VIDEO CATALOGER SYSTEM WITH SYNCHRONIZED ENCODERS

• US 20010018693A1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Published: 08/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Virage, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: FULLER, CHARLES, HOROWITZ, BRADLEY, SHU, CHIAO-FE, JAIN, RAMESH, GORKANI, MOJGAN MONIKA, HUMPHREY, RICHARD D., PORTUESI, MICHAEL J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,360,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

One aspect of the invention is directed to a system and method for video cataloging. The video is cataloged according to predefined or user definable metadata. The metadata is used to index and then retrieve encoded video.

Claims

1. A video cataloger system, comprising:

a video cataloger receiving video information and a plurality of time codes associated with the video information, and generating a plurality of digital data tracks indicative of the video information and the time codes; and

a plurality of video encoders, each encoder receiving the video information and generating a type of encoded digital video data indicative of the video information;

wherein the video cataloger controls the video encoders to start and stop encoding and stores the start time of each encoder so that the time codes associated with the digital data tracks and the stored start times permit selective access to the encoded digital video data.

2. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video information is provided by a videotape deck.

3. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video information is provided by a live satellite feed.

4. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video encoders include at least one encoder to generate digital data encoded to an MPEG standard.

5. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video encoders include at least one streaming video encoder.

6. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video cataloger and the encoders each reside on individual computers, the computers being connected in a computer network.

7. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the digital data tracks include one or more of the following:

keyframe, close caption text, audio class, speech, speaker identification, keyword and clip.

8. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video information time codes are SMPTE time codes.

9. The system of

claim 1

, additionally comprising:

a digital data track server receiving the digital data tracks from the video cataloger and providing network access for client computers; and

a content server receiving the encoded digital video data from at least one of the video encoders and providing network access for client computers, wherein the content server receives requests from the digital data track server to send encoded digital video data to a selected one of client computers.

10. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the video information is received form a digital source.

12. The method of

claim 1

1, additionally comprising the step of accessing the encoded digital video data from one of the digital video encoders based on data located in at least one of the data tracks and the stored start time.

13. The method of

claim 1

1, additionally comprising repeating the aforementioned acts a plurality of times thereby generating a digital video library.

14. The method of

claim 13

, additionally comprising browsing the digital video library using the digital data tracks as indices into the encoded digital video data.

15. The method of

claim 1

1, wherein the video information is received from a videotape deck.

16. The method of

claim 1

1, wherein the video information is received from a real-time source.

17. The method of

claim 1

1, wherein the video information is received from a digital videocamera.

11. A method of synchronizing a plurality of digital video encoders with a video cataloger, comprising:

receiving video information at a video cataloger and a plurality of digital video encoders;

commanding each of the digital video encoders to start encoding;

storing actual start times associated with the start command for each digital video encoder at the video cataloger;

encoding the video information at each digital video encoder into a type of encoded digital video data; and

capturing digital data tracks indicative of the video information at the video cataloger.