WO2010076268A1 - Recording and playback of digital media content - Google Patents

Recording and playback of digital media content Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010076268A1
WO2010076268A1 PCT/EP2009/067795 EP2009067795W WO2010076268A1 WO 2010076268 A1 WO2010076268 A1 WO 2010076268A1 EP 2009067795 W EP2009067795 W EP 2009067795W WO 2010076268 A1 WO2010076268 A1 WO 2010076268A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
content
store
read out
controller
combiner
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2009/067795
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Roy Campbell
Original Assignee
Roy Campbell
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Roy Campbell filed Critical Roy Campbell
Publication of WO2010076268A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010076268A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N7/00—Television systems
    • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
    • H04N7/162—Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
    • H04N7/163—Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing by receiver means only
    • H—ELECTRICITY
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    • H04N5/76—Television signal recording
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    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/442—Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk
    • H04N21/44213—Monitoring of end-user related data
    • H04N21/44222—Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity
    • H04N21/44224—Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
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    • H04N21/432—Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk
    • H04N21/4325—Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk by playing back content from the storage medium
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    • H04N21/462—Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
    • H04N21/4622—Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet
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    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/472—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content
    • H04N21/47214—End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market
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    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/475—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
    • H04N21/4755—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre
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    • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
    • H04N21/84—Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
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    • H04N5/262—Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
    • H04N5/265—Mixing
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    • H04N21/44—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream, rendering scenes according to MPEG-4 scene graphs
    • H04N21/4402—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream, rendering scenes according to MPEG-4 scene graphs involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display
    • H04N21/440236—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream, rendering scenes according to MPEG-4 scene graphs involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
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    • H04N21/442—Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk
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Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for recording digital media content in a digital data store and playing back the stored content.
  • Digital media recorders are well known. Broadcast content has a "live feel" imparted to it by the use of segues and live news items for example even if, as is usual, it is prc-rccordcd by the broadcaster and played back to the audience. When content recorded by a viewer is played back, especially video content, the sense of it being part of a "live” broadcast, in the sense that broadcast content feels live, is lost.
  • a digital video recording and playback apparatus comprising: one or more receivers for receiving content from one or more sources external to the apparatus; a content store for storing content received via the one or more receivers; a combiner for combining other content received by a said receiver with content read out of the store ; and a controller for selecting the said other content to be received by a said receiver and for causing the selected other content to be supplied to the combiner contemporaneously with the reception thereof for combining the content read out of the store with the said other content.
  • a method of recording and playback content comprising: receiving content from one or more sources external to the apparatus via one or more receivers; storing content received via the one or more receivers in a content store; selecting other content to be rcccncd by a said receiver and outputtmg the other content received by a said receiver contemporaneously with the reception thereof combined with the content read out of the store
  • the controller may be a CPU and the combiner may be implemented by a computer program run m the CPU Where the content read out of the store and the other content arc visual, content they may be combined so as to be displayed in respective windows on a display
  • the content read out of the store and the other content are visual, content they may be combined so as to superimpose the other content on the content read out of the store when displayed on a display device
  • the other content may be live news information scrolled across a display for example
  • the other content may be audio content which is combined with the content readout of the store
  • Content may be read out of the store according to a preset schedule
  • Other content may be combined with the content readout of the store according to the schedule
  • Other content may be combined with the content readout of the store under the control of externally produced control signals
  • Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a digital video recorder with various content receivers
  • Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of digital content receiver of Figure 1 ,
  • Figure 3 is d flow diagram describing a process of recording content on the recorder of Figure 1
  • Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating steps carried out by a playback scheduling operation carried out by the apparatus of Figure 1
  • a digital video recorder 1 has one or more content receivers 2, 4, 6, and 8
  • at least one receiver 2 is a digital terrestrial television (DTT) receiver
  • another 4 is a satellite receiver
  • another 6 is a cable interface
  • another 8 is a network interface
  • all receivers 2 to 8 receive MPEG2 transport streams which include digital media content, for example, video, audio, and/or audiovisual content and other digital data relating to the content and referred to herein as metadata
  • digital media content for example, video, audio, and/or audiovisual content and other digital data relating to the content and referred to herein as metadata
  • media content is referred to herein as media content
  • the recorder 1 may be for example a computer 1 having, amongst other conventional components, a CPU and associated memory 10, one or more user input devices 22 for example a key board and/or a mouse, a hard drive which may be a hard disk drive (HDD) 12, a display driver 14 coupled to a display device 18, and a controller 16 interfacing with a user's remote control 20
  • the display device 18 has one of more audio reproducers and the display driver 14 processes audio associated with the content reproduced on the display device
  • the components arc coupled to, and interact via, one or more busses 3 in a conventional way
  • the recorder records MPEG2 compressed content received from a receiver
  • the recorder has an MPEG decoder 204 for decompressing the content for playback
  • the recorder may be configured to be able to record more than one received media content at the same time Finding Content to be recorded Selecting Content to be recorded
  • the content to be recorded may be selected using an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) in a conventional way
  • EPG Electronic Program Guide
  • the user selects in advance of the supply of the content by the content suppliers, e g a broadcaster, items of media content to be recorded and the recorder automatically records the selected items m a well known manner
  • some recorders allow more than one item of content to be recorded at the same time
  • the present invention may be applied to content selected and recorded in that conventional way
  • the invention may also be applied to content selected and recorded in the way described below
  • Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of the DTT receiver
  • the receiver comprises a tuner 201 having an input 210 for receiving a control signal for selecting an RF channel, a demodulator 202 for outputting a demodulated MEPG2 Transport stream and a demultiplexer 203 responsive to a content selection signal 212 to select content from the transport stream
  • the tuner, demodulator and demultiplexer arc well known comcntional devices and thus need no further description
  • a satellite receiver is similar but differs in the form of the tuner 201
  • the tuner and the demultiplexer are controlled to select desired content using data derived from an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
  • EPG Electronic Program Guide
  • the EPG may be derived from data in the MPEG Transport Stream or from any other available source, for example from an organisation which aggregates data relating to content and makes the aggregated data available as an EPG
  • the EPG may be made available to users ⁇ ia a network, for example the Internet
  • the rcccrvcr has a store 206 which stores EPG data 9 (also referred to herein as metadata) extracted from the transport stream by the demultiplexer 203 and an EPG processor 208 which creates the EPG from the stored metadata
  • the EPG may be sourced from a separate channel in the broadcast band
  • the store 206 and'or the EPG processor 208 may be implemented by the computer 1
  • the EPG processor 208 may be implemented in the computer 1 by software
  • the computer 1 processes the EPG data as described herein below to produce the control signals 210 and 212 for
  • the EPG data associated with each recorded program is recorded in association with the program.
  • the EPG data comprises data identifying the channel, time of transmission, title, and may include genre, synopsis of content, production date, and audio/video attributes for example display format such as widescreen. It may also include other data for example name of artists.
  • Negative Filtering Referring to Figure 3, in one example of an implementation of the invention, in step 30, EPG data is received from the transport stream and extracted from it by the demultiplexer 203 and stored in the store 206.
  • the EPG processor applies one or more negative filtering criteria in step 32 to the stored metadata to block certain metadata from being used to create a program schedule which is constructed in step 33.
  • the negative filtering criteria will be described in more detail herein below
  • Step 34 reviews the program schedule to determine if there arc time and ⁇ or resource conflicts which prevent all the programs listed in the schedule from being recorded. For example, two or more programs may be present at the same time on different RF channels and only one receiver is available or two or more programs are present simultaneously in the same transport stream and there is insufficient resource to record them all.
  • Step 35 resolves the conflicts in the manner described below.
  • the program schedule is changed as necessary in step 36 to produce a schedule with appropriate allocation of reception and recording resources to allow all content in the schedule to be recorded.
  • the EPG data comprises information identifying the RF channel for controlling the tuner and data identifying the content for controlling the demultiplexer to automatically select content to be recorded. All content in the schedule is automatically recorded in step 37 with its associated metadata.
  • the EPG is supplied from a source independent of the transport stream so steps 30 and 31 are not carried out instead the EPG is received from the source
  • the received EPG which comprises metadata is subject to negative filtering in step 32 followed by steps 33 to 37
  • the EPG processor 208 may aggregate EPG data from several different channels receiv ed by the receivers 2 to 8 if a single global EPG listing all content from all channels is not available
  • EPG data may be received 7 or more days before the content listed in it is transmitted Setting up Negative filtering criteria
  • the recorder automatically records all the content which passes the negative criteria and the resolution of conflicts That is done without further operations by the user The user does not make any further selection of the content to be recorded
  • the initial set-up and later updating of the negative filter criteria can be earned out using an on-screen customisation interface which may be a semi-transparent o ⁇ erlay screen or a separate window that can be used whilst the user is viewing an item of live or recorded broadcast media content
  • an on-screen customisation interface which may be a semi-transparent o ⁇ erlay screen or a separate window that can be used whilst the user is viewing an item of live or recorded broadcast media content
  • a number of icons or pictograms may be provided in the on-screen user interface 10 to represent the different genre, styles and formats of programme, for example, a picture of a football may represent sporting programmes
  • the recorder 1 may also have some preloaded sets of criteria or profiles, which can be used as part of the set-up process to reduce the initial setup time of the recorder 1 For example, it may be assumed that the user is not interested in receiving and recording any foreign language channels It will be appreciated that the user will be able to override any preloaded profiles
  • the recorder 1 may monitor
  • the negative filtering criteria comprise one or more of the following identification of a content channel, a genre of media content, a format of media content, a name of an item of media content, a text string associated w ith an item of media content, an artist featuring in the media content, date of production of the media content, the fact that an item of media content has been previously deh ⁇ ered to the user, the fact that an item of media content has been recorded previously by the user, and the fact that an item of media content has been previously w atched by the user Playback
  • Figure 4 shows the steps carried out in a playback operation of the recorder 1
  • the process described above enables the recorder 1 to receive, store and process items of broadcast media content to enable the hard drive of the recorder 1 to contain many items of content, for example several weeks of selected media content, available for delivery to the user and which has been stripped of repeats and non-programme items
  • These recorded items can be selected for playback on an ad-hoc basis or according to pre-programmed or user generated schedules which may match optimum programming with the time of day and date, referred to as 'day parting', or may be customised in other ways
  • the user can choose to play back recorded items of broadcast media content from their actual starting points automatically removing any additional recorded material used as a time buffer
  • content played back from the store 12 may be combined with other content derived from a source external to the recorder
  • live topical information can be obtained from a source or sources external to the recorder 1, for example from Internet feeds Transmitted metadata
  • a playback schedule may be provided by an external supplier
  • professionally written schedules or timetables can also be received via the network interface 8 from an external source and stored m the store 12
  • the desired timetable may be marked as "current" and that timetable will govern the playback function until a different timetable is chosen
  • Such a playback schedule may be a generic schedule which specifies types or genres of content to be played back at specified times of the day
  • the schedule controls playback of the content stored in the recorder by selecting it according to criteria in the schedule using the metadata recorded in association with the stored content (It is considered that this idea of a generic playback schedule and controlling playback in accordance with the schedule is novel in itself)
  • An auto-updating real time clock 41 in the recorder 1 can trigger the playback to commence according to the selected timetable This function can also be used as a wake up alarm User Control of Playback
  • Playback of a timetable can be paused by the user at any time
  • the user can interrupt the programming sequenced by the timetable 43 using the remote control 22 or other user input device 22 and can alternatively choose playback of indiiidual items from a library 42 of items of broadcast media content comprising a list of all items of recorded media content by genre, style, format or any other supported classification that can be derived from the transmitted programme metadata
  • This function allows the user to browse the library in a simulation of live channel surfing
  • the items in the library of items of broadcast media content can be set to start from the beginning or from the last ⁇ lewed point
  • the library of broadcast media content items is maintained in the hard drive 12
  • the user can also set options provided in the on-screen menus to watch only output from a specific channel or to view output from a guest channel which is not normally allowed to be delivered and recorded according to the settings of the negative filter step 32 of Figure 3
  • the filtering functions of the recorder 1 can also be bypassed if the user wishes to watch live transmissions or
  • the other content may be audio content which is combined with the content readout of the store 12 or the other content may be audio and video content
  • a synthesizer such as a voice synthesizer, may be used 45 to provide programme information derived from EPG metadata and this spoken information can be used to announce items of broadcast media content and provide synthesised live segues in the play out for the purpose of simulating a natural- sounding scheduled evening's entertainment, or at any other time that the information is required
  • Broadcasting segues can also be obtained from an external source and incorporated into the playback of items of recorded broadcast media content For example announcements such as "Good Morning” and “Good Evening” and “Good Night” may be inserted into the schedule as appropriate times.
  • reviews of media items can be synthesized from a number of sources and may be incorporated in the playback
  • menu items can also be vocalised 45 in order to improve usability on small screens, for example, when the recorder 1 is being operated at a distance from the screen or by visually impaired users Scheduled insertion of content from other sources
  • the insertion of live content into, or overlay on, the played-back content may be controlled by the playback schedule produced by the user or produced by the external source
  • the timing of insertion of synthesised content may be controlled by the playback schedule (it is considered that this idea is novel in itself )
  • the recorder may have a network interface 8 via which an external source may provide a generic playback schedule
  • the schedule is stored in the recorder in the hard drive 12 for example Content recorded in the recorder is played back in accordance with the schedule
  • the schedule may include times at which content provided by the external source or some other external source is presented to the user
  • the control of the insertion or overlay of content into or on the played back content may be done by the external source via the network interface 8
  • an external source may produce news content
  • the news content may be sent to the user for automatic combining with the played back content according to a generic schedule provided by the external source
  • the generic schedule may include instructions which arc sent by the recorder via the network interface to the external source to access the news content at the time(s) scheduled for news
  • the external source may even remotely control the overlay or insertion of content into the played back content independently of a schedule For example if a news event occurs which the external source judges to be so important as to interrupt the schedule playback, the external source sends a control signal, for example an
  • Playback Mixer A playback mixer 46, which may be implemented by software in the
  • the mixer 46 may combine the synthesised content with the played back recorded content For example it may insert a segue sequentially into a data stream of played back content, it may superimpose audio content on played back content
  • the synthesised content may be synthcsiscd from content read out of the hard drive 12 and suitably processed 44 for synthesis at 45
  • the synthesised content may be synthesised from metadata associated with played back content and recorded with the content on the hard drive
  • the synthesis may be done by a synthesising de ⁇ ice 45 or by software in the processor 10
  • the invention may be implemented by one or more computer programs run on a suitable data processing system having at least one content receiver
  • the computer program or programs may be carried on a carrier
  • the earner may be a signal, a communication channel, or a computer readable medium
  • the computer readable medium may be a tape disc computer memory or electronic store
  • the disc may be a magnetic, optical or magneto optic disc amongst other examples
  • the computer memory may be a hard disk RAM, or ROM
  • the electronic store may be volatile or non-volatile, for example a Flash memory amongst other examples

Abstract

A digital video recording and playback apparatus comprises one or more receivers for receiving media content from one or more sources (2, 4, 6, 8) external to the apparatus A content store (12) stores the media content received via the one or more receivers A combiner (46) is provided for combining other content received by a said receiver with content read out of the store. A controller selects the said other content to be received by a said receiver for causing the selected other content to be supplied to the combiner contemporaneously with the reception thereof for combination with the media content read out of the store.

Description

Recording and playback of digital media content
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for recording digital media content in a digital data store and playing back the stored content.
Background of the Invention
Digital media recorders are well known. Broadcast content has a "live feel" imparted to it by the use of segues and live news items for example even if, as is usual, it is prc-rccordcd by the broadcaster and played back to the audience. When content recorded by a viewer is played back, especially video content, the sense of it being part of a "live" broadcast, in the sense that broadcast content feels live, is lost.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital video recording and playback apparatus, comprising: one or more receivers for receiving content from one or more sources external to the apparatus; a content store for storing content received via the one or more receivers; a combiner for combining other content received by a said receiver with content read out of the store ; and a controller for selecting the said other content to be received by a said receiver and for causing the selected other content to be supplied to the combiner contemporaneously with the reception thereof for combining the content read out of the store with the said other content.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recording and playback content, comprising: receiving content from one or more sources external to the apparatus via one or more receivers; storing content received via the one or more receivers in a content store; selecting other content to be rcccncd by a said receiver and outputtmg the other content received by a said receiver contemporaneously with the reception thereof combined with the content read out of the store
By selecting other content to be received by a said receiver and outputtmg the other content received by d said receiver contemporaneously with the reception thereof combined with the content read out of the store, a live feel is imparted to the played-back recorded content
The controller may be a CPU and the combiner may be implemented by a computer program run m the CPU Where the content read out of the store and the other content arc visual, content they may be combined so as to be displayed in respective windows on a display
Figure imgf000003_0001
Where the content read out of the store and the other content are visual, content they may be combined so as to superimpose the other content on the content read out of the store when displayed on a display device The other content may be live news information scrolled across a display for example
The other content may be audio content which is combined with the content readout of the store
Content may be read out of the store according to a preset schedule Other content may be combined with the content readout of the store according to the schedule Other content may be combined with the content readout of the store under the control of externally produced control signals
A better understanding of the present invention will become apparent from the following illustrative description of embodiments of the invention, grven by way of example only, which is made w ith reference to the accompanying drawings
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a digital video recorder with various content receivers, Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of digital content receiver of Figure 1 ,
Figure 3 is d flow diagram describing a process of recording content on the recorder of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating steps carried out by a playback scheduling operation carried out by the apparatus of Figure 1
Detailed Descnption of the Invention
Referring to Figure 1, a digital video recorder 1 has one or more content receivers 2, 4, 6, and 8 In this example at least one receiver 2 is a digital terrestrial television (DTT) receiver, another 4 is a satellite receiver, another 6 is a cable interface and another 8 is a network interface In this example of the invention it is assumed that all receivers 2 to 8 receive MPEG2 transport streams which include digital media content, for example, video, audio, and/or audiovisual content and other digital data relating to the content and referred to herein as metadata Such content is referred to herein as media content
The recorder 1 may be for example a computer 1 having, amongst other conventional components, a CPU and associated memory 10, one or more user input devices 22 for example a key board and/or a mouse, a hard drive which may be a hard disk drive (HDD) 12, a display driver 14 coupled to a display device 18, and a controller 16 interfacing with a user's remote control 20 The display device 18 has one of more audio reproducers and the display driver 14 processes audio associated with the content reproduced on the display device The components arc coupled to, and interact via, one or more busses 3 in a conventional way In this example the recorder records MPEG2 compressed content received from a receiver The recorder has an MPEG decoder 204 for decompressing the content for playback
The recorder may be configured to be able to record more than one received media content at the same time Finding Content to be recorded Selecting Content to be recorded The content to be recorded may be selected using an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) in a conventional way Thus the user selects in advance of the supply of the content by the content suppliers, e g a broadcaster, items of media content to be recorded and the recorder automatically records the selected items m a well known manner As is known some recorders allow more than one item of content to be recorded at the same time The present invention may be applied to content selected and recorded in that conventional way However as will be described with reference to Figure 3 the invention may also be applied to content selected and recorded in the way described below Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of the DTT receiver
2 of Figure 1 The receiver comprises a tuner 201 having an input 210 for receiving a control signal for selecting an RF channel, a demodulator 202 for outputting a demodulated MEPG2 Transport stream and a demultiplexer 203 responsive to a content selection signal 212 to select content from the transport stream The tuner, demodulator and demultiplexer arc well known comcntional devices and thus need no further description A satellite receiver is similar but differs in the form of the tuner 201
The tuner and the demultiplexer are controlled to select desired content using data derived from an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) The EPG may be derived from data in the MPEG Transport Stream or from any other available source, for example from an organisation which aggregates data relating to content and makes the aggregated data available as an EPG For example the EPG may be made available to users \ia a network, for example the Internet In the case of the EPG dcm cd from the transport stream the rcccrvcr has a store 206 which stores EPG data 9 (also referred to herein as metadata) extracted from the transport stream by the demultiplexer 203 and an EPG processor 208 which creates the EPG from the stored metadata The EPG may be sourced from a separate channel in the broadcast band The store 206 and'or the EPG processor 208 may be implemented by the computer 1 The EPG processor 208 may be implemented in the computer 1 by software The computer 1 processes the EPG data as described herein below to produce the control signals 210 and 212 for controlling the tuner and demultiplexer to select the content to be recorded. The EPG data associated with each recorded program is recorded in association with the program. The EPG data comprises data identifying the channel, time of transmission, title, and may include genre, synopsis of content, production date, and audio/video attributes for example display format such as widescreen. It may also include other data for example name of artists. Negative Filtering Referring to Figure 3, in one example of an implementation of the invention, in step 30, EPG data is received from the transport stream and extracted from it by the demultiplexer 203 and stored in the store 206. The EPG processor applies one or more negative filtering criteria in step 32 to the stored metadata to block certain metadata from being used to create a program schedule which is constructed in step 33. The negative filtering criteria will be described in more detail herein below
Step 34 reviews the program schedule to determine if there arc time and^or resource conflicts which prevent all the programs listed in the schedule from being recorded. For example, two or more programs may be present at the same time on different RF channels and only one receiver is available or two or more programs are present simultaneously in the same transport stream and there is insufficient resource to record them all.
Step 35 resolves the conflicts in the manner described below. The program schedule is changed as necessary in step 36 to produce a schedule with appropriate allocation of reception and recording resources to allow all content in the schedule to be recorded. The EPG data comprises information identifying the RF channel for controlling the tuner and data identifying the content for controlling the demultiplexer to automatically select content to be recorded. All content in the schedule is automatically recorded in step 37 with its associated metadata.
Sources of EPG data In another example, the EPG is supplied from a source independent of the transport stream so steps 30 and 31 are not carried out instead the EPG is received from the source The received EPG which comprises metadata is subject to negative filtering in step 32 followed by steps 33 to 37 The EPG processor 208 may aggregate EPG data from several different channels receiv ed by the receivers 2 to 8 if a single global EPG listing all content from all channels is not available
EPG data may be received 7 or more days before the content listed in it is transmitted Setting up Negative filtering criteria
The user only sets up the negative filtering criteria and does not take any other action The recorder automatically records all the content which passes the negative criteria and the resolution of conflicts That is done without further operations by the user The user does not make any further selection of the content to be recorded
The initial set-up and later updating of the negative filter criteria can be earned out using an on-screen customisation interface which may be a semi-transparent o\ erlay screen or a separate window that can be used whilst the user is viewing an item of live or recorded broadcast media content In order to facilitate programming of the negative criteria, a number of icons or pictograms may be provided in the on-screen user interface 10 to represent the different genre, styles and formats of programme, for example, a picture of a football may represent sporting programmes The recorder 1 may also have some preloaded sets of criteria or profiles, which can be used as part of the set-up process to reduce the initial setup time of the recorder 1 For example, it may be assumed that the user is not interested in receiving and recording any foreign language channels It will be appreciated that the user will be able to override any preloaded profiles The recorder 1 may monitor the user's viewing behaviour to automatically customise the negative filtering criteria on the user's behalf based on that behaviour For this purpose a log of the user's behaviour and the usage history of the recorder can be stored by the recorder and this log can be accessed externally or transferred to another recorder or device Altcrnatn cly, or m addition, the negative filtering criteria could be updated via an external source The user's remote control may be simplified because it may be used to select negative filtering criteria from menus and to control playback of recorded programs instead of ha\mg to program the recorder in advance by positively selecting each program to be recorded
By way of example, the negative filtering criteria comprise one or more of the following identification of a content channel, a genre of media content, a format of media content, a name of an item of media content, a text string associated w ith an item of media content, an artist featuring in the media content, date of production of the media content, the fact that an item of media content has been previously deh\ ered to the user, the fact that an item of media content has been recorded previously by the user, and the fact that an item of media content has been previously w atched by the user Playback
Figure 4 shows the steps carried out in a playback operation of the recorder 1 The process described above enables the recorder 1 to receive, store and process items of broadcast media content to enable the hard drive of the recorder 1 to contain many items of content, for example several weeks of selected media content, available for delivery to the user and which has been stripped of repeats and non-programme items These recorded items can be selected for playback on an ad-hoc basis or according to pre-programmed or user generated schedules which may match optimum programming with the time of day and date, referred to as 'day parting', or may be customised in other ways The user can choose to play back recorded items of broadcast media content from their actual starting points automatically removing any additional recorded material used as a time buffer Combining played back content with "live" content In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, content played back from the store 12 may be combined with other content derived from a source external to the recorder For example, live topical information can be obtained from a source or sources external to the recorder 1, for example from Internet feeds Transmitted metadata or live topical information can be overlaid on the programmes or inserted between programmes, if required Similarly, highly topical programmes can be watched only after a very short buffering period that is provided to allow removal of repeats and non-programme segments User Creating a Playback Schedule A user interface 10 may present the user with an on-screen timetable with variable timeslots for viewing items of broadcast media content The user can select 43 using their remote control 20 or an input device 22 a daily, weekly or annual timetable Genre, style and format or individual programme names or parts of programmes can be entered into each timeslot using the remote control or other user input device 22 Timeslots can also be used to play back items of recorded broadcast media content selected by a random generator programme or can be marked "sleep", which will cause the recorder 1 to shut down for that period of time Since programmes can vary in length, the timeslots are considered "soft' and the schedule can run late or early depending on programming Alternatively, if required, the time transitions can be set to 'hard', occasioning set time programme changes regardless of programme length Externally sourced playback schedule
A playback schedule may be provided by an external supplier For example professionally written schedules or timetables can also be received via the network interface 8 from an external source and stored m the store 12 The desired timetable may be marked as "current" and that timetable will govern the playback function until a different timetable is chosen Such a playback schedule may be a generic schedule which specifies types or genres of content to be played back at specified times of the day The schedule controls playback of the content stored in the recorder by selecting it according to criteria in the schedule using the metadata recorded in association with the stored content (It is considered that this idea of a generic playback schedule and controlling playback in accordance with the schedule is novel in itself)
An auto-updating real time clock 41 in the recorder 1 can trigger the playback to commence according to the selected timetable This function can also be used as a wake up alarm User Control of Playback
Playback of a timetable can be paused by the user at any time The user can interrupt the programming sequenced by the timetable 43 using the remote control 22 or other user input device 22 and can alternatively choose playback of indiiidual items from a library 42 of items of broadcast media content comprising a list of all items of recorded media content by genre, style, format or any other supported classification that can be derived from the transmitted programme metadata This function allows the user to browse the library in a simulation of live channel surfing When browsing, the items in the library of items of broadcast media content can be set to start from the beginning or from the last \ lewed point In an embodiment, the library of broadcast media content items is maintained in the hard drive 12 The user can also set options provided in the on-screen menus to watch only output from a specific channel or to view output from a guest channel which is not normally allowed to be delivered and recorded according to the settings of the negative filter step 32 of Figure 3 The filtering functions of the recorder 1 can also be bypassed if the user wishes to watch live transmissions or internet streaming feeds Combining played-back content with content derrv ed from other sources Live other content The user may select a mode of operation in which, during playback of content from the store 12, other content, for example text and 'or graphics such as newsflashes or financial market data sourccd m real time from a broadcast transmission stream or from the Internet, is combined with the content read out of the store Where the other content is visual content, the other content may be overlaid on played-back content or provided in a separate window The overlay may be d banner for example The o\ erlay is of live reports of breaking news and current affairs for example to provide awareness of current affairs and also to provide a ' live feel" to the playback of recorded content
The other content may be audio content which is combined with the content readout of the store 12 or the other content may be audio and video content
Synthesised Content
A synthesizer, such as a voice synthesizer, may be used 45 to provide programme information derived from EPG metadata and this spoken information can be used to announce items of broadcast media content and provide synthesised live segues in the play out for the purpose of simulating a natural- sounding scheduled evening's entertainment, or at any other time that the information is required Broadcasting segues can also be obtained from an external source and incorporated into the playback of items of recorded broadcast media content For example announcements such as "Good Morning" and "Good Evening" and "Good Night" may be inserted into the schedule as appropriate times In a similar manner, reviews of media items can be synthesized from a number of sources and may be incorporated in the playback
Other menu items can also be vocalised 45 in order to improve usability on small screens, for example, when the recorder 1 is being operated at a distance from the screen or by visually impaired users Scheduled insertion of content from other sources
The insertion of live content into, or overlay on, the played-back content may be controlled by the playback schedule produced by the user or produced by the external source The timing of insertion of synthesised content may be controlled by the playback schedule (it is considered that this idea is novel in itself ) Insertion/overlay provided by and/or controlled by an external source
The recorder may have a network interface 8 via which an external source may provide a generic playback schedule The schedule is stored in the recorder in the hard drive 12 for example Content recorded in the recorder is played back in accordance with the schedule The schedule may include times at which content provided by the external source or some other external source is presented to the user The control of the insertion or overlay of content into or on the played back content may be done by the external source via the network interface 8 For example, an external source may produce news content The news content may be sent to the user for automatic combining with the played back content according to a generic schedule provided by the external source For that purpose the generic schedule may include instructions which arc sent by the recorder via the network interface to the external source to access the news content at the time(s) scheduled for news The external source may even remotely control the overlay or insertion of content into the played back content independently of a schedule For example if a news event occurs which the external source judges to be so important as to interrupt the schedule playback, the external source sends a control signal, for example an instruction, to the recorder via the network and interface 8, The control signal or instruction is implemented by the CPU 10 to interrupt playback and insert the content relating to the news event into the schedule or to overlay the news event content onto the played-back content
(It is considered that these ideas are novel in themselves ) Playback Mixer A playback mixer 46, which may be implemented by software in the
CPU 10, overlays live content on recorded content played back from the hard drive 12 The mixer 46 may combine the synthesised content with the played back recorded content For example it may insert a segue sequentially into a data stream of played back content, it may superimpose audio content on played back content
Synthesiser The synthesised content may be synthcsiscd from content read out of the hard drive 12 and suitably processed 44 for synthesis at 45 The synthesised content may be synthesised from metadata associated with played back content and recorded with the content on the hard drive The synthesis may be done by a synthesising de\ice 45 or by software in the processor 10
At any time prior to \iewmg a particular item of broadcast media content reviews, recommendations and other feedback can be retrieved from the Internet 40 or another transmission source and used to augment or replace the original programme information that was available at the time of transmission The invention may be implemented by one or more computer programs run on a suitable data processing system having at least one content receiver The computer program or programs may be carried on a carrier The earner may be a signal, a communication channel, or a computer readable medium The computer readable medium may be a tape disc computer memory or electronic store The disc may be a magnetic, optical or magneto optic disc amongst other examples The computer memory may be a hard disk RAM, or ROM The electronic store may be volatile or non-volatile, for example a Flash memory amongst other examples
The abo\ e embodiments are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention Further embodiments of the invention are envisaged For example, the invention is not limited to MPEG2 encoded content Content may be encoded in other ways. It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the embodiments or any combination of any other of the embodiments Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described
Figure imgf000013_0001
may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined m the accompanying claims

Claims

Claims
1 A digital video recording and playback apparatus, comprising one or more receivers for receiving media content from one or more sources external to the apparatus, a content store for storing the media content received via the one or more receivers, a combiner for combining other content received by a said receiver with content read out of the store , and a controller for selecting the said other content to be received by a said receiver and for causing the selected other content to be supplied to the combiner contemporaneously with the reception thereof for combining the media content read out of the store with the said other content
2 Apparatus according to claim 1 , whcrcm the said other content comprises one or more of text, graphics, audio content and video content
3 Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combiner is operable to combine other content, which is audio content, with the content readout of the store
4 Apparatus according to claim 1 , whcrcm, for other content comprising one or more of text, graphics, and video content, the said controller and combiner arc arranged to overlay the said other content on the media content read out of the store for display on the display device
5 Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, for other content comprising one or more of text, graphics, and video content, the said controller and combiner are arranged to o\ erlay the said other content as a banner on the content read out of the store for display on the display device
6. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, for other content comprising one or more of text, graphics, and video content, the said controller and combiner are arranged to display the content read out of the store and the said other content in respective windows on the display device.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller and combiner are arranged to insert the said other content into the said content read out of the store.
8. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller and combiner arc arranged to combine the said other content sequentially with the content read out of the store.
9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the controller Ls operable to select at least one segue as the said other content to be combined with the content read out of the store.
10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller and combiner are arranged to combine further content with the said content read out of the store.
11. Apparatus according to claim 10, comprising a synthesiser for synthesising said further content from data relating to the stored content.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the synthesised content is audio content.
13. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is operable to schedule playback of content from the store.
14 Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to control the times of reception of the said other content for combination with the content redd out of the store
15 Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to selectrvely control playback of stored content according to a predetermined schedule
16 Apparatus according to claim 15, having a user interface for setting up the predetermined schedule
17 Apparatus according to claim 15, having means for rcccrvmg, and storing, the predetermined schedule from a source external to the apparatus
18 Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to be responsive to control signals received from an external source for controlling the combining of the other content with content read out of the store
19 A method of recording and playing back content using a recording and playback apparatus, comprising receiving content from one or more sources external to the apparatus via one or more receivers, storing content received \ ia the one or more receivers in a content store, selecting other content to be received by a said receiver, and outputting the other content received by a said receiver contemporaneously with the reception thereof combined with the content read out of the store
20 A method according to claim 19, wherein the said other content comprises one or more of text, graphics, audio and \ideo
21 A method according to claim 19, comprising combining other content, which is audio content, with the content readout of the store
22 A method according to claim 19, wherein the other content comprises one or more of text, graphics, and video content, and comprising overlaying the said other content on the media content read out of the store for display on a display de\ ice
23 A method according to claim 19, wherein the other content comprises one or more of text, graphics, and video content, and comprising overlaying the said other content as a banner on the content read out of the store for display on a display device
24 A method according to claim 19, wherein the other content comprises one or more of text, graphics, and
Figure imgf000017_0001
content, and comprising combining the content read out of the store and the said other content so as to display the content read out of the store and the said other content m respective windows on the display device
25 A method according to claim 19, comprising inserting the said other content into the said content read out of the store
26 A method according to claim 19, comprising combining the said other content sequentially with the content read out of the store
27 A method according to claim 19, comprising combining a segue with the content read out of the store
28 A method according to claim 19, further comprising combining further content with the said content read out of the store
29. A method according to claim 28, comprising synthcsising said further content from data relating to the stored content.
30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the synthesised content is audio content.
31. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 30, comprising playing back content from the store according to a predetermined schedule.
32. A method according to claim 31 , wherein the user sets up the predetermined schedule using an interface.
33. A method according to claim 32, comprising receiving, and storing, the predetermined schedule from a source external to the apparatus.
34. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 33, comprising receiving control signals from an external source and controlling the combining of the other content with content read out of the store, in accordance with the received control signals.
35. A method according to claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to control the times of reception of the said other content for combination with the content read out of the store.
36. A computer program which, when run on a digital video recording and playback apparatus comprising at least one or more receivers for receiving content from one or more sources external to the apparatus, a content store for storing content received via the one or more receivers and processing means for processing content, configures the apparatus for implementing the method of one of claims 19 to 35.
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WO2010076267A1 (en) 2010-07-08
GB0920188D0 (en) 2010-01-06

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