Method of describing multiple level digest segment information scheme for multimedia contents and apparatus for generating digest stream from described multiple level digest segment information scheme and method thereof

• US 7,392,467 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jun, Sung-Bae
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; MaiKhanh
• Application Number:
  US11/018,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/723, 345/328, 345/348, 345/349, 707/3, 707/100, 707101-102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention is intended to provide multiple levels of digest streams for multimedia contents with small amount of additional storage using a multiple level digest segment information scheme. In the present invention, a multiple level digest segment information is contained in the content-based data area of the multimedia content by representing a level information of each digest segment by multiple levels in a content-based data area of a multimedia content, describing the digest level of the digest segment and the time range information of the digest segment in the digest segment information scheme, and outputting digest segments whose digest level is less than or equal to requested digest level by decoding, upon receipt of the digest level of the digest segment.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an apparatus for processing multimedia contents, the method comprising:

receiving an audio-visual content stream;

receiving digest segment group information having a multilevel hierarchical structure and describing alternative digest segment groups from the audio-visual content stream, each of the alternative digest segment groups including two or more digest segments for a single stream of highlights concatenating non-contiguous portions from the audio-visual content stream, wherein the digest group information is separate from the audio-visual content stream and specifies

(i) a level information indicating a top level in the multilevel hierarchical structure, and

(ii) a respective highlight duration information for each of the alternative digest segment groups based on a sum of durations of the digest segments in that digest segment group;

storing the digest segment group information in the apparatus;

receiving user input indicating a desired digest of the audio-visual content stream to highlight a common object or event depicted in the audio-visual content stream, wherein the desired digest has a desired duration; and

based on the desired duration and the common object or event indicated in the user input and based on the digest segment group information, generating a digest stream by concatenating non-contiguous and time ordered portions from the audio-visual content stream, wherein the digest stream highlights the common object or event in accordance with at least a portion of the digest segment group information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the top level is the highest in priority.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the digest segment group information describes at least one digest segment group whose digest level is n.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the digest stream is generated based on digest segment groups whose level is less than or equal to n.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein digest segments from at least two of the digest segment groups are arranged in a single time sequence to generate the digest stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digest segment group information is received along with the audio-visual content stream.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the common object or event includes an actor or a character depicted in the audio-visual content stream.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the digest stream includes recording the digest stream.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the digest stream includes selecting a first digest segment group from the alternative digest segment groups based on the desired duration and the respective highlight duration information for each alternative digest segment group.

10. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine readable storage medium, for processing multimedia content, the computer program comprising instructions to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving an audio-visual content stream;

receiving digest segment group information having a multilevel hierarchical structure and describing alternative digest segment groups from the audio-visual content stream, each of the alternative digest segment groups including two or more digest segments for a single stream of highlights concatenating non-contiguous portions from the audio-visual content stream, wherein the digest group information is separate from the audio-visual content stream and specifies

(i) a level information indicating a top level in the multilevel hierarchical structure, and

(ii) a respective highlight duration information for each of the alternative digest segment groups based on a sum of durations of the digest segments in that digest segment group;

storing the digest segment group information in the apparatus;

receiving user input indicating a desired digest of the audio-visual content stream to highlight a common object or event depicted in the audio-visual content stream, wherein the desired digest has a desired duration; and

based on the desired duration and the common object or event indicated in the user input and based on the digest segment group information, generating a digest stream by concatenating non-contiguous and time ordered portions from the audio-visual content stream, wherein the digest stream highlights the common object or event in accordance with at least a portion of the digest segment group information.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the top level is the highest in priority.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the common object or event includes an actor or a character depicted in the audio-visual content stream.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein generating the digest stream includes recording the digest stream.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein generating the digest stream includes selecting a first digest segment group from the alternative digest segment groups based on the desired duration and the respective highlight duration information for each alternative digest segment group.

15. An apparatus for processing multimedia content, the apparatus comprising:

a media stream processing unit to receive and process an audio-visual content stream;

a user input unit to receive user input indicating a desired digest of the audio-visual content stream to highlight a common object or event depicted in the audio-visual content stream, wherein the desired digest has a desired duration;

a data storage; and

a digest stream processing unit configured to;

(a) receive digest segment group information having a multilevel hierarchical structure and describing alternative digest segment groups from the audio-visual content stream, each of the alternative digest segment groups including two or more digest segments for a single stream of highlights concatenating non-contiguous portions from the audio-visual content stream, wherein the digest group information is separate from the audio-visual content stream and specifies

(i) a level information indicating a top level in the multilevel hierarchical structure, and

(ii) a respective highlight duration information for each of the alternative digest segment groups based on a sum of durations of the digest segments in that digest segment group;

(b) store the digest segment group information in the data storage; and

(c) generate, based on the desired duration and the common object or event indicated in the user input and based on the digest segment group information, a digest stream by concatenating non-contiguous and time ordered portions from the audio-visual content stream, wherein the digest stream highlights the common object or event in accordance with at least a portion of the digest segment group information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the top level is the highest in priority.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the common object or event includes an actor or a character depicted in the audio-visual content stream.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the digest stream processing unit is further configured to record the digest stream.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the digest stream processing unit is further configured to select a first digest segment group from the alternative digest segment groups based on the desired duration and the respective highlight duration information for each alternative digest segment group.