Method and device for navigating through video matter by means of displaying a plurality of key-frames in parallel

• US 6,222,532 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1998
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ceccarelli, Marco P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/015,884
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 345/302, 345/327, 345/328, 345/352, 345/354, 345/357
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• 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: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• 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 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums

Abstract

A method for navigating through video matter by means of displaying a plurality of key-frames in parallel, whilst allowing selective accessing of displayed keyframes for thereupon controlling actual access to said video matter as representing a mapping of so accessed keyframes, said method being characterized by allowing within a single user interface organization to select between a first operative mode for arranging keyframes in a temporally ordered manner on the screen and a second operative mode for arranging keyframes with multiple selectible granularities between contiguous keyframes as displayed.

Claims

1. A method for navigating through video matter by means of displaying one or more series of a plurality of keyframes in parallel, whilst allowing selective accessing of displayed keyframes for thereupon controlling actual access to said video matter as representing a mapping of so accessed keyframes,

said method being characterized by allowing within a single user interface organization to select between a first operative mode for arranging keyframes in a temporally ordered manner on the screen and a second operative mode for arranging keyframes with multiple selectable granularities between contiguous keyframes as displayed, wherein the granularities range between coarse and fine granularity, and wherein a selectable course granularity represents a subset of a selectable fine granularity.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, and whilst in said temporally ordered manner progressively playing back an audio interval associated to a temporally centered keyframe.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein successive audio intervals will constitute a substantially continuous audio representation with respect to a sequence of discretely spaced keyframes.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, and in the second operative mode playing back an audio interval associated to an actually accessed keyframe.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized by highlighting a presently selected keyframe whilst simultaneously enlarging it at a multiple-sized format with respect to other keyframes, the method furthermore including detecting deleterious video interlacing effects and if so, reducing such effect by vertical decimation.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized by highlighting a presently selected keyframe whilst simultaneously enlarging it at a multiple format with respect to other keyframes, the method furthermore including applying an upsampling filter to the image before display.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, whilst furthermore displaying associated to an actualized keyframe a subtitle or other relevant information extracted for an associated keyframe or sequence of keyframes.

8. A device being arranged for executing a method as claimed in claim 1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said keyframes are essentially complete keyframes.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting said course granularity of keyframes from said fine granularity of keyframes.

11. A method for navigating through video matter by means of displaying one or more series of a plurality of keyframes in parallel, while allowing selective accessing of displayed keyframes for thereupon controlling actual access to said video matter as representing a mapping of so accessed keyframes, said method comprising allowing within a single user interface organization to select between a first operative mode for arranging a first group of keyframes in a temporally ordered manner on the screen and a second operative mode for arranging a second group of keyframes selectable from the first group of keyframes, wherein the second group of keyframes is a subset of the first group of keyframes.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising selecting said course granularity of keyframes from said fine granularity of keyframes.

13. A method for navigating through video matter, said method comprising:

storing a first group of keyframes related to said video matter; and

selecting a second group of keyframes from said first group of keyframes, wherein the granularity between the keyframes of said first group of keyframes is a fine granularity, wherein the granualarity between the keyframes of said second group of keyframes is a coarse granularity, and wherein the course granularity represents a subset of the fine granulity.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising providing within a single user interface organization to select between a first operative mode for arranging said first group of keyframes and a second operative mode for arranging said second group of keyframes.