Determining channel associated with video stream

• US 20050177847A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Inventors: Konig, Richard, Lienhart, Rainer W.
• Application Number:
  US11/067,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177847A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/785 using colour or luminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/46 Extracting features or characteristics from the video content, e.g. video fingerprints, representative shots or key frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/48 Matching video sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 : for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method of determining a channel associated with a video stream. The method includes receiving a video stream and identifying a portion of the video stream containing information relevant to channel identification. The identified portion of the video stream is analyzed to determine the channel associated with the video stream.

Claims

1. A method of determining a channel associated with a video stream, the method comprising:

receiving a video stream;

identifying a portion of the video stream containing information relevant to channel identification; and

analyzing the identified portion of the video stream to determine a channel associated with the video stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving includes receiving a non-digital video stream and further comprising digitizing the video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyzing includes comparing the identified portion of the video stream to stored channel identification information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyzing includes:

generating a statistical parameterized representation of the identified portion of the video stream; and

comparing the statistical parameterized representation of the identified portion of the video stream to at least one fingerprint, wherein each of the at least one fingerprint includes associated statistical parameterized representations of known channel identification information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the statistical parameterized representation is a color coherence vector.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the statistical parameterized representation is a color histogram.

7. The method of claim 4, where the statistical parameterized representation is an evenly or randomly subsampled representation of an image of the video stream.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified portion is a channel logo.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified portion is a channel banner.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified portion is a short clip within the video stream that reinforces channel branding.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying includes analyzing the video stream for indications that a channel change began or is about to begin.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the analyzing includes detecting several mostly monochrome images in a row.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining differences between expected location and dimensions of the video stream and the actual location and dimensions of the video stream, wherein said identifying and said analyzing take into account the differences.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the differences are determined during system start up.

15. A system for determining a channel associated with a video stream, the system comprising:

a receiver to receive a video stream; and

a processor to

identify a portion of the video stream relevant to channel identification;

create a fingerprint of the portion of the video stream; and

compare the fingerprint of the portion of the video stream against a library of stored fingerprints associated with channel identifications to determine a channel associated with the video stream.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said processor creates a fingerprint that includes at least some subset of color coherence vectors, color histograms, and evenly or randomly subsampled representation for the portion of the video stream.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said processor identifies a portion of the video stream relevant to channel identification that is at least some subset of a channel logo, a channel banner, or a short clip within the video stream that reinforces channel branding.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said processor identifies a channel change.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said processor determines differences between expected location and dimensions of the video stream and the actual location and dimensions of the video stream and uses the differences when identifying a portion.

20. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for determining a channel associated with a video stream, when enabled by a computer readable instruction the computer program:

receiving a video stream;

identifying a portion of the video stream relevant to channel identification;

creating a fingerprint of the portion of the video stream;

comparing the fingerprint of the portion of the video stream against a library of stored fingerprints associated with channel identifications to determine a channel associated with the video stream.

21. The computer program of claim 20, wherein said creating includes generating at least some subset of color coherence vectors, color histograms, and evenly or randomly subsampled representation for the portion of the video stream.

22. The computer program of claim 20, wherein said identifying includes identifying at least some subset of a channel logo, a channel banner, or a short clip within the video stream that reinforces channel branding.

23. The computer program of claim 20, wherein said identifying includes identifying a channel change.

24. The computer program of claim 20, wherein said computer program determines differences between expected location and dimensions of the video stream and the actual location and dimensions of the video stream and uses the differences when identifying a portion.

25. A method of determining a channel associated with a video stream, the method comprising:

receiving a video stream;

calculating features for the incoming video stream;

comparing the calculated features to features for known channels; and

associating the video stream with a channel having same features.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said calculating includes calculating at least some subset of color coherence vectors, color histograms, and evenly or randomly subsampled representations for the portion of the video stream.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said calculating includes calculating shot detection, shot duration and shot boundary.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising

tracking detection of advertisement breaks within the video stream;

and

comparing timing of the advertisement breaks in video stream to timing of advertisement breaks in known channels.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said associating includes associating the video stream with a channel having same features and comparable advertisement break timing.

30. A method of determining a channel associated with a video stream, the method comprising:

receiving a video stream;

tracking detection of advertisement breaks within the video stream;

comparing timing of the advertisement breaks in video stream to timing of advertisement breaks in known channels; and

associating the video steam to a channel having advertisement breaks at similar times.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising

calculating a fingerprint for the incoming video stream;

comparing the incoming video stream fingerprint to a database of fingerprints for known video entities;

identifying the incoming video stream with a known video entity when the know video entity fingerprint and the incoming video stream fingerprint meet a threshold level of similarity.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said associating includes associating the video stream with a channel based on known video entity fingerprint identification and comparable advertisement break times.