Methods and Systems for Presenting Adjunct Content During a Presentation of a Media Content Instance

• US 20120098934A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: McKiel, Frank A. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/106 Processing image signals for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing

Abstract

An exemplary method includes an adjunct content presentation system including adjunct content within a first image of a media content instance by setting a pixel value of a first group of pixels included in the first image to be greater than a predetermined neutral pixel value, including the adjunct content within a second image of the media content instance by setting a pixel value of a second group of pixels included in the second image and corresponding to the first group of pixels to be less than the predetermined neutral pixel value, and presenting the first and second images. The respective pixel values are set to result in the adjunct content being perceptible to a first viewer viewing only one of the first and second images and substantially imperceptible to a second viewer viewing both the first and second images. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

including, by an adjunct content presentation system, adjunct content within a first image of a media content instance by setting a pixel value of a first group of pixels included in the first image to be greater than a predetermined neutral pixel value;

including, by the adjunct content presentation system, the adjunct content within a second image of the media content instance by setting a pixel value of a second group of pixels included in the second image and corresponding to the first group of pixels to be less than the predetermined neutral pixel value; and

presenting, by the adjunct content presentation system, the first and second images;

wherein the pixel values of the first and second groups of pixels are set to result in the adjunct content being perceptible to a first viewer viewing only one of the first and second images during the presentation of the first and second images and substantially imperceptible to a second viewer viewing both the first and second images during the presentation of the first and second images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, during the presentation of the first and second images, the second viewer:

is wearing three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses configured to allow a first eye of the second viewer to perceive only the first image and a second eye of the second viewer to perceive only the second image; and

has both the first and second eyes open during the presentation of the first and second images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, during the presentation of the first and second images, the second viewer is not wearing three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, during the presentation of the first and second images, the first viewer:

is wearing three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses configured to allow a first eye of the first viewer to perceive only the first image and a second eye of the first viewer to perceive only the second image; and

has only one of the first and second eyes open during the presentation of the first and second images.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively permitting, by the adjunct content presentation system, the first viewer to view the only one of the first and second images.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, during the presentation of the first and second images, the first viewer is wearing three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses, and wherein the selectively permitting the first viewer to view the only one of the first and second images comprises selectively obscuring vision of a single eye of the first viewer during the presentation of the first and second images.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, during the presentation of the first and second images, the first viewer is wearing active shutter three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses, and wherein the selectively permitting the first viewer to view the only one of the first and second images comprises;

directing a right shutter associated with a right lens of the active shutter 3D viewing glasses and a left shutter associated with a left lens of the active shutter 3D viewing glasses to both be open during the presentation of one of the first and second images and to both be closed during the presentation of the other one of the first and second images.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting of the first and second images comprises concurrently presenting the first and second images in accordance with a passive polarized processing technique.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, during the concurrent presentation of the first and second images, the first viewer is wearing viewing glasses comprising first and second lenses each comprising an identical type of polarizing filter such that each eye of the first viewer sees the only one of the first and second images.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting of the first and second images comprises sequentially presenting the first and second images in accordance with an active shutter processing technique.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct content is included within a neutral field that is a part of the first and second images, the neutral field having a pixel value substantially equal to the predetermined neutral pixel value.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second images each further include main content that is a part of the media content instance.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct content comprises at least one of subtitle content, text messaging content, and ticker tape content.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the pixel value of the first group of pixels included in the first image is substantially equal to one pixel value unit greater than the predetermined neutral pixel value; and

the pixel value of the second group of pixels included in the second image is substantially equal to one pixel value unit less than the predetermined neutral pixel value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the pixel value of the first group of pixels represents a brightness level of the first group of pixels and the pixel value of the second group of pixels represents a brightness level of the second group of pixels.

16. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

17. A method comprising:

including, by an adjunct content presentation system, adjunct content within a first image of a media content instance by setting a pixel value of a first group of pixels included in the first image to be greater than a predetermined neutral pixel value;

including, by the adjunct content presentation system, the adjunct content within a second image of the media content instance by setting a pixel value of a second group of pixels included in the second image and corresponding to the first group of pixels to be less than the predetermined neutral pixel value; and

concurrently presenting, by the adjunct content presentation system, the first and second images in accordance with a passive polarized processing technique;

wherein the pixel values of the first and second groups of pixels are set to result in the adjunct content being perceptible to a viewer wearing viewing glasses during the concurrent presentation of the first and second images, the viewing glasses comprising first and second lenses each comprising an identical type of polarizing filter.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the pixel values of the first and second groups of pixels are further configured to result in the adjunct content being substantially imperceptible to an additional viewer wearing three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses during the concurrent presentation of the first and second images, the 3D viewing glasses comprising a first lens that has a first type of polarizing filter configured to allow a first eye of the additional viewer to perceive only the first image and a second lens that has a second type of polarizing filter configured to allow a second eye of the additional viewer to perceive only the second image.

19. The method of claim 17, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

20. A method comprising:

including, by an adjunct content presentation system, adjunct content within a first image of a media content instance by setting a pixel value of a first group of pixels included in the first image to be greater than a predetermined neutral pixel value;

including, by the adjunct content presentation system, the adjunct content within a second image of the media content instance by setting a pixel value of a second group of pixels included in the second image and corresponding to the first group of pixels to be less than the predetermined neutral pixel value;

sequentially presenting, by the adjunct content presentation system, the first and second images in accordance with an active shutter processing technique; and

permitting a viewer wearing active shutter three-dimensional (“

3D”

) viewing glasses to perceive the adjunct content by directing a right shutter associated with a right lens of the active shutter 3D viewing glasses and a left shutter associated with a left lens of the active shutter 3D viewing glasses to both be open during the presentation of one of the first and second images and to both be closed during the presentation of the other one of the first and second images;

wherein the pixel values of the first and second groups of pixels are set to result in the adjunct content being substantially imperceptible to a second viewer viewing both the first and second images during the presentation of the first and second images.

21. The method of claim 20, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

22. A method comprising:

including, by an adjunct content presentation system, adjunct content within a first image of a media content instance by setting a pixel value of a first group of pixels included in the first image to be greater than a predetermined neutral pixel value;

including, by the adjunct content presentation system, the adjunct content within a second image of the media content instance by setting a pixel value of a second group of pixels included in the second image and corresponding to the first group of pixels to be less than the predetermined neutral pixel value; and

wherein the pixel values of the first and second groups of pixels are set to result in the adjunct content being perceptible to a first viewer viewing only one of the first and second images during a presentation of the first and second images and substantially imperceptible to a second viewer viewing both the first and second images during the presentation of the first and second images.

23. The method of claim 22, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

24. A system comprising:

an adjunct content management facility configured to

include adjunct content within a first image of a media content instance by setting a pixel value of a first group of pixels included in the first image to be greater than a predetermined neutral pixel value, and

include the adjunct content within a second image of the media content instance by setting a pixel value of a second group of pixels included in the second image and corresponding to the first group of pixels to be less than the predetermined neutral pixel value; and

a presentation facility communicatively coupled to the adjunct content facility and configured to present the first and second images;

wherein the pixel values of the first and second groups of pixels are configured to result in the adjunct content being perceptible to a first viewer viewing only one of the first and second images during the presentation of the first and second images and substantially imperceptible to a second viewer viewing both the first and second images during the presentation of the first and second images.