SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TEMPORALLY ADAPTIVE MEDIA PLAYBACK

• US 20100023964A1
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shahraray, Behzad, Liu, Zhu, Renger, Bernard S., Basso, Andrea, Gibbon, David C., Begeja, Lee
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440245 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for temporally adaptive media playback. The method for adaptive media playback includes estimating or determining an amount of time between a first event and a second event, selecting media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event, and playing the selected media content possibly at a reasonably different speed to fit the time interval. One embodiment includes events that are destination-based or temporal-based. Another embodiment includes adding, removing, speeding up, or slowing down selected media content in order to fit the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event or to modify the selected media content to adjust to an updated estimated amount of time. Another embodiment bases selected media content on a user or group profile.

Claims

1. A method of adaptive media playback, the method comprising:

estimating an amount of time between a first event and a second event;

selecting media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event; and

playing the selected media content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event and second event are one of either destination-based or temporal-based.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the estimated time changes, adding or removing content from the selected media content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing the selected media content faster or slower to fit the estimated time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting media content is based on a user profile or a group profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises one or more of entertainment content, news content, and advertising content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an adaptation engine is used to select the media content, the adaptation engine:

selecting a plurality of media segments that fit in the estimated amount of time;

ordering the plurality of media segments;

altering each of the plurality of media segments to fit the estimated time, if necessary; and

creating a playlist of selected media content containing the plurality of media segments, wherein the playlist is the played selected media content.

8. A system for adaptive media playback, the system comprising:

a module configured to estimate an amount of time between a first event and a second event;

a module configured to select media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event; and

a module configured to play the selected media content.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first event and second event are destination-based or temporal-based.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

if the estimated time changes, a module configured to add or remove content from the selected media content.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a module configured to play the selected media content faster or slower to fit the estimated time.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein selecting media content is based on a user profile or a group profile.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the media content comprises one or more of entertainment content, news content, and advertising content.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein an adaptation engine is used to select the media content, the adaptation engine:

selecting a plurality of media segments that fit in the estimated amount of time;

ordering the plurality of media segments;

altering each of the plurality of media segments to fit the estimated time, if necessary; and

creating a playlist of selected media content containing the plurality of media segments, wherein the playlist is the played selected media content.

15. A tangible computer-readable medium storing a computer program having instructions for adaptive media playback, the instructions comprising:

estimating an amount of time between a first event and a second event;

selecting media content to fill the estimated amount of time between the first event and the second event; and

playing the selected media content.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first event and second event are one of either destination-based or temporal-based.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

if the estimated time changes, adding or removing content from the selected media content.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

playing the selected media content faster or slower to fit the estimated time.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein selecting media content is based on a user profile or a group profile.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the media content comprises one or more of entertainment content, news content, and advertising content.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein an adaptation engine is used to select the media content, the adaptation engine:

selecting a plurality of media segments that fit in the estimated amount of time;

ordering the plurality of media segments;

altering each of the plurality of media segments to fit the estimated time, if necessary; and

creating a playlist of selected media content containing the plurality of media segments, wherein the playlist is the played selected media content.