Method and System for Performing Client-Side Zooming of a Remote Video Feed

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein include a method for zooming a remote video feed performed at a client device. The method includes: receiving a first video feed having a first field of view from a camera located remotely from the client device; displaying the first field of view; and detecting a user input to zoom in on a particular portion. The method further includes: in response to detecting the user input, performing a software zoom function at the client device to display a second field of view corresponding to the particular portion at a first resolution; sending a crop command to the camera; in response to sending the crop command, receiving a second video feed from the camera, the second video feed corresponding to a cropped version of the first video feed and having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and displaying the second video feed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of zooming a remote video feed, the method comprising:
 receiving a first video feed from a camera located remotely from a client device, the first video feed having a first field of view;   displaying, on a display of the client device, the first video feed with the first field of view;   detecting a first user input to zoom in on a particular portion of the first video feed, the particular portion based on the first user input;   in response to detecting the first user input, performing a software zoom function at the client device to display a second field of view at a first resolution, the second field of view corresponding to the particular portion;   sending a camera crop command to the camera to generate a cropped version of the first video feed at the camera, the cropped version of the first video feed corresponding to the second field of view;   in response to sending the camera crop command, receiving a second video feed from the camera, the second video feed corresponding to the cropped version of the first video feed and having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and   displaying, on the display, the second video feed at the second resolution.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display is a touch-screen display, and wherein the first user input is a pinch-out gesture performed on the first video feed. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the sending, detecting a second user input selecting a video enhancement affordance, wherein the sending is performed in response to detecting the second user input. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising, in response to detecting the second user input and prior to sending the command, displaying a warning message indicating that saved video footage will be limited to the respective portion. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to detecting the first user input, displaying a perspective window indicating a location of the particular portion relative to the first video feed. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, after displaying the second video feed, providing an affordance for resetting the camera to display the first video feed. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying the first video feed with the first field of view comprises displaying the first video feed with the first field of view in a video monitoring user interface. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to sending the camera crop command:
 determining a current zoom magnification of the software zoom function and coordinates of the particular portion of the first video feed; and   generating the camera crop command based on the current zoom magnification and the coordinates of the particular portion of the first video feed.   
     
     
         9 . An electronic device, comprising:
 a display;   one or more processors; and   memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:
 receiving a first video feed from a camera located remotely from a client device, the first video feed having a first field of view; 
 displaying, on the display, the first video feed with the first field of view; 
 detecting a first user input to zoom in on a particular portion of the first video feed, the particular portion based on the first user input; 
 in response to detecting the first user input, performing a software zoom function at the electronic device to display a second field of view at a first resolution, the second field of view corresponding to the particular portion; 
 sending a camera crop command to the camera to generate a cropped version of the first video feed at the camera, the cropped version of the first video feed corresponding to the second field of view; 
 in response to sending the camera crop command, receiving a second video feed from the camera, the second video feed corresponding to the cropped version of the first video feed and having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and 
 displaying, on the display, the second video feed at the second resolution. 
   
     
     
         10 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the display is a touch-screen display, and wherein the first user input is a pinch-out gesture performed on the first video feed. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for, prior to the sending, detecting a second user input selecting a video enhancement affordance, wherein the sending is performed in response to detecting the second user input. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for, in response to detecting the second user input and prior to sending the command, displaying a warning message indicating that saved video footage will be limited to the particular portion. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for, in response to detecting the first user input, displaying a perspective window indicating a location of the particular portion relative to the first video feed. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for, after displaying the second video feed, providing an affordance for resetting the camera to display the first video feed. 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed by an electronic device with a display and one or more processors, cause the electronic device to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a first video feed from a camera located remotely from a client device, the first video feed having a first field of view;   displaying, on the display, the first video feed with the first field of view;   detecting a first user input to zoom in on a particular portion of the first video feed, the particular portion based on the first user input;   in response to detecting the first user input, performing a software zoom function at the electronic device to display a second field of view at a first resolution, the second field of view corresponding to the particular portion;   sending a camera crop command to the camera to generate a cropped version of the first video feed at the camera, the cropped version of the first video feed corresponding to the second field of view;   in response to sending the camera crop command, receiving a second video feed from the camera, the second video feed corresponding to the cropped version of the first video feed and having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and   displaying, on the display, the second video feed at the second resolution.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the display is a touch-screen display, and wherein the first user input is a pinch-out gesture performed on the first video feed. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the electronic device to perform operations further comprising, prior to the sending, detecting a second user input selecting a video enhancement affordance, wherein the sending is performed in response to detecting the second user input. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions cause the electronic device to perform operations further comprising, in response to detecting the second user input and prior to sending the command, displaying a warning message indicating that saved video footage will be limited to the respective portion. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the electronic device to perform operations further comprising, in response to detecting the first user input, displaying a perspective window indicating a location of the particular portion relative to the first video feed. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the electronic device to perform operations further comprising, after displaying the second video feed, providing an affordance for resetting the camera to display the first video feed.