Enhancing video content with extrinsic data

• US 8,763,041 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Timmermann, Jordan M., Aliverti, Brent D., Brahmbhatt, Kintan D., Carlson, Adam, Dantzler, Jim L., Treder, Douglas M., Wilson, Brian M., Young, Kelvin C., Wyman, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tien M
• Application Number:
  US13/601,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20140068670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 725/40, 725/51
• US Class Current: 725/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for enhancing video content with extrinsic data. A video content feature is rendered on a display. A user interface is rendered on top of the video content feature on the display. The user interface presents cast member images, each of which corresponds to a cast member in the video content feature. A selection of a cast member image is obtained through the user interface. The user interface is updated to present additional information regarding the respective cast member corresponding to the selected image.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

at least one application executable in the at least one computing device, the at least one application comprising;

logic that renders a video content feature on a display;

logic that renders a user interface on top of the video content feature on the display, the user interface configured to present a plurality of cast member images, individual ones of the plurality of cast member images corresponding to a respective cast member in the video content feature;

logic that determines, for an individual cast member, whether a generic image of the individual cast member is available, the generic image depicting the individual cast member out of character;

logic that includes the generic image in the plurality of cast member images in response to determining that the generic image is available;

logic that includes a character image in the plurality of cast member images in response to determining that the generic image is not available, the character image being captured from the video content feature, the character image depicting a character played by the individual cast member in the video content feature;

logic that obtains a selection of one of the plurality of cast member images through the user interface; and

logic that updates the user interface to present additional information regarding the respective cast member corresponding to the selection of the one of the plurality of cast member images.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the additional information includes a biography of the respective cast member.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the additional information includes a quotation of a character in the video content feature corresponding to the respective cast member.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the additional information includes a plurality of additional images of the respective cast member, wherein the respective cast member is not performing a particular character in at least one of the plurality of additional images.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the additional information includes a plurality of indicia corresponding to a plurality of other video content features in which the respective cast member performs, and the at least one application further comprises logic that adds a selected one of the plurality of other video content features to a watch list associated with a user in response to a selection of a corresponding one of the plurality of indicia.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a component configured to initiate an order of an audio track corresponding to a portion of a soundtrack of the video content feature.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to present identifying information for an audio track employed in a current scene of the video content feature.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to present a respective character name for individual ones of the plurality of cast member images.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to present a respective cast member name for individual ones of the plurality of cast member images.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic that renders the video content feature as a picture-in-picture component of the user interface.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cast member images are presented in a scrollable viewport of the user interface, at least some of the plurality of cast member images being visible when the user interface is initially rendered.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the video content feature is partially visible when the user interface is rendered.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic that renders the user interface is configured to render the user interface in response to the video content feature being paused.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the logic that renders the user interface is configured to hide the user interface in response to the video content feature being resumed.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the display corresponds to a touchscreen display, and the logic that renders the user interface is configured to render the user interface in response to detecting a tap on the touchscreen display.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the logic that renders the user interface is configured to hide the user interface in response to detecting a subsequent tap on the touchscreen display.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cast member images correspond to all cast members performing in the video content feature.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cast member images correspond to all cast members performing in a current scene of the video content feature.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein a first one of the plurality of cast member images corresponds to a first cast member who visually performs a character in the current scene, and a second one of the plurality of cast member images corresponds to a second cast member who vocally performs the character in the current scene.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one application further comprises logic that determines the all cast members performing in the current scene as all cast members who have performed in the current scene up to a current time in the video content feature.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one application further comprises:

logic that determines a plurality of generic images for an individual cast member;

logic that selects a particular generic image of the plurality of generic images based at least in part on the video content feature; and

logic that includes the particular generic image that has been selected in the plurality of cast member images.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a component configured to initiate an order of an item depicted or discussed in a current scene of the video content feature.

23. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

at least one application executable in the at least one computing device, the at least one application comprising;

logic that renders a video content feature on a display;

logic that renders a user interface on top of the video content feature on the display, the user interface configured to present a plurality of cast member images, individual ones of the plurality of cast member images corresponding to a respective cast member in the video content feature;

logic that obtains a selection of one of the plurality of cast member images through the user interface;

logic that updates the user interface to present additional information regarding the respective cast member corresponding to the selection of the one of the plurality of cast member images; and

wherein at least two of the plurality of cast member images correspond to a single cast member, and individual ones of the at least two of the plurality of cast member images correspond to distinct characters in the video content feature.

24. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

at least one application executable in the at least one computing device, the at least one application comprising;

logic that renders a video content feature on a display;

logic that renders a user interface on top of the video content feature on the display, the user interface configured to present a plurality of cast member images, individual ones of the plurality of cast member images corresponding to a respective cast member from a plurality of cast members in the video content feature;

logic that determines a plurality of generic images for one of the plurality of cast members;

logic that selects a particular generic image from the plurality of generic images based at least in part on a comparison of a date associated with the particular generic image and a date associated with the video content feature;

logic that includes the particular generic image that has been selected in the plurality of cast member images;

logic that obtains a selection of one of the cast member images through the user interface; and

logic that updates the user interface to present additional information regarding the respective cast member corresponding to the selection of the one of the cast member images.

25. A method, comprising:

rendering, in at least one computing device, a video content feature on at least one display;

determining, in the at least one computing device, a current scene in the video content feature;

determining, in the at least one computing device, a set of cast members who perform in the current scene;

rendering, in the at least one computing device, a user interface on the at least one display, the user interface configured to present a plurality of cast member images, individual ones of the plurality of cast member images corresponding to a respective cast member of the set of cast members who perform in the current scene; and

wherein a first one of the plurality of cast member images corresponds to a first cast member who visually performs a character in the current scene, and a second one of the plurality of cast member images corresponds to a second cast member who vocally performs the character in the current scene.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the plurality of cast member images are presented in a scrollable viewport of the user interface, at least some of the plurality of cast member images being visible when the user interface is initially rendered.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the user interface at least partially obscures the video content feature on the at least one display.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

obtaining, in the at least one computing device, a selection of one of the plurality of cast member images through the user interface; and

updating, in the at least one computing device, the user interface to present additional information regarding the respective cast member corresponding to the one of the plurality of cast member images in response to the selection.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one display comprises a first display and a second display, the video content feature is rendered on the first display, and the user interface is rendered on the second display.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one computing device comprises a first computing device and a second computing device, the first computing device comprises the first display, and the second computing device comprises the second display.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

obtaining, in the first computing device, the video content feature from at least one server; and

determining, in the second computing device, the current scene by communicating with the at least one server.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising determining, in the second computing device, the current scene by communicating with the first computing device.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein at least two of the plurality of cast member images correspond to a single cast member, and individual ones of the at least two plurality of plurality of cast member images correspond to distinct characters in the video content feature.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining, in the at least one computing device, for an individual cast member, whether a generic image of the individual cast member is available, the generic image depicting the individual cast member out of character;

including, in the at least one computing device, the generic image in the plurality of cast member images in response to determining that the generic image is available; and

including, in the at least one computing device, a character image in the plurality of cast member images in response to determining that the generic image is not available, the character image being captured from the video content feature, the character image depicting a character played by the individual cast member in the video content feature.

35. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining, in the at least one computing device, a plurality of generic images for an individual cast member;

selecting, in the at least one computing device, a particular generic image of the plurality of generic images based at least in part on the video content feature; and

including, in the at least one computing device, the particular generic image that has been selected in the plurality of cast member images.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the particular generic image is selected further based at least in part on a comparison of a date associated with the particular generic image and a date associated with the video content feature.