Appliance-guided edit-operations in advanced digital video recording systems

Proposed by the present invention are methods and devices for recording and editing data streams using signals transmitted by broadcast systems. Here, the above broadcast signal includes metadata.

Background The terms "metadata" and "essence" are defined as follows. That is, metadata is data that consists of essences and one or more links. From a semantic point of view, these links represent links between the above essence and other content, and may be of different types (eg HTML links).

The essence consists of arbitrary data. These data may not include metadata, may include one meter data, or may contain multiple meter data (eg, the essence of metadata may include other metadata). Yes, and the essence can consist of data that does not contain any metadata).

The increased capacity for DVD and DVR discs will result in much more video being stored on a single disc than is possible today. Broadcasting systems such as DVB carry not only pure essences, but also descriptions of these essences, so-called metadata. This metadata contains all kinds of content information and allows you to move around in the essence.

VPS is a well-known invention for starting and stopping an analog video recorder at a predetermined time. This information is transmitted by the broadcaster of the analog TV system during the vertical blanking interval (VBI). This principle is not supported by the DVB standard. That is because the execution of timer-controlled recording is planned by the EPG mechanism.

Prior art only deals with the principles of DVB-related recording media. EP-A-1 103 974 describes recording and playback methods and equipment, but does not teach the principles for starting and stopping DVB recorders.

Description of the Invention The present invention shall use a plurality of signals as defined herein for starting and stopping a DVB recorder. By evaluating and storing the above metadata, a new convenient function for storing on an optical disk can be realized.

The following abbreviations are used in the present invention. That is, DVB-SI: Digital Video Broadcast Service Information SPN: Source Packet Number PTS: Presentation Time Stamp EIT: Event Information Table CRID: Content Reference ID EP: Entry Point.

The structure of a digital recording / playback device consists of at least one playlist (ie, a real playlist or a virtual playlist) and a corresponding clip-information-file.

The playlist describes the playback items of the recorded stream and the points to the in-time and out-time positions. The clip information file also contains a list of entry points, which list is extracted from the incoming DVB video or DVB audio stream bucket. These entry points provide stream packet positions (I-frame-positions) from which the decoding process can be initiated.

Entry-point-packets are-I-frame-positions for video and-Frame-start for audio.

These are specified by the source packet number (SPN) and registered in the EP map with the corresponding presentation time stamp (PTS). Since the principle of VPS (Video Programming Service) cannot be applied to the DVB concept except for the use of the EPG mechanism, a new solution for analyzing the stream of the DVB system was created. Accurate timer signals can be generated for start and end times. In addition, event control records can be generated, playlists can be automatically generated, and simple editing operations can be realized.

Descriptions (metadata) of these video and audio streams are transmitted in DVB-SI buckets.

The processing of the DVB transfer stream is as follows. That is, it parses the incoming DVB transfer stream and stores the essence on disk. Extract the corresponding metadata for teletext and DVB-SI (service information) and later convert it to an XML-metadata-descriptor stream. After that, these can be stored in a database arranged in, for example, a recording device. Additional metadata can be received from the Internet, TV-Anytime-documents, and the metadata may be created by itself. The extracted DVB-SI metadata can be used during the recording process and can be used later to facilitate user interaction.

The most important metadata in the present invention is transferred in the current / subsequent event information table (EIT) in the DVB-SI event-information-section of the current transfer stream. These provide information about start time, duration, running status, and more. The extended EIT descriptor also provides information about titles, languages, and more.

The running status status includes "not running", "starting in a few seconds", and "running", which represent the status of the event and the status of the program.

Depending on the strategy you choose, you can start recording using a transition from one running status to another (for example, a transition from "start in seconds" to "running") as a trigger event. You can create playlists. The occurrence of this event in the recorded stream can be identified by the source packet number (SPN). After marking the position of this event, the next PTS representing the I frame is used as the IN_time for the PlayItem.

To incorporate event changes into the schedule, the DVB standard defines mechanisms that override the running status of selected events, where they are signaled in the Running Status Table (RST). If the running status of the current record is overwritten, the new running status will be used in place of the previous running status.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to find the start time and end time of a particular program item.

This problem is solved by the method of claim 1 and the apparatus of claim 8.

Basically, the method of the present invention is advantageous for generating accurate timer signals and event controlled recordings. The metadata descriptor is analyzed by the runtime or by the resident metadata archive stored in the digital recorder and has the following characteristics. That is, the resident metadata archive contains and updates the metadata. Here, the following plurality of steps are included. That is-the step of receiving and parsing a data stream containing metadata. Here these metadata originate from content, such as from the Internet and / or from DVB data, such as DVB transfer streams; --steps to parse metadata originating from content and metadata originating from DVB; --Steps to convert these metadata to XML metadata descriptors; --Steps to use these transformed metadata to control the recording of the transfer stream and to browse the contents of the XML metadata descriptor; --Steps to store at least some of the above metadata descriptors in a database, such as a DBMS database; --Steps to access the metadata archive by browsing mechanism and query through a graphical user interface; --By this graphical user interface The steps to organize and structure the editing mechanism. Here, this editing mechanism is a playlist manager and recording control unit; --the step of recording the transfer stream to a storage medium, eg disk; and --the step of storing the navigation file from the DBMS database to a storage medium, eg disk. included.

The apparatus of the present invention also analyzes the metadata descriptor by the runtime or by the resident metadata archive in which the metadata descriptor is stored in the digital recorder. Here, this device includes the following means. That is-a means of receiving and parsing a data stream containing, for example, metadata from the Internet from content, and / or a means of receiving and parsing a data stream from DVB data, eg, from a DVB transfer stream. A means of converting metadata to an XML metadata descriptor, a means of controlling the recording of a transfer stream, and a means of referencing the contents of an XML metadata descriptor --- at least some of the metadata descriptors in a database, eg, A means of storing in a DBMS database, a means of allowing access to metadata archives through browsing and querying through a graphical user interface, and a means of organizing and structuring editing and record control means. It includes means for recording the transfer stream on a recording medium, such as an optical disk, and-means for recording a navigation file from a DBMS database on a storage medium, such as an optical disk.

The present invention can also be used in procedures that generate playlists and facilitate editing operations. In addition, event control records can be generated, and easy editing operations can be realized.

Another advantageous embodiment of the invention is described in the corresponding dependent claims.

Drawings Examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, FIG. 1 shows a simple block diagram of the present invention.

Example Figure 1 shows the principle of the present invention. First, data originating from the content provider 111 (eg from the Internet) or from the DVB source 112 is received. In the second step, this received data is parsed 121,122. The data generated from the DVB source can be parsed and transferred to the transfer stream recording device 123, which stores the parsed DVB data in a storage medium. The parsed data is then directed to XML transducer 13. The recording control unit 14 is controlled by this XML converter, and the content reference of the XML metadata descriptor 15 is created. These data are stored in database 161. This database interacts with the descriptor query unit 17 and the playlist manager 18. The navigation file from the database 161 is recorded in the navigation file recording device 162. GUI 19 outputs the data generated from the descriptor inquiry unit 17 and the playlist manager 18. GUI The user can operate the recording control unit 14 via 19, and the transfer stream recording unit 123 can record appropriate data from this recording control unit. These data are then stored in the storage medium described above. An object of the present invention is to provide an application for recording and playing back an MPEG-2 transfer stream transferred via a DVB system on an optical disc.

Embodiment 1 Parsing and analyzing the metadata descriptor 112 (extracted from DVB-SI) (122), while using the information to trigger signals 14, such as starting-events and ending events. -events) is generated.

The recording of timer control can be activated, for example, by the "record-next-event" button, that is, given program data (eg, time, duration, channel, etc.). ) Can record the next program.

Embodiment 2 1 In the embodiment, a playlist is automatically generated during the recording process. The process of automatically generating playlists waits for an EIT event and evaluates the latest EIT running status for the selected service. The name of the playlist can be taken from the name of the event, which is transferred to the "short_event_descriptor" in the EIT table.

Embodiment 3 In TV-Anytime, a content reference ID (CRID Content Reference ID) that can uniquely identify TV content is defined. The CRID of the recording is known in advance for the TV-Anytime IMI or TV-Anytime locator or TV-Anytime, and the TV-Anytime IMI or TV-Anytime locator or TV-Anytime CRI ID is periodically re-transferred with or within the A / V content. If so, the TV-Anytime IMI or TV-Anytime locator or TV-Anytime CRID can be used to generate the same trigger events (start, end, cutpoint, etc.) as described in Embodiment 1. Both the trigger events obtained from the first embodiment can improve the accuracy.

Embodiment 4 The playlist can be automatically generated or modified offline after the recording process is completed. That's because all the relevant metadata is stored in the database.

Embodiment 5 By storing the metadata, a simple editing process for recording can be realized. By using DVB-SI event information (EIT, RST), this recording device can present a cut point to the user.

The following editing operations can be performed by the digital recording / playback device. That is, --the start and end points of the video needed to erase unwanted fragments of the unwanted video; --the start and end points of the video needed to split the separate videos recorded in one recording. Point; --The digital recording / playback device can perform the start and end points needed to check if the entire video has been recorded.

<figref num="1">It is a simple block diagram of this invention.</figref>