Family histogram based techniques for detection of commercials and other video content

• US 7,170,566 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Jasinschi, Radu Serban, Dimitrova, Nevenka, Agnihotri, Lalitha, McGee, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US10/028,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 348/722, 348/700, 348/701, 348/907, 348/465, 348/473, 348/553, 348/460, 348/552, 725/22
• US Class Current: 348/722
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for detecting commercials or other particular types of video content in a video signal. In an illustrative embodiment, color histograms are extracted from frames of the video signal. For each of at least a subset of the extracted color histograms, the extracted color histogram is compared to a family histogram. If the extracted color histogram falls within a specified range of the family histogram, the family histogram is updated to include the extracted color histogram as a new member. If the extracted color histogram does not fall within the specified range of the family histogram, the family histogram is considered complete and the extracted color histogram is utilized to generate a new family histogram for use in processing subsequent extracted color histograms. The resulting family histograms are utilized to detect commercials or other particular type of video content in the video signal.

Claims

1. A method for use in processing a video signal, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting histograms from a plurality of frames of the video signal;

for each of at least a subset of the extracted histograms, comparing the extracted histogram to a family histogram, and if the extracted histogram falls within a specified range of the family histogram, updating the family histogram to include the extracted histogram as a new member, and if the extracted histogram does not fall within the specified range of the family histogram, indicating the family histogram as being complete and utilizing the extracted histogram to generate a new family histogram for use in processing subsequent extracted histograms; and

utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the particular type of video content comprises a commercial in a live or recorded broadcast program.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the family histogram utilized in processing a first one of the extracted histograms (i) comprises an initial family histogram initialized to a predetermined configuration, or (ii) is itself designated as the initial family histogram.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the family histogram is updated for a given one of the extracted histograms falling within the specified range of the family histogram by combining the family histogram with the given extracted histogram.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises determining a duration of the family histogram.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the family histogram is indicated as being likely to be associated with the particular type of video content if the family histogram has a duration falling within a specified range.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the specified range is about 15 to 60 seconds for video content comprising a commercial in a live or recorded broadcast program.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises determining a repetitiveness of the family histogram.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining a repetitiveness of the family histogram further comprises determining if the family histogram is one of a series of consecutive family histograms each having a specified short duration.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining a repetitiveness of the family histogram further comprises determining if the family histogram is a substantial repeat of a previous family histogram occurring within a designated period of time after the previous family histogram, wherein the repetitiveness either (i) does not occur in a first previous designated time period of about 3 to 5 minutes, or (ii) does occur in a second previous designated time period of about 15 minutes.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises detecting a number of short family histograms of duration less than about 10 seconds each within a time period of about 3 to 5 minutes in length.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises detecting a number of unique family histograms occurring within a specified time period.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises detecting the absence of any family histogram having a duration greater than a specified amount of time.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the specified amount of time is about 30 seconds.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises comparing one or more family histograms of a specified duration to a superhistogram generated for a particular program.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the superhistogram for the particular program is pre-computed and stored.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the particular program and its associated superhistogram are identified using information obtained from an Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal further comprises detecting the absence of multiple previously-identified family histograms of at least a given duration within a designated period of time.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein a given family histogram is generated in accordance with a color entropy technique based on determination of one or more peaks in a color entropy variance within a sliding window of intra-coded frames of the video signal.

20. An apparatus for use in processing a video signal, the apparatus comprising:

a processor operative to process histograms extracted from a plurality of frames of the video signal, the processor being adapted, for each of at least a subset of the extracted histograms, to compare the extracted histogram to a family histogram, and if the extracted histogram falls within a specified range of the family histogram, to update the family histogram to include the extracted histogram as a new member, and if the extracted histogram does not fall within the specified range of the family histogram, to indicate the family histogram as being complete and to utilize the extracted histogram to generate a new family histogram for use in processing subsequent extracted histograms, one or more of the family histograms being utilizable to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal; and

a memory coupled to the processor for storing at least a portion of one or more of the extracted histograms and the family histograms.

21. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable medium containing one or more software programs for use in processing a video signal, wherein the one or more software programs when executed implement the steps of:

extracting histograms from a plurality of frames of the video signal;

for each of at least a subset of the extracted histograms, comparing the extracted histogram to a family histogram, and if the extracted histogram falls within a specified range of the family histogram, updating the family histogram to include the extracted histogram as a new member, and if the extracted histogram does not fall within the specified range of the family histogram, indicating the family histogram as being complete and utilizing the extracted histogram to generate a new family histogram for use in processing subsequent extracted histograms; and

utilizing one or more of the family histograms to detect a particular type of video content in the video signal.