Method for processing video data designed for display on a screen and device therefor

• US 20040047596A1
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Le Clerc, Francois, Chevallier, Louis, Even, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 7,565,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of processing audiovisual programs so as to display a summary thereof. The method comprises a prior step of recording an audiovisual program, and a step of searching for slow motion sequences within the program recorded and a step of displaying the sequences found. User commands make it possible to navigate among the various sequences found.

The invention also relates to an appliance for receiving audiovisual programs which is furnished with a memory for storing the slow motion sequences of an audiovisual program. The appliance also possesses controls allowing the user to display the sequences stored.

Claims

1. A method of displaying parts of audiovisual programs in an audiovisual receiver, said programs being broadcast on a broadcasting network and displayed with the aid of a display means at the level of the receiver, comprising:

a prior step of recording at least one program in a memory of the receiver, and characterized in that it furthermore comprises the following consecutive steps;

a step of reading the programs from the memory,

a step of searching for at least one slow motion sequence within the programs,

a step of displaying at least the slow motion sequence.

2. The method of display as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a step of detecting a user command triggering the display of the next slow motion sequence.

3. The method of display as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a step of detecting a user command triggering the display of the previous slow motion sequence.

4. The method of display as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a step of detecting a user command triggering the display of the slow motion sequence at normal speed.

5. The method of display as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said step of detecting slow motion sequences within programs composed of frames comprises:

a) a step of motion detection operating on two consecutive frames extracted from the audiovisual programs, said step generating a string of values of motion (M) or of absence of motion (S) of binary indicators respectively indicating the presence or the absence of motion between the two relevant frames,

b) steps of determining a frame repetition pattern composed of a motion value (M) and of a consecutive string of at least one absence of motion value (S), said repetition pattern having a length,

c) at least one step of constructing a reference pattern from a first frame repetition pattern,

d) steps of detecting patterns composed of a string of values of motion (M) and of absence of motion (S) of a length equal to that of the reference pattern,

e) steps of comparing between the reference pattern and patterns previously determined in step d),

f) a step of reckoning up in a so-called confidence counter the number of identities between the reference pattern and the patterns determined during steps d),

g) a step of validating the presence of a slow motion sequence IS when the value of the confidence counter is greater than a determined value (Thigh).

6. The method of display as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a step of calculating a slow motion factor, said factor being equal to the number of indicators of motion (M) and of absence of motion (S) constituting the reference pattern.

7. The method of display as claimed in one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises a step of validating a lock-on signal when the value of the confidence counter is greater than a determined value (Tlow).

8. The method of display as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the reckoning step effects a reduction in the value of the confidence counter when step d) detects an inequality.

9. The method of display as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that in the course of the reckoning step, a ceiling is placed on the value of the confidence counter.

10. A receiver of audiovisual programs comprising a means (2, 3, 4, 5) of receiving programs transmitted on a broadcasting network, a means (25, 26) of storing a part at least of audiovisual programs received, a means (26) of reading the memory and a means (17, 20) of displaying the programs read, a detector of slow motion sequence within a recorded audiovisual program, characterized in that it comprises a display module controlling the means of reading the memory and the display means so as to display the slow motion sequences detected by the slow motion detector analyzing the program read by the reading means (26).

11. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the display module comprises a user control making it possible to read the slow motion sequence recorded after the sequence in progress and to display it without waiting for the end of the sequence in progress.

12. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 11, characterized in that the display module comprises a user control making it possible to read the slow motion sequence recorded immediately before the sequence in progress and to display it without waiting for the end of the sequence in progress.

13. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the display module comprises a means for displaying at normal speed a slow motion sequence, said means being activated with the aid of a user command.

14. The receiver as claimed in claim 10, comprising a memory for storing at least a part of an audiovisual program, a motion detector detecting a motion (M) or an absence of motion (S) between two images of like parity of said audiovisual program which are read from said memory, characterized in that it furthermore comprises a means for determining a frame repetition pattern composed of a value of motion (M) followed by a string of values of absence of motion (S) comprising at least one value of absence of motion (S), a memory for storing a so-called reference pattern obtained by the means for determining a frame repetition pattern, a comparator comparing the reference pattern with the patterns recorded at the output of the motion detector operating on the frames emanating from the processed audiovisual program, a so-called confidence counter reckoning up the number of identities which is determined by the comparator, a means for transmitting a signal of presence of slow motion when the value of the confidence counter reaches a determined value (Thigh).

15. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that it furthermore comprises a memory containing the so-called “

slow motion factor”

value, said value being equal to the number of indicators of motion (M) and of absence of motion (S) constituting the reference pattern.

17. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in claim 14 or 15, characterized in that it furthermore comprises a means of transmitting a so-called “

lock-on”

signal when the value of the confidence counter reaches a determined value (TIow), the lock-on signal triggering the storage of the audiovisual program in the appliance.

18. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that it comprises a divider of the value of the confidence counter, said divider being activated when the comparator detects a difference between the reference pattern and the frame repetition pattern detected by the determining means.

19. The receiver of audiovisual programs as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that the motion detector detects a motion between two frames of like parity which are separated by at least one frame of the same parity as the first two.