Transfer of metadata using video frames

• US 7,991,271 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Nigar
• Application Number:
  US11/706,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20080199150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386 45- 46, 386/109, 386/111, 386/326, 386/329, 386/343
• US Class Current: 386/326
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An automated method of attaching metadata to a segment of content using a programmed processor consistent with certain embodiments involves retrieving metadata relating to the segment of content; rendering the metadata as visually perceptible text in one or more frames of video; appending the one or more frames of video to the video as the first one or more frames of the video to produce metadata enhanced video; and storing or transmitting the metadata enhanced video. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. An automated method of using metadata in a segment of content using a programmed processor, comprising:

retrieving metadata relating to the segment of content;

rendering the metadata as visually perceptible text in one or more frames of MPEG-2 compliant video frames, wherein the metadata stored in the first frame is stored adjacent descriptive keywords;

appending at least first and second frames of video to the video as the first and second frames of the video to produce metadata enhanced video;

wherein the first frame of metadata contains human usable information about the content, and wherein the second frame of metadata includes playback parameters of the content;

wherein the metadata stored in the first frame is stored adjacent descriptive keywords; and

storing or transmitting the metadata enhanced video.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first frame of video contains metadata representing one or more of the following:

Title, Producer, Actors, Channel, Time, First Broadcast, Duration, Rating, Critique, Recording Time, Closed Captioning, Subtitle, Release Year, Genre, and Description.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the keywords comprise one or more of the following:

Title, Producer, Actors, Channel, Time, First Broadcast, Duration, Rating, Critique, Recording Time, Closed Captioning, Subtitle, Release Year, Genre, and Description.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second frame of video contains metadata representing one or more of the following:

video codec, video format, video bit rate, frame rate, Interlace, audio codec, audio bit rate, DRM, Licensing Authority and Copyright Notice.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the keywords comprise one or more of the following:

video codec, video format, video bit rate, frame rate, Interlace, audio codec, audio bit rate, DRM, Licensing Authority, Copyright Notice.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising extracting the metadata at a recipient device by carrying out an OCR process on the first and second video frames.