Methods and apparatus for identifying segments of content in a presentation stream using signature data

Described herein are methods and apparatus for the identification of locations in a presentation stream based on metadata associated with the presentation stream. Locations within a presentation stream are identified using signature data associated with the presentation stream. The identified locations within a presentation stream may be utilized to identify boundaries of segments within the presentation stream, such as logical chapters, scenes or other sections of the content. The identified segments of the presentation stream may then be selectably viewed by a user.

BACKGROUND

Digital video recorders (DVRS) and personal video recorders (PVRs) allow viewers to record video in a digital format to a disk drive or other type of storage medium for later playback. DVRs are often incorporated into set-top boxes for satellite and cable television services. A television program stored on a set-top box allows a viewer to perform time shifting functions, and may additionally allow a viewer to skip over commercial breaks and other portions of the recording that the viewer does not desire to watch. However, the user performs this function manually, for example, using a fast forward button of a remote control associated with the DVR. This manual fast forwarding is an inconvenience for the user. Further, manual fast forwarding by a user often leads to inaccurate results, because the user may fast forward past portions of the recording they desire to watch, or may resume playback during the portion of the recording that they want to skip over.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus, systems and methods which facilitate the reception, processing, and outputting of presentation content. More particularly, the various embodiments described herein provide for the identification of locations in a presentation stream based on metadata associated with the presentation stream. Identified locations within a presentation stream may be utilized to identify boundaries of segments within the presentation stream, such as segments of a show and interstitials (e.g., commercials) of the show. In various embodiments, identified portions of a presentation stream may be utilized for skipping segments of content during presentation, insertion of supplemental or substitute content within various locations of the presentation stream, selective presentation of specific segments of the presentation stream, presentation of segments of content in non-sequential order and the like.

In at least one embodiment, the presentation stream to be received, processed, outputted and/or communicated may come in any form of presentation data, such as audio data, video data, A/V data, slide shows and the like. Further, the presentation stream may be supplied by any source.

In at least one embodiment, a receiving device receives location information referencing a location within the first presentation stream. For example, the location information may be received separately from the first presentation stream. Additionally received is a signature of a portion of a presentation stream corresponding with the location. As used herein, a signature refers to characteristics of a waveform or data that help identify an event or condition. The location information and/or the signature data may be supplied separately from the presentation stream. Further, the location information and/or the signature data may be supplied by the same source as the presentation stream or a different source as the presentation stream depending on desired design criteria.

The receiving device processes the presentation stream to locate the signature portion, and thus, the location referenced by the location information. In at least one embodiment, the receiving device identifies portions of the presentation stream based on the identified location, such as boundaries of segments of content or insertion locations of supplemental content. The receiving device may then perform further processing using the identified portions of the presentation stream, such as filtering of segments of the presentation stream.

In some embodiments, the boundaries of segments of the presentation stream may correspond with the location of the signature data. In other words, the signature data comprises a portion of the presentation stream at the boundary of the segment. In at least one embodiment, the boundaries of segments are specified relative to the location of the signature data. For example, a location of signature data may be the middle of a segment of the presentation stream and the boundaries of the segment may be specified by beginning and ending off-sets specified relative to the location of the signature data.

In at least one embodiment, identified segments may be designated for playback or skipping during presentation. For example, one or more boundaries of a portion of the presentation stream may correlate with an interstitial, e.g., commercials of a radio or television program. The receiving device may utilize the identified boundaries of the portion of the presentation to skip presentation of the interstitial during playback. Other portions of presentation content may also be skipped, such as chapters or segments of a movie, television program, radio broadcast and the like.

In at least one embodiment, interstitials and other segments of a presentation stream identified in accordance with the above may be replaced with substitute content. For example, an interstitial (e.g., a commercial) may be replaced with a more timely or relevant commercial. Similarly, a chapter or scene in a movie or television program may be replaced with an alternative chapter or scene.

In some embodiments, additional portions of content may be inserted into a presentation stream at identified locations. The insertion of content may be performed in conjunction with or independently of the filtering of other portions of the presentation stream. For example, several commercial breaks may be filtered from a presentation stream and a substitute commercial break may be inserted at another location independent of the previous commercial breaks. In one scenario, new content, such as a new scene, may be inserted into an otherwise unmodified presentation stream.

In at least one embodiment, identified segments of a presentation stream may be presented in a non-sequential order. In other words, a presentation stream may include a plurality of segments which were originally intended for presentation in a specific order. However, identified segments may be presented in a different temporal order than the original temporal order of the segments. For example, the segments of the presentation stream may be presented in reverse chronological order. Similarly, the segments may be presented in a custom order. For example, a recorded A/V stream of a news broadcast may include “top stories”, “national news”, “local news”, “weather” and “sports” portions presented in that particular order. However, the user may desire to playback the recorded news broadcast in the following order: “sports”, “weather”, “top stories”, “local news” and “national news”. In at least one embodiment, a receiving device analyzes the presentation stream to determine the boundaries of each segment of the news broadcast. The user designates the playback order, and the receiving device presents the various segments of the presentation stream automatically in the designated order.

In at least one embodiment, a user may be presented with a menu of available segments of the television program, and may select one or more of the available segments for presentation. The receiving device may identify segments and generate a selection menu therefrom. Based upon user selection of particular segments from the selection menu, the receiving device responsively outputs the selected segments, skipping presentation of the undesignated segments. For example, a user may select particular news stories that they desire to view, and the recording device may output the selected news stories back-to-back, skipping presentation of undesignated segments interspersed therebetween.

As described above, a user may effectively view a subset of the segments of an A/V stream in the original temporal order of the segments, skipping output of undesignated segments of the A/V stream. In some embodiments, a user may designate a different presentation order for the segments of the A/V stream than the original presentation order of the segments. This allows the user to reorder the content of an A/V stream.

In some embodiments, a user may be restricted from temporally moving through particular identified segments of a presentation stream at a non-real time presentation rate of the A/V stream. In other words, a receiving device may automatically output particular segments of a presentation stream without skipping over or otherwise fast forwarding through the segments, regardless of whether a user provides input requesting fast forwarding or skipping through the segments. For example, commercials within a television program may be associated with restrictions against fast forwarding or skipping, and a recording device may automatically present the commercial segments regardless of the receipt of user input requesting non-presentation of the segments.

As described above, a presentation stream may come in any form of an A/V stream. Exemplary A/V stream formats include Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standards, Flash, Windows Media and the like. It is to be appreciated that the A/V stream may be supplied by any source, such as an over-the-air broadcast, a satellite or cable television distribution system, a digital video disk (DVD) or other optical disk, the internet or other communication networks and the like.

Generally, an A/V stream is a contiguous block of associated audio and video data that may be transmitted to, and received by, an electronic device, such as a terrestrial (“over-the-air”) television receiver, a cable television receiver, a satellite television receiver, an internet connected television or television receiver, a computer, a portable electronic device, or the like. In at least one embodiment, an A/V stream may include a recording of a contiguous block of programming from a television channel (e.g., an episode of a television show). For example, a DVR may record a single channel between 7:00 and 8:00, which may correspond with a single episode of a television program. Generally, an hour long recording includes approximately 42 minutes of video frames of the television program and approximately 18 minutes of video frames of commercials and other content that is not part of the television program.

The television program may be comprised of multiple segments of video frames, which are interspersed with interstitials (e.g., commercials). As used herein, interstitials are the video frames of a recording that do not belong to a selected show (e.g., commercials, promotions, alerts, and other shows). A segment of video includes contiguous video frames of the program that are between one or more interstitials.

Further, an A/V stream may be delivered by any transmission method, such as broadcast, multicast, simulcast, closed circuit, pay-per-view, point-to-point (by “streaming,” file transfer, or other means), or other methods. Additionally, the A/V stream may be transmitted by way of any communication technology, such as by satellite, wire or optical cable, wireless or other means. The A/V stream may also be transferred over any type of communication network, such as the internet or other wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a private network, a mobile communication system, a terrestrial television network, a cable television network and a satellite television network. In some embodiments, content may be accessed from storage devices, such as hard drives, optical disks, portable storage mediums, e.g., USB flash drives and the like.

In some embodiments, the A/V data may be associated with supplemental data that includes text data, such as closed captioning data or subtitles. Particular portions of the closed captioning data may be associated with specified portions of the A/V data. The text data associated with an A/V stream may be processed to identify portions of the A/V stream. More particularly, the text data may be processed to identify boundaries of portions of the A/V stream. The portions of the A/V stream between identified boundaries may then be designated for presentation to a user, or may be designated for skipping during presentation of the A/V stream. Likewise, segments of the presentation stream may be replaced, new content inserted into the presentation stream, segments may be presented in a non-sequential order and the like as described above.

In at least one embodiment, the above described signature identification technique may be enhanced in combination with the aforementioned text processing technique. In other words, a receiving device may process location information that references closed captioning data associated with a video location and a signature of data corresponding with the video location to identify the video location in the presentation stream. In at least one embodiment, closed captioning data is utilized to narrow a portion of the A/V stream that is searched to identify a location corresponding with the signature data.

For example, closed captioning data may be searched to identify the vicinity of the video location in the presentation stream. In other words, the closed captioning data is searched to identify search boundaries that include the video location. The search boundaries of the presentation stream are then processed to identify the video location based on the signature data. This is useful for example when a broadcaster shifts closed captioning data by several seconds from the original presentation location of the corresponding audio data. Because the location of particular frames of video data within a segment do not typically change, the location of the signature data in the presentation stream provides a more reliable absolute location, but also utilizes relatively more computational resources. The closed captioning data search may be utilized to narrow the amount of data to be processed to identify the signature data.

FIG. 1illustrates an embodiment of a system100for presenting content to a user. The system ofFIG. 1is operable for identifying locations within a contiguous block of presentation data. Additionally, the system ofFIG. 1is operable for identifying locations in a presentation stream, such as boundaries of segments of the presentation stream. For example, some segments of presentation content may be identified and filtered or replaced during presentation. In other embodiments, identified segments and locations may also be utilized for replacement of specific segments, insertion of supplemental or substitute segments into the presentation stream, presentation of the segments of the presentation stream in non-sequential order, generation of a menu of available segments for presentation and the like. Still further, in at least one embodiment, specific segments may be identified and associated with particular playback restrictions. For example, a user may be restricted from fast-forwarding through particular portions of the presentation stream.

FIG. 1will be described initially in reference to filtering of segments of presentation content and the other applications of the identification process will be described in further detail below. The system100includes a communication network102, a receiving device110and a presentation device114. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below.FIG. 1may include other devices, components or elements not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The communication network102may be any communication network capable of transmitting a presentation stream. Exemplary communication networks include television distribution networks (e.g., over-the-air (OTA), satellite and cable television networks), radio broadcast networks, wireless communication networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), LANs and WANs providing data communication services. The communication network102may utilize any desired combination of wired (e.g., cable and fiber) and/or wireless (e.g., cellular, satellite, microwave and radio frequency) communication mediums and any desired network topology (or topologies when multiple mediums are utilized).

The receiving device110ofFIG. 1may be any device capable of receiving a presentation stream from the communication network102. In at least one embodiment, the communication network102comprises a cable or satellite television network for distribution of an A/V stream and the receiving device110comprises a set-top box configured to communicate with the communication network102. In at least one embodiment, the receiving device110comprises a DVR. In another example, the receiving device110may be computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or similar device configured to communicate with the internet or comparable communication network102to receive and present A/V content. In at least one embodiment, the receiving device110comprises a radio that receives audio content, via broadcast, multi-cast or uni-cast, from the communication network102. While the receiving device110is illustrated as receiving content via the communication network102, in other embodiments, the receiving device may receive, capture, record, access and/or process presentation streams from non-broadcast services, such as optical disks, local storage devices (e.g., hard drives or flash memory), video recorders, DVD players, personal computers or the internet.

The presentation device114may be any device configured to receive a presentation stream from the receiving device110and present the presentation stream to a user. Examples of the presentation device114include a television, a video monitor or similar device capable of presenting audio and/or video information to a user, a stereo or audio receiver, a projector and the like. The receiving device110may be communicatively coupled to the presentation device114through any type of wired or wireless connection. Exemplary wired connections include coax, fiber, composite video and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). Exemplary wireless connections include WiFi, ultra-wide band (UWB) and Bluetooth. In some implementations, the presentation device114may be integrated within the receiving device110. For example, each of a computer, a television, a stereo with an integrated radio receiver, a PDA and a mobile communication device may serve as both the receiving device110and the presentation device114by providing the capability of receiving presentation streams from the communication network102and presenting the received presentation streams to a user.

In the system100, the communication network102transmits each of a first presentation stream104, signature data106and location information108to the receiving device110. In at least one embodiment, the first presentation stream104comprises video data, such as a series of digital frames or single images to be presented in a serial fashion to a user. In another embodiment, the first presentation stream104comprises audio data, such as a series of audio samples to be presented to the user. In some embodiments, the first presentation stream104comprises A/V data, including a combination of the aforementioned audio data and video data that are presented simultaneously to the user. In one example, the A/V data may be formatted according to one of the MPEG encoding standards, such as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, as may be used in DBS systems, terrestrial Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) systems or cable systems. However, different audio and video data formats may be utilized in other implementations.

The communication network102also transmits signature data106and location information108to the receiving device110. The signature data106and/or the location information108may be transmitted to the receiving device110together or separately. Further, the signature data106and/or the location information108may be transmitted to the receiving device110together or separately from the first presentation stream104. Generally, the signature data106includes a sample of data included within the first presentation stream104that is utilized to identify a location within the first presentation stream104. The location within the first presentation stream104is identified by searching for the signature data106in the first presentation stream104.

The location information108specifies information regarding the location associated with the signature data106. In at least one embodiment, the location information108specifies portions of the first presentation stream104that are to be skipped and/or presented during presentation of the A/V data of the first presentation stream104by the receiving device110. For example, if the first presentation stream104includes one or more segments of a television show interspersed with one or more interstitials, then the location information108may identify the locations of the segments, which are to be presented, and/or identify the locations of the interstitial, which are to be skipped.

Boundaries of segments in the first presentation stream104may either correspond with locations specified by the signature data106or may be identified by off-sets specified relative to a location corresponding with the signature data106. For example, a location specified by the signature data106may be the middle of a particular segment of presentation content and beginning and ending off-sets may specify the boundaries of the associated segment of the first presentation stream104. In at least one embodiment, the identification process is utilized to identify interstitials within a first presentation stream104that are to be skipped. The location information108may identify the boundaries of either the segments or the interstitials depending on desired design criteria. Generally, the beginning boundary of a segment corresponds with the ending boundary of an interstitial. Similarly, the ending boundary of a segment corresponds with the beginning boundary of an interstitial. Thus, the receiving device110may utilize the boundaries of segments to identify the boundaries of the interstitials, and vice versa. In some embodiments, the first presentation stream104may not include both segments and interstitials, but nonetheless may include portions of content that a user desires to skip during presentation of the first presentation stream104. Thus, the location information108may identify which portions of the content of the first presentation stream104are to be presented and/or skipped during presentation to a user.

In at least one embodiment, the signature data106comprises a portion of audio data of the first presentation stream104. For example, the first presentation stream104may comprise either an audio file (e.g., an MP3 audio file) or an A/V stream including audio data. The signature data106may then comprise a sample of a portion of the audio data.FIG. 2illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of a first presentation stream received by the receiving device10.FIG. 2will be discussed in reference to the system100ofFIG. 1.

The first presentation stream104A includes a first segment202of content, an interstitial204and a second segment206of content. Also indicated are beginning and ending boundaries208and210of the interstitial204, which are indicated to the receiving device110(seeFIG. 1) by way of the location information108. It is to be recognized that the boundaries208and210of the interstitial204are also boundaries of the segments202and206. Also illustrated inFIG. 2is a waveform212of the audio data corresponding with the first presentation stream104A.

The signature data106A illustrated inFIG. 2corresponds with a portion of the waveform212. The receiving device110processes the waveform212to identify the location214corresponding with the signature data106A. In at least one embodiment, the location214may be identified by processing samples of the output signal for the audio data. In at least one embodiment, the location214may be identified based on an output power of the audio data of the first presentation stream104A. For example, samples of specific durations of audio data may be computed to identify the location214corresponding with the signature data106A.

In the illustrated example, the location214corresponding with the signature data106A is in the middle of the interstitial204. Thus, the receiving device110may utilize offsets216and218to identify the boundaries of the interstitial204(as well as the boundaries of the segments202and206). In some embodiments, the signature data106A and the location214may correspond with one of the boundaries208or210such that the offsets216and218are not utilized.

Responsive to identifying the boundaries, the receiving device110may filter the interstitial204during output of the content.FIG. 3illustrates an embodiment of a second presentation stream outputted by the receiving device110ofFIG. 1. As illustrated inFIG. 3, the receiving device110filters the interstitial204from the second presentation stream112A. Thus, the segment206follows the segment202during output of the second presentation stream104A. Similarly, the boundary208and the boundary210map to the second location in the second presentation stream104A. Also illustrated inFIG. 3is the modified waveform212A after filtering of the interstitial204from the second presentation stream104A.

In at least one embodiment, the signature data106comprises compressed data, e.g., compressed audio or video data. The compressed data may then be expanded and compared with the audio or video data of the first presentation stream104which has also been uncompressed. In some embodiments, the signature data106may be compared with the data of the first presentation stream104in compressed format, e.g., before either data has been expanded.

In at least one embodiment, an interstitial204, or other content of a presentation stream, may be replaced with substitute content rather than being filtered from the presentation stream.FIG. 4illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of the first A/V stream received by the receiving device110ofFIG. 1, and a second A/V stream outputted by the receiving device110. More particularly,FIG. 4illustrates an embodiment in which an interstitial of a first presentation stream104A is replaced by the substitute content402during presentation of a second presentation stream112B.FIG. 4will be discussed in reference to the system100ofFIG. 1.

In at least one embodiment, the location of the interstitial204is identified in accordance with the processing discussed in reference toFIG. 2. Additionally, the receiving device110identifies substitute content402for insertion into a second presentation stream112B. In at least one embodiment, the substitute content402is specified by the location information108. In other words, the location information108may specify the information comprising the substitute content402.

In the specific example ofFIG. 2the boundary208(e.g., the ending boundary of segment202) is the starting point at which the substitute content402is to replace a portion of the first presentation stream104A. Likewise, the boundary210(e.g., the beginning boundary of segment206) is the ending point at which the substitute content402is to replace a portion of the first presentation stream104. InFIG. 4, the portion of the first presentation stream104A to be replaced is the interstitial204, located between the segments202and206. As a result of this replacement, a second presentation stream112B is produced, in which the substitute content402is presented in place of the interstitial204during presentation of the second presentation stream112B. The substitute content302may be the same size as the interstitial204, longer in length than the interstitial204or shorter in length than the interstitial204depending on desired design criteria.

WhileFIG. 4illustrates the substitute content402replacing the interstitial204, it is to be appreciated that other locations for the substitute content402may also be utilized.FIG. 5illustrates an embodiment of a second presentation stream112C in which the supplemental content502is presented before the segments202and206. Thus, the second presentation stream112B includes the supplemental content502followed by the segment202and the segment206. The interstitial204(seeFIG. 2) is thus skipped during presentation of the second presentation stream112C.

FIG. 6illustrates an embodiment of a second presentation stream112D in which the supplemental content602is presented after the segments202and206. The second presentation stream112D includes the segment202followed by the segment206which is followed by the supplemental content602. Again, the interstitial204(seeFIG. 2) is skipped during presentation of the second presentation stream112D. The supplemental content602may be inserted at any logical location within the second presentation stream112D.

While the supplemental content602is illustrated as having the same length as the interstitial204, it is to be appreciated that the supplemental content602may have a duration that is the same as, or different than the original content it replaces (e.g., interstitial204). For example, the length of substitute or supplemental commercials utilized during playback of the recording may be selected to maintain the original length of the recording. In another embodiment, the length of the supplemental content602utilized may be significantly shorter or longer than the commercials or other content it replaces. For example, an interstitial may originally include four commercials totaling two minutes in length, and these four commercials may be replaced with a single commercial that is thirty seconds in length. In at least one embodiment, the receiving device110may restrict the user from utilizing trick mode functions (e.g., fast forwarding) in order to skip over the supplemental content602.

The supplemental content602may be shown to the user to offset the costs associated with removing the original interstitials204. Thus, by watching a substitute commercial, the user is able to avoid watching an additional 1.5 minutes of commercials that were originally in the show. In at least one embodiment, the supplemental content602may also be selected to replace a commercial with a timelier commercial from the same advertiser. For example, a department store may have originally advertised a sale during the original broadcast of the show, but that particular sale may have since ended. Thus, the supplemental content602may replace that particular commercial with another commercial advertising a current sale at the store.

In at least one embodiment, the supplemental or substitute content may be selected based on characteristics or demographics of the user. For example, if the user is a small child, then a commercial for a toy may be selected, whereas if the viewer is an adult male, then a commercial for a sports car may be shown. In some embodiments, the characteristics utilized may be viewing characteristics of the user. Thus, the receiving device110may track what the user watches, and the supplemental content602may be selected based on the collected data. For example, if the user watches many detective shows, then the supplemental or substitute content may be a preview for a new detective show on Friday nights, whereas, if the user watches many reality shows, then the supplemental or substitute content may be a preview for the new season of a reality show on Thursday nights.

Referring back toFIG. 1, the receiving device110may also identify locations within a first presentation stream104based on analyzation of video data. In at least one embodiment, the receiving device processes luminance values of video data to identify locations within a first presentation stream104. For example, the receiving device110may compute the average luminance value for each frame of video data for the first presentation stream104. The average luminance value may be computed for an entire frame or some subset thereof.

After computing the average luminance values for frames, the receiving device110processes the average luminance values for the plurality of frames to locate a particular frame having an average luminance value as specified by the signature data106. An identified frame corresponds with an identified location as specified by the location data. Boundaries of segments of the first presentation stream104A may then be determined based on the location and/or other data, such as offset values. For example, offset values may identify boundaries of segments corresponding with an identified video location.

In some embodiments, the processing of the video data performed by the receiving device110may identify frames having an average luminance value within a specified tolerance of a value specified by the signature data106. This allows the system100to account for situations where the video data received by each receiving device110is not the same. For example, video data may be damaged during transmission, local affiliates may insert different channel logos onto a television program and television programs may include weather alerts or other scrolling information.

In at least one embodiment, the receiving device110may identify locations in a presentation stream based on average luminance value transitions rather than identifying absolute average luminance values. For example, the signature data106may specify a transition from a first luminance value to a second luminance value within the presentation stream. The transition may be specified in absolute or relative terms. The receiving device110computes the average luminance values for the frames of the first presentation stream104and then processes the average luminance values to identify a location within the first presentation stream104A. Table #1 illustrates an embodiment of average luminance values for a plurality of frames of the first presentation stream104.

Take for example the situation where the signature data106specifies an average luminance value transition from 50% to 100% and a tolerance of ±5%. The receiving device processes the data in Table #1 to identify the transition from frame 4 to frame 5 as matching the criteria of the signature data106. As such, the receiving device110identifies frame #5 as the video location specified by the location information108. The receiving device110may then identify boundaries of segments using off-sets in accordance with the teachings above to filter content during output of the second presentation stream112or insert content into the second presentation stream112.

Depending on the resiliency and other characteristics of the first presentation stream, the node of the communication network102generating and transmitting the location information108and the signature data106may issue more than one instance of the location information108and the signature data106to the receiving device110. Each transmitted set of signature data106may be associated with a particular set of location information108. Further, each set of signature data106may point to a particular location within the first presentation stream104. Each set of location information108may include different off-set values specified relative to the associated signature data106. Thus, the receiving device110may locate the boundaries of a particular segment of the first presentation stream104based on identifying multiple locations within the first presentation stream104. Each set of location information108and signature data106may be issued separately, or may be transmitted in one more other sets.

In accordance with another embodiment, locations and segments of a presentation stream may be identified by processing supplement content, such as text data, associated with the presentation stream. For example, closed captioning data associated with an A/V stream may be processed to identify locations within the A/V stream.

FIG. 7illustrates an embodiment of a system700for presenting content to a user. The system ofFIG. 7is operable for filtering A/V content from a contiguous block of A/V data. The system700includes a communication network702, a receiving device710and a display device714. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below. The system700ofFIG. 7may include other devices, components or elements not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The communication network702may be any communication network capable of transmitting an A/V stream to a receiving device110. The communication network702may be similar to the communication network102ofFIG. 1. The receiving device710ofFIG. 7may be any device capable of receiving an A/V stream from the communication network702and outputting the A/V stream for presentation by a display device714. The receiving device710may be similar to the receiving device110, with additional hardware, software or control logic provided to identify locations within an A/V stream as described below. The display device714may be any device configured to receive an A/V stream from the receiving device710and present the A/V stream to a user. The display device714may be similar to the presentation device114described above. Further discussion of the communication network702, the receiving device710and the display device714is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

In the system700, the communication network702transmits a first A/V stream704and location information706to the receiving device710. Also associated with the first A/V stream704is supplemental data providing information relevant to the audio data and/or the video data of the first A/V stream704. In one implementation, the supplemental data includes text data, such as closed captioning data, available for visual presentation to a user during the presentation of the associated audio and video data of the first A/V stream704. In some embodiments, the text data may be embedded within the first A/V stream704during transmission across the communication network702to the receiving device710. In one example, the text data may conform to any text data or closed captioning standard, such as the Electronic Industries Alliance 708 (EIA-708) standard employed in ATSC transmissions or the EIA-608 standard. When the text data is available to the display device714, the user may configure the display device714to present the text data to the user in conjunction with the video data.

Each of a number of portions of the text data may be associated with a corresponding portion of the audio data or video data also included in the A/V stream704. For example, one or more frames of the video data of the A/V stream704may be specifically identified with a segment of the text data included in the first A/V stream704. A segment of text data (e.g., a string of bytes) may include displayable text strings as well as non-displayable data strings (e.g., codes utilized for positioning the text data). As a result, multiple temporal locations within the A/V stream704may be identified by way of an associated portion of the text data. For example, a particular text string or phrase within the text data may be associated with one or more specific frames of the video data within the first A/V stream704so that the text string is presented to the user simultaneously with its associated video data frames. Therefore, the particular text string or phrase may provide an indication of a location of these video frames, as well as the portion of the audio data synchronized or associated with the frames.

The communication network702also transmits location information706to the receiving device710. The location information706may be transmitted to the receiving device710together or separately from the first A/V stream704. The location information706specifies locations within the first A/V stream704that are to be skipped and/or presented during presentation of the A/V data of the first A/V stream704by the receiving device710. For example, if the first A/V stream704includes one or more segments of a television show interspersed with one or more interstitials, then the location information706may identify the locations of the segments, which are to be presented, and/or identify the locations of the interstitial, which are to be skipped.

The receiving device710is operable for processing the text data to identify the portions of the A/V stream which are to be presented to a user. More particularly, the receiving device710operates to identify the segments of the A/V stream704which are to be presented to a user. The receiving device710outputs a second A/V stream712that includes the segments identified for presentation and omits the segments identified for filtering during presentation by the display device714.

FIG. 8illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of the first A/V stream704A received by the receiving device710, and a second A/V stream712A outputted by the receiving device710. More particularly,FIG. 8illustrates an embodiment in which an interstitial is filtered from the first A/V stream704A during presentation of the second A/V stream712A.FIG. 8will be discussed in reference to the system700ofFIG. 7.

The first A/V stream704includes a first A/V segment802of a show, an interstitial804and a second A/V segment806of the show. Also indicated are beginning and ending boundaries808and810of the interstitial804, which are indicated to the receiving device710(seeFIG. 7) by way of the location information706. It is to be recognized that the boundaries808and810of the interstitial804are also boundaries of the segments802and806. The supplemental data of the A/V stream704A is not shown inFIG. 8to simplify the diagram.

In the specific example ofFIG. 8the boundary808(e.g., the ending boundary of segment802) is the starting point at which the interstitial804is to be filtered from the first A/V stream704A. Likewise, the boundary810(e.g., the beginning boundary of segment806) is the ending point at which the interstitial804is to be filtered from the first A/V stream704A. As a result of the filtering, a second A/V stream712A is produced, in which the second segment806is outputted immediately following the first segment802.

The boundaries808and810are identified based on the location of one or more video locations within the first A/V stream704A. More particularly, the beginning and ending boundaries of a segment (or interstitial) of the first A/V stream704A may be specified by a single video location within the segment. Thus, each segment may be identified by a unique video location within the first A/V stream704A.

To specify a video location within the first A/V stream704A, the location information706references a portion of the text data associated with the first A/V stream704A. A video location within the first A/V stream704A may be identified by a substantially unique text string within the text data that may be unambiguously detected by the receiving device710. The text data may consist of a single character, several characters, an entire word, multiple consecutive words, or the like. Thus, the receiving device710may review the text data to identify the location of the unique text string. Because the text string in the text data is associated with a particular location within the first A/V stream704A, the location of the text string may be referenced to locate the video location within the first A/V location.

In some embodiments, multiple video locations may be utilized to specify the beginning and ending boundaries of a segment. In at least one embodiment, a single video location is utilized to identify the beginning and ending boundaries of a segment. The video location may be located at any point within the segment, and offsets may be utilized to specify the beginning and ending boundaries of the segment relative to the video location. In one implementation, a human operator, of a content provider of the first A/V stream704A, bears responsibility for selecting the text string, the video location and/or the offsets. In other examples, the text string, video location and offset selection occurs automatically under computer control, or by way of human-computer interaction. A node within the communication network702may then transmit the selected text string to the receiving device710as the location information706, along with the forward and backward offset data.

FIG. 9illustrates an embodiment in which the boundaries of a segment of an A/V stream704B are identified based on a text string included within the text data associated with the A/V stream704B.FIG. 9will be discussed in reference to system700ofFIG. 7. The A/V stream704B includes a segment902, an interstitial904and text data906. The segment902is defined by a boundary908and a boundary910. The location information706received by the receiving device710identifies the segment902using a selected string918and offsets912and914. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below.

The receiving device710reviews the text data906to locate the selected string918. As illustrated inFIG. 9, the selected string918is located at the video location916. More particularly, in at least one embodiment, the beginning of the selected string918corresponds with the frame located at the video location916. After locating the video location916, the receiving device710utilizes the negative offset912to identify the beginning boundary908. Likewise, the receiving device710utilizes the positive offset914to identify the ending boundaries910. The offsets912and914are specified relative to the video location916to provide independence from the absolute presentation times of the video frames associated with the boundaries908and910within the A/V stream704B. For example, two users may begin recording a particular program from two different affiliates (e.g., one channel in New York City and another channel in Atlanta). Thus, the absolute presentation time of the boundaries908and910will vary within the recordings. The technique described herein locates the same video frames associated with the boundaries908and910regardless of their absolute presentation times within a recording.

In at least one embodiment, the receiving device710filters the content of the A/V stream704B by outputting the video content of segment902, while omitting from the presentation the interstitial904located outside of the boundaries908and910. In some embodiments, the receiving device710may output the video content within the boundaries908and910and may also present video content within another set of similar boundaries908and910, thus omitting presentation of the interstitial904.

In at least one embodiment, a receiving device710identifies a set of boundaries908and910for a portion of the A/V stream704, and omits presentation of the content within the boundaries while presenting the other video content that is outside of the boundaries908and910. For example, a user may watch the commercials within a football game, while skipping over the actual video content of the football game.

Depending on the resiliency and other characteristics of the text data, the node of the communication network702generating and transmitting the location information706may issue more than one instance of the location information706to the receiving device710. For example, text data, such as closed captioning data, is often error-prone due to transmission errors and the like. As a result, the receiving device710may not be able to detect some of the text data, including the text data selected for specifying the video location916. To address this issue, multiple unique text strings may be selected from the text data906of the A/V stream704B to indicate multiple video locations (e.g., multiple video locations916), each having a different location in the A/V stream704B. Each string has differing offsets relative to the associated video location that point to the same boundaries908and910. The use of multiple text strings (each accompanied with its own offset(s)) may thus result in multiple sets of location information706transmitted over the communication network702to the receiving device710, each of which is associated with the segment902. Each set of location information706may be issued separately, or may be transmitted in one more other sets.

Described above are two techniques for identifying locations within presentation stream. The two techniques may be utilized together to enhance the location identification process performed by a receiving device.FIG. 10illustrates an embodiment of a system1000for presenting content to a user. The system ofFIG. 7is operable for filtering A/V content from a contiguous block of A/V data. The system1000includes a communication network702A, a receiving device710A and a display device714. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below. The system1000ofFIG. 10may include other devices, components or elements not illustrated for the sake of brevity. Discussion of components common toFIG. 7is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

The receiving device710A is operable to receive a first A/V stream704, signature data1006and location information706A. The signature data1006may be similar to the signature data106ofFIG. 1. The location information706A references closed captioning data to identify a video location within the first A/V stream704. Additionally, the location information includes at least one off-set specified relative to the video location. The receiving device710A is operable to identify portions of the A/V stream704based on the signature data1006and the location information706A. Responsive to identifying portions of the first A/V stream704, the receiving device710filters particular portions from the first A/V stream704to output a second A/V stream712for presentation by the display device714.

In at least one embodiment, the receiving device710A processes closed captioning data associated with the first A/V stream704to narrow the amount of data to be processed using the signature data1006. The first A/V stream704is processed to identify a video location within the first A/V stream704using the signature data1006. Based upon the video location, boundaries of one or more segments of the first A/V stream704may be located using off-set data specified by the location information706.

FIG. 11illustrates a graphical representation of the first presentation stream ofFIG. 10. The first A/V stream704A includes a segment1102and an interstitial1104. The segment1102is bounded by boundaries1106and1108.

The closed captioning data associated with the first A/V stream704is utilized to identify a first location within the first A/V stream704. The location information706specifies a video location1110utilized to identify the boundaries1106and1108. First, the receiving device710A processes the closed captioning data associated with the first A/V stream704to identify an intermediate location1112within the first A/V stream704. Based upon locating the intermediate location1112, the receiving device710A identifies search boundaries1114and1116. The video location1110is located within the search boundaries1114and1116. In at least one embodiment, the search boundaries1114and1116are specified as off-sets relative to the intermediate location1112.

Responsive to identifying the boundaries1114and1116, the receiving device710A processes the content of the first A/V stream704within the boundaries1114and1116to identify the video location1110corresponding with the signature data1006. The processing of the content within the search boundaries may be performed as described above in reference toFIG. 1. Responsive to identifying the video location1110, the receiving device710A utilizes off-sets1118and1120to identify the boundaries1106and1108of the segment1102.

The receiving device710A may then operate to output the content within the boundaries1106and1108. The receiving device710A may also perform a similar process to identify boundaries of the interstitial1104, and utilize the identified boundaries to determine content to skip during output of a second A/V stream712. Similar processes may be performed to identify the boundaries of other segments of the first A/V stream704to determine content to skip and/or output during presentation of the second A/V stream712.

In at least one embodiment, the receiving device710A may be configured to determine whether closed captioning data has been shifted from the original video content corresponding with the closed captioning data. In other words, the receiving device710A first processes the first A/V stream704using the above described closed captioning technique, and then utilizes the signature data technique described above to further refine the identification of boundaries (or locations) within the first A/V stream704. For example, particular words of closed captioning data may be shifted in either direction from the corresponding video frame. Thus, the receiving device710A may be operable to initially identify an intermediate location within the first A/V stream704based upon the location information706. The intermediate location may be identified as described above in reference toFIGS. 7-9. Thus, the off-sets corresponding with the intermediate location may point to locations other than the boundaries of a segment.

FIG. 12illustrates an embodiment in which intermediate boundaries of a segment of an A/V stream1200are identified based on a text string included with the text data associated with the A/V stream1200.FIG. 12will be discussed in reference to system1000ofFIG. 10. The A/V stream1200includes a segment1202, an interstitial1204and text data1206. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below.

In the illustrated example, the location information706A (seeFIG. 10) is intended to identify a video location1216within the first A/V stream1200. More particularly, a selected string of text data specified by the location information706A (seeFIG. 10) corresponds with the video location1216. Off-sets associated with the video location point to boundaries of the segment1202. However, the text data1206for the A/V stream1200has been shifted to the right. This means that a location identified based on the location information706A will point to incorrect boundaries for the segment1202. In other words, the boundaries of the segment1202identified by the process will be shifted to the right.

To remedy the shifting, the location information706A (seeFIG. 10) received by the receiving device710A identifies the segment1202using a selected string1218and offsets1212and1214. In other words, the location information706A ofFIG. 10is comprised of the selected string1218and offsets1212and1214. The receiving device710A reviews the text data1206to locate the selected string1218. As illustrated inFIG. 12, the selected string1218is located at the intermediate location1220. More particularly, in at least one embodiment, the beginning of the selected string1218corresponds with the frame located at the intermediate location1220. After locating the intermediate location1220, the receiving device710A utilizes the negative offset1212to identify the intermediate beginning boundary1208. Likewise, the receiving device710A utilizes the positive offset1214to identify the intermediate ending boundary1210.

Next, the receiving device710A compares the signature data1006A (seeFIG. 10) to the audio and/or video data associated with the intermediate location1220to determine whether the A/V data is within a specified tolerance compared with the signature data1006A. In other words, the comparison process minimizes the tolerance between the signature data1006A and the audio and/or video data at a particular location. If the comparison results in value greater than the specified tolerance, then the receiving device710A identifies that the closed captioning data has been shifted from the original video location1216, and begins to identify the amount of the shift.

In at least one embodiment, receiving device710A may determine the shift amount by moving in either direction from the intermediate location1220and comparing the signature data1006with the A/V data at the shifted location. If the A/V data at the shifted location results in a comparison within a specified tolerance, then the receiving device identifies the shift amount, and adjusts the intermediate boundaries1208and1210accordingly to map to the boundaries of the segment1202. If the comparison is outside of the specified tolerance, then the receiving device710A keeps shifting in one direction or the other and performs a similar comparison process until the video location1216is identified.

The comparison of the signature data1006and the A/V data of the first A/V stream may be performed as described above in reference toFIG. 1. In at least one embodiment, a subtraction process may be performed to locate the video location1216.FIG. 13illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of a subtraction process performed to determine an offset between the video location1216and the intermediate location1220. The signature data1006A is initially subtracted from the A/V data1302corresponding with the intermediate location1220. If the subtraction results in a value greater than a specified tolerance, then the signature data1006A is shifted from the intermediate location1220and another subtraction process is performed. The shifting and subtraction process is repeated until the receiving device710A identifies the video location1216, as illustrated inFIG. 14. The shifting process results in the identification of the adjustment off-set1402. As described above, the off-sets1212and1214(seeFIG. 12) may then be adjusted by the adjustment off-set1402to map to the beginning and ending boundaries of the segment1202.

While the aforementioned process has been discussed in reference to signature video data, a similar identification process may be utilized in relation to signature audio data. For example, the intermediate location1220may be associated with a particular location of corresponding audio data. Thus, offsets may be utilized to locate the video location1216in relation to the location of the signature audio data.

A more explicit view of a receiving device1510according to one embodiment is illustrated inFIG. 15. The receiving device1510includes a communication interface1502, a storage unit1516, an A/V interface1518and control logic1520. In some implementations, a user interface1522may also be employed in the receiving device1510. Other components possibly included in the receiving device1510, such as demodulation circuitry, decoding logic, and the like, are not shown explicitly inFIG. 15to facilitate brevity of the discussion.

The communication interface1502may include circuitry to receive a first A/V stream1504and location information1508. In some embodiments, the communication interface1502may optionally receive supplemental content1506. If the receiving device1510is a satellite set-top box, then the communication interface1502may be configured to receive satellite programming, such as the first A/V stream1504, via an antenna from a satellite transponder. If, instead, the receiving device1510is a cable set-top box, then the communication interface1502may be operable to receive cable television signals and the like over a coaxial cable. In either case, the communication interface1502may receive the supplemental content1506and the location information1508by employing the same technology used to receive the first A/V stream1504. In another implementation, the communication interface1502may receive the supplemental content1506and the location information1508by way of another communication technology, such as the internet, a standard telephone network, or other means. Thus, the communication interface1502may employ one or more different communication technologies, including wired and wireless communication technologies, to communicate with a communication network, such as the communication network102ofFIG. 1.

Coupled to the communication interface1502is a storage unit1516, which is configured to store both the first A/V stream1504and the supplemental content1506. The storage unit1516may include any storage component configured to store one or more such A/V streams. Examples include, but are not limited to, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, and flash semiconductor memory. Further, the storage unit1516may include either or both volatile and nonvolatile memory.

Communicatively coupled with the storage unit1516is an A/V interface1518, which is configured to output A/V streams from the receiving device1510to a display device1514for presentation to a user. The A/V interface1518may incorporate circuitry to output the A/V streams in any format recognizable by the display device1514, including composite video, component video, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Ethernet, Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MOCA), WiFi and IEEE 1394. Data may be compressed and/or transcoded for output to the display device1514. The A/V interface1518may also incorporate circuitry to support multiple types of these or other A/V formats. In one example, the display device1514, such as a television monitor or similar display component, may be incorporated within the receiving device1510, as indicated earlier.

In communication with the communication interface1502, the storage unit1516, and the A/V interface1518is control logic1520configured to control the operation of each of these three components1502,1516,1518. In one implementation, the control logic1520includes a processor, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), or the like for execution of software configured to perform the various control functions described herein. In another embodiment, the control logic1520may include hardware logic circuitry in lieu of, or in addition to, a processor and related software to allow the control logic1520to control the other components of the receiving device1510.

Optionally, the control logic1520may communicate with a user interface1522configured to receive user input1523directing the operation of the receiving device1510. The user input1523may be generated by way of a remote control device1524, which may transmit the user input1523to the user interface1522by the use of, for example, infrared (IR) or radio frequency (RF) signals. In another embodiment, the user input1523may be received more directly by the user interface1522by way of a touchpad or other manual interface incorporated into the receiving device1510.

The receiving device1510, by way of the control logic1520, is configured to receive the first A/V stream1504by way of the communication interface1502, and store the A/V stream1504in the storage unit1516. The receiving device1510is also configured to receive the supplemental content1506over the communication interface1502, possibly storing the supplemental content1506in the storage unit1516as well. The location information1508is also received at the communication interface1502, which may pass the location information1508to the control logic1520for processing. In another embodiment, the location information1508may be stored in the storage unit1516for subsequent retrieval and processing by the control logic1520.

At some point after the location information1508is processed, the control logic1520generates and transmits a second A/V stream1512over the A/V interface1518to the display device1514. In one embodiment, the control logic1520generates and transmits the second A/V stream1512in response to the user input1523. For example, the user input1523may command the receiving device1510to output the first A/V stream1504to the display device1514for presentation. In response, the control logic1520instead generates and outputs the second A/V stream1512. As described above in reference toFIG. 1, the second A/V stream1512includes portions of the A/V data of the first A/V stream1504, with the supplemental content1506also being presented in association with the portions of the first A/V stream1504. In some embodiments, the supplemental content1506may replace portions of the original A/V content of the first A/V stream1504at a location specified in the location information1508, as described in detail above with respect to the first presentation stream104ofFIG. 1. For example, the first A/V stream1504may include portions of a movie that are not appropriate for viewing by children. The supplemental content1506may be utilized to replace these portions of the first A/V stream1504with more appropriate portions of video content for output in the second A/V stream1512. In other embodiments, the supplemental content1506may be utilized to augment portions of the first A/V stream1504which are presented as part of the second A/V stream1512.

Depending on the implementation, the second A/V stream1512may or may not be stored as a separate data structure in the storage unit1516. In one example, the control logic1520generates and stores the entire second A/V stream1512in the storage unit1516. The control logic1520may further overwrite the first A/V stream1504with the second A/V stream1512to save storage space within the storage unit1516. Otherwise, both the first A/V stream1504and the second A/V stream1512may reside within the storage unit1516.

In another implementation, the second A/V stream1512may not be stored separately within the storage unit1516. For example, the control logic1520may instead generate the second A/V stream1512“on the fly” by transferring selected portions of the audio data and the video data of the first A/V stream1504in presentation order from the storage unit1516to the A/V interface1518. At the point at which the supplemental content1506indicated by the location information1508is to be outputted, the control logic1520may then cause the supplemental content1506to be transmitted from the storage unit1516to the A/V interface1518for output to the display device1514. Once the last of the supplemental content1506has been transferred from the storage unit1516, the control logic1520may cause remaining portions of the first A/V stream1504which are to be presented to a user to be outputted to the A/V interface1518for presentation to the display device1514.

In one implementation, a user may select by way of the user input1523whether the first A/V stream1504or the second A/V stream1512is outputted to the display device1514by way of the A/V interface1518. In another embodiment, a content provider of the first A/V stream1504may prevent the user from maintaining such control by way of additional information delivered to the receiving device1510.

If more than one portion of supplemental content1506is available in the storage unit1516to replace a specified portion of the A/V of the first A/V stream1504or augment the first A/V stream1504, then the user may select via the user input1523which of the supplemental content1506are to replace the corresponding portion of the audio data of the first A/V stream1504upon transmission to the display device1514. Such a selection may be made in a menu system incorporated in the user interface1522and presented to the user via the display device1514. In other embodiments, the control logic1520may select the supplemental content1506based on various criteria, such as information specified in the location information1508, user characteristics such a demographic information or user viewing characteristics.

In a broadcast environment, such as that depicted in the system1600ofFIG. 16, multiple receiving devices1610A-E may be coupled to a communication network1602to receive A/V streams, any of which may be recorded, in whole or in part, by any of the receiving devices1610A-E. In conjunction with any number of these A/V streams, supplemental or substitute content serving to replace content in an A/V stream or to augment content in an A/V stream, as well as the location information for portions of the A/V stream which are to be skipped and/or presented to a user, may be transferred to the multiple receiving devices1610A-E. In response to receiving the A/V streams, each of the receiving devices1610A-E may record any number of the A/V streams received. For any supplemental or substitute content and associated location information that are transmitted over the communication network1602, each receiving device1610A-E may then review whether the received A/V data segments and location information are associated with an A/V stream currently stored in the device1610A-E. If the associated stream is not stored therein, then the receiving device1610A-E may delete or ignore the related A/V data segment and location information received.

In another embodiment, instead of broadcasting each possible supplemental or substitute content and related location information, the transfer of an A/V stream stored within the receiving device1610A-E to an associated display device1614A-E may cause the receiving device1610A-E to query the communication network1602for any outstanding supplemental or substitute content that apply to the stream to be presented. For example, the communication network1602may comprise an internet connection. As a result, the broadcasting of each portion of supplemental or substitute content and related location information would not be required, thus potentially reducing the amount of consumed bandwidth over the communication network1602.

FIG. 17illustrates an embodiment of a process for outputting a stream of data. More particularly, the process ofFIG. 17is operable for filtering portions of a presentation stream during output of the presentation stream. The process ofFIG. 17will be discussed in reference to filtering interstitials from a presentation stream, but it is to be appreciated that the process ofFIG. 17may be operable to filter any portion of a presentation stream. The process ofFIG. 17may include other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The process includes providing a first presentation stream including at least one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show (operation1702). In at least one embodiment, operation1702comprises receiving the presentation stream from an external source. Operation1702may optionally include storing the first presentation stream for subsequent playback. In other embodiment, operation1702may include accessing the first presentation stream from a storage device.

The process further comprises receiving location information referencing a location within the first presentation stream (operation1704). The process also includes receiving a signature of a portion of the first presentation stream corresponding with the location (operation1706) and receiving at least one-offset, specified relative to the location (operation1708).

The process further includes identifying the location in the first presentation stream based on the signature and the location information (operation1710). Responsive to identifying the location, the process includes processing the first presentation stream to identify boundaries of the segment of the show based on the identified location and the off-set (operation1712). The process further includes filtering the interstitial from the first presentation stream to generate a second presentation stream including the segment of the show (operation1714). The process also includes outputting the second presentation stream for presentation by a presentation device (operation1716).

FIG. 18illustrates an embodiment of a process for filtering content from an audio/video stream using signature data and metadata that references supplemental data of an audio/video stream. The process ofFIG. 18may include other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The process includes providing a first audio/video stream including at least one segment of a show, at least one interstitial of the show and text data, e.g., closed captioning data (operation1802). For example, a DVR may record a broadcast TV signal for subsequent playback to a user. In some embodiments, the audio/video stream may include associated audio data. In at least one embodiment, operation1802comprises accessing video content including subtitles from a storage medium, such as a DVD.

The process further includes receiving location information referencing the text data to identify a video location with the first audio/video stream (operation1804). The process further includes receiving a signature of a portion of the first audio/video stream associated with the video location (operation1806) and receiving at least one first off-set specified relative to the video location (operation1808).

Operation1810comprises processing the first audio/video stream to identify boundaries of the at least one segment of the show based on the signature, the location information and the first off-set. Responsive to identifying the boundaries of the segment, the process further includes filtering the interstitial from the first audio/video stream to generate a second audio/video stream including the segment of the video (operation1812). The second audio/video stream is responsively outputted for presentation by a display device (operation1814).

FIG. 19illustrates an embodiment of a process for creating location information for utilization by the processes ofFIGS. 17 and 18. The operation ofFIG. 19is discussed in reference to location information and signature information for a television program. However, it is to be appreciated that the operation of the process ofFIG. 19may be applied to create location information and signature data for other types of presentation stream content. The operations of the process ofFIG. 19are not all-inclusive, and may comprise other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

After recording a television show, a human operator reviews a presentation stream to identify at least one portion of the presentation stream to skip during subsequent presentation (operation1902). For example, the human operator may identify the boundaries of interstitials of a television program.

The process further includes analyzing the presentation stream to identify a signature corresponding with a portion of the presentation stream that identifies at least one boundary of the portion of the presentation stream (operation1904). For example, the process may include identifying a particular sample of audio data, video data or a combination thereof that is significantly unique within the presentation stream to identify a particular video location. In at least one embodiment, operation1904includes identifying a significantly unique average luminance value of a particular frame or frames of video data, or a significantly unique luminance transition value between two frames. In some embodiments, operation1904may include identifying a particular sample of output of audio data, such as an output power, that is significantly unique to identify the particular location in the presentation stream. If the identified location is not located at the boundary of the segment, then the process further includes determining an offset of the boundary relative to the location of the signature. If the video location identifies multiple boundaries, then multiple off-sets may be determined that each point to a separate boundary.

The process further includes transmitting the signature to a presentation device (operation1906). The presentation device utilizes the signature to skip the portion of the audio/video stream specified by the boundary during presentation of the presentation stream. If operation1904results in the identification of off-set data, then operation1906further includes transmitting the off-set data to the presentation device in association with the signature.

In accordance with the teachings above, a presentation device may also utilize text data to identify boundaries of a segment. Thus, the process ofFIG. 19may also include parsing text data associated with the audio/video stream to identify a text string in the text data that identifies the boundary. For example, a significantly unique text string may be identified that is proximate a particular segment of content. The text string is then provided to the presentation device for utilization in association with the signature data as defined above to identify portions of the audio/video stream to skip during presentation.

FIG. 20illustrates an embodiment of a process for outputting a stream of data. More particularly, the process ofFIG. 20is operable for replacing portions of a presentation stream during output of the presentation stream. The process ofFIG. 20may include other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The process includes providing a presentation stream including at least one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show (operation2002). In one embodiment, operation2002comprises recording the show from a broadcast source, such as a terrestrial broadcast signal, cable television signal, satellite television signal or IP television stream. In another embodiment, operation2002comprises accessing the first presentation stream from a storage medium, such as an optical disk.

The process further includes receiving location information referencing a location within the first presentation stream (operation2004). The process also includes receiving a signature of a portion of the first presentation stream corresponding with the location (operation2006) and receiving at least one off-set specified relative to the location (operation2008). The data received in each of operations2004-2008may be received separately or in any combination depending on desired design criteria.

The process further includes identifying the location in the first presentation stream based on the signature and the location information (operation2010). The process further includes processing the first presentation stream to identify boundaries of the segment of the show based on the identified location and the off-set (operation2012). The location may be identified based on the signature in accordance with any of the techniques described above. The identification process may be further augmented based on processing of text data, e.g., closed captioning data as described above.

The process further comprises identifying supplemental content to present in association with the segment of the show (operation2014). The supplemental content may be identified based on data internal or external to the first presentation stream or the location information. For example, the location information may include identifying information that specifies the supplemental content. In another embodiment, the supplemental content may be identified based on the subject matter of the first presentation stream or based on user viewing characteristics.

The process further includes outputting a second presentation stream for presentation on a presentation device (operation2016). The second presentation stream includes the segment of the show and the supplemental content. The supplemental content may be inserted into any logical location of the first presentation stream. For example, the supplemental content may replace other content in the first presentation stream. In other words, the supplemental content is substitute content. In this scenario, the process may additionally include identifying the content to be replaced in the first presentation stream. In other embodiments, the supplemental content may be utilized to augment the content in the first presentation stream, and may be inserted either before or after the identified segment.

As described above, the identification techniques described herein may be utilized for identifying multiple segments of content of a presentation stream into various logical chapters, scenes or other sections and the like. The segments of a presentation stream may then be selectably experienced by a user. In other words, a user may select which of the segments they desire to view, and an entertainment device may automatically present the selected segments, automatically skipping over the undesignated segments of the presentation stream.

FIG. 21illustrates an embodiment of a process for processing an audio/video stream. The process ofFIG. 21will be described in reference to processing a recorded broadcast television stream. However, it is to be appreciated that the process ofFIG. 21may be applied to processing other types of A/V streams. The process ofFIG. 21may include other operations not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The process includes providing an audio/video stream (operation2102) and receiving location information and signature data identifying at least one location within an audio/video stream (operation2104).

The process further includes identifying the location in the audio/video stream based on the signature and the location information (operation2106). The process further includes identifying boundaries of multiple segments of the audio/video stream based on the location (operation2108). In some embodiments, multiple sets of location information may be utilized to identify multiple segments of the audio/video stream. The location may be identified based on the signature in accordance with any of the techniques described above. The identification process may be further augmented based on processing of text data, e.g., closed captioning data as described above.

The process further includes receiving user input requesting presentation of at least one of the segments of the audio/video stream (operation2110). For example, a selection menu of the identified segments may be presented to the user including available segments of the television program. The presented menu may indicate each of the segments of the audio/video stream along with descriptions of the segments. In at least one embodiment, the menu is generated based on information included in the location information. The user may responsively select one or more of the available segments for presentation. The subset of the segments of the presentation stream to be presented may be contiguous or non-contiguous depending on the user input.

The process further includes outputting the selected segments for presentation by a display device based on the input (operation2112). The selected segments are then responsively outputted for presentation, with the undesignated segments skipped during presentation. For example, a user may select particular news stories that they desire to view, and the recording device may output the selected news stories back-to-back, skipping presentation of undesignated segments interspersed therebetween.

Using the process ofFIG. 21, a user may effectively view a subset of the segments of an A/V stream in the original temporal order of the segments, skipping output of undesignated segments of the A/V stream. In some embodiments, a user may designate a different presentation order for the segments of the A/V stream than the original presentation order of the segments. This allows the user to reorder the content of the recorded A/V stream.

In some embodiments, a user may be restricted from temporally moving through particular segments of the A/V stream at a non-real time presentation rate of the A/V stream. In other words, a DVR may automatically output particular segments of the A/V stream without skipping over or otherwise fast forwarding through the segments, regardless of whether a user provides input requesting fast forwarding or skipping through the segment. For example, commercials within a television program may be associated with restrictions against fast forwarding or skipping, and a recording device may automatically present the commercial segments regardless of the receipt of user input requesting non-presentation of the segments.

To effectuate this feature, a receiving device initially identifies the boundaries of the segments of the presentation stream. The identification of boundaries may be performed in accordance with any of the techniques described above. The receiving device additionally identifies any restrictions imposed upon particular segments of the audio/video stream. In at least one embodiment, restrictions may be specified for particular segments in the location information received by the receiving device. When processing the content of the presentation stream, the receiving device uses the identified restrictions to determine whether to allow particular features associated with output of the presentation stream, such as fast-forwarding and the like.