Automatic playback overshoot correction system

• US 9,386,336 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Stam, Wijnand, Vallone, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/273,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20090136203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,785 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• 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: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An automatic playback overshoot correction system predicts the position in the program material where the user expects to be when the user stops the fast forward progression of the program material. The system determines the position where the program material was stopped and transitions to the new mode that the user selected, starting at the stopped position with an overshoot correction factor subtracted from it. The system uses a prediction method to correctly place the user within the program upon transition out of fast forward mode and determines if the speed of the fast forward mode and then automatically subtracts a time multiple to the frame where the transition was detected and positions the user at the correct frame. The time multiple is fine tuned if the user is consistently correcting after the fast forward mode stops.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first command;

playing audio or video program material based on the first command;

fast forwarding through the program material based on a second command;

terminating fast forward progression through the program material based on a third command;

detecting a current position in the program material where the termination occurred;

determining a positional offset that is an estimate of user reaction time where the user recognizes an audio or video passage being played during fast forward progression and reacts to issue the third command;

calculating a new position in the program material to compensate for a difference between the current position and a predicted termination point in the program material by subtracting the positional offset from the current position; and

playing the program material starting at the new position based on the third user command;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating step adapts to prior positional corrections to calculate the new position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a selected speed of the fast forward progression.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a measurement of a user'"'"'s reaction time.

5. A method for automatically correcting playback position within an audio or video program'"'"'s material after a user terminates a fast forward progression through the program material, comprising:

receiving a command;

terminating fast forward progression through the program material based on the command;

detecting a current position in the program material where the termination occurred;

determining a positional offset that is an estimate of user reaction time where the user recognizes an audio or video passage being played during fast forward progression and reacts to issue the command;

calculating a new position in the program material to compensate for a difference between the current position and a predicted termination point in the program material by subtracting the positional offset from the current position; and

playing the program material starting at the new position;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the calculating step adapts to prior positional corrections to calculate the new position.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a selected speed of the fast forward progression.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a measurement of a user'"'"'s reaction time.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiving subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives a first command;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that plays audio or video program material based on the first command;

a fast forward subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that fast forwards through the program material based on a second command;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that terminates fast forward progression through the program material based on a third command;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that detects a current position in the program material where the termination occurred;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that determines a positional offset that is an estimate of user reaction time where the user recognizes an audio or video passage being played during fast forward progression and reacts to issue the third command;

a calculation subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that calculates a new position in the program material to compensate for a difference between the current position and a predicted termination point in the program material by subtracting the positional offset from the current position; and

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that plays the program material starting at the new position based on the third command.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the calculation subsystem adapts to prior positional corrections to calculate the new position.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the calculation subsystem calculates the new position based on a selected speed of the fast forward progression.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the calculation subsystem calculates the new position based on a measurement of a user'"'"'s reaction time.

13. An apparatus for automatically correcting the playback position within an audio or video program'"'"'s material after a user terminates a fast forward progression through the program material, comprising:

a receiving subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that receives a command;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that terminates fast forward progression through the program material based on the command;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that detects a current position in the program material where the termination occurred;

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that determines a positional offset that is an estimate of user reaction time where the user recognizes an audio or video passage being played during fast forward progression and reacts to issue the command;

an overshoot correction subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that calculates a new position in the program material to compensate for a difference between the current position and a predicted termination point in the program material by subtracting the positional offset from the current position; and

a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that plays the program material starting at the new position.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the overshoot correction subsystem adapts to prior positional corrections to calculate the new position.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the overshoot correction subsystem calculates the new position based on a selected speed of the fast forward progression.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the overshoot correction subsystem calculates the new position based on a measurement of a user'"'"'s reaction time.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receiving a first command;

playing audio or video program material based on the first command;

fast forwarding through the program material based on a second command;

terminating fast forward progression through the program material based on a third command;

detecting current position in the program material where the termination occurred;

determining a positional offset that is an estimate of user reaction time where the user recognizes an audio or video passage being played during fast forward progression and reacts to issue the third command;

calculating a new position in the program material to compensate for a difference between the current position and a predicted termination point in the program material by subtracting the positional offset from the current position; and

playing the program material starting at the new position based on the third command.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the calculating step adapts to prior positional corrections to calculate the new position.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a selected speed of the fast forward progression.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a measurement of a user'"'"'s reaction time.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for automatically correcting the playback position within an audio or video program'"'"'s material after a user terminates a fast forward progression through the program material, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a command;

terminating fast forward progression through the program material based on the command;

detecting a current position in the program material where the termination occurred;

determining a positional offset that is an estimate of user reaction time where the user recognizes an audio or video passage being played during fast forward progression and reacts to issue the command;

calculating a new position in the program material to compensate for a difference between the current position and a predicted termination point in the program material by subtracting the positional offset from the current position; and

playing the program material starting at the new position.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the calculating step adapts to prior positional corrections to calculate the new position.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a selected speed of the fast forward progression.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the calculating step calculates the new position based on a measurement of a user'"'"'s reaction time.