System and method for providing time-adapted video content

• US 20100290761A1
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Robert, Arnaud, Drake, Edward C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/350
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• 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 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for time-adapted video content during trick mode playback. There is provided a method of providing a plurality of pre-produced alternative contents for use by a playback device in conjunction with rendering of a content, comprising determining a current playback speed of the playback device, comparing the current playback speed with a real-time playback speed of the playback device that is for viewing the content, selecting one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents based on the current playback speed in response to the comparing of the current playback speed with the real-time playback speed, and rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents in place of the rendering of the content. In this manner, more relevant and intelligible video contents can be provided for the user during trick mode playback.

Claims

1. A method of providing a plurality of pre-produced alternative contents for use by a playback device in conjunction with rendering of a content, the method comprising:

determining a current playback speed of the playback device;

comparing the current playback speed with a real-time playback speed of the playback device that is for viewing the content;

selecting one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents based on the current playback speed in response to the comparing of the current playback speed with the real-time playback speed; and

rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents in place of the rendering of the content.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

resuming the rendering of the content after the rendering of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the method further comprises:

blocking playback functions of the playback device altering a playback speed, playback mode or bypassing the rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device has a plurality of playback modes including a rewind mode, a fast-forward mode, a pause mode and a real-time mode, and wherein the playback device is in the fast-forward mode and the rendering of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is performed at the real-time playback speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device has a plurality of playback modes including a rewind mode, a fast-forward mode, a pause mode and a real-time mode, and wherein the playback device is in the rewind mode and the rendering of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is performed at the real-time playback speed.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents from separate tracks within the content.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents from a source different than the content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the source different than the source of the content comprises a network source.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the source different than the source of the content comprises a local storage source.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the rendering, the method further comprises:

selecting the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents based on a history of determined playback speeds.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the rendering, the method further comprises:

selecting the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is based on a history of selected subject matter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the rendering, the method further comprises:

selecting the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is based on user defined preferences.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents further comprises rendering an interface indicating an amount of playback time remaining for the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents further comprises rendering an interface displaying the rendering of the content concurrently within a picture-in-picture (PIP) window.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the current playback speed of the playback device determines the current playback speed is faster or slower than or the same as the real-time playback speed.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a subject matter of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is independent of the content.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the content defines a temporal window defining a real-time playback duration for the content, and wherein the comparing the current playback speed with the real-time playback speed determines an alternative temporal window defining a real-time playback duration for the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents, where the alternative temporal window is derivable from a relationship where a speed ratio defined by the current playback speed divided by the real-time playback speed is equal to a length of time ratio defined by the temporal window divided by the alternative temporal window.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the rendering of the content comprises rendering a plurality of content segments each having a segment temporal window, and wherein the alternative temporal window is further derivable by defining for the relationship the temporal window as a sum of the segment temporal windows for the plurality of content segments.

19. A playback device for providing a plurality of pre-produced alternative contents in conjunction with rendering of a content, the playback device comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a current playback speed of the playback device;

compare the current playback speed with a real-time playback speed of the playback device that is for viewing the content;

select one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents based on the current playback speed in response to comparing of the current playback speed with the real-time playback speed; and

render the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents in place of the rendering of the content.

20. The playback device of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to resume the rendering of the content after the rendering of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents.

21. The playback device of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to block playback functions of the playback device altering a playback speed, playback mode or bypassing the rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents.

22. The playback device of claim 19, wherein the playback device has a plurality of playback modes including a rewind mode, a fast-forward mode, a pause mode and a real-time mode, and wherein the playback device is in the fast-forward mode and the rendering of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is performed at the real-time playback speed.

23. The playback device of claim 19, wherein the playback device has a plurality of playback modes including a rewind mode, a fast-forward mode, a pause mode and a real-time mode, and wherein the playback device is in the rewind mode and the rendering of the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents is performed at the real-time playback speed.

24. A method of providing a plurality of pre-produced alternative contents for a second segment of a content that is independent of a first segment and a third segment of the content using a playback device having a plurality of playback modes including a rewind mode, a fast-forward mode and a real-time mode, the method comprising:

determining a current playback speed of the playback device when rendering the second segment of the content;

selecting one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents based on the determining the current playback speed of the playback device;

rendering the one of the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents at a real-time playback speed regardless of the current playback speed of the playback device;

rendering the third segment of the content at a playback speed determined based on the playback speed of the first segment of content of the playback device after the rendering of the alternative content.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the playback device is in the fast-forward mode.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the playback device is in the rewind mode.

27. The method of claim 24 further comprising providing the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents from separate tracks within the content.

28. The method of claim 24 further comprising providing the plurality of pre-produced alternative contents from a source different than the content.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the source different than the source of the content comprises a network source.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the source different than the source of the content comprises a local storage source.