Methods and Apparatus for Filtering Content in a Video Stream Using Text Data

• US 20090133092A1
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies Corporation (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Casagrande, Steven Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/137
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• 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 21/44008 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 21/4545 Input to filtering algorithms, e.g. filtering a region of the image
• 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 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0885 for the transmission of subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

Various embodiments of apparatus and/or methods are described for skipping and/or filtering content from a video stream using text data associated with the video stream. The text data is parsed using metadata to identify portions of the video stream to skip during presentation, and/or to identify portions of the video stream to present to a user. The portions of the video stream that are to be skipped are filtered from the video stream, and the filtered video stream is presented to a user.

Claims

1. A method for filtering a video stream, the method comprising:

parsing text data associated with the video stream that is displayable to a user to identify at least one portion of the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream;

filtering the video stream based on the identified at least one portion of the video stream; and

presenting the filtered video stream to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein parsing text data associated with the video stream further comprises:

receiving metadata, including a text string contained in the text data, that identifies the at least one portion of the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein parsing text data associated with the video stream further comprises:

indexing the text data according to a presentation order;

parsing the text data to identify a location in the video stream corresponding to a presentation of the text string; and

creating at least one bookmark, identifying at least one boundary of the at least one portion of the video stream, based on the location in the video stream.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving metadata and creating at least one bookmark further comprises:

receiving a first offset, relative to the location in the video stream, that identifies a beginning of the at least one portion of the video stream;

receiving a second offset, relative to the location in the video stream, that identifies an ending of the at least one portion of the video stream;

creating a beginning bookmark, identifying the beginning of the at least one portion of the video stream, based on the location and the first offset; and

creating an ending bookmark, identifying the ending of the at least one portion of the video stream, based on the location and the second offset.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the text string is unique within the text data.

6. A digital video recorder comprising:

a receiver that receives a video stream, and that receives closed captioning data associated with the video stream;

a recording module that stores the video stream on a storage medium for subsequent presentation to a user;

a parsing module that indexes the closed captioning data according to a presentation order, and that parses the closed captioning data that is displayable to the user associated with the video stream to identify at least one portion of the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream; and

a presentation module that filters the video stream based on the identified at least one portion of the video stream, and that presents the filtered video stream to the user.

7. The digital video recorder of claim 6, wherein the receiver receives metadata, including a text string contained in the closed captioning data, that identifies the at least one portion of the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream.

8. The digital video recorder of claim 7, wherein:

the metadata further includes a first offset relative to the location in the video stream, that identifies a beginning of the at least one portion of the video stream, and a second offset relative to the location in the video stream, that identifies an ending of the at least one portion of the video stream; and

the parsing module parses the text data to identify a location in the video stream corresponding to a presentation of the text string, creates a beginning bookmark, identifying the beginning of the at least one portion of the video stream, based on the location and the first offset, and creates an ending bookmark, identifying the ending of the at least one portion of the video stream, based on the location and the second offset.

9. The digital video recorder of claim 7, wherein the text string is unique within the closed captioning data.

10. The digital video recorder of claim 6, wherein the presentation module presents an indicator to the user that the at least one portion of the video stream was skipped during the presentation of the video stream.

11. A method for filtering a video stream, the method comprising:

recording a video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the at least one segment of the show;

receiving metadata associated with the video stream that identifies boundaries of the at least one segment of the show; and

processing the closed captioning data, to filter the at least one interstitial from the recorded video stream, based on the metadata, to present a filtered video stream to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving metadata further comprises:

receiving at least one text string, contained in the closed captioning data when transmitted by a content provider, that is associated with an anchor frame of the at least one segment;

receiving a first offset, associated with the at least one text string, that is relative to the anchor frame, the first offset identifying a beginning of the segment; and

receiving a second offset, associated with the at least one text string, that is relative to the anchor frame, the second offset identifying an ending of the segment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein processing the closed captioning data and presenting the filtered video stream to a user further comprises:

creating a beginning bookmark, identifying the beginning of the at least one segment, based on the anchor frame and the first offset;

creating an ending bookmark, identifying the ending of the at least one segment, based on the anchor frame and the second offset; and

presenting the at least one segment of the video stream between the beginning bookmark and the ending bookmark.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving metadata and processing the closed captioning data further comprises:

parsing the closed captioning data recorded to locate the at least one text string and the anchor frame;

determining that the at least one text string is not located in the closed captioning data recorded;

receiving a second text string, located in the closed captioning data transmitted by the content provider, that is associated with a second anchor frame of the at least one segment;

receiving a third offset, associated with the second text string, that is relative to the second anchor frame, the third offset identifying a beginning of the segment;

receiving a fourth offset, associated with the second text string, that is relative to the second anchor frame, the fourth offset identifying an ending of the segment;

parsing the closed captioning data recorded to locate the second text string and the second anchor frame; and

filtering the at least one interstitial from the recorded video stream, based on the second anchor frame, the third offset, and the fourth offset, to generate the filtered video stream.

15. A digital video recorder comprising:

a receiver that receives a video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the at least one segment of the show;

a recording module that stores the video stream on a storage medium for subsequent presentation to a user; and

a processing module that receives metadata associated with the video stream identifying boundaries of the at least one segment of the show, that indexes the closed captioning data according to a presentation order, that parses the closed captioning data associated with the video stream, to filter the at least one interstitial from the recorded video stream based on the metadata, to present a filtered video stream to the user.

16. The digital video recorder of claim 15, wherein the metadata comprises:

at least one text string, located in the closed captioning data when transmitted by a content provider, that is associated with an anchor frame of the at least one segment;

a first offset, associated with the at least one text string, that is relative to the anchor frame, the first offset identifying a beginning of the segment; and

a second offset, associated with the at least one text string, that is relative to the anchor frame, the second offset identifying an ending of the segment.

17. The digital video recorder of claim 16, wherein the processing module is configured to:

create a beginning bookmark, identifying the beginning of the at least one segment based on the anchor frame and the first offset;

create an ending bookmark, identifying the ending of the at least one segment, based on the anchor frame and the second offset; and

present the at least one segment of the video stream between the beginning bookmark and the ending bookmark.

18. The digital video recorder of claim 16, wherein the processing module is configured to:

parse the closed captioning data recorded to locate the at least one text string and the anchor frame;

determine that the at least one text string is not located in the closed captioning data recorded;

receive a second text string, located in the closed captioning data transmitted by the content provider, that is associated with a second anchor frame of the at least one segment;

receive a third offset, associated with the second text string, that is relative to the second anchor frame, the third offset identifying a beginning of the segment;

receive a fourth offset, associated with the second text string, that is relative to the second anchor frame, the fourth offset identifying an ending of the segment;

parse the closed captioning data recorded to locate the second text string and the second anchor frame; and

filter the at least one interstitial from the recorded video stream, based on the second anchor frame, the third offset, and the fourth offset, to generate the filtered video stream.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the text string is unique within the closed captioning data.

19. A method for skipping interstitials in a video stream, the method comprising:

recording a video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the at least one segment of the show;

receiving metadata associated with the video stream, identifying boundaries of the at least one segment of the show, the metadata comprising a plurality of unique text strings located in the closed captioning data when transmitted by a content provider, each unique text suing associated with an anchor frame of the at least one segment;

indexing the closed captioning data recorded according to a presentation order;

processing the closed captioning data to locate a first anchor frame associated with a first unique text string of the plurality of unique text strings;

determining that the first unique text string is not located within the closed captioning data recorded;

processing the closed captioning data recorded to locate a second anchor frame associated with a second unique text string of the plurality of unique text strings;

creating a beginning bookmark, identifying the beginning of the at least one segment, based on the second anchor frame and a first offset associated with the second anchor frame;

creating an ending bookmark, identifying the ending of the at least one segment, based on the second anchor frame and a second offset associated with the second anchor frame; and

presenting the at least one segment between the beginning bookmark and the ending bookmark.