System for providing visible messages during pvr trick mode playback

• US 20060168630A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davies, Colin John
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/89
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals

Abstract

A method and system for embedding a message in compressed content comprising at least one key frame and at least one non-key frame, the method comprising embedding a message in the at least one key frame. Related methods and apparatus are also described.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method for embedding a message in compressed content comprising at least one key frame and at least one non-key frame, the method comprising:

embedding a message substantially only in one or more key frames, thereby causing the embedded message to be visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

31. The method according to claim 30 and wherein the at least one key frame comprises a plurality of key frames.

32. The method according to claim 31 and wherein the embedding comprises embedding the message in each of the plurality of key frames.

33. The method according to claim 31 and wherein the embedding comprises embedding the message in only some of the plurality of key frames.

34. The method according to claim 30 and also comprising:

providing non-compressed content; and

producing the compressed content from the non-compressed content,

wherein the producing comprises the embedding.

35. The method according to claim 30 and also comprising:

providing the compressed content,

wherein the embedding comprises;

identifying the at least one key frame; and

embedding the message in the at least one identified key frame.

36. The method according to claim 30, and also comprising distributing a stream of compressed content onto a storage medium of an end-user unit, the content comprising a plurality of key frames, wherein each individual key frame comprises the embedded message.

37. The method according to claim 36 and wherein the storage medium comprises a removable storage medium.

38. The method according to claim 36 and wherein the storage medium is external to the end-user unit.

39. The method according to claim 36 and wherein the storage medium comprises a pre-recorded medium.

40. The method according to claim 34 and wherein the compressed content is compressed with MPEG-2 compression.

41. The method according to claim 40 and wherein the key frame comprises an I-frame.

42. The method according to claim 41 and wherein the embedded message comprises a text message.

43. The method according to claim 42 and wherein the embedded message comprises a graphic element.

44. A message delivery method comprising:

receiving, at a consumer device, compressed content, the compressed content comprising a plurality of video frames, the video frames comprising a plurality of key frames and a plurality of non-key frames, at least some of the plurality of key frames comprising an embedded message;

selecting at least one of the plurality of key frames from the compressed content, thereby producing at least one selected key frame, the embedded message being comprised in the at least one selected key frame;

producing non-compressed content from the selected at least one of the plurality of key frames; and

outputting the non-compressed content comprising the embedded message, wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

45. The message delivery method according to claim 44 and wherein the plurality of video frames is received from a broadcast video stream.

46. The message delivery method according to claim 44 and wherein the plurality of video frames is received from a digital recording.

47. The message delivery method according to claim 46 and wherein the digital recording is pre-recorded on a medium.

48. The message delivery method according to claim 44 and wherein the compressed content is compressed with MPEG-2 compression.

49. The message delivery method according to claim 44 and wherein the plurality of key frames comprising an embedded message comprises a plurality of I-frames.

50. The message delivery method according to claim 49 and wherein the embedded message comprises a text message.

51. The message delivery method according to claim 49 and wherein the embedded message comprises a graphic element.

52. A pre-recorded medium comprising:

digital compressed content, the content comprising a plurality of video frames, the video frames comprising at least one key frame and at least one non-key frame, the at least one key frame comprising an embedded message, wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

53. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52 and wherein the embedded message is embedded substantially only in the at least one key frame.

54. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52 and wherein the at least one key frame comprising an embedded message comprises a plurality of key frames.

55. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52, and wherein the compressed content is compressed with MPEG-2 compression.

56. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52 and wherein the at least one key frame comprising an embedded message is an I-frame.

57. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52, and wherein the medium comprises a DVD.

58. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52, and wherein the message comprises a text message.

59. The pre-recorded medium according to claim 52, and wherein the message comprises a graphic element.

60. A message embedder operative to embed a message in compressed content comprising at least one key frame and at least one non-key frame, the embedder embedding the message in the at least one key frame, wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

61. A method for handling compressed content, the method comprising:

embedding a message in compressed content comprising at least one key frame and at least one non-key frame, the embedding comprising embedding the message substantially only in one or more key frames;

receiving the compressed content at a consumer device, the compressed content comprising the at least one key frames comprising the embedded message;

selecting at least one key frames from the compressed content, thereby producing at least one selected key frame, the embedded message being comprised in the at least one selected key frame;

producing non-compressed content from the at least one selected key frame; and

outputting the non-compressed content comprising the embedded message,

wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

62. Apparatus for handling compressed content comprising:

an embedder operative to embed a message in compressed content comprising at least one key frames and at least one non-key frame, wherein the embedder embeds the message substantially only in one or more key frames;

a receiver operative to receive the compressed content at a consumer device, the compressed content comprising the at least one key frames comprising the embedded message;

a selector operative to select at least one key frames from the compressed content, thereby producing at least one selected key frame, the embedded message being comprised in the at least one selected key frame;

a producer operative to produce non-compressed content from the at least one selected key frame; and

an outputter operative to output the non-compressed content comprising the embedded message,

wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played from a recording during trick mode playback.

63. Apparatus for message delivery comprising:

a consumer device operative to receive compressed content, the compressed content comprising a plurality of video frames, the video frames comprising a plurality of key frames and a plurality of non-key frames, at least some of the plurality of key frames comprising an embedded message;

a selector comprised in the consumer device operative to select at least one of the plurality of key frames from the compressed content, thereby producing at least one selected key frame, the embedded message being comprised in the at least one selected key frame;

a producer comprised in the consumer device operative to produce non-compressed content from the selected at least one of the plurality of key frame; and

an outputter comprised in the consumer device operative to output the non-compressed content comprising the embedded message,

wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

64. Apparatus for message delivery comprising:

means for receiving compressed content at a consumer device, the compressed content comprising a plurality of video frames, the video frames comprising a plurality of key frames and a plurality of non-key frames, at least some of the plurality of key frames comprising an embedded message;

means for selecting at least one of the plurality of key frames from the compressed content, thereby producing at least one selected key frame, the embedded message being comprised in the at least one selected key frame;

means for producing non-compressed content from the selected at least one of the plurality of key frames; and

means for outputting the non-compressed content comprising the embedded message, wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.

65. Apparatus for handling compressed content comprising:

means for embedding a message in compressed content comprising at least one key frame and at least one non-key frame, the embedding comprising embedding the message in the at least one key frames;

means for receiving the compressed content at a consumer device, the compressed content comprising the at least one key frames comprising the embedded message;

means for selecting at least one key frames from the compressed content, thereby producing at least one selected key frame, the embedded message being comprised in the at least one selected key frame;

means for producing non-compressed content from the at least one selected key frame; and

means for outputting the non-compressed content comprising the embedded message,

wherein the embedded message is visible only when the compressed content is played back from a recording using trick mode playback.