Multimedia Segment Search Using Time-Based Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital media search technologies, such as Google Audio Indexing, are limited in their ability to search for multiple elements of content that intersect within specific scenes or segments of a video, as they primarily focus on spoken text and lack sufficient time-based metadata for precise, targeted searching.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system and user interface that utilizes conventional and time-based metadata to enable users to navigate and search digital media assets, allowing for the retrieval of specific segments or points in time based on various attributes like actors, scenes, and events, using a search interface that processes queries through a navigation system and database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional search technologies like Google Audio Indexing are used, then users can search for spoken text in videos, but users cannot search for multiple content elements that intersect within specific scenes or segments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments video content into discrete scenes and time-based metadata units, allowing independent indexing and searching of specific content elements (actors, objects, events) within defined time intervals. This segmentation enables multi-element intersection searches by combining metadata from different segments rather than treating the video as a monolithic audio stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces time-based metadata as an additional dimension beyond traditional audio/text search. By associating metadata with specific time intervals and scene boundaries, the system creates a temporal dimension that allows users to search for intersections of multiple content elements across different time points, transforming a single-dimensional text search into a multi-dimensional spatiotemporal search.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive time-based metadata is collected for precise searching, then search accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing video content during ingestion to extract and index time-based metadata (scene boundaries, actor appearances, object detections, event timestamps) before search operations. This advance preparation creates ready-to-query metadata structures, eliminating the need for complex real-time analysis during search and reducing operational system complexity while maintaining high search accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces time-based metadata as an intermediary layer between the raw video content and the search query processing system. This metadata intermediary pre-structures content information into searchable fields with temporal associations, simplifying the search engine's task to matching queries against structured metadata rather than analyzing raw multimedia, thus reducing system complexity while improving precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If users search for specific segments within videos, then retrieval precision improves, but search time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments video content into smaller time-based units with associated metadata, allowing the search system to query only relevant segments rather than scanning entire videos. By pre-indexing metadata at segment level, the system achieves precise segment retrieval without proportional increases in search time, as the metadata structure enables direct targeting of specific time intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary indexing of time-based metadata during video ingestion, organizing content information into searchable structures with temporal references before search operations occur. This advance preparation allows rapid querying of specific segments by time interval, actor, object, or event type without performing complex analysis during the search itself, thus maintaining precision while minimizing search time.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for navigating digital media assets including a navigation system configured to receive a search query in response to a user input and process the search query by applying the search query to a search index of digital media asset conventional and time-based metadata and determining search results of titles of and start points in time within digital media assets that satisfy the search query. The navigation system may then display the search results to the user through the user interface. The search results may be displayed in a hierarchical format, wherein the title of the digital media asset is displayed and upon selecting the title of the digital media asset, the start points in time within that digital media asset are displayed or played as a video to the user through the user interface.