System and method for providing an interactive, visual complement to an audio program

• US 8,769,602 B1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Music Choice
• Original Assignee: Music Choice
• Inventors: Del Beccaro, David J., Farber, Stuart H., Giannetti, Kelley L., O'Neill, Donna M., Rosenberg, Jeremy C., Steinberg, Robert M., Tancredi, Christina B., Yurman, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, NGOC K
• Application Number:
  US13/082,791
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/231, 725/32, 725/36, 725143-145, 725/14
• US Class Current: 725/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/86 Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video

Abstract

A system and method for providing an interactive, visual complement to one or more audio programs. In one aspect, the system comprises an audio subsystem for generating an audio signal corresponding to a sound recording. The system also comprises a video subsystem for generating a video image specification based, at least in part, on the sound recording. In one aspect, the audio signal and video image specification are transmitted to an audio/video signal transmission system. The transmission system receives the video image specification and generates a video signal that conforms to the video image specification. The video signal and the audio signal are transmitted to at least one consumer receiver. In this way, the system provides a visual complement to an audio program.

Claims

1. A method for providing a visual complement to an audio stream, comprising:

transmitting, from a first transmission system to a second transmission system, audio data corresponding to a sound recording; and

transmitting a data packet comprising a video image specification while the audio data is being transmitted, wherein the video image specification specifies one or more media asset identifiers, each of which identifies one or more media assets, one or more of said media asset identifiers identifying a media asset associated with the sound recording, said data packet further comprising sound recording information associated with the sound recording, the sound recording information comprising one or more of the title of the sound recording and the name of the artist who recorded the sound recording, wherein

the step of transmitting the data packet comprises transmitting the data packet to a system comprising a video image generator, wherein the video image generator is configured to generate a video image using the video image specification and the system is configured to provide the generated video image to a device that is operable to display the video image to a user of the device, and wherein the video image generator is configured to generate the video image by retrieving the media assets identified in the video image specification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises an audio/video receiver coupled to the audio/video device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after transmitting the first data packet to the system and while audio data corresponding to the sound recording is still being transmitted, transmitting a second data packet to the system, the second data packet comprises a video image specification that specifies a visual complement for the channel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the sound recording prior to transmitting, from the first transmission system to the second transmission system, said audio data; and

in response to selecting said sound recording, transmitting to a video subsystem a trigger message, wherein the trigger message comprises an identifier associated with said selected sound recording.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the video subsystem is configured to generate a video image specification based, at least in part, on pre-defined configuration data and information included in the trigger message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the video subsystem is configured to generate the video image specification in response to receiving the trigger message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, for at least one media asset identifier specified by the video image specification, the video image specification specifies a screen location that is associated with said media asset identifier.

8. A system for providing a visual complement to an audio service, the system comprising:

an audio subsystem configured to store a playlist for an audio channel of the audio service; and

a first transmission system configured to transmit to a second transmission system audio data corresponding to a sound recording specified in the playlist; and

a video image generator configured to;

i) receive, while the sound recording is being transmitted, a video image specification that specifies one or more media asset identifiers that identify one or more media assets, the one or more media assets being associated with the sound recording that is being transmitted, and sound recording information associated with the sound recording, the sound recording information comprising one or more of the title of the sound recording and the name of the artist who recorded the sound recording, and

ii) generate a video image using the media assets identified in the video image specification, wherein

the first transmission system is further configured to transmit to the second transmission system the generated video image multiplexed with the audio data corresponding to the sound recording, wherein

the system further comprises a video subsystem,

the audio subsystem is configured to i) retrieve the audio data corresponding to the sound recording prior to the first transmission system transmitting said audio data and ii) provide to the video subsystem a trigger message comprising an identifier associated with said sound recording.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the video subsystem is configured to i) generate the video image specification based, at least in part, on pre-defined configuration data and information included in the trigger message and ii) provide the video image specification to the video image generator.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the video subsystem is configured to generate the video image specification in response to receiving the trigger message.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein, for at least one media asset identifier specified by the video image specification, the video image specification specifies a screen location that is associated with said media asset identifier.