Integrated system and method for processing video

• US 6,476,826 B1
• Filed: 08/22/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vast LLC (Ifer Do Brasil Ltda.)
• Original Assignee: Vastvideo, Inc.
• Inventors: Katz, Jonathan, Leight, Nathan, Plotkin, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/643,255
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/716, 345/723, 345/762, 345/744, 348/6, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence

Abstract

A system and method is provided that can integrate a set of video processing systems for the purpose of increasing productivity and throughput. The integrated system edits video into clips, automatically adds records corresponding to these clips in a centralized database system, adds information about the content of these clips into these records, and controls the compression or conversion of these clips for distribution. The database system is used for managing the clips as well as for the searching of the clips based primarily on the content information added in the above process. Using this process, a digital production line may be built that allows video editors to edit sections from a video tape, have these sections (or clips) be dynamically added to a database system, and provide a mechanism for the editors to apply meta-information to the newly created clips at the same time the clips have been authored. Also, this system provides for the automatic processing of the edited material into alternate formats for such purposes as Internet streaming. The combination of these processes provides significant improvement productivity in the generation of clips, such as video highlights, from complete video.

Claims

1. An integrated video production system, comprising:

a first video editing device which generates a video clip from a video;

a storage area network, linked to the first video editing device, for storing at least one of the video and the video clip;

a content assignment means for displaying the video clip and allowing a user to tag the video clip with content information substantially simultaneously with generation of the video clip by the first video editing device;

a content management database which stores a record that includes said content information tagged to the video clip by said content assignment means; and

a control application means for operatively linking said first video editing device, said content assignment means, said storage area network, and said content management database to form an integrated video-clip storage and distribution system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of said first video editing device, storage area network, content management database, and said content assignment means are remotely located from one another.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said content assignment means is included within said first video editing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said first video editing device is linked to said control application means through said storage area network.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a second video editing device linked to said control application means through said storage area network, said second video editing device including a second content assignment means for adding additional content information to the video clip or for modifying said content information tagged to the video clip by the content assignment means in said first video editing device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said second video editing device and said first video editing device are a same device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a means for converting or compressing the video clip into a predetermined format.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said predetermined format is a format suitable for streaming the video clip through a network.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a video loading device for inputting the video into the storage area network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said control application means automatically creates a record in said content management database which corresponds to the video when the video is loaded into said video loading device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said control application means automatically activates said content assignment means when the video is loaded into said video loading device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said content assignment means includes a graphical user interface which is automatically displayed on said first video editing device when the video is loaded into the video loading device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said graphical user interface displays at least one of (a) a title of the video clip when created by the first video editing means, (b) a list of video clips previously generated from the video, (c) a list of video clips stored in said storage area network which are similar in content to the video clip, (d) said content information tagged to the video clip by said context assignment means, and (d) a window for viewing the video clip.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said graphical user interface displays said content information in menu form.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a means for searching through said storage area network to locate the video clip based on said content information.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a video loading device for inputting a video, from which the video clip is derived, into the storage area network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

automatically creating a record corresponding to the video in said content management database when the video is loaded into said video loading device.

18. The method of claim 16, automatically activating said content assignment application program when the video is loaded into said video loading device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said content assignment application program includes a graphical user interface which is automatically displayed on said first video editing device when the video is loaded into the video loading device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said graphical user interface displays at least one of (a) a title of the video clip when created by the first video editing means, (b) a list of video clips previously generated from the video, (c) a list of video clips stored in said storage area network which are similar in content to the video clip, (d) said content information tagged to the video clip by said context assignment means, and (d) a window for viewing the video clip.

21. A method for processing video clips in an integrated video processing system, comprising the following steps:

providing a first video editing device, a storage area network linked to the first video editing device, and a content management database;

generating a video clip on said first video editing device;

storing the video clip in said storage area network;

creating a record in a content management database in response to input of a video, from which the video clip is derived, into a video loading device;

tagging the video clip with information indicative of content of the video clip, said content information being created using the content assignment application program;

storing said content information into the record created in said creating step; and

providing a control application program for linking said content information with the video clip stored in the storage area network, wherein the tagging step and the generating step are performed substantially simultaneously.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

converting the video clip into a predetermined format.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said predetermined format is a streaming video format.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

searching said storage area network to locate the video clip based on said content information.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein at least two of said first video editing device, storage area network, content management database, and content assignment application program are remotely located from one another.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said tagging step is performed in said first video editing device.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

linking said first video editing device to said control application program through said storage area network.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing at least a second video editing device linked to said storage area network;

accessing the video clip stored in the storage area network; and

adding additional content information to the video clip or modifying said content information tagged to the video clip by said first video editing device.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said accessing step includes:

searching the content management database based on said content information to locate the record corresponding to the video clip;

locating the video clip in said storage area network based on information in said record; and

displaying the video clip at said second video editing device.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface on said first video editing device, said graphical user interface including a display for displaying the video clip and means for designating said content information in accordance with said content assignment application program.