Audio and video program recording, editing and playback systems using metadata

An apparatus for selectively displaying video programming, comprising:

• a metadata generator for automatically generating metadata that delimits a start and an end of each video program segment in a set of video program segments within at least one video programming sequence, wherein each video program segment is associated with an access key, each access key operable to identify the video program segment and corresponding metadata, wherein the access key comprises a uniform resource locator, the metadata generator further for:
• incorporating manual adjustments to the start and end of at least one of the video program segments;
• accessing, over a network, additional manual adjustments to the start and end of the at least one of the video program segments;
• and
• in response to a determination that the additional manual adjustments create an improved version of the at least one of the video program segments, updating the metadata of the at least one of the video program segments to include the additional manual adjustments;
• a display for reproducing the set of segments in an ordered sequence specified by a playlist, in the absence of an intervening control command from a viewer;
• the display further operable to display a segment guide listing, the segment guide listing containing, for each segment of the set, a text description corresponding to the respective segment, with the text description corresponding to the segment currently being reproduced being visually identified on said guide listing;
• an interface for receiving an indication that the viewer has selected a text description of the segment guide listing, the selected text description describing a desired segment of the set of segments;
• and
• a processor for retrieving the desired segment using segment identification information corresponding to the desired segment for reproducing on the display device the desired segment.

A method for selectively displaying video programming, comprising the steps of:

• automatically generating metadata that delimits a start and an end of each video program segment in a set of video program segments within at least one video programming sequence, wherein each video program segment is associated with an access key, each access key operable to identify the video program segment and corresponding metadata, wherein the access key comprises a uniform resource locator;
• incorporating manual adjustments to the start and end of at least one of the video program segments by:
• incorporating first manual adjustments to the start and end of a video portion of the at least one of the video program segments;
• incorporating second manual adjustments to the start and end of an audio portion of the at least one of the video program segments, wherein the first and second manual adjustments result in the video portion being a different length than the audio portion;
• and
• further modifying content of the at least one of the video program segments so that the video portion and the audio portion have the same length;
• reproducing the set of segments on a display device in an ordered sequence specified by a playlist, in the absence of an intervening control command from a viewer;
• displaying a segment guide listing on the display device, the segment guide listing containing, for each segment of the set, a text description corresponding to the respective segment, with the text description corresponding to the segment currently being reproduced being visually identified on said guide listing;
• receiving an indication that the viewer has selected a text description of the segment guide listing, the selected text description describing a desired segment of the set of segments;
• and
• retrieving the desired segment using segment identification information corresponding to the desired segment for reproducing on the display device the desired segment.