Thumbnail generation and presentation for recorded TV programs

• US 20060107289A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Taylor, Thomas H., Lin, Bin, Mulye, Nishad, Zou, Xinli, Fong, Jeffrey C., Kong, Zhike, Jule, Todd San, Schrader, Joseph Alton, DeYonker, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 9,053,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/327 Table of contents
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/44008 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 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Thumbnail images representative of recorded TV programs are generated and presented to aid a user in browsing the recorded TV programs. In one implementation, a temporary thumbnail image is generated when a TV program first starts recording. The temporary thumbnail is used to populate any user interface (UI) screens that reference the recoded TV program. Once the TV program has reached a threshold amount of recording (e.g., a prescribed duration of recording, or completion of the recording), a permanent thumbnail image is generated and associated with the TV program. The permanent thumbnail is then presented in any subsequent UI screens, replacing the temporary thumbnail. In another implementation, display of the thumbnail images in the UI screens may be further controlled by setting preferences, such as parental controls.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

during initial recording of a TV program, deriving a temporary thumbnail representative of the TV program; and

subsequently generating a permanent thumbnail representative of the recorded TV program.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the deriving comprises forming the temporary thumbnail based on a video frame from a beginning portion of the TV program.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the deriving comprises forming the temporary thumbnail based on a first non-black video frame in the TV program.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the generating comprises:

analyzing the recorded TV program;

selecting a representative video frame from the recorded TV program based on the analysis; and

forming the permanent thumbnail based on the representative video frame.

5. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising presenting the temporary thumbnail within a user interface until the permanent thumbnail is generated, and thereafter presenting the permanent thumbnail within the user interface instead of the temporary thumbnail.

6. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising presenting plural thumbnails within a user interface that lists recorded TV programs.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting plural thumbnails within a user interface; and

enabling a user to browse recorded TV programs by navigating the plural thumbnails.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising caching at least one of the temporary thumbnail or the permanent thumbnail.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the temporary thumbnail or the permanent thumbnail is dynamic.

10. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

associating the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail with a content rating that is subject to a preference setting;

presenting the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail in an event that the preference setting for the associated content rating permits viewing; and

preventing presentation of the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail in an event that the preference setting for the associated content rating does not permit viewing.

11. A method comprising:

creating a thumbnail that is representative of recorded video content; and

determining whether to present the thumbnail depending upon a rating of the recorded video content.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the thumbnail is dynamic.

13. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the creating comprises forming the thumbnail based on a video frame from the recorded video content.

14. A method as described in claim 11, further comprising presenting a generic image instead of the thumbnail in an event that the thumbnail is determined, based on the rating, not to be presented.

15. A computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to:

derive, during initial recording of a TV program, a temporary thumbnail from a video frame extracted from an early portion of the TV program;

present the temporary thumbnail in a user interface as an identifier of the TV program;

generate, after the initial recording of the TV program, a permanent thumbnail from a video frame selected from the TV program;

present the permanent thumbnail, instead of the temporary thumbnail, in the user interface as an identifier of the TV program.

16. A computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to:

present plural thumbnails within the user interface; and

enable a user to browse the TV programs by navigating the plural thumbnails.

17. A computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to cache at least one of the temporary thumbnail or the permanent thumbnail.

18. A computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a device to:

associate the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail with a content rating that is subject to a preference setting; and

prevent presentation of the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail in an event that the preference setting for the associated content rating does not permit viewing.

19. A device comprising:

a storage medium to store the TV program;

a processor; and

the computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, operatively coupled to the processor so that when the processor executes the computer-executable instructions, the device derives the temporary thumbnail and generates the permanent thumbnail from the TV program stored in the storage medium.

20. A device comprising:

a recorder to record one or more TV programs onto a recording medium;

a thumbnail generator to form a first thumbnail representative of a TV program as the TV program is initially being recorded and to form a second thumbnail representative of the TV program sometime after the first thumbnail is formed; and

a user interface to present one of the first thumbnail or the second thumbnail as an identifier of the TV program.

21. A device as recited in claim 20, wherein the thumbnail generator forms the first thumbnail from a video frame from a beginning portion of the TV program.

22. A device as recited in claim 20, wherein the thumbnail generator forms the first thumbnail from a first non-black video frame in the TV program.

23. A device as recited in claim 20, wherein the thumbnail generator forms the second thumbnail by analyzing the recorded TV program, selecting a representative video frame from the recorded TV program based on the analysis, and deriving the second thumbnail from the representative video frame.

24. A device as recited in claim 20, wherein the user interface presents the first thumbnail until the second thumbnail is formed, and thereafter presents the second thumbnail instead of the first thumbnail.

25. A device as recited in claim 20, wherein the user interface presents plural thumbnails and enables a user to browse recorded TV programs by navigating the plural thumbnails.

26. A device as recited in claim 20, further comprising a cache to store the first thumbnail and the second thumbnail.

27. A device as recited in claim 20, further comprising a data structure to associate the first and second thumbnails with content ratings, wherein the user interface presents the first and second thumbnails in an event that a preference setting for the content rating permits viewing and the prevents presentation of the first and second thumbnails in an event that the preference setting for the content rating does not permit viewing.

28. A device comprising:

means for deriving, during initial recording of a TV program, a temporary thumbnail representative of the TV program; and

means for subsequently generating a permanent thumbnail representative of the recorded TV program.

29. A device as described in claim 28, wherein the deriving means comprises means for forming the temporary thumbnail based on a video frame from a beginning portion of the TV program.

30. A device as described in claim 28, wherein the deriving means comprises means for forming the temporary thumbnail based on a first non-black video frame in the TV program.

31. A device as described in claim 28, wherein the generating means comprises means for analyzing the recorded TV program, selecting a representative video frame from the recorded TV program based on the analysis, and forming the permanent thumbnail based on the representative video frame.

32. A device as described in claim 28, further comprising means for presenting the temporary thumbnail until the permanent thumbnail is generated, and thereafter presenting the permanent thumbnail instead of the temporary thumbnail.

33. A device as described in claim 28, further comprising:

means for presenting plural thumbnails; and

means for enabling a user to browse recorded TV programs by navigating the plural thumbnails.