Video programming retrieval using extracted closed caption data which has been partitioned and stored to facilitate a search and retrieval process

An apparatus for retrieving video data, comprising:

• receiving means for receiving video signals, said video signals including corresponding video data and closed caption, wherein said video data includes audio and visual data;
• closed caption extraction means for extracting said closed caption data from video signals received by said receiving means;
• means for partitioning said extracted closed caption data to obtain a plurality of text portions, wherein one or more of said text portions are determined according to a detectable change in content of said video signals;
• storage means for storing said video data included within the video signals received by said receiving means and for storing said plurality of text portions;
• means for generating video retrieval information data items for retrieving segments of said video data, wherein:
• each of said video retrieval information data items is generated using a related one of said text portions, said related text portion being retrievable from said storage means using the generated video retrieval information data item, and wherein, for some of said plurality of video retrieval information data items, VRI, said video retrieval information data item VRI provides access to an associated video segment of the video data stored in said storage means, said associated video segment corresponding with said related text portion of the closed caption data used to generate VRI;
• interaction means for inputting at least one of a request and query for desired video data;
• control means for receiving said at least one of said request and query from said interaction means for use with said video retrieval information data items to direct retrieval of video data from said storage means, satisfying said at least one of said request and query.