MXPA01000699A - Digital video apparatus user interface - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing information stored on a storage medium involves accessing information stored on the medium during a play mode of operation, i.e., during playback, and processing the information during playback to determine whether a rating of a portion of the program being played back differs from a rating limit set for the apparatus. If a rating other than the rating limit is detected, a user is prompted to decide whether to override the rating limit for the portion of the program. Selection of override is followed by changing the rating limit to a new rating limit needed to permit playback of the portion of the program. Override may be conditioned upon the user first entering a password. Completion of playback of the portion of the program may be followed by return of the rating limit to the rating limit set for the apparatus prior to the override operation. The override"on-the-fly"mode of operation may be selectively enabled.

Description

USER INTERFACE OF DIGITAL VIDEO DEVICE The present invention relates to a user interface for a digital video apparatus and, in particular, a user interface for a digital video apparatus capable of selectively restricting the reproduction of stored video and audio information, in response to related information. with the program, such as nominal parental control capabilities, included with video and audio information. Video signal processing systems that use storage media that have digitally compressed video and audio information recorded therein, can give the user a large number of options for controlling the reproduction of a video title stored in those media. . One of those systems that is gaining rapid popularity comprises a video disc player, adapted to process the stored information in accordance with the specification of the digital video disc (DVD). Information on a disk formatted as a DVD is recorded as discrete data packets, in accordance with applicable video and audio data compression standards, where the designated packets carry data associated with different data streams, such as video angles. alternative, audio tracks, streams of subimages, etcetera. You can control a disc player that reads a disk formatted as a DVD to visually display certain data packets and ignore others. A single disc can be created to allow the reproduction of multiple camera angles, end of the story, scenes of conformity with a content of nominal capacities, and so on. Using this capability, the DVD system can be used to prevent unauthorized access to information on a particular disc, as well as to provide cleanly multiple variations of a video title, in accordance with user commands. A useful application of the restricted and clean access access branching feature of the DVD system is related to the parent control of the material that can be played from a designated disc player. Typically, a DVD player allows the user to select a parental control rating, which usually varies from 1 to 8, where 1 is the least restrictive and 8 is the most restrictive. This selected parent rating is used to automatically restrict the playback of discs, video titles on a disc, or scenes in a video title that uses that disc player. This selected parent classification is used to automatically control the playback of that disc player based on the classification of the parents created on the disc or video title. The parents' ratings generally correspond to the film classification of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). During disc playback, the DVD player compares the parent classification selected by the user against the parent rating assigned to the disc or video title, and only allows disc playback, video title or certain scenes of the title of the disc. video if the parent classification selected by the user is equal to, or exceeds the parent's rating of the disc or video title. In the case of multiple playback sequences, the DVD player follows the playback sequence that has a parent classification that corresponds to the parent classification selected by the user. Ordinarily, the user must call or navigate through the installation menu of the disc player to select or change the parent classification selected by the user. Once selected, the parent classification selected by the user applies to all discs played using that disc player. If the user wishes to change the parent classification selected by the user, the user must stop playing a disc, call and navigate to through the installation menu of the player, by making the appropriate entries. If the user wishes to change the parent classification frequently selected by the user, the requirement to stop playing the disc, and navigate the player's installation menu may quickly become annoying. Therefore, it is desirable to allow the user to dynamically change the parent classification selected by the user during disc playback. The present invention recognizes that it is desirable to provide a user interface, method and apparatus that allows the user to dynamically change the parent classification selected by the user. In accordance with the present invention, a user interface, method and apparatus is provided, to allow a user to dynamically change a parent classification selected by the user. Conveniently, the present invention allows the user to dynamically change the parent classification selected by the user without calling and navigating through the player's installation menu. Another embodiment of the present invention allows the user to dynamically change the parent classification selected by the user only for a selected disc or set of video titles or portion of a program, stored on a storage medium. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the player automatically restores the parent classification selected by the user to the ranking level prior to dynamic skipping after the playback of the selected disc or set of video titles or portion of the program is complete. The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a video processing system in accordance with the DVD specification. Figure 2 is a block diagram of a digital video disc player, suitable for implementing the dynamic feature of ignoring the parents of the present invention. Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the navigation between the domain of the disc player and the DVD domain. Figure 4 is a detailed block diagram, illustrating navigation between the domain of the disc player and the DVD domain. Figure 5 is an example of a visual display of information on the screen that provides information on the status of the player and disc. Figure 6 is a diagram of a data structure in accordance with the DVD format.

Figure 7 is a block diagram of a presentation structure in accordance with the DVD format.

Figures 8 a-b are block diagrams illustrating the sample reproduction options available in the DVD format. Figure 9 is a visual screen display, suitable for use with the dynamic parental control bypass feature of the present invention. Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the steps for implementing the dynamic parental control bypass feature of the present invention. Figure 11 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for implementing another embodiment of the dynamic feature of parental control override of the present invention. Although the exemplary embodiment is described with reference to a digital video apparatus adapted to read compressed video and audio data from a disk, and to process the data in accordance with the DVD specification, it will be understood that the present invention can be used in any video processing apparatus capable of processing digital video and audio information, wherein the information related to the program, included with the video and audio information, can be used to selectively restrict the reproduction of certain video information and audio on the disk. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the video processing system 20, in accordance with the DVD specification. In particular, Figure 1 illustrates the basic relationship between the display data and the navigation data in the video processing system 20, which comprises the disc player 24 and the disc formatted as DVD 21. The contents of the disc 21 it reads the disc player 24 and is visually displayed in the visual display 28, in accordance with the commands of the user control device 31. The disc 21 includes presentation data 22 and navigation data 23, wherein the presentation data 22 they comprise the data to be reproduced in the form of video, audio, sub-images, etc., and the navigation data 23 comprise control data to determine how display data 22 is visually displayed. Disk 21 may also include data for generate a menu to allow the user to interactively control the way in which the presentation data is visually displayed 22. The disc player 24 includes the presentation machine 25 and the navigation manager 26, which can be implemented in the microcontroller 40 described with respect to Figure 2. The presentation machine 25 receives the presentation data 22, and under the control of the navigation manager 26, provides an output to the visual display 28. The visual display 28 comprises the audio output device 30 and the visual display of video 29. The navigation manager 26 includes the user interface control 27, which provides a user interface, create menus, et cetera. The navigation manager 26 uses the information of the navigation data 23 to control the output of the presentation machine 25 to the visual display 28. The user control device 31 is coupled to the navigation manager 26, and allows data entry of the user to control the manner in which the navigation manager 26 controls the presentation machine 25. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the basic elements of an exemplary digital video disc player, suitable for use in the system 20 of Figure 1, and to implement the overlook feature of the parents of the present invention. The construction and operation of these elements are known to one of ordinary skill in the art, and will not be described in detail here. The disc player 24 comprises the motor and pickup assembly 26 which, under the control of the servo processor 29, rotates the disc and reads the information stored therein. The preamp 27 and the data processing unit DVD 28 translate the impulses electrical components of the motor and pickup assembly 26 to digital data that can be further processed by means of the digital audio / video decoding unit 30. The DVD data processing unit 28 typically performs functions such as demodulation, error correction and decoding. the pure data read from the disk, in such a way that the data is in a format suitable for the decoding unit 30. The decoding unit 30 receives the demodulated data, corrects for errors and decodes, processes the data, and provides the video and audio signals. audio appropriate to a visual display unit, such as a television set. The decoding unit 30 comprises the data stream demultiplexer 32 which demultiplexes the data from the data processing unit 28 to a plurality of separate data streams, including a video stream, an audio stream and a sub-picture stream, and provides the data streams to their respective data decoders. The video decoder 31 receives the video stream and provides a video signal to the mixer 33. The sub picture decoder 34 receives the sub picture stream and provides the data to the on-screen visual display control (OSD) 35, which provides the OSD video signals to the mixer 33. The combined video signal of the mixer 33 is provided at NTSC / PAL 42 encoder, which provides a video signal conforming to the appropriate video signal standard for a visual video display device. The audio decoder 36 receives the audio streams from the data stream demultiplexer 32, and provides the appropriate audio signals to an audio system. The microcontroller 40 controls the operation of the disc player 24. The microcontroller 40 is coupled to the user control device 31, which may comprise IR remote control devices, front panel buttons or the like, and translates the data of the control device of the user 31 to control the operation of the different elements of the disc player 24 described above. Typically, the microcontroller 40 is also configured to control different access characteristics of the disc player 24 including, but not limited to, blocking the parents, describing cryptographic discs, and dialing the remote service provider (s) ( s) (such as DIVX or other service providers of the type of payment - by event) to obtain access to protected discs. The microcontroller 40 may be incorporated in different forms, including, but not limited to, a dedicated integrated circuit, or a part of a unit decoder / controller. Figure 3 illustrates the basic navigation scheme between the domain of the video player 60 and the domain of the disk 62. The introduction of the PLAY command or the guide data request moves the control to the domain of disk 62, where title playback as indicated by the Title 63 playback block, or a title menu is displayed visually as indicated by title menu block 64. Selections on screens made from the title menu control the playback sequence. A STOP command returns the user to the domain of player 60. A more detailed illustration of the navigation scheme between the domain of player 60 and the domain of disk 62 is shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the player domain 60 includes the player menu 61, to allow the user to select certain operating conditions for the player, for example, parental control classifications. In addition, the DVD 62 domain includes the title menu 64 to provide information about the respective video title. The on-screen selection of the title menu 64 can transfer the user to the Title 63 playback block, which includes provisions for the root menu 65. The root menu 65 can be created on a disk for provide information about the options available on the disc, including, but not limited to, subtitles, audio tracks and camera angles. If the disc does not include a root menu 65 created in it, it is convenient to include a provision to generate a visual display of information, developed from the real video and audio information stored on the disc, which visually identifies and displays the options available to the user. That provision is indicated by the block of visual displays of information 66. Figure 5 illustrates an example of a visual display of information 75 that can be used to visually identify and display the options available on the disk to the user, when it is not available. a root menu 65 of the DVD 62 domain. Alternatively, the disc player 24 can be configured to allow the user to select the visual display of information 75 instead of the root menu 65, even if the root menu 65 exists in the DVD 62 domain. As shown in Figure 5, the visual display of information 75 comprises the visual display display pot 76, surrounded by a plurality of visual displays and buttons 77-87 to provide information about the contents of the disc, and allow the user Make different selections to control different aspects of disc playback. The visual display of Stopwatch 77 provides information about the time with respect to the disc being played, and the visual display of transport 78 shows the direction and speed of the drive of the disc. The button 79 provides access to information regarding the title number in progress. The button 80 provides access to information regarding the number of the current chapter. The button 81 allows the user to change the setting of the playback mode of the disc player 24. The button 82 allows the user to access the root menu of the disc. Button 83 provides access to information regarding the subtitles on the disc. Button 84 allows the user to select from the available audio streams. Button 85 allows the user to select from the available camera angles. Button 86 allows the user to select from the available repeat modes. The button 87 allows the user to set book marks and jump to a previously established bookmark. Figure 6 illustrates a data structure in accordance with the DVD specification, and suitable for use in the video processing system 20. The data structure is hierarchical, where each data block is divided into blocks of component data, which they are further divided into smaller component data blocks. At the top of the hierarchy is a block video manager and one or more sets of video titles. The video administrator includes a block of control data that has control information that can be applied to the disk and a menu on the disk. Each set of video titles corresponds to a designated program unit, for example, a movie or an episode of a television program. Each set of video titles includes a block of control data that has control information that can be applied to the set of video titles, a menu of titles, followed by the content of the title, and a control data backup block. . The title menu and title content each comprise sets of video objects, wherein each set of video objects comprises a plurality of video objects. Each video object comprises a plurality of cells, and each cell in turn comprises a plurality of video object units. Each video object unit comprises a navigation package and a plurality of packages, which are subdivided into a plurality of packages. The smallest steerable data block is a cell, where a cell can contain data for a portion of a program as short as a single scene, or as long as an entire movie. By implementing the control feature of the parents, a parent classification can be encoded to control access to the entire disc, or it can be encoded in the control data block of each respective video title set to control access to a particular set of video titles . If the control of the parents is coded to control access to the disc, the disc player 24 allows only proper disc reproduction when the parent classification selected by the user equals or exceeds the coded parent classification. If the parent classification is encoded in the control data block of the video title set, the disc player verifies the parent classification of each set of video titles, before the reproduction of that set of video titles. video. Subsequently, the relationship of the present invention with respect to the classifications of the coded parents is further described. Figure 7 illustrates a presentation structure in accordance with the DVD format, and suitable for use in the video processing system 20. The presentation structure is superimposed on the data structure shown in Figure 6. The structure of the presentation and data structure are crossed at the cell level. As shown in Figure 7, each set of video titles may comprise a plurality of blocks of the parents 90, in wherein each block of the parents comprises one or more program chains (PGCs) 92. Each program chain contains the program chain information block 94 and the video object set 96. The program chain information block 94 includes one or more programs (PGs) 96, each of which includes a collection of pointers to cells 98 contained in respective video objects 100 in the set of video objects 96. Programs 96 link cells 98 together, and indicate the order in which these will be reproduced. Therefore, by providing the appropriate pointers to the desired cells, a program chain 92 provides a particular playback sequence, and a collection of program chains 92 provide a playback sequence for the set of video titles. You can see that you can create multiple parental blocks, each containing different chains of programs, to generate multiple playback sequences that correspond to different parental control classifications. The disc creator can provide different versions of a set of video titles, corresponding to different parental control classifications, to enable the disc player 24 to branch cleanly between different scenes, to provide multiple playback sequences for a set of particular video titles. By setting the parent rating selected by the user at a low level, objectionable scenes can be omitted for younger viewers, while larger viewers can see an unedited version of the program by establishing the rating of the parents selected by the user at a higher level. The clean branching is achieved through the link and visual display of the desired cells, programs and program chains as desired. Figures 8 a-b illustrate an individual reproduction sequence and a multiple reproduction sequence that is provided by means of clean branching between groups of program chains. In Figure 8a, the disc only allows a single playback sequence, comprising the program chain # 1, wherein the reproduction proceeds in a continuous sequence. In Figure 8b, multiple reproduction sequences are provided, wherein a sequence classified as G would follow the program strings 1, 2, 4 and 7, while a reproduction sequence classified as PG would follow the program strings 1, 3 , 5 and 8, and a reproduction sequence classified as R follow the chains of programs 1, 3, 6 and 9. As noted above, you can also implement parental control by avoiding Complete access to a disc or to a set of video titles, based on a parent classification encoded in the control data block of a set of video titles. In that case, the disc player 24 compares the parent classification selected by the user against the encoded parent classification, and determines whether the reproduction of the disc or set of video titles is permitted. If the parent classification selected by the user equals, or exceeds the parent's rating of the disc or set of video titles, the disc player 24 proceeds to play the selected disc or set of video titles. If the parent classification selected by the user is below the parent classification of the disc or set of video titles, the disc player 24 prevents playback of that disc or set of video titles. As noted above, the present invention recognizes that inconvenience and inconvenience may be caused if a user is forced to stop playing a disc, or set of video titles, and restore the parent classification selected by the user each once the user wants to see a disc or set of video titles that has a parent rating that exceeds the parent's classification selected by the user.

If the user wishes to return the parent classification selected by the user to the original level after viewing the disc, or set of video titles, the user must repeat the selection procedure to change the parent classification selected by the user. It can be seen that having to repeat the procedure each time the user wants to play a disc or set of video titles that has a parent rating higher than the level of parent classification selected by the user can quickly become annoying. The present invention provides a user interface, method and apparatus for allowing a user to dynamically change the parent classification selected by the user, in such a way that the user is not forced to perform the procedure detailed above. In the present invention, when a user enters a play command, the disc player 24 compares the parent classification selected by the user with the parent classification encoded on the disc or set of video titles. If the parent classification selected by the user equals or exceeds the parent's rating of the disc, or set of video titles, the disc playback, or set of video titles, proceeds normally. However, if the parent classification selected by the user is less than the parent classification of the disc or set of video titles, the disc player 24 automatically generates and displays a visual display on the screen asking if the user wishes to reset the parent classification selected by the user. Figure 9 shows a suitable visual display to request that user input. As shown in Figure 9, the visual display 110 indicates that the selection exceeds the parent classification limit for the player, and asks the user to select the button 112 to bypass the limit, and to select the button 114 to cancel the selection in progress. The selection and navigation between the two buttons can be performed using any conventionally known user interface methods, for example, using the cursor control buttons and an ENTER button on a remote control. If the user selects the button 112 to accept the option to bypass, the disc player 24 visually displays a keyword challenge. This keyword challenge can take many forms, including, but not limited to, entering a user-selected code after the initial installation of the disc player 24. When the user successfully passes the keyword challenge, the disc player 24 automatically adjusts the parent classification selected by the user to a level sufficient to allow playback of the selected disc or set of video titles, and then resumes playing the disc or set of Selected video titles. It is clear that this user interface can be implemented using techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art, for example, by programming the microcontroller 40 to implement the steps detailed above. A flow chart illustrating the steps to implement the dynamic feature of bypassing the parent classification of the present invention is shown in Figure 10. In step 122, the disc player 24 compares the parent classification selected by the user against the parent classification of the disc or set of video titles, in response to a PLAY command. If the parent classification selected by the user exceeds the parent classification of the disc or set of video titles, as determined in step 123, the disc player 24 continues playing the disc or set of video titles in step 124. If the parent classification selected by the user is below the parents' classification of the disc or set of video titles, the disc player 24 visually displays an indication on the screen in step 125, for example, the visual display 110, asking the user if the user wishes to ignore the parent classification limit. If the user chooses not to ignore the parents' classification, the overlook routine is stopped. If the user chooses to ignore the parent classification in step 126, the disc player 24 visually displays a keyword challenge in step 127. If the user does not enter a valid keyword in step 129, the player Disk 24 goes to step 130 to determine whether the user has entered the maximum number of keyword attempts. If the user has entered the maximum number of keyword attempts, the ignore routine in step 127 is stopped. If not, the user is given another opportunity to enter a correct keyword in step 128. If the user enters the correct keyword in step 129, the disc player 24 automatically increases the parent classification selected by the user until the parent classification selected by the user exceeds the parent's classification of the disc or set of parents. video titles in step 131. Then, the disc player 24 plays the disc or set of video titles, as indicated in step 132. After the termination of the reproduction, which can be determined, for example, by the ejection of the disc or because playback has been stopped for a predetermined period of time , the disc player 24 automatically restores the parent classification selected by the user to the original classification level before being bypassed in step 134. In this way, the user is able to dynamically bypass the parent's classification selected by the user for a particular disc or set of video titles, or a particular portion of the information stored in the storage medium. However, modifications to the configuration in Figure 10 are possible. Specifically, step 133 may be optional. That is, in a modality or mode, the modified classification can be restored after reproduction, as shown in step 133. In another mode or modality, the new classification establishment established by the ignore operation can be maintained , after the completion of the reproduction of the disc, title, program or portion of the information for which the omission was activated. The control of the mode that establishes whether step 133 occurs or not, can be performed by means of setting the desired mode during installation, for example, using a remote control for select the desired characteristics of a visual display on the screen that shows a menu of modes and options. Figure 11 shows, in the form of a flow diagram, another embodiment of a method for controlling a system in accordance with the principles of the invention. The steps in Figure 11 that have the same reference numerals as in Figure 10, operate in a manner similar to the corresponding step in Figure 10 as previously unsettled, and will not be described again here. The configuration illustrated in Figure 11 allows to selectively enable the mode of operation in which the modification of the user of the classification limit occurs during reproduction, that is, a mode of operation on the fly. "Specifically, Figure 11 includes the step 135 after step 123 which tests to determine if flight omission is enabled, if so (a YES result "YES" in step 135), step 135 is followed by step 125 and the flight omission operation progresses as described with respect to Figure 10. If the on-the-fly omission mode is disabled (a "NO" result in step 135), then step 135 is followed by step 134 which brings out the rur.nna sn provide The user is given an opportunity to bypass the system classification limit.The omission of the classification limit can then occur before the activation of the playback mode by navigating the usual installation menus, as described above if a user wishes. Enabling / disabling the flight bypass mode can occur by selecting the desired mode, in a visual display of installation options, created by the visual display processor on the system's display, during an installation operation mode. The installation operation mode, which enables the control of different features such as video processing characteristics, sound characteristics, closed captioning, etc., in addition to enabling / disabling the flight-by-flight mode, can be activated , for example, by pressing a control button on a remote control. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that while the present invention has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment, modifications and changes can be made to the embodiment described, without departing from the essence of the invention. It is recognized herein that the parental control bypass feature can be implemented using any of a number of methods, or a combination of conventionally known methods, to control the operation of the different elements described in the disc player, for example, by using software integrated in a microcontroller. In addition, the present bypass feature can be implemented for any signal processing system that can be configured to selectively restrict access, in response to parental control ratings, or other related program information, including with information stored in a storage medium such as audio, video and sub-picture data stored, for example, using systems including video tapes, DVD video systems, DVD audio systems, DVD-ROM systems, Laser Disc systems , etc. Therefore, it will be understood that the present invention is intended to cover all modifications that would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. A method for controlling a system for processing information stored in a storage medium, comprising the steps of: (A) determining during a playback operation mode, during which a program stored in the storage medium is being played, if a portion of the program being played includes program information that has a rating that differs from a first classification limit associated with the system; (B) provide the user, during the reproduction operation mode, an opportunity to select whether to bypass the first classification limit that responds to the determination that the classification of information included in the portion of the program differs from the first limit of classification; and (C) changing the first classification limit to a second classification limit during the reproduction mode, to allow reproduction of the portion of the program, in response to the selection to bypass the first classification limit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (C) is followed by the step of returning the second limit of classification to the first classification limit after the termination of the reproduction of the portion of the program. The method of claim 2, wherein step (A) is preceded by the step of determining whether modification of the user of the classification limit is enabled during the reproduction operation mode. The method of claim 3, wherein step (C) is preceded by the step of requesting the user to enter a keyword that is necessary to enable the bypass of the classification limit. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining whether modification of the user of the classification limit is enabled during the reproduction mode, is preceded by the step of determining whether the system is in a reproduction operation mode. . The method of claim 5, wherein the system comprises a DVD player, and the storage medium comprises a DVD disc. A method for controlling a system for processing information stored in a storage medium, comprising the steps of: (A) determining during a playback operation mode, during which a program is being played on the digital video disc , if a portion of the program on the digital video disc includes information from program that has a classification that differs from a classification limit of the player, selected by a user; (B) ask the user, during the playback operation mode, to select whether the player's rating limit is ignored; and (C) bypassing the classification limit of the player in response to a request from the user to do so, to establish a second classification limit during the program portion. The method of claim 7, wherein step (C) is followed by the step of returning the second classification limit to the rating limit of the player after the completion of the program portion. The method of claim 8, wherein step (A) is preceded by the step of determining whether modification of the classification limit user is enabled during the reproduction operation mode. The method of claim 9, wherein step (C) is preceded by the step of requesting the user to enter a keyword that is necessary to enable the bypass of the classification limit. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining whether the user modification of the classification limit is enabled during the mode of playback, is preceded by the step of determining if the system is in a playback operation mode. 12. An apparatus for processing information stored in a storage medium comprising: an element for accessing the information stored in the storage means during a mode of operation of reproduction of the apparatus; and an element for activating the reproduction operation mode, for processing the accessed information of the storage medium during the reproduction operation mode, to determine whether a portion of the program being reproduced includes program information having a classification that differs of a first classification limit associated with the apparatus, to provide a user, during the reproduction operation mode, an opportunity to select if the first classification limit is ignored, in response to the determination that the classification of the portion of the program differs from the first classification limit, and to return the classification limit of the device to the first classification limit, after the termination of the reproduction of the portion of the program, if the user selected to ignore the classification limit .