Methods and systems for generating and delivering navigatable composite videos

• US 20080036917A1
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Connor, Dan, Donovan, Patrick, Pascarella, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/784,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036917A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/702
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring

Abstract

Systems and methods for generating a composite video having a plurality of video assets are provided. Systems may include storage having a plurality of video assets, a metadata generator, and a composite video generator. The metadata generator processes respective ones of the video assets to generate a metadata track representative of information that is descriptive of the content of the video asset. The composite video generator receives a plurality of metadata tracks and, in response, processes the associated video assets and the metadata tracks to generate a composite video asset having video data from the video assets. The composite video asset may have a metadata list panel that presents information representative of the metadata information as video data appearing within the composite video asset. The metadata list panel visually presents the sequence of video assets in the composite video asset.

Claims

1. A system for generating a composite video having a plurality of video assets, comprising

storage having a plurality of video assets,

a metadata generator for processing respective ones of the video assets to generate a metadata track representative of information that is descriptive of the content of the video asset, and

a composite video generator that receives a plurality of metadata tracks, and responsive thereto, processes the associated video assets and the metadata tracks to generate a composite video asset having a metadata list panel that presents information representative of the metadata information as video data appearing within a composite video that includes video data from the video assets, whereby the sequence of video assets in the composite video is visually presented by the metadata list panel.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the composite video generator further comprises

a controller for controlling generation of the composite video asset.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the composite video generator further comprises

a visual indicator tool controlled by the controller for applying to a respective video asset a visual indicator representative of a temporal location within the video asset.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the visual indicator tool comprises,

a progress mark generator capable of overlaying onto a plurality of scenes in a video asset a visually perceptible mark having a characteristic that changes as a function of temporal progress of the video asset.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the progress mark is selected from the group consisting of a progress bar, a thumb, a counter, and a color code.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

an advertisement scheduler for inserting within the composite video data representative of an advertisement.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein the composite video generator further comprises

a scaling processor controlled by the controller for processing a video asset to alter a visual scale of the video asset as a function of time to generate a composite video wherein the scale of a video asset changes during play.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the composite video generator further comprises

a frame processor for adding an introductory frame to the composite video wherein the introductory frame includes an advertisement and a metadata list panel.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein the composite video generator further comprises

a banner ad generator controlled by the controller and capable of providing a space within the composite video for receiving a banner ad.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

an ad server for providing to the video data processor a video asset having content for promoting a good or service.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein

the ad server selects a video asset having content for selling a good or service as a function of the metadata associated with at least one of the video assets selected for inclusion in the composite video.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising

a controller for regulating the selection of video assets being combined.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the regulator includes

means for associating a selected video asset with an advertisement video, whereby the selection of a particular video asset causes an additional selection of an associated advertisement video.

14. A method for delivering video assets, comprising the steps of

providing a plurality of video assets representative of video content of the type capable of being displayed on a video player,

providing for respective ones of the video assets, metadata tracks representative of information about a respective video asset,

allowing a user to select from the plurality of video assets to identify a set of video assets to be joined sequentially into a composite video, and

processing the selected video assets as a function of their respective metadata tracks to generate a composite video having a metadata list panel that presents metadata information as video data appearing within a composite video that includes video data from the video asset, the sequence of video assets in the composite video being visually presented by the metadata list panel.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising

providing a plurality of advertisement videos representative of video content for promoting a good or service and being of the type capable of display on a video player, and

joining within the sequence of video assets in the composite video at least one advertisement video.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

processing the selected video assets and the metadata to provide within the composite video a banner ad image.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising

serving banner ads for inclusion within the composite video.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising

serving targeted banner ads selected as a function of the metadata tracks associated with at least one of the selected video assets.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

selecting the advertisement video as a function of the video assets selected.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

selecting the advertisement video as a function of a subject associated with the selected video assets.

21. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

allowing a sponsor to provide the video assets and the advertisement videos.

22. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

generating a visual mark representative of a sponsor and applying the visual mark as an overlay on at least one of the selected video assets.

23. The method according to claim 15, further comprising

allowing a user to select the video assets for inclusion in the composite video.