Methods and apparatus for filtering content from a presentation stream using signature data

• US 8,510,771 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Casagrande, Steven M., Kummer, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US12/434,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/34
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Described herein are methods and apparatus for the identification of locations in a presentation stream based on metadata associated with the presentation stream. Locations within a presentation stream are identified using signature data associated with the presentation stream. The identified locations within a presentation stream may be utilized to identify boundaries of segments within the presentation stream, such as segments of a show and interstitials (e.g., commercials) of the show. The identified portions of a presentation stream may then be utilized for filtering segments of content during presentation.

Claims

1. A method for processing an audio/video stream, the method comprising:

providing a first audio/video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show and closed captioning data;

receiving location information for the first audio/video stream, the location information including a text string associated with a video location within the first audio/video stream, and the location information including search boundary offsets relative to the video location;

receiving a signature of a portion of the first audio/video stream wherein the signature refers to waveform characteristics of the portion of the first audio/video stream;

processing the closed captioning data to locate an instance of the text string in the closed captioning data

identifying an intermediate video location within the first audio/video stream, the identified intermediate video location corresponding to the instance of the text string located in the closed captioning data;

identifying search boundaries within the first audio/video stream by applying the search boundary offsets to the identified intermediate video location;

processing content of the first audio/video stream within the search boundaries, wherein the processing searches for the signature to identify a signature-based video location in the first audio/video stream;

locating boundaries of the at least one segment by applying segment boundary offsets to the identified signature-based video location;

filtering the interstitial from the first audio/video stream to generate a second audio/video stream including the segment of the show, wherein the filtering uses the located boundaries of the at least one segment; and

outputting the second audio/video stream for presentation by a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the location information and the signature further comprise:

receiving the location information, in association with the signature, separately from the first audio/video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature comprises a search portion of audio data of the first audio/video stream, and wherein processing the content of the first audio/video stream within the search boundaries further comprises:

processing the audio data of the first audio/video stream within the search boundaries to identify the signature-based video location corresponding with the portion of the audio data.

4. A method for processing a stream of data, the method comprising:

recording a first presentation stream of video data including at least one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show;

receiving location information referencing a location within the first presentation stream, the location information including a text string corresponding to closed captioning data for the first presentation stream;

receiving a signature of a portion of the first presentation stream corresponding with the location, the signature identifying a transition in the video data from a first luminance value for a first frame of the video data to a second luminance value for a second frame of the video data;

receiving search boundary offsets specified relative to the location referenced by the received location information;

processing the closed captioning data to locate an instance of the text string in the closed captioning data;

identifying an intermediate video location within the first presentation stream, the identified intermediate video location corresponding to the instance of the text string located in the closed captioning data;

identifying search boundaries within the first presentation stream by applying the search boundary offsets to the identified intermediate video location;

computing average luminance values for a plurality of frames of the video data of the first presentation stream, wherein the plurality of frames are within the search boundaries;

processing the average luminance values to identify the transition from the first luminance value to the second luminance value based on the signature, the transition corresponding with a signature-based video location within the first presentation stream;

processing the first presentation stream to identify boundaries of the segment of the show based on the signature-based video location and at least one segment boundary offset;

filtering the interstitial from the first presentation stream to generate a second presentation stream including the segment of the show, wherein the filtering uses the identified boundaries of the segment of the show; and

outputting the second presentation stream for presentation by a presentation device.

5. A digital video recorder comprising:

a communication interface that receives a first audio/video stream including a segment of a show, an interstitial of the show and closed captioning data;

a storage medium;

control logic communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the storage medium that;

coordinates storage of the first audio/video stream onto the storage medium;

receives location information including a text string associated with a video location within the first audio/video stream, a signature of a portion of the first audio/video stream and search boundary offsets specified relative to the video location, wherein the signature refers to waveform characteristics of the portion of the first audio/video stream;

processes the recorded first audio/video stream to identify search boundaries within the first audio/video stream based on the closed captioning data, the location information and the search boundary offsets;

searches for the signature in the first audio/video stream within the search boundaries, to identify a signature-based video location in the first audio/video stream;

locates boundaries of the segment of the show by applying segment boundary offsets to the identified signature-based video location; and

filters the interstitial from the first audio/video stream to generate a second audio/video stream including the segment of the show, wherein the filtering uses the located boundaries of the segment of the show; and

an audio/video interface communicatively coupled to the control logic that outputs the second audio/video stream for presentation by a display device.

6. The digital video recorder of claim 5, wherein the control logic receives the location information in association with the signature and the search boundary offsets separately from the first audio/video stream.

7. The digital video recorder of claim 5, wherein the signature comprises a search portion of audio data of the first audio/video stream, and wherein the control logic processes the audio data of the first audio/video stream within the search boundaries to identify the signature-based video location corresponding with the portion of the video data.

8. The digital video recorder of claim 5, wherein the signature comprises a search portion of video data of the first audio/video stream, and wherein the control logic processes the video data of the first audio/video stream within the search boundaries to identify the signature-based video location corresponding with the portion of the video data.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface that receives a first presentation stream of video data including a segment of a show and an interstitial of the show, and that further receives location information referencing a location within the first presentation stream, a signature of a portion of the first presentation stream corresponding with the location, and search boundary offsets specified relative to the location referenced by the received location information, the signature identifying a transition in the video data from a first luminance value for a first frame of the video data to a second luminance value for a second frame of the video data, wherein the location information includes a text string corresponding to closed captioning data for the first presentation stream;

control logic communicatively coupled to the communication interface that;

processes the first presentation stream to identify search boundaries within the first presentation stream based on the closed captioning data, the location information, and the search boundary offsets;

computes average luminance values for a plurality of frames of the video data of the first presentation stream, wherein the plurality of frames are within the search boundaries;

processes the average luminance values to identify the transition from the first luminance value to the second luminance value based on the signature, the transition corresponding with a signature-based video location within the first presentation stream;

processes the first presentation stream to identify boundaries of the segment of the show based on the signature-based video location and at least one segment boundary offset; and

filters the interstitial from the first presentation stream to generate a second presentation stream including the segment of the show, wherein the filtering uses the identified boundaries of the segment of the show; and

an audio/video interface communicatively coupled to the control logic that outputs the second presentation stream for presentation on a presentation device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communication interface receives the location information in association with the signature and the search boundary offsets separately from the first presentation stream.