Method and apparatus for replacement of audio data in recorded audio/video stream

• US 8,606,085 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Network LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Gratton, Max S.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, BRIAN F
• Application Number:
  US12/052,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20090238536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 386/96, 386/287, 725/28, 725/32, 725/138, 725/34, 348/468, 348/715, 348/718
• US Class Current: 386/285
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs 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 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• 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 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• 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

A method for replacing audio data within a recorded audio/video stream is presented. In the method, a first audio/video stream including audio data, video data, and supplemental data is stored. Location information is received which references the supplemental data to identify a location within the first audio/video stream. The location information is received in a data file separately from the first audio/video stream. Also received is an audio data segment. At least a portion of the audio data of the first audio/video stream is replaced at the identified location with the audio data segment to produce a second audio/video stream. At least a portion of the second audio/video stream is then transferred for presentation.

Claims

1. A method for replacing audio data within a recorded audio/video stream, the method comprising:

storing a first audio/video stream, wherein the first audio/video stream comprises audio data, video data, and closed captioning text data associated with the audio data;

receiving a first audio data segment;

receiving multiple sets of location information in one or more data files separately from the first audio/video stream, wherein the multiple sets of location information convey multiple unique text strings, each of the unique text strings selected from the closed captioning text data, and wherein each of the unique text strings is accompanied, in the one or more data files, with a corresponding offset value relative to a beginning location of the unique text string, and wherein each of the unique text strings is used to identify a different first respective location within the first audio/video stream, and wherein the different first respective location is offset by the corresponding offset value to indicate an identified location in the first audio/video stream, such that each unique text string and its accompanying offset value, in each of the multiple sets of location information, redundantly indicates the same identified location;

replacing, based on the multiple sets of location information, at least a portion of the audio data of the first audio/video stream at the identified location with the first audio data segment to produce a second audio/video stream; and

transferring at least a portion of the second audio/video stream for presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before transferring the portion of the second audio/video stream, storing the second audio/video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data files are received after completing reception of the first audio/video stream.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second audio data segment; and

receiving a selection of one of the first audio data segment and the second audio data segment;

wherein replacing the portion of the audio data of the first audio/video stream is performed with either the first audio data segment or the second audio data segment according to the selection.

5. A method for replacing audio data within a contiguous block of audio/video data, comprising:

transmitting a contiguous block of audio/video data over a communication network to a receiving device, wherein the contiguous block comprises audio data, video data, and closed captioning text data associated with the audio data;

storing the contiguous block at the receiving device;

transmitting an audio data segment over the communication network to the receiving device;

transmitting multiple sets of location information over the communication network to the receiving device in multiple data files separately from the contiguous block such that each set of location information is transmitted separately, wherein each set of location information includes a respective text string associated with the closed captioning text data for one or more video data frames of the contiguous block and also includes a corresponding offset value that accompanies the respective text string and is relative to a beginning location of the respective text string, and wherein the respective text string is used to indicate a unique first location within the contiguous block, and wherein the unique first location is offset by the corresponding offset value to indicate an identified location within the contiguous block, such that each text string and its accompanying offset value, in each of the multiple sets of location information, redundantly indicates the same identified location;

replacing at least a portion of the audio data of the contiguous block at the identified location with the audio data segment to yield a second contiguous block; and

transferring at least a portion of the second contiguous block from the receiving device to a display device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving device comprises one of a terrestrial television receiver, a cable television receiver, a satellite television receiver, and a computer.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication network comprises at least one of a terrestrial television network, a cable television network, a satellite television network, a wide area network, and a local area network.

8. A receiving device for replacing audio data within a recorded audio/video stream, the receiving device comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a first audio/video stream, an audio data segment, and multiple sets of location information, wherein the first audio/video stream comprises audio data, video data, and closed captioning text data, and wherein each set of the location information is received in a different data file and separate from the first audio/video stream, and wherein each set of location information includes a different unique text string associated with the closed captioning text data for one or more video frames of the first audio/video stream, and wherein each unique text string is used to identify a different location within the first audio/video stream, and each unique text string accompanied with its own offset value in the corresponding set of location information, the offset value relative to a beginning location of the respective unique text string, wherein the different location is offset by the offset value to indicate an identified location in the first audio/video stream such that each unique text string and its accompanying offset value, in each set of the location information, redundantly indicates the same identified location;

a storage unit configured to store the first audio/video stream and the audio data segment;

an audio/video interface configured to transmit audio/video streams to a display device; and

control logic configured to replace at least a portion of the audio data of the first audio/video stream at the identified location with the audio data segment to produce a second audio/video stream, and transfer at least a portion of the second audio/video stream to the audio/video interface.

9. The receiving device of claim 8, wherein the control logic is configured to store the second audio/video stream in the storage unit.

10. The receiving device of claim 8, further comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input;

wherein the control logic is configured to transfer the second audio/video stream to the audio/video interface based on the user input.

11. The receiving device of claim 8, further comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input;

wherein the communication interface is configured to receive a second audio data segment;

wherein the storage unit is configured to store the second audio data segment; and

wherein the control logic is configured to replace the portion of the audio data of the first audio/video stream at the identified location plus the offset with either the first audio data segment or the second audio data segment based on the user input.

12. The receiving device of claim 8, further comprising the display device.