Slowing display of digital video

• US 7,881,582 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul R., Cragun, Brian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/423,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/68, 386/95, 386/98, 386/125, 386/126
• US Class Current: 386/343
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed for slowing display of digital video that include receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display, identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display, pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period.

Claims

1. A method of slowing display of digital video, the method comprising:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display; and

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period;

establishing a text length threshold;

identifying a length of the digital video text; and

calculating the pause period in dependence upon the length of the digital video text;

wherein pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period further comprises pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period only if the identified length of the digital video text exceeds the text length threshold.

2. A method of slowing display of digital video, the method comprising:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display; and

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period;

establishing a text speed threshold;

identifying a text speed of the digital video clip; and

calculating the pause period in dependence upon the text speed of the digital video clip;

wherein pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period further comprises pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period only if the identified text speed of the digital video clip exceeds the text speed threshold.

3. A method of slowing display of digital video, the method comprising:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display; and

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period, wherein the digital video stream comprises frames having more than one set of digital video text available for display, the sets varying in verbosity;

identifying a text length for each set of digital video text of the frames in the digital video clip; and

selecting, for the digital video clip, a set of digital video text for display in dependence upon the identified text lengths.

4. A method of slowing display of digital video, the method comprising:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display; and

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period, wherein identifying a digital video clip of the digital video stream further comprises identifying a plurality of digital video clips of the digital video stream, each digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by the same digital video text for display;

ending pause periods in response to receipt in the video display device of resume instructions;

maintaining in a memory of the video display device a history of lengths of the pause periods; and

calculating the pause period in dependence upon the history.

5. A method of slowing display of digital video, the method comprising:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display; and

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period, wherein identifying a digital video clip of the digital video stream further comprises identifying a plurality of digital video clips of the digital video stream, each digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by the same digital video text for display;

ending pause periods in response to receipt in the video display device of resume instructions;

maintaining in a memory of the video display device a history of clip characteristics for the digital video clips, the clip characteristics comprising a length of the digital video text, a text speed for a digital video clip, and a display period for the digital video clip; and

calculating a length of a pause period in dependence upon the history.

6. A method of slowing display of digital video, the method comprising:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display; and

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period, wherein identifying a digital video clip of the digital video stream further comprises identifying a plurality of digital video clips of the digital video stream, each digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by the same digital video text for display;

calculating and storing in memory of the video display device a text acceleration for each digital video clip;

identifying, responsive to receipt in the video display device of a user rewind instruction, a digital video clip for playback in dependence upon the identified text accelerations; and

rewinding the digital video stream to the identified digital video clip for playback;

wherein pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period further comprises pausing, for the pause period, on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip identified for playback.

7. An apparatus for slowing display of digital video, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display;

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period;

establishing a text length threshold;

identifying a length of the digital video text; and

calculating the pause period in dependence upon the length of the digital video text;

wherein pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period further comprises pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period only if the identified length of the digital video text exceeds the text length threshold.

8. A computer program product for slowing display of digital video, the computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory, computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display;

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period;

establishing a text length threshold;

identifying a length of the digital video text; and

calculating the pause period in dependence upon the length of the digital video text;

wherein pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period further comprises pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for the pause period only if the identified length of the digital video text exceeds the text length threshold.

9. A computer program product for slowing display of digital video, the computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory, computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

receiving in a video display device a digital video stream for display;

identifying by the video display device a digital video clip of the digital video stream, the digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by a same digital video text for display;

pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period, wherein identifying a digital video clip of the digital video stream further comprises identifying a plurality of digital video clips of the digital video stream, each digital video clip comprising consecutive frames characterized by the same digital video text for display;

calculating and storing in memory of the video display device a text acceleration for each digital video clip;

identifying, responsive to receipt in the video display device of a user rewind instruction, a digital video clip for playback in dependence upon the identified text accelerations; and

rewinding the digital video stream to the identified digital video clip for playback;

wherein pausing on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip for a pause period further comprises pausing, for the pause period, on the display at least one frame of the digital video clip identified for playback.