System and method for content-based navigation of live and recorded TV and video programs

• US 9,042,703 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gibbon, David Crawford, Liu, Zhu, Shahraray, Behzad
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, HUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US11/263,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20070098350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,494 Days
• Field of Search: 386/69, 386/83, 386/124, 386239-248, 386291-299
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3081 used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P)
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/44008 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor

Abstract

A system, method and computer-readable medium are presented for providing real-time content-based navigation of live video programming. The video programming is received and a searchable database is generated. The method aspect of the invention comprises receiving a live video program, generating an index to the received live video program by extracting images and/or text from the video program, recording the live video program, presenting at least a portion of data associated with the generated index to a user, receiving user input regarding a search to a portion of the recorded video program to which the user desires to navigate and playing back the recorded video program starting at the searched portion identified by the user input. The search may be of an image and/or text portion of the presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a broadcast video program from a first source;

recording the broadcast video program, to yield a recorded video program;

performing an analysis of images and text associated with the recorded video program, to generate a content-based index, wherein the content-based index;

is generated independent of index information transmitted with the broadcast video program; and

is generated by combining extracted images and the text from the recorded video program with network-based content provided by an external source, the network-based content being transmitted separately from the broadcast video program;

automatically, via a processor and without user input, supplementing the content-based index with the network-based content as the content-based index is generated, wherein the network-based content is from a second source that is distinct from the first source and the external source;

presenting a search field, wherein presenting of the search field occurs on a first computing device different from a second computing device which displays the broadcast video program, wherein the first computing device is a hand-held device comprising a touch-sensitive screen;

receiving user input in the search field, the user input describing one of an item and an activity;

searching the content-based index to identify a location in the recorded video program associated with the user input; and

playing back the recorded video program starting at the location on the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-based content accompanies the broadcast video program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when a plurality of portions of the broadcast video program match the user input, then presenting the location to the user further comprises presenting the plurality of portions; and

playing back the recorded video program starting at the location is in response to a user selection from the plurality of portions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the content-based index further comprises generating a searchable database of the images and the text from the broadcast video program and one of:

a content-based sampling module to extract images, a textual module to extract text, and an automatic speech recognition module to extract text.

5. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a broadcast video program from a first source;

recording the broadcast video program, to yield a recorded video program;

performing an analysis of images and text associated with the recorded video program, to generate a content-based index, wherein the content-based index;

is generated independent of index information transmitted with the broadcast video program; and

is generated by combining extracted images and the text from the recorded video program with network-based content provided by an external source, the network-based content being transmitted separately from the broadcast video program;

automatically, via a processor and without user input, supplementing the content-based index with the network-based content as the content-based index is generated, wherein the network-based content is from a second source that is distinct from the first source and the external source;

presenting a search field, wherein presenting of the search field occurs on a first computing device different from a second computing device which displays the broadcast video program, wherein the first computing device is a hand-held device comprising a touch-sensitive screen;

receiving user input in the search field, the user input describing one of an item and an activity;

searching the content-based index to identify a location in the recorded video program associated with the user input; and

playing back the recorded video program on the second computing device starting at the location.

6. The system of claim 5, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in the operations further comprising:

when a plurality of portions of the broadcast video program match the user input, presenting of the location further comprises presenting the plurality of portions.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein performing the analysis further comprises using one of:

a content-based sampling module to extract images, a textual module to extract text, and an automatic speech recognition module to extract text.

8. A computer-readable device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a broadcast video program from a first source;

recording the broadcast video program, to yield a recorded video program;

performing an analysis of images and text associated with the recorded video program, to generate a content-based index, wherein the content-based index;

is generated independent of index information transmitted with the broadcast video program; and

is generated by combining extracted images and the text from the recorded video program with network-based content provided by an external source, the network-based content being transmitted separately from the broadcast video program;

automatically, via a processor and without user input, supplementing the content-based index with the network-based content as the content-based index is generated, wherein the network-based content is from a second source that is distinct from the first source and the external source;

presenting a search field, wherein presenting of the search field occurs on a first computing device different from a second computing device which displays the broadcast video program, wherein the first computing device is a hand-held device comprising a touch-sensitive screen;

receiving user input in the search field, the user input describing one of an item and an activity;

searching the content-based index to identify a location in the recorded video program associated with the user input; and

playing back the recorded video program starting at the location on the second device.

9. The computer-readable device of claim 8, wherein:

when a plurality of portions of the broadcast video program match the user input, then presenting the location to the user further comprises presenting the plurality of portions; and

playing back the recorded video program starting at the location is in response to a user selection from the plurality of portions.

10. The computer-readable device of claim 8, wherein generating the content-based index further comprises generating a searchable database of images and text from the broadcast video program and one of:

a content-based sampling module to extract images, a textual module to extract text and an automatic speech recognition module to extract text.