventional video recording devices. For example, one user interface is a control knob 305, which can be rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction for adjusting one or more parameters. The state of the control knob 305 (also referred to as a "knob state") is set by selecting one of several control buttons such as a Jog button 302, a Shuttle button 304, and a Variable (Var) button 306. Each state of the knob 305, as selected by one of these three buttons, corresponds to different functionalities providing different results. For example, in conventional video decks, the selection of one of the Jog 302, Shuttle 304 and Variable 306 buttons allows videos to be played back at a speed within a given range corresponding to the selected button or state. Depending on the selected state (i.e., Jog, Shuttle or Variable), rotation of the knob 305 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction may result in different playback speeds and/or directions, e.g., forward or rewind.

Embodiments of this invention provide three new operating states for the knob

305 that are different from those available in conventional recording devices. These operating states include: "Select Z_x", "Select Z_y" and "Select Zw and Zh", which allow the corresponding window parameters Z_x, Z_y, Z_w and Z_h (see FIG. 1) to be selected for control or adjustment.

To access these new operating states of control knob 305, a menu item is provided, e.g., on a display associated with the video recording device 300, to allow a new "screen selection mode" to be enabled for the recording device. Once the "screen selection mode" is enabled, the knob state can be set by pressing or selecting any one of the Jog, Shuttle or Var buttons 302, 304, 306. Note that the conventional functions of these buttons are still available in normal mode, i.e., when the screen selection mode is not selected. In one embodiment, the knob 305 can be set to the "Select Z_x" state by the Jog button 302, the "Select Z_y" state is selected by the Shuttle button 304, and the "Select Z_w and Z_h" state is set by the Var button 306.

When the knob 305 is the state "Select Z_x", the x-coordinate of the center of the window 110 is kept fixed, and the y-coordinate (Z_y) of the center of the window can be varied by rotating the knob 305. For example, if a clockwise rotation increases Z_y, a counter-clockwise rotation will decrease Zy, or vice versa. Thus, the window 110 in

FIG. 1 can be moved in an up and down direction by rotating knob 305.

When the Shuttle button 304 is selected, the knob 305 is in state "Select Z_y". The y-coordinate of the center of the window is kept fixed, and the x-coordinate (Z_x) of the center of the window can be varied by rotating the knob 305. For example, if a clockwise rotation increases Z_x, a counter-clockwise rotation will decrease Z_x, or vice versa. Thus, the window 110 in FIG. 1 can be moved in a left and right direction by rotating knob 305. The adjustment of the window position by rotation of the knob 305 can be further explained as follows. A rotation of the knob 305 provides an electrical signal that is interpreted by a knob encoder as corresponding to increments or decrements of the Z_x value. Depending on how the knob encoder has been wired into the hardware, one rotation returns a fixed number. A typical example is that the hardware provides a +1 or - 1 to the software for every 1/128* of a knob rotation (total 128 values in one rotation). Other encoders can return different values, including for example, 256 values in one rotation, or various values in different rotations. For example, if the knob 305 has 128 values in one rotation, then by turning the knob twice in one direction, the Z_x value will be set to be 256 pixels, i.e., changed by 256 pixels from its original or starting position. If the knob is rotated counter-clockwise by two rotations, then the Z_x parameter decreases to zero. That is, there is a direct correlation between the rotation value of the knob and a number of pixels (which translates to changes in positional information, or x- and y- coordinates).

When the Var button is selected, then the knob state is set to "Select Zw and Z_h". As the knob 305 is rotated either clockwise or counter-clockwise, both the Zw and Zh parameters increase or decrease. This allows the size of the window 110 to be varied or adjusted, e.g., counter-clockwise rotation to decrease, clockwise to increase. As an example, if the video format of the video recording device has been set to

4 x 3 (according to convention, 4 x 3 represents an aspect ratio of width x height), then for each clockwise rotation unit value, Zh is incremented by 1, and Z_w is incremented by 1(1/3), or about 1.33. If the video format has been set to 16 x 9, then for each clockwise rotation unit value, Z_h is incremented by 1, and Zw is incremented by 1(7/9), or about 1.78.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention. A video signal 415 in a first video format, for example, a computer video format (e.g., computer raster; RGB - red, green, blue; various display and/or resolution formats such as VGA, EGA, and so on) or other display screen formats, is provided as an input electrical signal to a video sealer and format converter 400. In one embodiment, the video signal 415 contains video content or image(s) on display on an entire screen, e.g., screen 100 of FIG. 1-2, or a computer screen. The sealer and format converter 400, which includes a sealer converter or processor 402 and a format converter or processor 404, is provided in a video recording device embodying the recording technique of the present invention. The window parameters, which represent a selected portion of the screen, are also provided in an input signal 425 to the sealer and format converter 400. The portion of the image or video content on the screen is selected by a user with one or more interface controls previously described. In one embodiment, the selected portion is smaller than the entire extent of the screen. In other embodiments, the selected portion may represent a full-height or full-width zoom setting that may include only a portion, or the entire extent, of the screen. As a parameter is selected (Z_x, Z_y, Zw and Z₁,) by using one or more interface controls, the selected parameter is stored in a memory associated with or provided on the video recording device. Before recording, the signal 425 containing parameters necessary to specify the selected portion of the screen is provided to the sealer-format converter 400. Based on the information in the input signal 425, the sealer converter or processor

402 processes video signal 415 and converts a portion of the video content (i.e., the portion within a window specified by window parameters in signal 415) into another signal 417 representative of an output image that has the same pixel dimensions or aspect ratio as the operating video format of the video recording device. The signal 417 is then provided as an input to the format converter 404 for further processing, if desired.

The format converter 404 converts the signal 417 having a first video format, e.g., red, green, blue tri-stimulus computer video, into a second video format that is different from the first format, e.g., standard broadcast video, which is also a tri-stimulus signal in luminance and chrominance difference format (denoted as YUV). The converted signal is shown as an output signal 435 from the sealer-format converter 400, which contains video content or image(s) displayed on the selected portion of the screen, and is provided in broadcast video format.

The present principles can be illustrated by the following examples, which, for ease of discussion, assume the use of square pixels, and that the center of the window is positioned at the center of the display screen.

In a first example, a computer screen has a format or pixel dimensions of 640x480 (i.e., 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels high), and a recording device has a video format of 1280x720. The capture window has the same aspect ratio (AR) as the recording device, i.e., 16:9. In order to capture the full height of the computer screen, the window (which includes the region of interest or capture area on the screen) has to be specified as having a size or area given by a width of 853 and a height of 480. A video signal from the computer screen (e.g., corresponding to the content displayed in the window area of the computer screen) can then be uniformly scaled up by a factor of 1.5 (e.g., by a sealer converter or processor of a recording device) to achieve the desired video resolution or format of 1280x720. In another example, a computer screen is 1600 wide x 900 high, and a recording device's video format is 720x540 (this hypothetical video format is used for illustration purpose, and assumes square video pixels). In order to capture the full width of the computer screen with a 4:3 AR window, the capture area should be specified as 1600 wide x 1200 high. The video signal from the computer screen can then be uniformly scaled down by a factor of 2.22 to yield the desired output resolution of 720 x 540.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a system or apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present invention. The system includes a display device 512 operating in a given video format, e.g., having given pixel dimensions or aspect ratio. The display device 512 may be a display screen or monitor that is associated with (e.g., used in conjunction with, or forms a part of) an equipment or apparatus 510 used for a variety of applications, e.g., a computer, an imaging device, monitoring or surveillance system, and so on. A video signal 515 containing the video content or image on display device 512 is provided from the apparatus 510 to an input of the video recording device 500 of the present invention. The video signal 515 may be provided in different resolution formats, e.g., DVI/VGA (digital visual interface/video graphics array), among others.

The recording device 500 includes a sealer converter or processor 502 and a format converter 504. In this embodiment, the recording device 500 further includes a storage means, e.g., memory 505, which can be used for storing window parameters that are provided by a signal from one or more user interface controls 520. Alternatively, memory 505 may be provided as a stand-alone component whose content can be accessed by the recording device 500.

The user interface controls 520 may be integrated with the video recording device 500, e.g., provided on a control panel of the recording device 500. As each parameter of a window (e.g., Z_x, Zy, Zw and Z_h parameters shown in FIG. 1) is specified by one or more interface controls 520 for use in selecting a screen portion, the specified parameter is stored in the memory 505.

In another embodiment (not shown in FlG. 5), interface controls 520 may be associated with or connected to the apparatus 510 or display device 512, with the selected window parameters provided by the apparatus 510 to the video recording device 500. In one embodiment, a display monitor 530 associated with or connected to the video recording device 500 may be used for monitoring the selected window and video content (e.g., similar to the illustration in FIG. 2 showing a window and displayed content on a screen) on the display device 512. The video signal 515 containing video content or image from display device 512 is received by the recording device 500, which overlays the selected window (based on the zoom parameters) onto the display image. A signal 535 containing the display image with the superimposed window is provided to the display monitor 530, which may be a stand-alone unit coupled to the recording device 500, or integrated with the recording device. For example, using a video recording device of the present invention (e.g., a conventional device modified to provide the additional operating states for the interface controls such as jog/shuttle/var buttons, or a recording device having user interfaces for providing the functionalities described herein), a portion of a video display on a computer screen may be monitored via a standard video output of the recording device by using an E-to-E (electronics to electronics) mode, which allows monitoring during the recording. This can be achieved by routing a portion the input video signal directly to the video output for playout, or by routing a signal from a storage medium (used for storing the recorded signal) to the video output.

Aside from recording a single selected portion of a screen display, it is also desirable to record a sequence containing a number of different selected portions of screen displays (each of these selected portions may also be referred to as a screenshot), e.g., by creating a record list that includes a number of screenshots. Once completed, the record list can be recorded by a video recording device to create a video sequence of the screenshots. Referring back to FIG. 3, two buttons, Mark In 312 and Mark Out 314, are used in conventional video decks for controlling in-point and out-point selections for defining edit points in video clip editing.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, two new operating states are provided for the Mark in and Mark Out buttons 312 and 314, respectively. These new states allow a window or portion of a display screen (with displayed content), as selected by a user as previously described, to be added or removed from the record list.

Similar to the new states for knob 305, these operating states of Mark In 312 and Mark Out 314 are available when a menu item is selected that enables the new "screen selection mode". When the "screen selection mode" is enabled, the Mark In button 312 sets a parameter in the software in the video recording device to add the current, selected window from a display screen (e.g., window 110 as defined by the Z_x, Z_y, Z_w and Z_h parameters) into a record list. When the Mark Out button 314 is pressed while still in the "screen selection mode", then the current, selected window (as defined by the Z_x, Z_y, Z_w and Z_h parameters) are removed from the record list.

Once a region of the display screen has been selected by specifying a capture window using the re-assigned standard controls (Jog, Shuttle and Var) while monitoring the E-to-E output, the user can enter the record list mode by pushing the "Mark In" button to add the current capture window selection to the record list. Deleting the current window selection from the record list is achieved by pushing the "Mark Out" button. This new editing capability can be used in a variety of different applications, including, for example, creation of training videos, news reports that require full motion screenshots of a computer screen, or portions thereof. Thus, a training video may includes first presenting a full screen to give proper context of an application. Then, a portion of the screen display, e.g., a dialog window on the screen, is selected by a zoom window using the Jog, Shuttle and Var buttons 302, 304 and 306 in conjunction with the control knob 305 as described above. Another screenshot may correspond to a different zoom window to select a smaller portion of the display, e.g., to show a URL being typed in the dialog window. Thus, a record list containing a sequence of different screenshots each with selectable window positions and/or sizes can be created for video recording. A record list may generally include arbitrary frames, including one or more portions selected from the same screen display (e.g., different portions of a content frame), or from different screen displays (e.g., different content frames), and successive frames may be the same or different from each other.

When a user is ready to record the content in the record list, a "Record" button on the video recording device is pushed, which causes the first zoom setting in the Record List to be activated and a recording of the computer video input made with the zoom settings defined by that setting. When a user is ready to move to the next shot, the "Record" button is pushed again, which causes the record list to advance to the next zoom setting, and so on until all the screenshots on the list are recorded. The selected screenshots (with video content or image) are stored in buffer, e.g., in the computer or video recording device, as the record list is being created, and the recording of the sequence is done by playing back these stored screenshots.

This operation allows as many separate video clips to be created as there are events in the record list. Each clip can then be subjected to standard video processing and editing operations to incorporate it into a finished production.

Embodiments of this invention provide the convenience of being able to set up different shots in a record list, allowing the creator of the video to operate the computer as required to meet the demands of a news story or training video, while the operator of the recording device can also quickly advance from shot to shot in the record list. Although the above examples are presented for recording a computer screen display using a broadcast video recording device, one or more principles discussed herein may also be adapted to recording other types of screen displays with different formats to video in other formats using other types of video recording devices. This methodology can be utilized in other devices for other raster types. The video recording device of the present invention can also take a variety of forms including, a magnetic tape based recording device, a disk-based recording device, or a solid-state memory-based recording device, among others.

By providing one or more user interfaces with selectable operating states for varying zoom window position and size on a display screen, or for creating a record list containing different screenshots, one can record any portion of a screen display, either individually or as a sequence of images, which can be used for many different applications. Although the user interfaces of the present invention can be modified from control buttons found in conventional recording devices, they may also be provided as new or separate interface means or controls (i.e., not integrated with or modified from conventional jog/shuttle/variable buttons) for implementing various embodiments or functionalities discussed above. As mentioned, embodiments of the invention may also be used to produce training videos, news stories and other video productions. In addition, one or more features of the present invention may also be used alone or in various combinations with each other, as may be applicable to different situations.

While the forgoing is directed to various embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. As such, the appropriate scope of the invention is to be determined according to the claims, which follow.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: providing a first signal for identifying at least a first portion of a screen and a second signal for identifying at least a second portion of a screen; providing at least a third signal representing video content for display on the screen, the third signal having a screen video format; and generating a fourth signal by processing the third signal based on the first signal and the second signal; wherein the fourth signal represents video content in the first portion and second portion of the screen, and has a video format different from the screen video format.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing the first, second and third signals as electrical signals to at least one processor for generating the fourth signal.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising: providing at least one user interface for specifying a first window that includes the first portion of the screen and a second window that includes the second portion of the screen; and for generating the first signal representing at least one parameter of the first window and generating the second signal representing at least one parameter of the second window.

4. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the screen video format includes an aspect ratio of the screen that is different from an aspect ratio of the video format of the fourth signal.

5. A method, comprising: creating a list for identifying at least two portions of a screen using at least one user interface, the at least two portions of the screen being included in respective windows having positions and dimensions that are adjustable by at least a different user interface; and recording video content on display in the at least two portions of the screen based on the list to generate recorded video content; wherein the recorded video content has a format different from a format of the video content on display.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the creating step further comprises: adding the respective windows to the list using a first of the at least one user interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the creating step further comprises: removing any of the respective windows from the list using a second of the at least one user interface.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the respective windows has an aspect ratio that is different from an aspect ratio of the screen.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising: storing the list in a memory associated with a recording device.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the creating step further comprises: specifying a first of the respective windows using at least the different user interface; adding the first of the respective windows to the list using the at least one user interface; and repeating the specifying and adding steps for at least another of the respective windows.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the different user interface is configured for at least three operating states; and wherein a first state and a second state relate to varying a position of any of the respective windows in a first direction and a second direction, and a third state relates to varying the dimensions of any of the respective windows without changing aspect ratios of the respective windows.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the one user interface and the different user interface are provided on a recording device for recording the video content.

13. An apparatus, comprising: at least one user interface for creating a list identifying at least two portions of a screen; and a processor for converting a first signal and a second signal associated with images in the at least two portions of the screen into a third signal based on the created list; wherein the third signal has a video format different from a video format of the first and second signals.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one user interface includes a first interface for adding any of the identified portions of a screen to the list.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one user interface includes a second user interface for removing any of the identified portions of the screen from the list.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: at least a different user interface for specifying two windows to be added to the list, the two windows including the at least two portions of the screen.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the different user interface is configured for varying at least one of position and size of any of the two windows.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the different user interface is configured for at least three operating states; and wherein a first state and a second state relate to varying the position of any of the two windows in a first direction and a second direction, and a third state relates to varying the size of any of the two windows while maintaining a constant aspect ratio for the window.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 or claim 16, further comprising: a memory for storing the list.

20. An apparatus, comprising: means for creating a list identifying at least two portions of a screen; and means for converting a first signal and a second signal associated with images in the at least two portions of the screen into a third signal based on the created list; wherein the third signal has a video format different from a video format of the first and second signals.