Temporal-context-based video browsing interface for PVR-enabled television systems

• US 20060109283A1
• Filed: 01/04/2006
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Divakaran, Ajay, Shipman, Samuel E.
• Application Number:
  US11/325,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109283A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• 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 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A method and system for presenting a set of graphic images on a television system is presented. A sequence of frames of a video is received. The frames are decoded and scaled to reduced size frames, which are sampled temporally and periodically to provide selected frames. The selected frames are stored in a circular buffer and converted to graphic images. The graphic images are periodically composited and rendered as an output graphic image using a graphic interface.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a set of graphic images on a television system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a sequence of frames of a video;

decoding and scaling the sequence of frames to reduced size frames;

sampling temporally and periodically the reduced size frames to provide selected frames;

storing a previous n of the selected frames in a circular buffer;

converting the n selected frames to n graphic images;

compositing periodically the n graphic images stored in the circular buffer to an output graphic image;

rendering periodically the output graphic image using a graphic interface of the television system.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the sequence of frames is stored in a personal video recorder.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the reduced size frames are composited in an asymmetric V layout.

4. The method of claim 3, in which a right end of the V layout includes future images, a left end of the V layout includes past images, and a vertex of the V layout is a current image.

5. The method of claim 4, in which right end of the V layout is larger than the left end.

6. The method of claim 1, in which one in ten frames are selected for storing.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the compositing and rendering of the graphic image is at a rate of at least five per second.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the sequence of frames are in a YUV video format, and the graphic images are in a RGB graphic format.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the reduced size frames are about one third of a size of the frames of the video.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the compositing and rendering are asynchronous with respect to the decoding and sampling.

11. The method of claim 10, in which a delay between the compositing and rendering, and the decoding and sampling is about two seconds.

12. The method of claim 4, in which the current frame moves forward and backward in time.

13. A television system for presenting a set of graphic images, comprising:

means for providing a sequence of frames of a video;

means for decoding and scaling the sequence of frames to reduced size frames;

means for sampling temporally and periodically the reduced size frames to provide selected frames;

a circular buffer configured to store a previous n of the selected frames;

means for converting the n selected frames to n graphic images;

means for compositing periodically the n graphic images stored in the circular buffer to an output graphic image;

a graphic interface of the television system configured to render periodically the output graphic image.

14. The system of claim 13, in which the means for providing is a personal digital recorder.

15. The system of claim 13, in which the means for providing is a set-top box.

16. The system of claim 13, in which the means for providing is a broadcast video signal.

17. The system of claim 13,in which the television system uses high-definition television signals.

18. The system of claim 13, in which the compositing and rendering moves forward and backward in time.