METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SEEKING WITHIN A MEDIA STREAM USING SCENE DETECTION

• US 20110035669A1
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network Technologies India Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Pvt Ltd. (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Shirali, Amey, Iyer, Satish
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection

Abstract

A system uses generated scene transition frames to allow fast seeking within a media stream. A set of scene transition frames associated with the media stream are generated, then transmitted along with the media stream from a remotely located media source over a network. A subset of the scene transition frames are displayed, allowing a desired scene transition frame to be selected from a subset of the scene transition frames based on user input. The media source can then be displayed (e.g., played) starting from a frame corresponding to the desired scene transition frame.

Claims

1. A method of viewing a media stream, the method comprising:

receiving a set of scene transition frames and the media stream from a remotely located media source over the network;

displaying a plurality of the scene transition frames;

selecting a desired scene transition frame from the plurality of the scene transition frames based on user input; and

displaying the media stream starting from a frame corresponding to the desired scene transition frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are transmitted out-of-band with respect to the media stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are adjacent frames exhibiting image content change that is greater than a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are received substantially contemporaneously with the media stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are displayed as a one-dimensional series of thumbnail images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are displayed as a two-dimensional array of thumbnail images.

7. The method of claim 1, further including storing the set of scene transition frames in a frame store on a media player.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are generated by a placeshifting device remotely located from the media device.

9. A media player system for viewing a media stream received from a remotely located media source over a network, the media player comprising:

a memory for storing a set of scene transition frames associated with the media stream;

a user interface configured to display a subset of the scene transition frames and receive user input indicating a selected scene transition frame; and

a display for displaying for displaying the media source starting from a frame corresponding to the selected scene transition frame.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of scene transition frames are transmitted out-of-band with respect to the media stream.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of scene transition frames are generated by examining adjacent frames for image content change that is greater than a predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the media player is configured to receive the set of scene transition frames substantially contemporaneously with the media stream.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface displays the subset of scene transition frames as a one-dimensional series of thumbnail images.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface displays the subset of scene transition frames as a two-dimensional array of thumbnail images.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of scene transition frames are received from a placeshifting device remotely located from the media device.

16. A method of providing media stream scene information, comprising:

receiving a media stream;

generating a plurality of scene transition frames associated with the media stream; and

transmitting the plurality of scene transition frames and the media stream substantially contemporaneously over a network;

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are transmitted out-of-band with respect to the media stream.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of scene transition frames are generated by examining adjacent frames for image content change that is greater than a predetermined threshold.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are generated in substantially real time.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of scene transition frames are transmitted to a remotely located media player.