Segmentation description scheme for audio-visual content

• US 8,606,782 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: van Beek, Petrus J. L., Ferman, Ahmet Mufit
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US10/867,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,466 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1.02, 381/58, 700/94, 708/172, 707/736, 707/916
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/1042 using interleaving techniques, i.e. read-write of one part of the memory while preparing another part
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/14 Picture signal circuitry for video frequency region cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7416 involving the use of a spatial light modulator, e.g. a light valve, controlled by a video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/01 Conversion of standards , e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/012 Conversion between an interlaced and a progressive signal for graphics images G09G2310/0229
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0132 the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal being multiplied by a positive integer, e.g. for flicker reduction

Abstract

A segmentation description scheme for video material that includes references to segments of video contained in different programs. The segmentation description scheme may also interact with a presentation device to present the referenced segments to a user contiguously, without first storing the segments respectively referenced from the different programs.

Claims

1. An audiovisual device having a processor and a computer-readable storage medium operatively connected to said processor, said storage medium storing a segmentation description scheme in metadata of video presented on said audiovisual device, said video having a plurality of scenes, said segmentation scheme comprising:

(a) a first segment identifier that identifies a location of a first video segment in a first program capable of presentation on said audiovisual device, where said first video segment is one of a first plurality of video segments of said first program, organized by said metadata into segment groups including at least one AlternativeGroups segment group, and including at least one TableofContents segment group, and including at least one other segment group that is not an AlternativeGroups segment group and is not a TableofContents segment group, each of said segment groups referencing at least one said segment of said first program, and where said metadata organizes said first plurality of video segments into a hierarchically nested relationship defined at least in part by constraints including;

(i) a segment group is allowed to reference either at least one segment directly or at least one other segment group, but is not allowed to reference both another segment group and a segment directly;

(ii) an AlternativeGroups segment group is not allowed to reference segments directly and shall only reference other segment groups, where said AlternativeGroups segment group is characterized by providing alternative views or representations of a scene, with the same functionality but either different durations with respect to each other, or different levels of detail with respect to each other;

(iii) a TableofContents segment group is allowed to reference other TableofContents segment groups, where said TableofContents segment group defines a navigable table of contents for said first program; and

(iv) a segment group of any type other than AlternativeGroups and TableofContents is allowed to only reference segments directly, and is not allowed to reference other segment groups;

(b) a second segment identifier that identifies a location of a second video segment in a second program, different from said first program, and capable of presentation on said audiovisual device, where said second video segment is one of a second plurality of video segments of said second program, organized by said metadata into segment groups including at least one AlternativeGroups segment group, and including at least one TableofContents segment group, and including at least one other segment group that is not an AlternativeGroups segment group and is not a TableofContents segment group, each of said segment groups referencing at least one said segment of said second program, and where said metadata organizes said second plurality of video segments into a hierarchically nested relationship defined at least in part by constraints including;

(i) a segment group is allowed to reference either at least one segment or at least one other segment group, but is not allowed to reference both another segment group and a segment;

(ii) an AlternativeGroups segment group is not allowed to reference segments and shall only reference other segment groups, where said AlternativeGroups segment group is characterized by providing alternative views or representations of a scene, with the same functionality but either different durations with respect to each other, or different levels of detail with respect to each other;

(iii) a TableofContents segment group is allowed to reference other TableofContents segment groups, where said segment group defines a navigable table of contents for said second program; and

(iv) a segment group of any type other than AlternativeGroups and TableofContents is allowed to only reference segments directly, and is not allowed to reference other segment groups; and

(c) where said processor interacts with said metadata to automatically present said first and second video segments contiguously to a user without storing either of said first video segment and said second video segment prior to presentation.

2. The audiovisual device of claim 1 where said first video segment and said second video segment have different frame rates.

3. The audiovisual device of claim 2 where said first and second segment identifiers each respectively include a first field for storing an indicator of the time base of the respectively identified video segment, a second field for storing a location of the beginning of said respectively identified video segment relative to said time base, and a third field for storing a duration of said respectively identified video segment relative to said time base.