GB2288507A - Multimedia video viewing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The video viewing system has means to display a main video sequence 200, and means to display at least one related subsequence 202. The subsequence may be selected by means of one or more visual indicators 204, optionally superimposed on the main sequence. Alternatively, the subsequence may simply be superimposed on the main sequence if display of that subsequence is enabled. There may be a plurality of subsequences, and selected ones of these may be displayed. In an alternative embodiment, an image is displayed, and a portion of this is selected by a pointer means, the portion corresponding to a sequential part of a video sequence to be displayed. The image, video sequences and the correspondence therebetween may be supplied on a data carrier such as a CD-ROM and/or over a network. <IMAGE>

Description

VIDEO VIEWING SYSTEM The present invention relates to a video viewing system.

The television is probably the most successful mass media system produced to date. It offers the opportunity to broadcast ideas, opinions, and information to an audience potentially larger than any other single medium. However, in order to produce a coherent programme which fits into a pre-arranged time slot, it is inevitably necessary to edit the information available and there is danger that this can result in certain subjects being "glossed over".

Recently the CD-ROM has become available, which allows a large volume of data to be stored in a small physical volume. This allows the concept of "multimedia", which is essentially the provision in a PC of the ability to handle text, graphics and sound simultaneously.

The present invention seeks to allow expansion of the information content of a programme as compared to that available on conventional broadcast television, and proposes a number of ways of doing so.

In the first aspect, optional subsequences are made available giving more information about a specific subject dealt with in the main sequence, and accessible from particular points in the main sequence if activated by the user. In the first version of this aspect, during playback of the subsequences the main programme sequence is suspended. These subsequences can ideally be accessed by the user indicating her/his desire whilst the main sequence is dealing with the subject of the subsequence.

To implement this version, the present invention therefore provides an apparatus for displaying a video sequence which comprises a main sequence and at least one subsequence accessible from a predetermined access point in the sequence; the apparatus having means for receiving a supply of data including the sequence, means for displaying a visual indicator indicating an access point, and selector means for inputting a selection instruction and causing display of the selected sequence.

Suitably, the indicator is superimposed on the sequence being viewed and can be activated or suppressed as desired, ie. by being displayed or not as the case may be. It is particularly useful if the indicator reflects the content of the subsequence; to achieve this it may comprise a still frame selected from or representative of the subsequence, preferably augmented by a title.

In the second, independent, version of this aspect, the present invention proposes the subsequences be superimposable on the main sequence, which continues playing. It is then unnecessary to opt for each subsequence individually, and if the feature is activated all subsequences are displayed. The present invention does not, however, exclude the possibility of requiring the user to assent to particular subsequences. These subsequences would preferably be displayed in a preselected region of the screen, and in one particular embodiment take the form of footnotes. These would be akin to the footnotes of a book and give further details of the source or sources used to compile the part of the sequence.

This is achievable by providing a data source on which video and audio signals are available, wherein a separate data signal is stored, and a display means adapted to receive data from the data source and in a first mode display the video and audio signals, and in a second mode display both these signals and, concurrently, a footnote represented by the data signal, the display means having an input means to allow a user to select a desired mode.

Preferably, the footnotes are displayed superimposed on the video sequence, ideally in the lower portion of the display, but this is not essential. Footnotes which scroll from right to left are easiest to read.

In its second independent aspect, the present invention provides a pre-prepared graphical overview of the sequence recorded on the same data-carrier, and - means employing the overview for selecting the part of a sequence which a user wishes to view. A suitable visual form for this overview might be a montage of images representing the subject matter covered by the sequence, over which can be moved a pointer. The pointer is positioned over an image relating to a subject of interest, and playback can then be started from the point.

To implement this, the present invention provides a data source containing an image and a video sequence, a display means for displaying that image, and a pointer means for selecting a particular part of the image wherein the data source also stores a correlation between particular parts of the image and sequential parts of the video sequence.

If desired, the display means can be arranged to display only a part of the image at any one time, and be provided with means for selecting a further part of the image for display. For example, the image might be very much wider than it is tall, representing a timeline. In this case, it is preferable for the display means also to shown an indication of the location within the image as a whole of the part of the image being displayed. This indication could simply be a line and associated pointer.

In all of the above arrangements, data can be supplied in the form of a CD-ROM disk or by a link to an external network, or both.

The present invention can be embodied in any one, or more, or all, of the above aspects.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing the sequence of operations of an apparatus embodying the present invention; Figs. 2 to 4 are "screen shots" taken from an apparatus embodying the present invention.

Figs. 1 to 4 show details of an arrangement in which the present invention is employed to expand the information content of a historical documentary concerning the Russian Revolution. Fig. 1 shows the sequence of operations, and Figs. 2 to 4 show the image displayed at various stages during the operation. The physical apparatus used comprised an Apple computer capable of multimedia operation, and equipped with a mouse having a click button. In the following description, reference numerals prefixed "S" indicate a step in the flowchart of Fig. 1.

The entire programme can be watched from start to finish, with no augmentation, simply by initiating display of the programme and taking no further action.

However, at any time, the programme can be interrupted by clicking the mouse (512).

On detecting this click, the computer suspends the programme and displays a "control bar" (516) comprising a number of options. The user can then select a particular option (518, 520) by positioning the mouse cursor over that option and clicking, or they can resume playback by positioning the mouse cursor other than over an option and clicking (520).

In this embodiment, there are four available options (100, 102, 104, 106) . Firstly, selection of the "help" option (100) causes playback (530) of a short sequence which describes the other available options and gives general instruction to the user on how to use them. Once the help sequence is completed, the computer resumes playback of the programme (510).

The other three options represent the three aspects of the present invention and are called "explore", "sources" and "overview". These correspond, respectively, to the first second and third aspects.

Picons (202) are still indicator images (204) with associated titles (206) which are displayed from time to time in the upper right hand corner of the programme display (200). A picon (202) is displayed by the computer to indicate that further information is available about the subject currently being dealt with in the programme (200), ie. it indicates the existence of a prerecorded subsequence dealing with that subject in more detail. The picon (202) is displayed for a period of about twenty seconds. If, during this period, the user positions the mouse pointer over the picon (202) and clicks (514), playback of the programme (200) is suspended and the prerecorded subsequence is played instead (515). Once the subsequence is finished, playback of programme (200) continues (510) from a suitable entry point.

This point is near to the point at which playback was suspended, and is preselected as a point which gives a smooth transition back into the programme. The picon (202) for that subsequence is no longer displayed.

Selection of the "sources" (104) option causes enabling (550) of sources data. The computer then displays concurrently with the programme (300) a scrolling text line (302) which gives details of the source of the image currently being displayed. This can provide extra background information, or for example offer edited transcripts of an interview.

The final option is the "overview" option (106).

Selection of this option causes the programme to be replaced by a visual montage 400 (562), in the form of an image whose height corresponds to the height of the display but whose width is several times the width of the display. Thus, at any one time, only a section of the "overview" is displayed. Movement of the mouse pointer into the extreme left 402 or right 404 margins (564) of the display causes the computer to scroll the image to the right or left respectively (565), ie. to display parts of the image which are displaced slightly to the left or right respectively (562). The content of the image 400 reflects the content of the programme, ie. the far left of the image is generally representative of the early parts of the programme whilst the far right of the image is representative of the later parts of the programme. Thus, there is a correlation between the position within the image 400 as a whole of the part of the image currently being displayed, and a particular point in the progress of the programme. Hence, when the user clicks the mouse, the computer can interpret that as an instruction to re-commence playback of the programme from that corresponding point (567). This enables the overview to be used as a "timeline" and enable the user to jump to a desired part of the programme.

Superimposed on the overview, in the bottom left corner is a line 406 representing the length of the overview, with a marker 408 whose position along the line 406 indicates the position along the overview of the part of the overview currently being displayed.

This gives the viewer an indication of the position along the width of the overview.

A possible extension of the overview arrangement is to a programme consisting of a number of episodes dealing with related subjects. In this case, a number of overviews could be prepared, and arranged vertically in staggered fashion such that corresponding parts of each episode correspond vertically. For example, the overviews for each episode of an historical documentary programme could be arranged so that events described in one episode as happening at a particular date are vertically above or below events which happened at the same date but are described in another episode. For example, each episode could relate to the events in a particular country, and this extended overview would allow comparison of concurrent events in different countries.

Claims (24)

Claims:

1. Apparatus for displaying a video sequence which sequence comprises a main sequence and at least one subsequence accessible from a predetermined access point in the sequence, the apparatus comprising: means arranged to receive a supply of data including the sequence; display means arranged to display a visual indicator indicating an access point for a subsequence; and selector means arranged to input a selection instruction indicating selection of a visual indicator and in response thereto to cause display of a subsequence corresponding to a selected visual indicator.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the display means has selectively actuable means for superimposing the visual indicator on the main sequence.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the visual indicator comprises a still frame selected from or representative of the subsequence.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the indicator further comprises a title.

5. Apparatus for displaying a video sequence which sequence comprises a main sequence and at least one subsequence, the apparatus comprising: means arranged to receive a supply of data including the sequence; display means arranged to display the main sequence and selectively operable superimposing means arranged to display said at least one subsequence superimposed on the main sequence.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said superimposing means is adapted to display a plurality of subsequences.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said superimposing means is selectively operable so that display pf each of said plurality of subsequences can be individually selected or not selected.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the main sequence comprises audio and video signals, and said at least one subsequence is generated from a data signal.

9. Apparatus for displaying a video sequence comprising a data source storing an image and a video sequence; display means arranged to display said image; pointer means for selecting a part of the image, the data source storing information correlating a plurality of parts of the image to a respective plurality of sequential parts of the video sequence; and means for displaying a sequential part of the video sequence corresponding to the selected part of the image.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the display means is arranged to display only a portion of the image at any one time, and wherein means are provided for selecting a further portion of the image for display.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the display means is arranged to show an indication of the location within the image as a whole of the portion of the image being displayed.

12. Apparatus according to any one of claims 9-11 wherein data is supplied on a CD-ROM disk or by a link to an external network, or both.

13. A method of displaying a video sequence which sequence comprises a main sequence and at least one subsequence accessible from a predetermined access point in the sequence, the method comprising: receiving a stream of data including the main sequence; displaying a visual indicator indicating an access point for a subsequence; inputting a selection instruction indicating selection of a visual indicator and in response thereto causing display of a subsequence corresponding to a selected visual indicator.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the visual indicator is superimposed on the main sequence.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14 wherein the visual indicator comprises a still frame selected from or representative of the subsequence.

16. A method of displaying a video sequence which sequence comprises a main sequence and at least one subsequence, comprising: receiving a stream of data including the sequence; displaying the main sequence and superimposing said at least one subsequence on the main sequence.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein a plurality of subsequences are displayed.

18. A method according to claim 16 or claim 17 wherein selected ones of a plurality of subsequences are displayed.

19. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein the main sequence comprises audio and video signals and said at least one subsequence is generated from a data signal.

20. A method of displaying a video sequence comprising supplying a data source containing an image and a video sequence; displaying said image; selecting a portion of the image with pointer means; and displaying a sequential part of the video sequence according to information stored in the data source correlating portions of the image with respective sequential parts of the video sequence.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein only a part of the image is displayed, and a further part of the image is selected for subsequent display.

22. A method according to claim 20 or 21 wherein the data source is supplied on a CD-ROM disk, or by a link to a network, or both.

23. Apparatus substantially as any one herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A method substantially as any one herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.