Replaying video information

• US 7,493,014 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Europe (Amsterdam) BV (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kydd, Andrew, McGrath, Mark John, Thorpe, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/006,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20020141733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,630 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/95, 386/111, 386/112, 386/68, 386/83
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

A video replay apparatus including a content storage device, a replay controller configured to control a replay of video material from the content storage device, the replay controller being configured to control the replay in accordance with metadata associated with the video material, the metadata defining an information content of the video material and defining an information event within the video material as a threshold change in the information content, and the replay controller is further configured to replay the video material with a pre-defined number of information events in a unit of time in a replayed sequence.

Claims

1. A video replay apparatus comprising:

a content storage device;

a replay controller configured to control a replay of video material from said content storage device;

said replay controller being configured to control the replay in accordance with metadata associated with said video material, the metadata defining image activity within said video material and defining an information event within said video material as a threshold change in the image activity; and

said replay controller is further configured to replay said video material with a pre-defined number of information events in a unit of time in a replayed sequence.

2. The video replay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user control, in which said replay controller is operable to vary a threshold information content to define an information event within said video material, in response to said user control.

3. The video replay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user control, in which said pre-defined number is defined by said user control.

4. The video replay apparatus according to claim 1, in which said metadata defining said information content of said video material comprises data defining a presence of faces within said video material.

5. The video replay apparatus according to claim 1, in which said metadata defining said information content of said video material comprises data defining a presence of speech within audio material associated with said video material.

6. The video replay apparatus according to claim 1, in which said metadata defining said information content of said video material comprises data defining colour content of said video material.

7. The video replay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information content analyzer configured to derive said metadata from said video material and/or associated audio material.

8. A method of replaying stored video material, said method comprising:

storing video material;

controlling a replay of said video material in accordance with metadata associated with said video material, the metadata defining image activity within said video material and defining an information event within said video material as a threshold change in the image activity; and

replaying said video material with a pre-defined number of information events in a unit of time in a replayed sequence.

9. A computer-readable recording medium for storing a computer program that includes instructions which when executed on a computer cause the computer to execute a method comprising:

storing video material;

controlling a replay of said video material in accordance with metadata associated with said video material, the metadata defining image activity within said video material and defining an information event within said video material as a threshold change in the image activity; and

replaying said video material with a pre-defined number of information events in a unit of time in a replayed sequence.