Digital video segment identification
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorDustin Green
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An entertainment system, having a capability to playback a stored digital video record that includes frames of video data received from a television broadcast system, approximates ranges of frames in a digital video record that are either commercials or non-commercials. The system also approximates frames that are either a beginning or an ending of a commercial or a non-commercial. The system then associates as a commercial two of the approximated frames that are a beginning or an ending of a commercial or a non-commercial and one or more of the approximated ranges there between until a predetermined percentage of the playback time of the digital video record is taken up by the associated commercials.
Claims33
In an entertainment system that is capable of playing back stored frames of video data, a method of flagging a portion of the stored frames of video data for use during a playback of the stored frames of video data, the method comprising the acts of:
- (a) locating a primary feature within at least one of the stored frames of video data, or within data associated with at least one of the stored frames of video data, to identify one of more ranges of frames, each said range having starting and ending frames that are both derived by a predetermined numerical primary threshold;
- (b) combining into segments said ranges that overlap or are adjacent to other said ranges with not more than a predetermined number of frames there between, wherein:
- each said range that is not combined with another said range is also deemed to be one said segment;
- and
- each said segment begins and ends, respectively, at the chronologically first and last said starting and ending frames of the respective range or ranges thereof;
- (c) adjusting the predetermined numerical primary threshold and repeating acts (a) through (b) until the summed time length of all said segments is within a predetermined percentage of the playback time of the stored frames of video data;
- (d) locating a secondary feature in the stored frames of video data to identify a respective one or more transition frames, each said transition frame being determined by a predetermined numerical secondary threshold;
- (e) re-identifying the starting frame and the ending frame of each said segment having at least one said transition frame, the re-identifying being based upon:
- the predetermined numerical secondary threshold;
- and
- the chronological location of each said transition frame with respect to the chronological location of the starting frame and the ending frame of the respective segment;
- and
- (f) flagging each said segment for use during a play back of the stored video data.
In an entertainment system that is capable of playing back stored frames of video data, a method of flagging a portion of the stored frames of video data for use during a playback of the stored frames of video data, the method comprising the acts of:
- (a) locating one or more primary features within at least one of the stored frames of video data, or within data associated with at least one of the stored frames of video data, to identify a respective one or more ranges of frames, each said range having a starting frame and an ending frame that are both set by a predetermined numerical threshold corresponding to the respective primary feature;
- (b) identifying one or more segments by combining said ranges that have overlapping frames or that have not more than a predetermined number of frames there between, each said segment beginning at the starting frame of the chronologically first combined said range and terminating at the ending frame of the chronologically last combined said range;
- (c) identifying as another said segment each said range not combined in act (b);
- (d) when the summed time length of all said segments is not within a predetermined range of percentage of the playback time of the stored frames of video data:
- adjusting the predetermined numerical threshold corresponding to the respective primary feature;
- and
- repeating acts (a) through (c) until the summed time length of all said segments is within the predetermined range of percentage of the playback time of the stored frames of video data;
- (e) locating one or more secondary features in the stored frames of video data to identify a respective one or more transition frames, each said transition frame being determined by a predetermined numerical threshold corresponding to the respective secondary feature;
- (f) re-identifying the starting frame and the ending frame of each said segment having at least one said transition frame based upon:
- the predetermined numerical threshold corresponding to the respective secondary feature;
- and
- the chronological location of each said transition frame with respect to the chronological location of the starting frame and the ending frame of the respective segment;
- and
- (g) flagging each said segment for use during a play back of the stored video data.
In an entertainment system that is capable of playing back stored frames of video data, a method of flagging a portion of the stored frames of video data for use during a playback of the stored frames of video data, the method comprising the acts of:
- locating primary and secondary features within at least one of the stored frames of video data, or within data associated with at least one of the stored frames of video data, to identify, respectively, ranges of frames and transition frames, wherein:
- each said range has starting and ending frames that are both derived by a primary threshold corresponding to the primary feature;
- and
- each said transition frame is derived by a secondary threshold corresponding to the secondary feature;
- combining into segments the ranges that overlap or are adjacent to other said ranges with not more than a predetermined number of frames there between, wherein:
- each said range that is not combined with another said range is also deemed to be one said segment;
- and
- each said segment begins and ends, respectively, at the chronologically first and last said starting and ending frames of the respective range or ranges thereof;
- repeating, using an adjusted primary threshold, the locating of the primary features in the stored frames of video data to identify ranges of frames and the combining into segments said ranges until the summed time length of the segments is a predetermined percentage of the playback time length of the stored frames of video data;
- re-identifying the starting frame and the ending frame of each said segment having at least one of the transition frames using:
- the secondary threshold corresponding to the secondary feature used to derive the respective transition frame;
- and
- the chronological location of each said transition frame with respect to the chronological location of the starting frame and the ending frame of the respective segment;
- and
- flagging each said segment for use during a play back of the stored video data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.