Methods and apparatus for filtering content in a video stream using closed captioning data

A method for filtering a video stream, the method comprising:

• receiving a video stream including first and second segments of a show, at least one interstitial of the show temporally positioned between the first and second segments, and closed captioning data associated with the video stream;
• receiving metadata referencing the closed captioning data to identify first and second anchor frames within the video stream, the metadata comprising first and second displayable text strings included within the closed captioning data as originally transmitted by a content provider;
• parsing the closed captioning data associated with the video stream to locate the first anchor frame corresponding with the presentation of the first displayable text string located in the closed captioning data recorded;
• identifying first boundaries of the first segment of the show based on the first anchor frame and the metadata;
• parsing the closed captioning data associated with the video stream to locate the second anchor frame corresponding with the presentation of the second displayable text string located in the closed captioning data recorded;
• identifying the second boundaries of the second segment of the show based on the second anchor frame and the metadata;
• filtering the at least one interstitial from the video stream based on the first boundaries and the second boundaries to generate a filtered video stream;
• and
• outputting the filtered video stream for presentation to a user.

A digital video recorder comprising:

• a receiver that receives a video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the video stream, and receives metadata referencing the closed captioning data to identify at least one anchor frame within the video stream, the metadata comprising a displayable text string included within the closed captioning data as originally transmitted by a content provider;
• a recording module that stores the video stream on a storage medium for subsequent presentation to a user;
• a parsing module that parses the closed captioning data associated with the video stream to locate the anchor frame corresponding with the presentation of the displayable text string located in the closed captioning data recorded, identifies the boundaries of the at least one segment of the show based on the anchor frame and the first and second offsets;
• and
• a presentation module that filters the at least one interstitial from the video stream based on the identified boundaries, and that outputs the filtered video stream to the user.

A digital video recorder comprising:

• a receiver that receives a video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show, and closed captioning data associated with the video stream, and that receives metadata referencing the closed captioning data to identify first and second anchor frames within the video stream, the metadata comprising first and second displayable text strings included within the closed captioning data as originally transmitted by a content provider;
• a recording module that stores the video stream on a storage medium for subsequent presentation to a user;
• a parsing module that parses the closed captioning data associated with the video stream to locate the first anchor frame corresponding with the presentation of the first displayable text string located in the closed captioning data recorded, identify a beginning boundary of the interstitial based on the first anchor frame and the metadata, parse the closed captioning data associated with the video stream to locate the second anchor frame corresponding with the presentation of the second displayable text string located in the closed captioning data recorded and identify an ending boundary of the interstitial based on the second anchor frame and the metadata;
• and
• a presentation module that filters the at least one interstitial from the video stream based on the beginning and ending boundaries, and that outputs the filtered video stream to the user.