Non-linear reproduction control method of multimedia stream and apparatus thereof

• US 7,346,264 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Kyoung Ro, Jun, Sung Bae
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier; Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/271,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20060062549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 386/83, 386/68, 386/67, 386/46, 386/6, 386/7, 386/69, 386/1
• US Class Current: 386/351
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/007 reproducing continuously a part of the information, i.e. repeating
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

The present invention relates to a non-linear reproduction control method of multimedia stream and an apparatus thereof, the present invention comprises judging a skip direction by interpreting whether a skip request is a forward skip or a backward skip when the skip request is inputted from the user, determining a skip unit by judging whether the user request is a big unit or a small unit, selecting a structural information or semantic information change point of the multimedia stream mostly adjacent to the present reproduction position as a reproduction resume point on the basis of the determined skip direction and skip unit or selecting the reproduction resume point by using the set temporal offset from the preset reproduction position, accordingly it is possible to.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the playback of a stream of multimedia content, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of index points, each index point corresponding to one of semantic information or structural information for the stream of multimedia content, wherein the index points corresponding to semantic information allow a user to skip through the stream of multimedia content at meaningful points in the stream of multimedia content, wherein the index points corresponding to structural information allow a user to skip through the multimedia stream at each shot or scene in the stream of multimedia content;

playing back the stream of multimedia content for presentation to a user;

receiving a request from the user to skip through the stream of multimedia content; and

resuming play back of the stream of multimedia content at the next index point in the stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the index points are extracted by manual process.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the index points are created by the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from the user comprises a request to skip forward.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from the user comprises a request to skip backward.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising identifying the next index point in the multimedia stream of content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the index points are associated with respective segments of the multimedia stream, and wherein the segments are non-contiguous.

8. A method for controlling the playback of a stream of multimedia content, the method comprising:

providing an index structure comprising a plurality of index points, wherein each index point corresponds to one of semantic information or structural information for the stream of multimedia content, wherein the index points corresponding to semantic information allow a user to skip through the stream of multimedia content at meaningful points in the stream of multimedia content, wherein the index points corresponding to structural information allow a user to skip through the multimedia stream at each shot or scene in the stream of multimedia content;

playing back the stream of multimedia content for presentation to a user;

during play back, receiving at a first point in the stream of multimedia content a request from the user to skip through the stream of multimedia content;

in response to the request from the user to skip, accessing the index structure; and

resuming play back of the stream of multimedia content at an index point either forward of or backward from the first point.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising storing the index structure.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving the multimedia stream.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the index points are extracted by manual process.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the index points are created by the user.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the request from the user comprises a request to skip forward.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the request from the user comprises a request to skip backward.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein at least some of the index points are associated with respective segments of the multimedia stream, and wherein the segments are non-contiguous.

16. A method for controlling the playback of a stream of multimedia content, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of index points, each index point corresponding to one of semantic information or structural information for the stream of multimedia content, wherein the index points corresponding to semantic information allow a user to skip through the stream of multimedia content at meaningful points in the stream of multimedia content, wherein the index points corresponding to structural information allow a user to skip through the multimedia stream at each shot or scene in the stream of multimedia content;

playing back the stream of multimedia content for presentation to a user;

during play back, receiving at a first point in the stream of multimedia content a request from the user to skip through the stream of multimedia content;

determining whether the received request is a request to skip forward or a request to skip backward;

if the received request is a request to skip forward, resuming play back of the stream of multimedia content at an index point in the stream of multimedia content which comes after the first point in the stream of multimedia content; and

alternatively, if the received request is a request to skip backward, resuming play back of the stream of multimedia content at an index point which comes before the first point in the stream of multimedia content.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the index points are extracted by manual process.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the index points are created by the user.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein at least some of the index points are associated with respective segments of the multimedia stream, and wherein the segments are non-contiguous.