Patent ID: 7480442
Filing Date: 2009-01-20
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A method for automatically generating a multi-level video summary, comprising: automatically dividing a video file into multimedia stream segments without user input using segmenting criteria; automatically generating at least two summary levels without user input, wherein each of the summary levels has a different level of detail and each of the summary levels is a linear multimedia stream which includes at least one of the multimedia stream segments from the video file, the multimedia stream segments in each of the summary levels selected using selection criteria and at least one algorithms; and automatically generating navigational links between the multimedia stream segments in the summary levels without user input, wherein one or more algorithms are used to dynamically determine link behavior, the navigational links connecting the multimedia stream segments containing related material; providing a user interface to allow a user to refine the automatically generated navigational links, wherein each level of the summary is presented in a layout as a horizontal list of keyframes, wherein the navigational links are pictorially represented as arrows going into and out of the keyframes, and wherein the user refines the navigational links by manipulating the pictorially represented arrows.