Thumbnail generation and presentation for recorded TV programs

• US 9,355,684 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: DeYonker, Aaron, Fong, Jeffrey C., Jule, Todd San, Kong, Zhike, Lin, Bin, Mulye, Nishad, Schrader, Joseph Alton, Taylor, Thomas H., Zou, Xinli
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US14/732,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/327 Table of contents
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/44008 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 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• 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

Abstract

Thumbnail images representative of recorded TV programs are generated and presented to aid a user in browsing the recorded TV programs. In one implementation, a temporary thumbnail image is generated when a TV program first starts recording. The temporary thumbnail is used to populate any user interface (UI) screens that reference the recoded TV program. Once the TV program has reached a threshold amount of recording (e.g., a prescribed duration of recording, or completion of the recording), a permanent thumbnail image is generated and associated with the TV program. The permanent thumbnail is then presented in any subsequent UI screens, replacing the temporary thumbnail. In another implementation, display of the thumbnail images in the UI screens may be further controlled by setting preferences, such as parental controls.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recording, at a client device, media content;

generating from the media content, during an initial recording of the media content and before a recorded portion of the media content exceeds a threshold portion of the media content, a temporary thumbnail representative of the media content from a frame in the media content;

presenting, by the client device, the temporary thumbnail within an electronic program guide (EPG) listing;

determining, by the client device, that the recorded portion of the media content exceeds the threshold portion of the media content;

generating from the recorded portion of the media content, a permanent thumbnail representative of the recorded portion of the media content based at least in part on selecting a representative frame in the recorded portion of the media content; and

presenting, by the client device, the permanent thumbnail within the EPG listing instead of the temporary thumbnail.

2. A method as claim 1 recites, further comprising selecting the representative frame based at least in part on a scene analysis of the recorded portion of the media content.

3. A method as claim 1 recites, wherein the generating the temporary thumbnail is based at least in part on selecting a particular frame in a beginning portion of the media content.

4. A method as claim 1 recites, wherein the frame and the representative frame are different frames of the media content.

5. A method as claim 1 recites, further comprising presenting a plurality of thumbnails within the EPG listing that correspond to a plurality of media contents that are at least partially recorded.

6. A method as claim 1 recites, further comprising caching at least one of the temporary thumbnail or the permanent thumbnail.

7. A method as claim 1 recites, wherein at least one of the temporary thumbnail or the permanent thumbnail is dynamic.

8. A method as claim 1 recites, further comprising:

associating the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail with a content rating that is subject to a preference setting;

presenting the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail in an event that the preference setting for the associated content rating permits viewing; and

preventing presentation of the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail in an event that the preference setting for the associated content rating does not permit viewing.

9. A method as claim 3 recites, wherein the particular frame is a first non-black frame in the media content.

10. A method as claim 5 recites, further comprising enabling a user to browse the plurality of media contents that are at least partially recorded by navigating the plurality of thumbnails.

11. A computer storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer storage device to:

generate, during an initial recording of media content, a temporary thumbnail representative of the media content from a frame in a first portion of recoded media content;

present the temporary thumbnail within an electronic program guide (EPG) user interface as an identifier of the media content;

determine that the recorded media content exceeds a threshold portion of the media content;

generate a permanent thumbnail that is representative of the recorded media content based at least in part on selecting a representative frame in a second portion of the recorded media content; and

present the permanent thumbnail within the EPG listing instead of the temporary thumbnail as the identifier of the media content.

12. A computer storage device as claim 11 recites wherein the first portion of recoded media content and the second portion of the recoded media content are different portions of the recorded media content.

13. A computer storage device as claim 11 recites, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer storage device to:

present a plurality of thumbnails within the EPG user interface that correspond to a plurality of media contents; and

enable a user to browse the plurality of media contents by navigating the plurality of thumbnails.

14. A computer storage device as claim 11 recites, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer storage device to cache at least one of the temporary thumbnail or the permanent thumbnail.

15. A computer storage device as claim 11 recites, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer storage device to:

associate the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail with a content rating that is subject to a preference setting; and

prevent presentation of the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail in an event that the preference setting for the associated content rating does not permit viewing.

16. A device comprising:

a memory device to store the media content;

a processor; and

the computer storage device as claim 11 recites, operatively coupled to the processor so that when the processor executes the computer-executable instructions, the device generates the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail from the recorded portion of the media content stored in the memory device.

17. A device comprising:

a recorder to record media content onto a recording medium; and

a thumbnail generator to;

form a temporary thumbnail representative of the media content from a frame in a first portion of recoded media content before a threshold portion of the media content has been recorded;

determine that the recorded media content exceeds the threshold portion of the media content;

select a representative frame in a second portion of the recorded media content that is representative of the media content; and

form a permanent thumbnail based at least in part on selecting the representative frame; and

an electronic program guide (EPG) user interface to present the temporary thumbnail until the permanent thumbnail is formed and thereafter present the permanent thumbnail instead of the temporary thumbnail as identifiers of the media content.

18. A device as claim 17 recites, further comprising a cache to store the temporary thumbnail and the permanent thumbnail.

19. A device as claim 17 recites, wherein selecting the representative frame is based at least in part on a scene analysis that is performed on a plurality of frames corresponding to the recorded media content to select a particular frame of the plurality of frames based at least in part on metadata associated with the media content.

20. A device as claim 17 recites, wherein the permanent thumbnail comprises:

a still image corresponding to the representative frame;

or

a dynamic image, the dynamic image comprising at least one image corresponding to the representative frame and one or more additional images that are played in a continuous loop to cause the permanent thumbnail to appear animated.