WO1999022515A1

WO1999022515A1 - Transmission and retrieval of information

Info

Publication number: WO1999022515A1
Application number: PCT/AP1998/000004
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charl Johan Taljaard; Iric Jacobus Niezen
Original assignee: Chengeta, Cuthbert
Priority date: 1997-10-27
Filing date: 1998-10-23
Publication date: 1999-05-06
Also published as: AU9727298A; ZA989184B

Abstract

An apparatus for transmitting and receiving information comprises: a broadcast transmitter (6) for transmitting sequence of video frames at a standard frame rate, each frame of the sequence representing information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate; a receiver (2) for receiving the sequence of transmitted video frames; a video recorder (3) for storing the received sequence of video frames; a retrieval facility (4) for retrieving any of the stored received sequence of video frames; and a display (5) for displaying the retrieved video frames for a predetermined length of time.

Description

TRANSMISSION AND RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of, and to a system for, the transmission and retrieval of information and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method of, and a system for the transmission and retrieval of promotional or advertising material.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A video signal is commonly employed for the presentation of full-motion visual information. Such a video signal commonly consists of a continuous and regular sequence of video frames, each representing a target image.

It is known that, if the sequence of frames are related in that small changes occur between successive frames, a frame rate of between 25 and 30 frames per second is sufficient to provide a viewer with an adequate representation of motion of the target image. For this reason, most video standards in the world today are based on a frame rate in this range, irrespective of the nature of the target image. It is expected that the advent of high definition television will necessitate standards with higher frame rates than these. A frame rate exceeding this range is unnecessarily expensive as it does not significantly enhance the visual experience of a moving target image, whilst a frame rate less than this range presents the viewer with a jerky image.

At the same time, the human visual system requires a finite time to process or interpret an image. The processing time is a function of the amount of detail contained in the image. Thus, a standard sequence of related video frames representing a moving target image will be easily interpreted by a viewer as each frame contains little new detail to be interpreted by the viewer relative to the preceding frame. If, however, the sequence of frames are unrelated, the human visual system will find it impossible to interpret all of the information in each frame, since the viewing time for each individual frame will be too short. Where the sequence of frames are related in that a multiplicity of consecutive frames carry the same information, the effective viewing time of the information is increased, thereby allowing the human visual system to interpret the information.

This implies that, without adequate viewing time for each frame of a sequence of unrelated video frames, the information content therein will be meaningless to a viewer. Further, increasing the viewing time of each frame to overcome this difficulty renders the presentation of continuous motion unsatisfactory.

It is known to broadcast a sequence of video frames at a standard frame rate where the frames of the sequence represent information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate. Such transmission is sometimes referred to as "info burst". The info burst broadcast signal is typically recorded by a viewer and the recorded frames are then replayed at a slower frame rate which is sufficiently slow to allow interpretation of the recorded frames by the viewer. This system is disadvantageous in that the information contained in a particular frame is only intelligible by means of a linear sequential scan through the recorded frames at the slower frame rate.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of, and a system for, the transmission and retrieval of information which will, at least partially, alleviate some of the above-mentioned difficulties and disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a method of transmitting and retrieving information, comprising the steps of; transmitting a sequence of a plurality of video frames at a standard frame rate, each frame of the sequence representing information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate; receiving the sequence of transmitted video frames; storing the received sequence of video frames; selectively retrieving any of the stored received sequence of video frames; and displaying the retrieved video frames for a predetermined or desired length of time, characterised in that corresponding indexing data is transmitted with each frame of the sequence, and any one of the stored received sequence of video frames is selectively retrieved by utilising the corresponding indexing data.

Further features of the invention provide for indexing the sequence of video frames into generic groups in accordance with the information represented therein, and for also indexing the sequence of video frames individually in accordance with a code or title relating to each frame.

Yet further features of the invention provide for displaying a retrieved video frame for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented therein to be interpreted by a viewer, alternatively for sequentially displaying each of the frames in a generic group for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented in each of the frames of the generic group to be interpreted by a viewer.

There is also provided for transmitting an audio channel together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames, for receiving the audio channel and storing the received audio channel together with the received sequence of video frames, for activating the stored audio channel whilst displaying the stored received sequence of video frames at the standard frame rate, and for transmitting a plurality of different audio channels together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames.

There is further provided for transmitting the indexing data associated with each frame in the audio channel, alternatively in the vertical blanking interval of each frame.

The invention extends to an apparatus for transmitting and retrieving information, comprising : a transmitter for transmitting a sequence of a plurality of video frames at a standard frame rate, each frame of the sequence representing information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate; a receiver for receiving the sequence of transmitted video frames; storage means for storing the received sequence of video frames; a retrieval facility for retrieving any of the stored received sequence of video frames; and a display means for displaying the retrieved video frames for a predetermined or desired length of time, characterised in that the transmitter transmits corresponding indexing data associated with each frame of the sequence, and the retrieval facility is operable to retrieve any one of the stored received sequence of video frames by utilising the corresponding indexing data.

There is further provided for the sequence of video frames to be indexed into generic groups in accordance with the information represented therein, and for the sequence of video frames to be indexed individually in accordance with a code or title relating to each frame.

There is still further provided for displaying a retrieved video frame for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented therein to be interpreted by a viewer, alternatively for each of the frames in a generic group to be sequentially displayed for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented in each of the frames of the generic group to be interpreted by a viewer.

There is yet further provided for an audio channel to be transmitted together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames, for the audio channel to be received and stored together with the received sequence of video frames, for the stored audio channel to be activated whilst displaying the stored received sequence of video frames at the standard frame rate, and for a plurality of different audio channels to be transmitted together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames. There is yet still further provided for the indexing data associated with each frame to be transmitted in the audio channel, alternatively in the vertical blanking interval of each frame.

There is also provided for the transmitter to be a television broadcast transmitter, for the storage means to be a video cassette recorder (VCR), alternatively a personal computer (PC) or digital video disk (DVD), and for the information represented in the sequence of video frames to be any one or more of advertising, promotional, educational, financial or news material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A Preferred embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for transmitting and receiving information according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawing, an apparatus for transmitting and retrieving information is generally indicated by reference numeral (1).

The apparatus (1) includes a television broadcast transmitter (6), a television broadcast receiver (2), a storage means (3), a retrieval facility (4) and a display means (5) in the form of a video monitor. The television broadcast signal can be distributed by means of terrestrial transmitters, a satellite down link, or by means of a cable reticulation network.

The television broadcast receiver (2) is connected to the storage means (3), which is in turn connected to the retrieval facility (4) and to the video monitor (5).

The television broadcast transmitter (6) transmits a sequence of a plurality of video frames at a standard video frame rate of between 25 and 30 frames per second. Each frame of the sequence represents information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate.

Each of the frames in the sequence carries corresponding indexing data in the vertical blanking interval of the frame.

The broadcast sequence of frames is received by the television broadcast receiver (2) and stored in the storage facility (3), in this embodiment, a VCR. It will be appreciated that the sequence of frames may also be pre-recorded on a video cassette.

An audio channel is broadcast by the transmitter (6) together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames. The audio channel is received by the receiver (2) and stored together with the received sequence of video frames on the VCR (3). The stored audio channel is activated and intelligible to a listener when the stored received sequence of video frames is displayed at the standard frame rate.

The retrieval facility is employed by a user of the apparatus to retrieve any of the stored received sequence of video frames from the VCR for presentation on the video monitor (5). The retrieved frame is then displayed on the video monitor (5) for viewing by the user. The stored frames are retrieved from the VCR by utilising the corresponding indexing data associated with the sequence of frames.

Each retrieved frame will be displayed for a fixed, predetermined period of time or, alternatively, the user may also choose to have the frame displayed for any desired length of time.

The indexing data indexes the frames into different generic groups. Furthermore, the indexing data also contains a different specific code relating to each frame. The indexing data thus indicates to the viewer which generic group a particular frame belongs to, as well as the identity of a particular frame within the group, thereby providing multi-level indexing.

Optionally, the sequence of frames can include one or more frames which are devoted to a listing of the identities, such as text descriptions, of the different generic groups, and the addresses of the groups in the sequence of video frames.

The indexing data may be visual, aural or embedded. Visual indexing data includes:

(i) relative position indicators such as %, slider bars, time stamps, counters, pointers, and an hourglass; (ii) colour coding, such as blocks or bands of colour adjacent one another, or specific colours for the background, the text or the outline of the frames; (iϋ) alphanumeric characters related to information represented on the video frame; or (iv) symbols, logos or icons.

Aural indexing data includes voice and tones, while embedded indexing data encompasses any form of information which cannot be visually or aurally interpreted such as, for example, Teletext or Nicam.

It is envisaged that this apparatus provides an efficient utilisation of the high image transmission ability of standard video distribution systems. Unrelated video frames can be transmitted by a television broadcast transmitter at standard frame frequencies. At these frequency rates the frames will be uninterpretable by a viewer. By utilising the system (1), the frames can be retrieved and viewed at a speed at which the image contained in each frame can be interpreted by a viewer.

An example of a practical application of this invention is described below. A supplier or service provider can create an image or picture of promotional or advertising material relating to a service or product that he wishes to advertise. This image or picture is then converted into a video frame and sent to a television broadcaster.

The television broadcaster assembles such video frames from different suppliers or service providers and combines them into a continuous series of frames and broadcasts the sequence of frames over its existing television network at an appropriate off-peak time, usually in the early hours of the morning.

Prospective clients or interested parties can receive the broadcast sequence of frames and store all of or a selected part of this sequence in the storage means. By using the indexing data any frame can be viewed at any time. If desirous, the client or interested party may obtain the service or product from the supplier or service provider.

Numerous modifications are possible to this embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the indexing data can be transmitted in the audio channel instead of in the vertical blanking interval of each frame.

Further, a DVD may be utilised as the storage facility (3), as an alternative to a VCR. Further, a plurality of different audio channels can be broadcast together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames, and the information in each frame of a sequence can include educational, financial or news material. It is also possible for two or more successive video frames in the sequence to represent identical information. Finally, the television broadcast signal can be transmitted "in clear" or be encrypted prior to transmission where the broadcast is not "free-to-all". In the latter instance the broadcast signal is decrypted by the broadcast receiver (2) before being stored in the storage means (3).

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the system enables a vendor or service provider to obtain cost effective, yet extensive advertising or visual distribution of his service or product. Advertising in this manner will be cheaper than broadcasting a sequence of signals consisting of sufficient identical frames to enable an image to be presented to a viewer for sufficient time to enable the viewer to interpret the information presented in the video frames.

Claims

CI-AIMS

1. A method of transmitting and retrieving information, comprising the steps of; transmitting a sequence of a plurality of video frames at a standard frame rate, each frame of the sequence representing information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate; receiving the sequence of transmitted video frames; storing the received sequence of video frames; selectively retrieving any of the stored received sequence of video frames; and displaying the retrieved video frames for a predetermined or desired length o of time, characterised in that corresponding indexing data is transmitted with each frame of the sequence, and any one of the stored received sequence of video frames is selectively retrieved by utilising the corresponding indexing data.

5 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the sequence of video frames are indexed into generic groups in accordance with the information represented therein.

3. A method as claimed in either one of Claims 1 or 2 in which the sequence of 0 video frames are indexed individually in accordance with a code or title relating to each frame.

4. A method as claimed in either one of claims 2 or 3 which includes the further step of displaying a retrieved video frame for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented therein to be interpreted by a 5 viewer.

5. A method as claimed in Claim 2 which includes the further step of sequentially displaying each of the frames in a generic group for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented in each of the frames of the generic group to be interpreted by a viewer.

6. A method as claimed in either one of claims 4 or 5 which includes the further step of transmitting an audio channel together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 which includes the further step of receiving the audio channel and storing the received audio channel together with the received sequence of video frames.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 which includes the further step of activating the stored audio channel whilst displaying the stored received sequence of video frames at the standard frame rate.

9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 which includes the further step of transmitting a plurality of different audio channels together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames.

10. A method as claimed in Claim 6 in which the indexing data associated with each frame is transmitted in the audio channel.

11. A method as claimed in any one claims 7 to 9 in which the indexing data associated with each frame is transmitted in the vertical blanking interval of the frame.

12. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which includes the further steps of encrypting the sequence of the plurality of video frames prior to transmission, and decrypting the received sequence of transmitted video frames prior to storage.

13. An apparatus for transmitting and retrieving information, comprising : a transmitter for transmitting a sequence of a plurality of video frames at a standard frame rate, each frame of the sequence representing information which is uninterpretable by a viewer when viewed at the standard frame rate; a receiver for receiving the sequence of transmitted video frames; storage means for storing the received sequence of video frames; a retrieval facility for retrieving any of the stored received sequence of video frames; and a display means for displaying the retrieved video frames for a predetermined or desired length of time, characterised in that the transmitter transmits corresponding indexing data associated with each frame of the sequence, and the retrieval facility is operable to retrieve any one of the stored received sequence of video frames by utilising the corresponding indexing data.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 in which the sequence of video frames is indexed into generic groups in accordance with the information represented therein.

15 An apparatus as claimed in either one of claims 13 or 14 in which the sequence of video frames is indexed individually in accordance with a code or title relating to each frame.

16. An apparatus as claimed in either one of claims 14 or 15 in which a retrieved video frame is displayed for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented therein to be interpreted by a viewer.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 in which each of the frames in a generic group is sequentially displayed for a length of time sufficient to allow the information represented in each of the frames of the generic group to be interpreted by a viewer.

18. An apparatus as claimed in either one of the claims 16 or 17 in which an audio channel is transmitted together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 in which the audio channel is received and stored together with the received sequence of video frames.

20 An apparatus as claimed in claim 19 in which the stored audio channel is activated whilst displaying the stored received sequence of video frames at the standard frame rate.

21. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 20 in which a plurality of different audio channels is transmitted together with the sequence of a plurality of video frames.

22. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 21 in which the indexing data associated with each frame is transmitted in the audio channel.

23. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 21 in which the indexing o data associated with each frame is transmitted in the vertical blanking interval of each frame.

24. apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 23 in which the transmitter is a television broadcast transmitter.

25. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 24 in which the storage means is a video cassette recorder (VCR), alternatively a personal computer (PC) or digital video disk (DVD).

26. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 13 to 25 in which the information represented in the sequence of video frames is any one or more of advertising, promotional, educational, financial or news material.

27. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 26 which includes encryption means for encrypting the sequence of the plurality of video frames prior to transmission, and decryption means for decrypting the received sequence of transmitted video frames prior to storage in the storage means