Methods and apparatus for providing video with embedded media

• US 8,977,110 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Pradeep, Anantha, Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/570,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20120301120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 386/278, 386/280, 386/281, 386/323, 386/324, 386/326, 386/343, 386/345, 386/347, 725/32, 725/34
• US Class Current: 386/278
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing video with embedded media are disclosed. An example method includes dividing an image comprising a number of pixels into a number of portions, each portion including less than all of the pixels of the image, and blending respective ones of the portions with different video frames of a stream of video frames comprising a host presentation, wherein the media reaches a discernibility threshold when the host presentation is played at an accelerated rate.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

dividing an image comprising a number of pixels into a number of portions, each portion including less than all of the pixels of the image; and

blending respective ones of the portions with different video frames of a stream of video frames comprising a host presentation, wherein the image reaches a discernibility threshold when the host presentation is played at an accelerated rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of portions is equal to the accelerated rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of portions is equal to a multiple or a fraction of the accelerated rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerated rate is one of a fast forward or a rewind.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the different video frames are separated by intermediate video frames.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the image comprises evenly dividing the image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the portions are blended into a visible component of the video frame, the visible component being viewable by a viewer during normal playback.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portions, when viewed at the accelerated rate provide a summary of the host presentation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a subset of the pixels in a first one of the portions are also present in a second one of the portions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the image comprises randomly selecting the pixels of each portion.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the image comprises intelligently selecting the pixels of each portion.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein blending the portions into the video frames comprises intelligently selecting the portions of the video frames to blend.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising intelligently selecting at least one of a color, a contrast, a brightness, a hue, or a saturation of one of the portions based on corresponding image attributes of the video frame into which the one of the portions is blended.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the portions collectively include substantially all of the pixels of the image.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of portions equals a standard accelerated fast forward rate.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerated rate is x and each portion includes 1/x a total number of pixels in the image.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the accelerated rate is x and a number of the portions is x.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of portions is eight and each portion includes approximately one-sixth a total number of pixels in the image.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein individual pixels are adjusted for at least one of hue, saturation or value to blend the pixels in the video.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the image does not reach the discernibility threshold when the video is played at normal speed.

21. A method, comprising:

dividing media into a number of portions, the number of portions being equal to an expected fast forward rate, each portion including less than all pixels of the media; and

blending respective ones of the portions with corresponding video frames of a stream of video frames comprising a host presentation, wherein the media reaches a discernibility threshold when the host presentation is played at the fast forward rate.

22. A system, comprising:

a processor to divide pixels of media into a number of subsets, each subset including less than all the pixels of the media; and

an encoder to blend the subsets with respective ones of video frames of a stream of video frames comprising a host presentation, wherein the media reaches a discernibility threshold when the host presentation is played at an accelerated rate.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the number of subsets is equal to the accelerated rate.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the number of subsets is equal to a multiple or a fraction of the accelerated rate.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the accelerated rate is one of a fast forward or a rewind.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the video frames into which respective portions of the media are blended are separated by intermediate video frames.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor is to evenly divide the media into the subsets.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the encoder is to blend the pixels into a visible component of the video frame, the visible component being viewable by a viewer during normal playback.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the subsets, when viewed at the accelerated rate provide a summary of the host presentation.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein one or more pixels in a first subset are also present in a second subset.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the media does not reach the discernibility threshold when the video is played at normal speed.

32. A machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions, which when read, cause a machine to at least:

divide an image comprising a number of pixels into a number of portions, each portion including less than all of the pixels of the image; and

blend respective ones of the portions with different video frames of a stream of video frames comprising a host presentation, wherein the image reaches a discernibility threshold when the host presentation is played at an accelerated rate.

33. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the number of portions is equal to the accelerated rate.

34. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the number of portions is equal to a multiple or a fraction of the accelerated rate.

35. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the accelerated rate is one of a fast forward or a rewind.

36. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the different video frames are separated by intermediate video frames.

37. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the instructions cause the machine to evenly divide the image.

38. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the instructions cause the machine to blend the portions into a visible component of the video frame, the visible component being viewable by a viewer during normal playback.

39. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the portions, when viewed at the accelerated rate provide a summary of the host presentation.

40. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein a subset of the pixels of a first one of the portions are also present in a second one of the portions.

41. The storage device or storage disk of claim 32, wherein the image does not reach the discernibility threshold when the video is played at normal speed.