Content-Based Index for Digital Video Commercial Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current video recorder systems face limitations in reliably detecting and skipping commercials due to variations in signal quality, commercial patterns, and the complexity of identifying commercial groups, especially with the advent of digital broadcast environments and proactive attempts by networks to evade detection.
Innovation Solution
The development of a content-based index that defines segments within a video presentation, allowing for the automatic navigation and selection of commercial groups, enabling users to view commercials without intervening program content, using a digital video recorder with a commercial indexer and program navigator to identify and skip commercials based on event patterns and user control signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If pattern-matching logic is used to identify commercial groups, then commercial detection capability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to false identification of program content as commercials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the video content analysis into distinct phases: initial recording phase where all content is captured, and subsequent playback phase where the navigation system uses the pre-created content-based index to identify and navigate to commercial segments. This segmentation allows the system to avoid making commercial identification decisions during the critical recording phase, eliminating false positives while maintaining detection capability during playback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary indexing of video content during the recording phase, creating a content-based index that structures the video data without attempting to identify commercials at that time. This preliminary action prepares the data structure in advance, allowing accurate commercial identification and navigation during playback without compromising recording reliability or introducing false detections.
2Ease of operation
If commercial skipping features are added to VCRs, then user convenience is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional navigation and detection systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a content-based index as an intermediary data structure that sits between the raw video content and the navigation system. This index serves as a mediator that simplifies commercial identification during playback by providing pre-organized segment information, thereby reducing the complexity of the detection algorithms needed while maintaining ease of operation for users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified representation (copy) of the video content structure through the content-based index, which contains the essential navigation information without duplicating the full video data. This copying approach allows the navigation system to operate on lightweight index data rather than analyzing the entire video stream in real-time, reducing computational complexity while preserving user convenience.
3Measurement precision
If event detection is performed during initial recording, then commercial identification is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to separate replay passes required for marker placement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary organization of video content into a structured index format during the initial recording phase, but deliberately defers the commercial identification and marker placement actions to the playback phase. This preliminary structuring improves productivity during recording by avoiding time-consuming detection operations, while maintaining measurement precision during playback when the navigation system can accurately identify commercials using the prepared index structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the commercial identification process into two distinct phases: recording phase where content is captured and indexed without attempting commercial detection, and playback phase where the navigation system uses the index to identify and navigate commercials. This segmentation eliminates the need for separate replay passes for marker placement, as markers are generated on-demand during playback based on the content index, thereby improving productivity while maintaining detection accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for providing enhanced navigation of stored digital video content based upon a content-based index. Includes generation and storage of an index, as well as navigation based on the segments defined by the index. An example system is embodied in a digital video recorder that generates an index for locating commercial groups interleaved with program content in a video presentation recorded from a television broadcast. The commercial groups may be viewed without the intervening program content or otherwise navigated based upon information in the index and one or navigation functions. Example user interfaces and several navigation functions are also provided.