Method and apparatus for generating a programme
A method and apparatus for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements which may be transmitted to a receiver. Programme elements each representing for example an event are classified on the basis of programme element content, that is the nature of the event to which the programme element relates. Each programme element is allocated to at least one of the predetermined set of classes and each programme element is stored with at least one associated programme classification code. The classification codes identify the class to which the associated programme element has been allocated. A programme element is generated by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting programme elements associated with that selected at least one programme classification code. Users are able to generate programmes based on for example the perceived value of individual programme elements.
The present invention relates to the generation of programmes made up from a series of programme elements each of which is represented by a data packet. Individual programme elements may define for example single images or series of images or audio passages. The programme elements may be distributed in pre-recorded form, or transmitted to a recipient provided with equipment for recording programme elements for subsequent replay.
Before the advent of recording equipment and in particular video recorders, programmes were produced and distributed via the atmosphere or cable and simply reproduced by recipient's receivers. There was no possibility whatsoever for a recipient to control the received programme over and above turning the receiver on or off.
Video recorders made it possible for a recorded programme to be viewed selectively in that a recording tape could be advanced to a part of the programme of interest which could then be viewed, it not being necessary to view every element of the programme recorded on the tape. Video disc players were then introduced in which individual programme elements were separately indexed such that each programme element could be rapidly accessed as compared with a video tape storage system. There was no fundamental difference however between tape and disc systems in terms of the degree to which a user could interact with the recorded programme in that the user had to know where on the recording medium programme elements of interest were located and thus required knowledge of which programme element was recorded where on the recording medium. Programme elements were recorded on the basis that each programme element was allocated to a particular position on the recording medium, access to any one programme element in essence requiring an index in which programme element identity is related to storage medium position.
Interactive video programmes are now available in which programme elements are stored in the memory of a computer and programmes are produced which in part are dependent upon actions taken by an operator of the computer. (The term “memory” is used herein to include solid state, disc, CD and any other form of data storage capable of storing programme elements). For example a computer game may display images to a user which are read out from the computer memory, the user may then take actions appropriate to the displayed image, and depending upon the actions taken by the user the programme content will change. For example the user may “kill” an adversary depicted on the computer monitor's screen, the actions taken by the user to kill the adversary determining the nature of the sequence of images and associated audio output generated by the computer. Thus there is a limited degree of interaction between the user and the programme in that the order of presentation of stored programme elements is dependent upon actions taken by the user, but essentially the user does no more than determine which route is taken through a complex set of alternative routes defined by the computer so as to produce a series of images corresponding to that route. The user has no way of knowing what the next programme element to be displayed will be, unless the user has played the game a sufficient number of times to learn the response of the computer to a particular control input.
Viewers cannot “edit” programmes with current systems. There are often circumstances in which a viewer of a programme knows the kind of elements of a programme which will be of interest and which will not, and yet a viewer cannot make selections of programme elements of interest even from a recorded programme without a detailed index that describes the nature of each programme element which is recorded at a particular position in a recording medium.
There are circumstances in which it would be highly desirable for a user to be able to edit programme content. In many circumstances, particularly in the case of broadcast sports programmes, potential viewers of those programmes are really interested in only relatively small sections of a broadcast sporting event. For example, with live broadcasts, sections of high interest value, for example the scoring of a goal, are often repeated at the expense of not broadcasting passages of play which are relatively uninteresting, for example the period leading up to the game being restarted after the scoring of a goal. The perceived value of a broadcast programme is considerably enhanced by such “action replays” but it is frustrating for a viewer not to be able to decide which sections of a game to replay and to be forced simply to accept what is broadcast by the programme producer.
It is often the case that elements of real interest in a sporting event could be delivered over a relatively slow communications channel the bandwidth of which is insufficient to carry a full live broadcast of the event. Thus, bandwidth restraints are a real limitation of broadcast television systems. Furthermore, the resolution available with standard personal computer display screens is far greater than that available with a standard television receiver, and this can be a severe limitation in some circumstances where images of great detail are required to enhance viewer appreciation. The available resolution cannot be used however with broadcast programmes given the limited resolution of the broadcast images. At present, the only way that enhanced quality images can be made available is by the distribution of programme material on disc, and clearly such an approach would not generally be appropriate for ephemeral events such as sports fixtures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for generating a programme in order to address one or more of the problems outlined above.
According to the present invention there is provided a method for generating a programme for presentation as a sequence of programme elements from a set of pre-recorded programme elements, wherein the programme elements are classified on the basis of programme element content such that each programme element is allocated to at least one of a predetermined set of classes, each programme element is stored with at least one associated programme classification code, each classification code identifying a class to which the associated programme element has been allocated, and a programme is generated by selecting at least one programme classification code and presenting programme elements associated with the said at least one programme classification code.
Programme elements may be classified by reference to a type of event to which the element relates, for example a shot on goal or the scoring of a goal in a football match. Alternatively, programme elements may be classified by reference to a subjective assessment of the value of the programme element, for example the level of excitement generated by a particular passage of play in a football match. Thus the classification codes can be used to give information to a user of the system which is not merely defined in terms of the position of a particular event in time but rather to the nature of the event itself.
Programme element selection which is required to generate the programme presented to a user may be controlled automatically by applying predetermined selection criteria, for example by repeating stored programme elements sequentially so as to only present programme elements with a predetermined classification value. Alternatively, programme element selection may be controlled by an operator of a display device connected to the system. For example symbols may be displayed representing the class of each stored programme element, and the operator may select programme elements by selection of associated symbols. Symbols may be displayed in an order corresponding to a temporal order of events represented by the associated programme element.
The operator may select a sub-set of the classes, and symbols corresponding only to programme elements of that sub-set may be displayed. Programmes may be generated comprising a plurality of programme elements which are presented simultaneously, for example in the form of combined video and audio programme elements or combined video and still image programme elements.
The programme elements may be delivered to an end user on a data carrier such as a tape or CD but generally will be transmitted to and stored at a user's receiver with the associated programme classification codes. Programmes are then generated by selection of classification codes at the receiver.
Only programme elements associated with a sub-set of the classes may be transmitted to the receiver, the sub-set being selected by a user of the receiver. Alternatively, only received programme elements corresponding to a sub-set of the classes are stored at the receiver, the sub-set being selected by a user of the receiver. Thus a user can filter out programme elements with a perceived value of less than a certain threshold either by transmitting a control signal which prevents programme elements that are not of interest being transmitted to the receiver at all or by discarding received programme elements with a perceived value of less than the threshold.
Received programme elements may be combined with pre-recorded programme elements stored on a data carrier in a memory device of the receiver so as to enhance the perceived value of the generated programme. For example images related to a particular golf course can be combined with images and audio related to live events at that golf course.
Although the invention is applicable in circumstances in which a communications channel used to transmit programme elements has the capacity to carry a continuous live broadcast of for example a sporting event, the invention is applicable in circumstance in which communications channels do not have such a capacity. When using such channels, it will take longer to send a programme element representing a particular event than the time occupied in the generated programme by that programme element. This is not a problem however as programme elements can be repeated such that a continuous programme can be generated.
The invention also provides a method for generating a programme for presentation at a receiver by transmitting a stream of programme element data packets and associated programme generation control data to the receiver, storing the programme element data packets and associated programme generation control data at the receiver, and generating a programme by reading out the programme element data packets in a manner dependent upon the programme generation control data, the programme element data packets being read out such that the duration of at least one programme element in the generated programme is less than the time taken to transmit the data packet of that programme element from the transmitter.
Thus, although in the preferred embodiment of the invention individual programme elements are associated with classification codes selected on the basis of the content of the individual programme elements, classification codes do not have to be generated and instead it is possible simply to transmit control data which enable programme elements to be repeated so as to produce a continuous generated programme despite the fact that programme elements are transmitted over a communications channel of limited capacity. Programme generation may be controlled automatically in accordance with a predetermined routine or by a user of the receiver to whom the control data is displayed so as to enable programme element selection.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;
Referring to
Referring to
Each terminal 1 receives a stream of data which is delivered to the input interface 7 from the modem 2, the stream of data incorporating programme element data packets, from each of which one or a series of video images and associated audio output can be generated, and control signals which are subsequently used to control the display of programme element data packets stored in the buffer. For example, the buffer may be capable of storing data packets representing two minutes of a continuous real-time programme. If that data was to be read out to the display at a rate corresponding to the normal frame rate of a conventional television system, all of the image data stored in the buffer would be read out in two minutes. Assuming a data rate on the telephone line 3 which is only one sixth of that required for continuous real-time reproduction, only two minutes in every twelve minutes of a real-time event could be reproduced as data would be read out of the buffer faster than it could be updated in the buffer. In accordance with the present invention, programme element data is stored in the buffer for subsequent reproduction in dependence upon control signals from the controller 10, the selection of programme element data to be stored and reproduced being such as to enhance the perceived quality of the programme appearing on the display 9.
For example, if the programme element data packets received represent a sporting event, image data representing only one sixth of the image data generated at the sporting event would be transmitted to the buffer. The received image data would however be replayed in a manner which effectively conceals the fact that image data representing periods of the sporting event which arc of little visual interest has been discarded. Thus for example a ten second sequence leading up to the scoring of a goal would be transmitted once but might be reproduced several times. It will be appreciated that even with conventional real-time live television broadcasts, highlights are often repeated a number of times, thereby discarding some of the images generated at the event. During a relatively dull period of a match, programme element data related to a relatively more interesting part of the event would be transmitted to the terminal. During a relatively dull period of an event, programme element data might not be transmitted to the terminal or, in the absence of any relatively more interesting passages of play, data packets could be transmitted which would be allocated a relatively low priority. A subsequently occurring passage of relatively greater interest could be subsequently transmitted and displayed as soon as it is resident in the buffer. Accordingly by allocating different priorities to different sequences of images a controller of the system can control the images displayed to the end user so as to maximise the perceived value of the programme that the images constitute.
It will be seen that in the first period programme element I is generated, transmitted to the terminal and stored. Likewise in the second, third, fourth and fifth periods, the second to fifth programme elements are generated, transmitted and stored. At this time in the process ten minutes will have elapsed. During that ten minutes period the user will have been presented with a series of images made up from the information as stored. For example during the fifth period, programme elements 1 and 2 may be presented sequentially during the time that the fifth element is being delivered. The sixth programme element has a higher priority than the first programme element and therefore it is transmitted and stored in the first memory location. The seventh element has a lower priority than any of the stored programme elements and therefore is not transmitted. The eighth element has a higher priority than the oldest of the H value programme element (programme element 4) and therefore is transmitted and replaces that element in the store. The ninth element then replaces the fifth programme element, the tenth element replaces the sixth element, the eleventh element replaces the third element, the twelfth element is not transmitted as it has a lower value than any of the stored values, the thirteenth element is not transmitted as it has a lower value than any of the stored values, the fourteenth element is transmitted as it has a higher value than programme element 2, but the fifteenth element is not transmitted as it has a lower value than any of the stored values.
Clearly if the simple routine according to
Referring to
The two data streams represented by arrows 13 and 16 are delivered to a transmitter, transmitted to a terminal and stored in a terminal buffer as represented in
Referring to
Referring to
The icons appear from the bottom left of the screen and continue moving to the right as the game progresses. This means that the oldest recorded events are on the right. Further events will cause the oldest events to be displaced.
The programme element data packets represented in
Thus a terminal operator can either watch a programme in a conventional manner, or skip through parts of a broadcast programme looking at only those sections of real interest, or periodically review the displayed icons to see if anything of sufficient interest has happened to merit further attention. The operator can thus use the system to identify programme elements of interest without it being necessary for the operator to do more than glance occasionally at the screen. The operator can make a decision to record all or only highlights of a broadcast programme, interact with the programme by actively selecting programme elements to be displayed, or allow the system to make a selection of programme elements to be stored in accordance with a predetermined value selection keyed into the terminal at an earlier time by the user, or allow the generation of a continuous programme by allowing the classification data transmitted with the programme elements to control programme generation in accordance with a default set of value selections determined by the system provider. The system can be used in circumstances where the data delivery communications channel can carry data at a rate sufficient to accommodate all of the real-time programme transmission, or at a rate higher than a conventional transmission (to allow the generation of for example high definition images), or at a rate lower than a normal transmission (in which case a “full” programme can be achieved by repeating previously stored programme elements as necessary).
In terms of the significance to the user of the capabilities of the system, the terminal gives great flexibility so that the terminal operator can choose to experience a broadcast event in any of a large number of ways, for example by:
1. Setting a threshold value to select only highlights of a transmission.
2. Setting a threshold value which could be transmitted to the programme source and used at that programme source to select “above threshold” passages of play from for example more than one sporting event.
3. Displaying by means of icons a “storyboard” of a sequence of events to allow rapid access to events of particular significance.
4. Choosing to permanently record any set or subset of highlights.
5. Recalling and replaying any stored item at will substantially instantaneously.
6. Storing programme elements and associated icons for review at the icon level or as a full programme at a later time.
7. Storing automatically only the highlights of an event for later review, thereby reducing storage requirements.
8. Arranging for the system to take out elements of a broadcast event of little interest to the viewer.
9. Watching a programme live and automatically storing highlights for later replay.
10. Using the system to “watch” a programme so as to alert the operator when something interesting is happening.
In reduced bandwidth systems in which the available bandwidth does not allow the delivery to the user's terminal of all of the real-time broadcast signal, it is necessary to “expand” the time occupied on the screen by transmitted programme elements so as to “fill in” periods of time during which programme elements are being transmitted. This can be achieved by simply repeating programme elements, assuming that each viewed programme element corresponds to the simple reproduction of a real-time series of events, or by using still images and associated audio signals. There are many occasions, particularly during lapses in action, where a still picture and well recorded sound is better than poor video in terms of enhancing the entertainment value. Such an application of the present invention is described with reference to
The golfer can work to a script which directs the user's attention to selected parts of the screen. For example the golfer may draw the attention of the terminal user to the way the ground falls away to the left, the dangers of over-pitching straight into a bunker guarding the green, and the beauty of the course and various geographical features. All the time that the golfer is delivering this message, there is no motion at all on the screen. If the golfer talks for 20 seconds about the still picture image on the screen, this gives 20 seconds for the next video section to build up in the system buffer. That next video section can then be replayed at a higher speed than that at which it was recorded in the buffer so as to improve the perceived quality.
Further pre-recorded data packets may be used to make up the final programme. For example an illustration of the golfer's technique of relevance to the particular hole may be taken from a library of information held on a CD in the PC CD drive, that information being displayed in section A of the screen whilst a sponsors message appears in place of the course plan in section B.
Section D of the screen shows icons, in the illustrated case numbers, which are either subjective ratings by the programme producer of the significance of associated programme elements, or identify particular events in a manner similar to the football example illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8. This makes it possible to the user to jump between sections of the programme, repeating sections of interest at will, thereby once again obtain control over the programme as a whole.
It will be appreciated that programme elements can be reproduced serially, that is a programme could be made up of programme elements presented one at a time with no overlap between successive elements, or in parallel, that is a programme may be made up of programme elements some of which will be presented simultaneously. The simultaneous presentation of programme elements could enhance a user's appreciation in various circumstances. For example, if a programme to be presented to a user is intended to represent the progress of a car race, most of a display screen could be occupied by an image showing the two leading cars in the race, with the remaining area of the screen showing an image representing the approach to the finish line of that race. Such combinations of images can enhance the appreciation of a programme by linking together two events where a first one of the events (the relative position of the two leading cars) and a second event (their approach to the finishing line) is of significance to an overall appreciation of the subject of the programme.
It will also be appreciated that combinations of images can be presented either serially or in parallel so as to enhance the impact of advertisements by linking the presentation of particular advertisements to the occurrence of particular events. For example, programme elements representing the progress of a motor race may be combined with a programme element representing advertising images the presentation of which can be linked to the progress of the race. One possibility would be to put on the screen advertising material relevant to the sponsor of a race car or the supplier of tyres to a race car at the time that race car successfully crosses the finishing line. A sponsor's message could thus be superimposed on or otherwise combined with images of the winning race car and driver.
The embodiments of the invention described above assume that programme element classification is controlled by the source of the programme elements. It is possible however for a user of the system to determine the programme element classifications, either to replace classifications set by the programme element source, or to establish a set of programme elements and associated classifications from an unclassified broadcast programme. For example, a user could receive a broadcast of an event, store the entire broadcast, divide the stored programme into programme elements of interest, and set classifications for each programme element of interest. Thus a user could classify programme elements related to a sporting event on a basis ideally suited to the interests of that user, thereby enabling a subsequent reproduction of the programme elements in a manner controlled by reference to the user's own classification system. A user would not then be forced to rely upon the classification system considered appropriate by the programme element source but could set up classifications matching the particular user's interests however idiosyncratic those interests might be.
Programme element classification can be used in a variety of ways, for example to “time stamp” the beginning of one programme element in a programme made up from a series of sequentially presented programme elements. Thus a user wishing to suspend a programme for a period of time so as to enable for example a telephone call to be answered could in effect apply a “time stamp” classification to the programme element being watched at the time the decision to suspend is made, the applied classification being a flag identifying the point in the programme to which the viewer will wish to return after viewing restarts. The time stamp classification would in effect modify the manner in which stored programme elements are presented by causing the system to bypass all earlier programme elements in the series of programme elements making up the programme to be viewed.
In embodiments of the invention described with reference to
Claims
1. A method of presenting programme elements to a user, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of programme elements from a transmitter;
- receiving a plurality of classification codes from the transmitter, at least one classification code being received for each of said plurality of programme elements, and each classification code representing a class of a predetermined set of classes to which one of said programme elements has been allocated;
- displaying at least one of said plurality of programme elements to a user on a display device;
- displaying a plurality of user selectable icons on said display device simultaneously with the said at least one programme element, each of said user selectable icons representing one of said plurality of programme elements, and being a visual representation of the class to which that programme element has been allocated,
- receiving user input representing selection of one of said user selectable icons; and
- displaying the program element associated with the icon represented by said user input on the display device.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each class represents a type of event to which programme elements allocated to that class relate.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein each class represents a subjective assessment of the value of programme elements allocated to that class.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said icons are displayed in an order corresponding to the temporal order of events represented by the associated programme elements.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein an operator selects a sub-set of the classes, and symbols corresponding only to programme elements of the sub-set of classes are displayed.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of programme elements are displayed simultaneously.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein still image and video programme elements are displayed simultaneously.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein only programme elements associated with a predetermined sub-set of the classes are transmitted to the receiver, the sub-set being selected by a user of the receiver.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein only received programme elements corresponding to a sub-set of the classes are stored at the receiver, the sub-set being selected by a user of the receiver.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein received programme elements and pre-recorded programme elements stored on a data carrier in a memory device of the receiver are combined to generate a programme.
11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising;
- storing, received programme elements together with respective classification codes; and
- reading a programme element from storage for display on said display device.
12. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving said plurality of programme elements comprises receiving said plurality of programme elements from a broadcast transmission of such programme elements.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein receiving said plurality of classification codes comprises receiving said plurality of classification codes from a broadcast transmission of such programme elements.
14. A method of presenting programme elements to a user, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of programme elements from a remotely located transmitter;
- receiving a plurality of classification codes from the remotely located transmitter, at least one classification code being received for each of said plurality of programme elements, and each classification code representing a class of a predetermined set of classes to which one of said programme elements has been allocated;
- displaying at least one of said plurality of programme elements to a user on a display device;
- displaying a plurality of user selectable icons on said display device simultaneously with the said at least one programme element, each of said user selectable icons representing one of said plurality of programme elements, and being a visual representation of the class to which that programme element has been allocated,
- receiving user input representing selection of one of said user selectable icons; and
- displaying the program element associated with the icon represented by said user input on the display device.
15. Apparatus for presenting programme elements to a user, the method comprising:
- a receiver adapted to receive a plurality of programme elements from a transmitter;
- a receiver adapted to receive a plurality of classification codes from the transmitter, at least one classification code being received for each of said plurality of programme elements, and each classification code representing a class of a predetermined set of classes to which one of said programme elements has been allocated;
- a display device adapted to display at least one of said plurality of programme elements to a user, the display device being further adapted to display a plurality of user selectable icons simultaneously with the said at least one programme element, each of said user selectable icons representing one of said plurality of programme elements, and being a visual representation of the class to which that programme element has been allocated; and
- user input means configured to receive selection of one of said user selectable icons;
- wherein said display device is configured to display the program element associated with the icon represented by said user input.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 17, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2005
Inventor: Trevor Burke (Wirral)
Application Number: 10/990,729