The Directv Group, Inc.

Digital Networks North America, Inc.

Adam Briggs

Christopher Dow

Tai-Ming Chen

Chuang-Chun Liu

Bruce A Garcia

David Westerhoff

Richard Bullwinkle

Jateen P Parekh

Mark D Goodwin

Patrick M Ellis

Oleg Varshansky

Chris Coley

Systems and methods for providing enhanced navigation of stored digital video content based upon an event index. Includes generation and storage of an event index, as well as navigation based on events in the event index. An example system is embodied in a digital video recorder that detects and stores black field and silent frame events for use in locating commercial groups. The commercial groups may be skipped or otherwise navigated based upon data pointers linking the stored events to corresponding locations in the video data file.

System and method for indexing commercials in a video presentation

Systems and methods for providing enhanced navigation of stored digital video content based upon a content-based index. Includes generation and storage of an index, as well as navigation based on the segments defined by the index. An example system is embodied in a digital video recorder that generates an index for locating commercial groups interleaved with program content in a video presentation recorded from a television broadcast. The commercial groups may be viewed without the intervening program content or otherwise navigated based upon information in the index and one or navigation functions. Example user interfaces and several navigation functions are also provided.

System and method for navigation of indexed video content

A method and system for navigating content in a personal video recorder ('PVR') is disclosed. The PVR detects events, or dark frames, during recording of television content, and records the locations of the events. The PVR can use the recorded locations of the events by applying commercial grouping rules, contained in a logic that is accessible by a processing unit, to divide the recorded television program into scenes. In applying such commercial grouping rules, a group of back-to-back television commercials comprises a single scene. Such division allows a user to skip over an entire scene (e.g. an entire block of commercials) with the press of a single navigation button.

Method and apparatus for navigating content in a personal video recorder

Systems and methods for providing enhanced navigation of stored digital video content based upon an event index. Includes generation and storage of an event index, as well as navigation based on events in the event index. An example system is embodied in a digital video recorder that detects and stores black field and silent frame events for use in locating commercial groups. The commercial groups may be skipped or otherwise navigated based upon data pointers linking the stored events to corresponding locations in the video data file. Generation of the event index may involve comparing a luminance value for each frame to a luminance threshold value for a video presentation. The luminance threshold value may be based upon a transition point between a first group of luminance values corresponding to video content and a second group of luminance values corresponding to transition events, such as black fields.

System and method for improved blackfield detection

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Adam Briggs