Encoded video time-of-day information resolution and correction

• US 20050071872A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Case, Michael L.
• Application Number:
  US10/676,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071872A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

Time-of-day information encoded into video signals can be managed to resolve conflicts and correct errors. In one embodiment, the invention includes receiving a plurality of video signals that include time-of-day information, evaluating the received signals for time-of-day information conflicts, extracting the time-of-day information from the video signals in accordance with the evaluation, determining a time-of-day using the extracted information in accordance with the evaluation, and setting a system clock based on the determined time of day. In another embodiment, the invention includes receiving a video stream, determining the source of the video stream, and modifying time-of-day information in the video stream based on the determined source.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of video signals that include time-of-day information;

evaluating the received signals for time-of-day information conflicts;

extracting the time-of-day information from the video signals in accordance with the evaluation;

determining a time-of-day using the extracted information in accordance with the evaluation; and

setting a system clock based on the determined time of day.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating comprises selecting one of the video signals and wherein extracting comprises extracting the time-of-day information from the selected signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting a second one of the video signals, extracting the time-of-day information from the selected signal, and setting the system clock based on the second selected signal time of day, if the first selected signal becomes unavailable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating comprises sorting the received video signals into a priority order and selecting the received video signal with highest priority and wherein extracting comprises extracting the time-of-day information from the selected signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein sorting comprises applying a user-defined preference list to the video signals and ordering the video signals using the user defined preferences.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein sorting comprises assigning an indication of a start time for each video signal and ordering the video signals using the assigned start time indications.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting another one of the video signals if the first selected video signal becomes unavailable.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein evaluating comprises sorting the decoded video signals into a priority order and selecting the video signal with highest priority and wherein selecting another one of the video signals comprises selecting the video signal with the next highest priority.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a time-of-day comprises averaging values for the time-of-day indicated by the time-of-day information of at least two different video signals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating comprises determining whether the time-of-day information of each of the plurality of video signals is valid.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating comprises determining a duration of the availability of each video signal and excluding video signals that have been available for an insufficient duration from determining the time of day.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises:

demodulating a plurality of video signals;

decoding the demodulated video signals;

analyzing the decoded video signals to determine the video signals that contain time-of-day information.

13. An article comprising a machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of video signals that include time-of-day information;

evaluating the received signals for time-of-day information conflicts;

extracting the time-of-day information from the video signals in accordance with the evaluation;

determining a time-of-day using the extracted information in accordance with the evaluation; and

setting a system clock based on the determined time of day.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein evaluating comprises sorting the received video signals into a priority order and selecting the received video signal with highest priority and wherein extracting comprises extracting the time-of-day information from the selected signal.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein sorting comprises assigning an indication of a start time for each video signal and ordering the video signals using the assigned start time indications.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a time-of-day comprises averaging values for the time-of-day indicated by the time-of-day information of at least two different video signals.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of tuners to receive video signals that include time-of-day information;

a plurality of decoders to extract the time-of-day information from the video signals; and

a processor to evaluate the received signals for time-of-day information conflicts, to determine a time-of-day using the extracted information in accordance with the evaluation, and to set a system clock based on the determined time of day.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a priority queue in which the received video signals are in a priority order and wherein the processor determines a time-of-day by selecting the received video signal with highest priority in the queue.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor further sorts the received video signals into the priority queue by assigning an indication of a start time for each video signal and ordering the video signals using the assigned start time indications.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of tuners to receive wireless video signals modulated on a carrier frequency, the video signals including time-of-day information;

a plurality of decoders to extract the time-of-day information from the video signals; and

a processor to evaluate the received signals for time-of-day information conflicts, to determine a time-of-day using the extracted information in accordance with the evaluation, and to set a system clock based on the determined time of day.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor evaluates by selecting one of the video signals and wherein the processor extracts by extracting the time-of-day information from the selected signal, and wherein the processor selects a second one of the video signals, extracting the time-of-day information from the second signal, if the first selected signal becomes unavailable.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor evaluates the received video signals by applying a user-defined preference list.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an averager to determine a time-of-day by averaging values for the time-of-day indicated by the time-of-day information of at least two different video signals.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a video stream;

determining the source of the video stream; and

modifying time-of-day information in the video stream based on the determined source.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein modifying comprises removing time-of-day information from the video stream if the source is previously recorded video.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein modifying comprises changing the time-of-day information to a current time if the source is previously recorded video.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein changing the time-of-day information to a current time comprises applying the time-of-day of a system clock.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein modifying comprises checking the time-of-day information against a system clock and changing the time-of-day information to the system clock time.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein modifying comprises passing the time-of-day information in the video stream unchanged if the source is a broadcast source.

30. An article comprising a machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a video stream;

determining the source of the video stream; and

modifying time-of-day information in the video stream based on the determined source.

31. The article of claim 30, wherein modifying comprises removing time-of-day information from the video stream if the source is previously recorded video.

32. The article of claim 30, wherein modifying comprises checking the time-of-day information against a system clock and changing the time-of-day information to the system clock time.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the processor modifies by removing time-of-day information from the video stream if the source is previously recorded video.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the processor modifies by changing the time-of-day information to a current time if the source is previously recorded video.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a tuner to receive a video stream; and

a processor to determine the source of the video stream, and to modify time-of-day information in the video stream based on the determined source.

36. An apparatus comprising:

a tuner to receive a video stream from a video recorder; and

a processor to determine the source of the video stream, and to modify time-of-day information in the video stream based on the determined source.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processor modifies by checking the time-of-day information against a system clock and changing the time-of-day information to the system clock time.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processor modifies by removing time-of-day information from the video stream.