Multi-level skimming of multimedia content using playlists

• US 20050038877A1
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: He, Li-Wei, Gupta, Anoop, Omoigui, Nosakhare D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A skimmed or preview version of multimedia content is provided to a client computer by a server computer using playlists. The skimmed version of multimedia content can be presented to a user of a client computer in less time than presenting the entire multimedia content would require. The server computer maintains skimming information that identifies particular segments of the multimedia content corresponding to the skimmed version. The server computer uses the skimming information to generate a playlist, which in turn is used by the server computer to access the appropriate segments of the multimedia content and provide the segments to the client computer.

Claims

1. A method for providing a skimmed version of multimedia content, the method comprising:

accessing first skimming information corresponding to a first skimming level of a plurality of previously generated skimming levels of the multimedia content;

using the first skimming information to access a first plurality of segments of the multimedia content that correspond to the first skimming level; and

forwarding the first plurality of segments to a client computer.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the forwarding comprises streaming the accessed segments to the client computer.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the using comprises generating a playlist based on the first skimming information.

4. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a computer to perform the method recited in claim 1.

5. A method for storing skimmed versions of multimedia content, the method comprising:

identifying, for each of a plurality of skimming levels, a plurality of segments of the multimedia content; and

storing, for each of the plurality of skimming levels, skimming information identifying the plurality of segments.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the storing comprises storing the skimming information identifying the plurality of segments in a same data structure as the multimedia content is stored in.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising storing, in the same data structure as the multimedia content is stored in, an indication of how many skimming levels comprise the plurality of skimming levels.

8. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising storing a specialized independent frame to be used to present a first dependent frame of one of the plurality of segments.

9. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 5.

10. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform functions including:

receiving an identifier of a skimming level selected from a plurality of previously generated skimming levels;

accessing skimming information corresponding to the identified skimming level;

using the skimming information to access corresponding segments of the multimedia content; and

forwarding the accessed segments to the client computer.

11. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the function to forward the accessed segments to the client computer further comprises streaming the accessed segments to the client computer.

12. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the program further causes the one or more processors to perform functions including:

receiving an identifier of a new one of the plurality of previously generated skimming levels from the client computer during the forwarding;

accessing new skimming information corresponding to the new skimming level;

using the new skimming information to access new corresponding segments of the multimedia content; and

forwarding the new corresponding segments to the client computer.

13. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein each of the segments multimedia content is defined by a start time and an end time.

14. An apparatus comprising:

skimming logic to maintain a plurality of streams of skimming information corresponding to multimedia content, each of the plurality of streams identifying a plurality of segments of the multimedia content; and

a storage device, coupled to the skimming logic, to store the plurality of streams of skimming information.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the storage device is further to store the multimedia content.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the storage device further stores both the multimedia content and the plurality of streams of skimming information in a same data structure.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising multimedia presentation logic to provide the plurality of segments to a client computer for presentation to a user.

18. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:

a first data field containing data representing a first skimming level corresponding to multimedia content;

a second data field containing data representing a second skimming level corresponding to the multimedia content; and

a third data field, correlated through the data structure to the first and second data fields, containing data representing the multimedia content, wherein the segments of the multimedia content identified by the first skimming level are provided in response to user selection of the first skimming level, and wherein the segments of the multimedia content identified by the second skimming level are provided in response to user selection of the second skimming level.