Methods and apparatus for generating metadata utilized to filter content from a video stream using text data

• US 8,136,140 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Network LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Hodge, Kenneth Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWLIN, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US11/942,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20090133093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 725/88, 725/35, 725/36
• US Class Current: 725/88
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Various embodiments of apparatus, systems and/or methods are described for generating metadata utilized by a DVR to filter content from a video stream. A video stream is reviewed to identify portions the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream. Text data associated with the video stream is parsed to identify a string in the text data that identifies boundaries of the portions of the video stream that are to be skipped during presentation by the DVR. The string is provided to the DVR, and the DVR utilizes the string to skip the portion of the video stream during presentation of the video stream by the DVR.

Claims

1. A method for generating metadata utilized to filter content from a video stream, the method comprising:

reviewing a video stream to identify at least one first portion of the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream and at least one second portion of the video stream to present during presentation;

parsing closed captioning data associated with the video stream to identify first and second text strings included within the closed captioning data, the first text string identifying a first video anchor frame associated with a first location within the video stream, the second text string identifying a second video anchor frame associated with a second location in the video stream, the first and second video anchor frames positioned within the second portion of the video stream, the first and second text strings each including multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order;

identifying a first offset of a beginning boundary of the second portion of the video stream relative to the first video anchor frame;

identifying a second offset of an ending boundary of the second portion of the video stream relative to the first video anchor frame;

identifying a third offset of the beginning boundary of the second portion of the video stream relative to the second video anchor frame;

identifying a fourth offset of the ending boundary of the second portion of the video stream relative to the second video anchor frame; and

providing the first and second text strings and the first, second, third and fourth offsets to a digital video recorder (DVR), wherein the DVR utilizes the received multiple characters of the closed captioning data of the first text string and first and second offsets to skip the first portion of the video stream during presentation of the video stream by the DVR, the DVR further utilizing the received multiple characters of the closed captioning data of the second text string and third and fourth offsets to skip the first portion of the video stream during presentation of the video stream by the DVR in the event that the DVR is unable to locate received characters of the closed captioning data of the first text string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second text strings is unique within the closed captioning data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first and second text strings further comprises broadcasting a data file to the DVR in a metadata stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein reviewing the video stream further comprises:

receiving user input indicating a transition between the portion of the video stream to skip during presentation of the video stream and other portions of the video stream.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting closed captioning data associated with the video stream into a presentation order of the closed captioning data.

6. A method for generating metadata utilized to filter content from a television show, the method comprising:

receiving a first video stream including at least one segment of the show, at least one first interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the at least one segment of the show, the first video stream associated with a first broadcast of the show;

reviewing the first video stream to identify a beginning boundary and an ending boundary of the at least one segment of the show;

parsing the closed captioning data corresponding to the at least one segment of the show to locate first and second text strings that identify the at least one segment within the first video stream, the first text string corresponding to a first anchor frame of the at least one segment, the first text string including a first set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order, the second text string corresponding to a second anchor frame of the at least one segment, the second text string including a second set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order;

determining a first offset of the beginning boundary of the at least one segment of the show relative to the anchor frame;

determining a second offset of the ending boundary of the at least one segment of the show relative to the anchor frame;

determining a third offset of the beginning boundary of the second portion of the at least one segment of the show relative to the second video anchor frame;

determining a fourth offset of the ending boundary of the second portion of the at least one segment of the show relative to the second video anchor frame; and

providing the first and second text strings and the first, second, third and fourth offsets to a digital video recorder (DVR), wherein the DVR utilizes the received first set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data and the first and second offsets to process a second video stream associated with a second broadcast of the show to skip at least one second interstitial during presentation of the second video stream, the DVR further utilizing the received second set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data and third and fourth offsets to skip the at least one second interstitial during presentation of the second video stream by the DVR in the event that the DVR is unable to locate the second text string.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second text strings is unique within the closed captioning data for the at least one segment of the show.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein reviewing the first video stream further comprises:

presenting the first video stream to a user; and

receiving user input indicating a transition between the at least one first interstitial and the at least one segment of the first video stream.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the first video stream and parsing the closed captioning data further comprises:

recording the first video stream during the first broadcast of the show; and

parsing the recorded closed captioning data to locate the first and second text strings.

10. A method for generating metadata utilized to filter interstitials from a television show, the method comprising:

recording the show in a file during a first broadcast, the file including at least one segment of the show, at least one interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the at least one segment of the show;

reviewing video data of the file to identify a first transition between the beginning of the at least one segment of the show and the at least one first interstitial of the show;

reviewing the video data of the file to identify a second transition between the ending of the at least one segment of the show and a second interstitial of the show;

parsing the closed captioning data corresponding to the at least one segment of the show to locate first and second text strings that identify the at least one segment within the video stream, the first text string corresponding to a first anchor frame of the at least one segment, the second text string corresponding to a second anchor frame of the at least one segment, the first text string including a first set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order, the second text string including a second set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order;

determining a first offset of the first transition relative to the first anchor frame;

determining a second offset of the second transition relative to the first anchor frame;

determining a third offset of the first transition relative to the second anchor frame;

determining a fourth offset of the second transition relative to the second anchor frame; and

providing the first and second text strings and the first, second, third and fourth offsets to a digital video recorder (DVR) recording the show during a second broadcast, the second broadcast of the show including a third interstitial in place of the first interstitial, wherein the DVR utilizes the received first set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data and the first and second offsets to skip the third interstitial during presentation of the show and utilizes the received second set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data and the third and fourth offsets to skip the third interstitial during presentation of the show in the event that the DVR is unable to locate the received first set of characters of the closed captioning data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first broadcast is in a first time zone on a first channel, and the second broadcast is in a second time zone on a second channel, wherein the first interstitial has a different time length than the third interstitial.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first and second text strings are unique within the closed captioning data for the at least one segment of the show.

13. A system comprising:

a metadata generation apparatus including;

a receiver that receives a first television broadcast of a television show, the first television broadcast including at least one segment of the show, at least one first interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the at least one segment of the show;

a presentation module that presents the first television broadcast to a user;

an identification module that receives user input identifying a first transition between the at least one first interstitial of the show and the at least one segment of the show and that receives user input identifying a second transition at the end of the at least one segment, that parses the closed captioning data corresponding to the at least one segment of the show to locate first and second text strings that identify the at least one segment within the television show, the first text string corresponding to a first anchor frame of the at least one segment, the first text string including a first set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order, the second text string corresponding to a second anchor frame of the at least one segment, the second text string including a second set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data in a presentation order, the identification module determining a first offset of the first transition relative to the first anchor frame, a second offset of the second transition relative to the first anchor frame, a third offset of the first transition relative to the second anchor frame and a fourth offset of the second transition relative to the second anchor frame; and

a transmission network communicatively coupled to the identification module that provides the first and second text strings and the first, second, third and fourth offsets to a digital video recorder (DVR), the DVR operating to record a second television broadcast of the show, the second television broadcast including a second interstitial following the at least one segment, the second interstitial comprising at least a portion of different content than the first interstitial, wherein the DVR utilizes the received first set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data and the first and second offsets to skip the second interstitial during presentation of the television show, the DVR further utilizing the received second set of multiple characters of the closed captioning data of the second text string and third and fourth offsets to skip second interstitial during presentation of the television show in the event that the DVR is unable to locate the received first set of characters of the closed captioning data of the first text string.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second text strings are unique within the closed captioning data for the at least one segment of the show.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein a recording module of the metadata generation apparatus records the first television broadcast to a storage medium, and wherein the presentation module presents the recorded first television broadcast to the user.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the transmission network provides the second television broadcast of the television show to the DVR.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the transmission network provides the first television broadcast to the metadata generation apparatus.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the transmission network provides the first and second text strings and the first, second, third and fourth offsets to the DVR as a broadcast.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the transmission network provides the first and second text strings and the first, second, third and fourth offsets to the DVR responsive to a request from the DVR.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the first television broadcast is on a first channel, and the second television broadcast is on a second channel, wherein the first interstitial has a different time length than the third interstitial.