System and method for metamorphic content generation

• US 8,839,287 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weerasinghe, Srilal
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US12/797,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/36
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network device having a controller programmed to receive a video program in an editable digital format having a repetitive portion that plays every time the video program is played; store video content used in modifying the repetitive portion of the video program; store descriptor files containing instructions for modifying the repetitive portion; and automatically morph the repetitive portion using the video content based on the instructions, the automatic morphing being performed for each instance the repetitive portion is presented. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a memory that stores executable computer instructions; and

a controller comprising a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, facilitates performance of operations comprising;

receiving a video program in an editable digital format having a repetitive portion that plays every time the video program is played;

storing video content used in modifying the repetitive portion of the video program;

storing descriptor files containing instructions to modify the repetitive portion after each viewing of the repetitive portion that plays every time the video program is played;

modifying a first portion of an image of the repetitive portion while leaving another portion of the image of the repetitive portion unmodified, resulting in a first modified repetitive portion of the video program based on the instructions, wherein the modifying of the first portion of the image of the repetitive portion is performed for a first instance the repetitive portion is presented;

modifying a second portion of the image of the repetitive portion while leaving another portion of the image of the repetitive portion unmodified, resulting in a second modified repetitive portion of the video program based on the instructions, wherein the modifying of the second portion of the image of the repetitive portion is different from the modifying of the first portion of the image of the repetitive portion and is performed for a second successive instance the repetitive portion is presented; and

modifying differently one of the first portion of the image of the repetitive portion, the second portion of the image of the repetitive portion, or a third portion of the image of the repetitive portion, while leaving another portion of the image of the repetitive portion unmodified for every each of successive instances the repetitive portion is presented, causing different changes to the repetitive portion for every each of the successive instances the repetitive portion is presented.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the video program is one of an advertisement, a serial series program, or a combination thereof.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise formatting the video program and each of the first and second modified repetitive portions for a target device selected from a group consisting of:

a digital television having set-top box functionality;

a digital television coupled to a set-top box;

a mobile display device;

a digital video receiver;

a computer with an internet connection;

a personal digital assistant;

a cellular phone; and

combinations thereof.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise detecting pre-defined objects from the video program and replacing the pre-defined objects.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise extracting modification instructions from the descriptor files and modifying each of the first and second portions of the image of the repetitive portion of the video program according to the modification instructions.

6. The network device of claim 5, wherein the modifying of a respective portion of the image of the repetitive portion of the video program occurs after each presentation using frame substitution, wherein frames are replaced in accordance with the instructions in the descriptor file using substitute video frames.

7. The network device of claim 5, wherein the modifying of a respective portion of the image of the repetitive portion of the video program occurs after each viewing using frame substitution, wherein frames are further modified in accordance with the instructions in the descriptor file by rearranging a sequence of frames in the repetitive portion.

8. The network device of claim 5, wherein the modifying of a respective portion of the image of the repetitive portion of the video program occurs after each viewing in accordance with instructions in the descriptor file describing a change in color in a portion of the image of the repetitive portion.

9. The network device of claim 5, wherein the descriptor files include instructions to modify audio in the repetitive portion.

10. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device is a server in communication with a set-top box.

11. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device is a set-top box having an interface to an internet protocol television network.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving a video program having at least a repetitive portion that is repeatedly presented each time the video program is presented on a channel;

modifying the repetitive portion after an initial presentation of the repetitive portion with the video program, wherein the modifying of the repetitive portion comprises modifying a first portion of an image of the repetitive portion while leaving another portion of the image of the repetitive portion unmodified, resulting in a first modified video content; and

further modifying the repetitive portion after each subsequent presentation of the repetitive portion with the video program, wherein the further modifying of the repetitive portion comprises modifying one of the first portion of the image of the repetitive portion, a second portion of the image of the repetitive portion, or a combination of the first and the second portions of the image of the repetitive portion, while leaving another portion of the image of the repetitive portion unmodified, differently for every time the repetitive portion is presented, resulting in a further modified video content for each successive instance the repetitive portion is presented, causing different changes to the repetitive portion for every each of successive instances the repetitive portion is presented.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations comprise detecting the video program having the repetitive portion.

14. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations comprise presenting the video program with one of the first modified video content, the further modified video content or the combination of the first modified video content, the further modified video content.

15. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise formatting the video program and the one of the first modified video content, the further modified video content, or the combination of the first modified video content and the further modified content for a target device selected from a group consisting of:

a digital television having set-top box functionality;

a digital television coupled to a set-top box;

a mobile display device;

a computer with an intern&

connection;

a personal digital assistant;

a cellular phone; and

combinations thereof.

16. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise sending the video program including one of the first modified content, the further modified video content, or the combination of the first modified video content and the further modified video content to a different channel within an internet protocol television network.

17. A method comprising:

streaming, by a system comprising a processor, digital video content from a server to a display device, wherein the digital video content comprises an advertisement;

detecting, by the system, the advertisement among the digital video content;

modifying, by the system, a first portion of an image of the digital video content of the advertisement while leaving another portion of the image of the digital video content of the advertisement unmodified after the advertisement is first presented, resulting in a first modified digital video content; and

modifying, by the system, differently one of the first portion of the image of the digital video content of the advertisement, a second portion of the image of the digital video content of the advertisement, or a combination of the first and the second portions of the image of the digital video content of the advertisement, while leaving another portion of the image of the digital video content of the advertisement unmodified for every each of successive instances the digital video content of the advertisement is presented, resulting in different changes to the digital video content of the advertisement for every each of successive instances the advertisement is presented.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising substituting frames of the advertisement with substitute frames having different content.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising rearranging a frame order in the frames of the advertisement.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising performing the modifying of a respective portion of the image of the digital video content of the advertisement after each time the advertisement is presented.