Content identification in a digital video recorder

• US 7,260,308 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Engle, Joseph C., Odutola, Akinyemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOPGYAL, GELEK W
• Application Number:
  US10/142,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/35, 386/46, 386/83, 386/95, 386/125, 725/22, 725/32, 725/36, 725/42
• US Class Current: 386/250
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/908 Pause control, i.e. "commercial killers"

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and apparatus for controlling a video-media recording device configured for automatically identifying and selectively skipping commercial message segments of a video signal. The method can include the steps of recording the video signal on a digital recording medium in a digital format; monitoring the video signal to detect an event start and an event end corresponding to a beginning and an end of at least one commercial message; and selectively storing in a memory location digital data identifying an event start information and an event end information. At least one of the event start information and the event end information can identify the location of the one or more commercial messages. The method can also include selectively skipping in a playback mode the commercial portion of the video signal responsive to the digital data identifying the event start information and the event end information.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a video media recording device configured for automatically identifying and selectively skipping commercial message segments of a video signal, comprising:

recording said video signal on a digital recording medium in a digital format;

monitoring said video signal to detect at least one event start and at least one event end corresponding to a beginning and an end of at least one commercial message;

selectively storing digital data identifying at least one of an event start information and an event end information as part of a digital data stream comprising said recorded video presentation, at least one of said event start information and said event end information identifying the location of said at least one commercial message, wherein said digital format is MPEG based and said storing step is further comprised of recording at least one of said event start information and said event end information for said commercial only in a location following an MPEG picture header in a extensions_and_user_data location in said MPEG picture header.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of selectively skipping in a playback mode said commercial portion of said video signal responsive to said digital data identifying said event start information and said event end information.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said event start information and said event end information is a frame number corresponding to a number of frames of said video signal recorded since the start of recording of said video signal.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said data identifying said event start information also includes said event end information.

5. A recording device configured for automatically identifying and selectively skipping commercial message segments of a video signal, comprising:

a memory storage device for recording said video signal on a digital recording medium in a digital format;

an event detector for monitoring said video signal to detect at least one event start and at least one event end corresponding to a beginning and an end of at least one commercial message;

a control processor for selectively storing as part of a digital data stream comprising said recorded video presentation, digital data identifying at least one of an event start information and an event end information, at least one of said event start information and said event end information identifying the location of said at least one commercial message, wherein said video signal is MPEG based and said records at least one of said event start information and said event end information for said commercial only in a location following an MPEG picture header in a extension_and_user_data location in said MPEG picture header.

6. The device according to claim 5 wherein said control processor in a playback mode selectively skips said commercial portion of said video signal responsive to said digital data identifying said event start information and said event end information.

7. The device according to claim 5 wherein said event start information and said event end information is a frame number corresponding to a number of frames of said video signal recorded since the start of recording of said video signal.

8. The device according to claim 5 wherein said data identifying said event start information also includes said event end information.