Patent ID: 8914823

Claim:
A method for managing information, the method comprising: receiving an information signal, wherein the information signal includes audio and video and wherein data indicative of parental levels for different segments of the information signal is included in the information signal; obtaining replacement audio signals and video signals from the information signal based on an audio level of different portions of the information signal, wherein the obtaining comprises: detecting a first mute period and a second mute period from the audio signal of the information signal, the second mute period subsequent to the first mute period; storing the audio signals of a buffered segment between the detected first and second mute periods; and storing the video signals of the buffered segment between the detected first and second mute periods, wherein the first mute period is at a beginning of the buffered segment and the second mute period is at an end of the buffered segment; detecting the parental levels for the information signal; comparing the parental levels to a stored level; when the parental level detected for the information signal is lower than the stored level, outputting the audio and video of the information signal as received; and when the parental level detected for the information signal is equal to or greater than the stored level, identifying a segment having audio and video to be replaced and outputting stored audio and video signals of the buffered segment in place of the audio and video corresponding to the identified segment, wherein: the stored video signals to be output in place of the video corresponding to the identified segment include a still image or moving images; the identified segment is after the detected mute periods; the parental level of the buffered segment between the detected mute periods is lower than the stored level; and the detected mute periods are portions of the information signal detected, by an audio level detector, as having no sound, and wherein the storing the video signals of the buffered segment comprises: storing moving images of the video signals when the size of an A/V buffer has a sufficient capacity for storing the moving images between the detected first and second mute periods; and storing a still image of the video signals when the size of the A/V buffer does not have a sufficient capacity for storing the moving images between the detected first and second mute periods.