WO2015144248A1 - Image display device with automatic subtitle generation function - Google Patents

Image display device with automatic subtitle generation function Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015144248A1
WO2015144248A1 PCT/EP2014/056357 EP2014056357W WO2015144248A1 WO 2015144248 A1 WO2015144248 A1 WO 2015144248A1 EP 2014056357 W EP2014056357 W EP 2014056357W WO 2015144248 A1 WO2015144248 A1 WO 2015144248A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
display device
image display
operating
textual information
user
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2014/056357
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Tugrul HATIPOGLU
Turgay KALE
Ozcan Ekber OZDEMIR
Emrah YAVUZ
Metin DUMAN
Canibek SAGIN
Original Assignee
Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
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Priority to PCT/EP2014/056357 priority Critical patent/WO2015144248A1/en
Publication of WO2015144248A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015144248A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/475—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
    • H04N21/4755—End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/431—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
    • H04N21/4312—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
    • H04N21/4316—Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/44—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream, rendering scenes according to MPEG-4 scene graphs
    • H04N21/44008—Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream, rendering scenes according to MPEG-4 scene graphs involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
    • H04N21/462—Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
    • H04N21/4622—Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/485—End-user interface for client configuration
    • H04N21/4856—End-user interface for client configuration for language selection, e.g. for the menu or subtitles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H04N21/4882—Data services, e.g. news ticker for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H04N21/4884—Data services, e.g. news ticker for displaying subtitles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/47—End-user applications
    • H04N21/488—Data services, e.g. news ticker
    • H04N21/4886—Data services, e.g. news ticker for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
    • H04N21/81—Monomedia components thereof
    • H04N21/812—Monomedia components thereof involving advertisement data

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an image display device having an automatic and dynamic subtitle generation feature such that the users are automatically delivered a real-time processed subtitle set according to their predefined interest settings.
  • Digital and interactive TV systems provide a comprehensive amount of TV channels and programs leading to the general outcome that conventional methods for setting personal viewing preferences including subtitle management may become inefficient to the extent that such methods are simply unperformable in an efficient manner.
  • image display devices today connect to the Internet and are provided with a plurality of services and applications to retrieve information from various online sources, such information for example including weather forecast data, road traffic data, sporting events results or stock market data
  • information for example including weather forecast data, road traffic data, sporting events results or stock market data
  • users can be offered a less intrusive presentation of interested information with no or minimal interaction with the program content actually displayed on the screen.
  • the personalized subtitle system includes a display device, such as a Heads Up Display (HUD) device, worn or carried by a user in a public venue such as a movie theatre, playhouse, or stadium.
  • the user utilizes the display device to select and read captioning or subtitle information for a public event such as a movie, play, or sporting event.
  • a public event such as a movie, play, or sporting event.
  • the display device is used in conjunction with a conventional subtitle display system, such as a DVD player for home use.
  • the user can operate a control panel to select a desired language.
  • Subtitles in the selected language are then displayed to a viewer wearing or using the display device. In this way, a viewer desiring subtitles may have subtitles displayed without disrupting another viewer's enjoyment of a public venue.
  • the present invention provides a method by which an image display device is operated such that users are automatically delivered dynamic and real-time textual information in a genre-specific and/or interest-specific manner.
  • the present invention therefore solves the technical problem of reaching relevant information without interrupting the actual TV viewing experience or undermining the quality of viewing for the users.
  • the present invention therefore provides a method by which an image display device is operable to automatically generate textual information or subtitles during a program broadcast as provided by the characterizing features defined in Claim 1.
  • Primary object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating an image display device by which an automatic and dynamic subtitle generation feature is imparted to the image display device such that the users are automatically delivered real-time processed textual information or subtitle set according to their predefined interest settings.
  • the present invention proposes a method by which a user prepares a list of interest topics and the image display device connects to the Internet or to a database in association with a specific smart TV application to retrieve information in association with the interest topics of the user.
  • the retrieved information is transformed into textual information strings of different lengths and displayed on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on an actual program.
  • the image display device periodically updates information of interest and presents the obtained information to the user.
  • the textual information strings can be subtitles in the form of horizontal bands moving on the lower part of the screen or pop-up boxes on a predetermined location.
  • the textual information strings may be presented during a commercial broadcast.
  • a commercial broadcast can be detected by the image display device based on content identifiers provided by broadcasting services or by a digital image processor of the image display device, analysing frames of a broadcast program to catch a constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast.
  • the predetermined location for displaying a pop-up box containing the textual information string is selected by analysing the broadcast frames so as to determine a screen portion where a constant image region is detected for a predetermined time period.
  • the user himself/herself confirms a textual information string before it is being presented to him/her.
  • a gentle sound can be generated and the user’s confirmation for receiving the information can be awaited, during which he/she can press a respective button on the remote control. If he/she repeatedly presses the button, he/she will receive all the previous messages in an order starting from the most recent one.
  • the user can configure the image display device such that the retrieved information is displayed only when the user requests so.
  • Fig. 1 demonstrates a general flow diagram according to which the image display device of the invention executes the method of automatic textual information or subtitle generation according to the present invention.
  • the present invention proposes an image display device enabling a user to set a list of interest topics.
  • the image display devices having Internet connectivity retrieves the requested information relevant to the personal preferences of the user and presents the user with the information in a format as explained hereinafter.
  • the image display device of the present invention may be fitted with an internal memory in order for processing and storing the received information for future display.
  • the user can continue his/her TV viewing experience without having to spend a certain amount of time on a computer in an effort to individually search and obtain the desired information.
  • the desired information may include anything like weather forecast data, road traffic data, sporting events results or stock market data.
  • the image display device may connect to a remote database to get the most recently updated information and process the same to form textual information strings of different lengths. The processed textual information strings are then displayed on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on the actual program.
  • the user can manually configure the interested information categories and the presentation format.
  • the information presentation can be conventionally performed by subtitles in the form of a horizontal band moving on the lower part of the screen or by pop-up boxes on a predetermined location, depending on the length of the textual information string or the preference of the user.
  • the retrieved information that is processed in accordance with a given user’s interests and displayed on the TV screen may disturb some users by causing loss of attention especially if the updating frequency of the requested information reaches a certain level that makes the TV viewing experience not any more enjoyable or intelligible. As a result of this, it is desirable to provide a less intrusive way of presenting the retrieved information.
  • digital broadcasting services generally provide information in regards to the genre of the programs being watched.
  • the genre information may typically define a certain number of categories characterizing the content of a program.
  • a content identifier therefore describes the contextual category of the digital program so as to let the users obtain information as to the classification of an event or a program.
  • the commercials presented during a program broadcast or inserted between two programs may also be definable by the image display device based on the content identifiers.
  • a commercial broadcast can be detected by a digital image processor of the image display device.
  • a visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast for example in the form of a letter, may be required to be presented on the screen by local broadcasting regulations.
  • the digital image processor of the image display device can detect the constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast by analysing frames of the broadcast program and can generate the textual information string associated with the user’s interest topic during the commercial broadcast. Considering that every TV station may have a different visual pattern in this effect, the image display device may be required to be configured in advance or a plurality of visual patterns being detected can be first approved by the user.
  • An alternative approach to offer users a less intrusive presentation of interested information with no or minimal interaction with the program content actually displayed on the screen may be adopted such that the digital image processor of the image display device analyses consecutive frames of the video sequence and detects a screen portion where a constant image region is discernible.
  • the motion estimation image processing techniques referred to here are widely used and available to the skilled worker. Accordingly, it is possible to generate textual information strings to be displayed on detected constant image regions where a less intrusive presentation of interested information can be provided to the users. Therefore, in case a real-time update in an interested information category is in question, the textual information string associated therewith is to be displayed when a constant image region is detected.
  • the image region where no motion is detected for a predetermined time period is to be used as a textual information string display region for a duration that is shorter than the predetermined time period. For instance, if a constant image region with no motion is detected for at least 3 seconds, the textual information string will be visible at that portion of the screen for a subsequent duration shorter than 3 seconds. Alternatively the subsequent time duration can be longer than the predetermined time period but in this case, the textual information string is to be removed at the moment when a motion is detected in the image working region. It is to be noted that the working region having a predetermined minimum size can be selected as a region having an unchanging image portion or a single fixed color image portion.
  • the user can be requested to provide his/her consent prior to presenting him/her with the textual information string.
  • a soft non-intrusive notification sound can be generated by a respective module of the image display device and a predetermined time period can be assigned for waiting the user’s input.
  • the TV front panel or the remote control can be provided with a function confirmation button such that the image display device can receive user confirmation and proceed with displaying the textual information string. If the user’s input is not received or he/she rejected the request to view the retrieved information, the textual information string is not displayed and saved to be displayable later. The user can in the meantime activate the textual information string himself/herself by pressing the function confirmation button anytime he/she desires so. If no rejected information string is available at a time he/she presses the function confirmation button, the latest most recent information will be re-displayed and the user will be allowed to switch between all previous information strings by re-pressing the function confirmation button.
  • the present invention proposes a method for operating an image display device, said image display device receiving a plurality of broadcasting services, said method for operating the image display device comprising the steps of,
  • Said method further comprises the steps of presenting the textual information strings by subtitles in the form of a conventional horizontal band moving on a lower part of the image display device screen or by pop-up boxes on a predetermined location.
  • said textual information strings are presented during a commercial broadcast.
  • Commercials presented during a program broadcast or inserted between two programs are definable by the image display device based on content identifiers provided by broadcasting services.
  • Commercials are also detectable by a digital image processor of the image display device by analysing frames of a broadcast program such that a constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast is detected.
  • the predetermined location for displaying a pop-up box containing the textual information string on the image display device screen is determined by detecting a screen portion with a predetermined minimum size where a constant image region is discernible for a predetermined time period.
  • the constant image region is determined as a region having an unchanging image portion or a single fixed color image portion.
  • the textual information string is displayed on the detected constant image region for a subsequent time duration that is not longer than the predetermined time period.
  • the textual information string is displayed for a subsequent time duration that is longer than the predetermined time period, the textual information string being removed when a motion is detected on the constant image region.
  • said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of requesting from the user to provide his/her consent prior to presenting him/her with the textual information string.
  • a notification sound is generated by the image display device and a predetermined time period is assigned for waiting the user’s input.
  • the method for operating the image display device comprises the step of providing the user with the textual information string in response to his/her confirmation.
  • the method further comprises the step of presenting the user consecutively with previous textual information strings upon a corresponding indication from him/her.
  • the user will not be provided with an excessive amount of information dialogue boxes and he/she will be able to access the updated information if he/she chooses to do so in response to the notification. He/she can switch between the textual information strings backwards from the most recent one for instance by repeatedly pressing the respective remote control button.
  • said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of presenting the updated information or redisplaying the latest displayed textual information string to the user by instantly connecting to the remote database upon a corresponding request from him/her.
  • the image display device continues to update the textual information strings by frequently accessing the source database, it provides no information dialogues as long as the user does not make a corresponding request, for instance by pressing the respective button of the remote control.
  • the present invention ensures that an image display device is operable to automatically generate textual information or subtitles during an actual program’s broadcast and that users are automatically delivered dynamic and real-time textual information in a genre-specific and/or interest-specific manner. Accordingly the user can continue his/her TV viewing experience without having to spend a certain amount of time on a computer in an effort to individually search and obtain the desired information.
  • the information is delivered in a non-intrusive manner without disrupting the TV viewing experience of the users.

Abstract

The present invention proposes a method for operating an image display device, said image display device receiving a plurality of broadcasting services, said method for operating the image display device comprising the steps of, enabling a user to set a list of interest topics, retrieving information in association with the interest topics by connecting to a remote database, processing the retrieved information to form textual information strings of different lengths and displaying the textual information strings on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on an actual program.

Description

IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE WITH AUTOMATIC SUBTITLE GENERATION FUNCTION
The present invention relates to an image display device having an automatic and dynamic subtitle generation feature such that the users are automatically delivered a real-time processed subtitle set according to their predefined interest settings.
Digital and interactive TV systems provide a comprehensive amount of TV channels and programs leading to the general outcome that conventional methods for setting personal viewing preferences including subtitle management may become inefficient to the extent that such methods are simply unperformable in an efficient manner.
Assuming that image display devices today connect to the Internet and are provided with a plurality of services and applications to retrieve information from various online sources, such information for example including weather forecast data, road traffic data, sporting events results or stock market data, it is desirable to combine the retrieved information that is processed in accordance with a given user’s interests to be displayable on the TV screen in a non-intrusive manner, i.e. interfering with the actual program content in a minimal level.
Accordingly, users can be offered a less intrusive presentation of interested information with no or minimal interaction with the program content actually displayed on the screen.
Among others, one of the prior art disclosures in the technical field of the present invention can be referred to as WO2005050626, which discloses a personalized subtitle system. The personalized subtitle system includes a display device, such as a Heads Up Display (HUD) device, worn or carried by a user in a public venue such as a movie theatre, playhouse, or stadium. The user utilizes the display device to select and read captioning or subtitle information for a public event such as a movie, play, or sporting event. In this way, subtitles in a variety of languages are supplied for the public event. In another embodiment, the display device is used in conjunction with a conventional subtitle display system, such as a DVD player for home use. In either embodiment, the user can operate a control panel to select a desired language. Subtitles in the selected language are then displayed to a viewer wearing or using the display device. In this way, a viewer desiring subtitles may have subtitles displayed without disrupting another viewer's enjoyment of a public venue.
The present invention provides a method by which an image display device is operated such that users are automatically delivered dynamic and real-time textual information in a genre-specific and/or interest-specific manner. The present invention therefore solves the technical problem of reaching relevant information without interrupting the actual TV viewing experience or undermining the quality of viewing for the users.
The present invention therefore provides a method by which an image display device is operable to automatically generate textual information or subtitles during a program broadcast as provided by the characterizing features defined in Claim 1.
Primary object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating an image display device by which an automatic and dynamic subtitle generation feature is imparted to the image display device such that the users are automatically delivered real-time processed textual information or subtitle set according to their predefined interest settings.
The present invention proposes a method by which a user prepares a list of interest topics and the image display device connects to the Internet or to a database in association with a specific smart TV application to retrieve information in association with the interest topics of the user. The retrieved information is transformed into textual information strings of different lengths and displayed on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on an actual program. The image display device periodically updates information of interest and presents the obtained information to the user. The textual information strings can be subtitles in the form of horizontal bands moving on the lower part of the screen or pop-up boxes on a predetermined location.
To provide a non-intrusive way of submitting the retrieved information, the textual information strings may be presented during a commercial broadcast. A commercial broadcast can be detected by the image display device based on content identifiers provided by broadcasting services or by a digital image processor of the image display device, analysing frames of a broadcast program to catch a constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast.
The predetermined location for displaying a pop-up box containing the textual information string is selected by analysing the broadcast frames so as to determine a screen portion where a constant image region is detected for a predetermined time period.
It is also possible that the user himself/herself confirms a textual information string before it is being presented to him/her. In this regard, a gentle sound can be generated and the user’s confirmation for receiving the information can be awaited, during which he/she can press a respective button on the remote control. If he/she repeatedly presses the button, he/she will receive all the previous messages in an order starting from the most recent one. Alternatively, the user can configure the image display device such that the retrieved information is displayed only when the user requests so.
Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a system and method by which an image display device is operable, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.
The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in said claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.
Fig. 1 demonstrates a general flow diagram according to which the image display device of the invention executes the method of automatic textual information or subtitle generation according to the present invention.
The present invention proposes an image display device enabling a user to set a list of interest topics. The image display devices having Internet connectivity retrieves the requested information relevant to the personal preferences of the user and presents the user with the information in a format as explained hereinafter. The image display device of the present invention may be fitted with an internal memory in order for processing and storing the received information for future display.
According to the invention, the user can continue his/her TV viewing experience without having to spend a certain amount of time on a computer in an effort to individually search and obtain the desired information. The desired information may include anything like weather forecast data, road traffic data, sporting events results or stock market data. The image display device may connect to a remote database to get the most recently updated information and process the same to form textual information strings of different lengths. The processed textual information strings are then displayed on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on the actual program.
The user can manually configure the interested information categories and the presentation format. The information presentation can be conventionally performed by subtitles in the form of a horizontal band moving on the lower part of the screen or by pop-up boxes on a predetermined location, depending on the length of the textual information string or the preference of the user.
The retrieved information that is processed in accordance with a given user’s interests and displayed on the TV screen may disturb some users by causing loss of attention especially if the updating frequency of the requested information reaches a certain level that makes the TV viewing experience not any more enjoyable or intelligible. As a result of this, it is desirable to provide a less intrusive way of presenting the retrieved information.
Accordingly, users should be offered a less intrusive presentation of interested information with no or minimal interaction with the program content being actually displayed on the screen. It is known that digital broadcasting services generally provide information in regards to the genre of the programs being watched. The genre information may typically define a certain number of categories characterizing the content of a program. A content identifier therefore describes the contextual category of the digital program so as to let the users obtain information as to the classification of an event or a program. Further, the commercials presented during a program broadcast or inserted between two programs may also be definable by the image display device based on the content identifiers.
In this regard, it is possible to generate textual information strings to be displayed during the presentation of a commercial broadcast. Therefore, in case a real-time update in an interested information category is in question, for example if a score change occurs in a sport event, the textual information string associated therewith is to be displayed only during the next commercial broadcast.
Alternatively, a commercial broadcast can be detected by a digital image processor of the image display device. During the presentation of commercial broadcasts, a visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast, for example in the form of a letter, may be required to be presented on the screen by local broadcasting regulations. The digital image processor of the image display device can detect the constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast by analysing frames of the broadcast program and can generate the textual information string associated with the user’s interest topic during the commercial broadcast. Considering that every TV station may have a different visual pattern in this effect, the image display device may be required to be configured in advance or a plurality of visual patterns being detected can be first approved by the user.
An alternative approach to offer users a less intrusive presentation of interested information with no or minimal interaction with the program content actually displayed on the screen may be adopted such that the digital image processor of the image display device analyses consecutive frames of the video sequence and detects a screen portion where a constant image region is discernible. The motion estimation image processing techniques referred to here are widely used and available to the skilled worker. Accordingly, it is possible to generate textual information strings to be displayed on detected constant image regions where a less intrusive presentation of interested information can be provided to the users. Therefore, in case a real-time update in an interested information category is in question, the textual information string associated therewith is to be displayed when a constant image region is detected.
The image region where no motion is detected for a predetermined time period is to be used as a textual information string display region for a duration that is shorter than the predetermined time period. For instance, if a constant image region with no motion is detected for at least 3 seconds, the textual information string will be visible at that portion of the screen for a subsequent duration shorter than 3 seconds. Alternatively the subsequent time duration can be longer than the predetermined time period but in this case, the textual information string is to be removed at the moment when a motion is detected in the image working region. It is to be noted that the working region having a predetermined minimum size can be selected as a region having an unchanging image portion or a single fixed color image portion.
Alternatively, the user can be requested to provide his/her consent prior to presenting him/her with the textual information string. In this regard, a soft non-intrusive notification sound can be generated by a respective module of the image display device and a predetermined time period can be assigned for waiting the user’s input. The TV front panel or the remote control can be provided with a function confirmation button such that the image display device can receive user confirmation and proceed with displaying the textual information string. If the user’s input is not received or he/she rejected the request to view the retrieved information, the textual information string is not displayed and saved to be displayable later. The user can in the meantime activate the textual information string himself/herself by pressing the function confirmation button anytime he/she desires so. If no rejected information string is available at a time he/she presses the function confirmation button, the latest most recent information will be re-displayed and the user will be allowed to switch between all previous information strings by re-pressing the function confirmation button.
In a nutshell, the present invention proposes a method for operating an image display device, said image display device receiving a plurality of broadcasting services, said method for operating the image display device comprising the steps of,
a) enabling a user to set a list of interest topics,
b) retrieving information in association with the interest topics by connecting to a remote database,
c) processing the retrieved information to form textual information strings of different lengths,
d) displaying the textual information strings on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on an actual program and,
e) continually accessing the remote database for updating content of the latest displayed textual information string in association with different interest topics so as to present the user with the updated information on a continuous basis.
Said method further comprises the steps of presenting the textual information strings by subtitles in the form of a conventional horizontal band moving on a lower part of the image display device screen or by pop-up boxes on a predetermined location.
In an embodiment of the invention, said textual information strings are presented during a commercial broadcast. Commercials presented during a program broadcast or inserted between two programs are definable by the image display device based on content identifiers provided by broadcasting services. Commercials are also detectable by a digital image processor of the image display device by analysing frames of a broadcast program such that a constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast is detected.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the predetermined location for displaying a pop-up box containing the textual information string on the image display device screen is determined by detecting a screen portion with a predetermined minimum size where a constant image region is discernible for a predetermined time period. The constant image region is determined as a region having an unchanging image portion or a single fixed color image portion. The textual information string is displayed on the detected constant image region for a subsequent time duration that is not longer than the predetermined time period. Alternatively, the textual information string is displayed for a subsequent time duration that is longer than the predetermined time period, the textual information string being removed when a motion is detected on the constant image region.
In a still further embodiment of the invention, said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of requesting from the user to provide his/her consent prior to presenting him/her with the textual information string. A notification sound is generated by the image display device and a predetermined time period is assigned for waiting the user’s input. The method for operating the image display device comprises the step of providing the user with the textual information string in response to his/her confirmation. The method further comprises the step of presenting the user consecutively with previous textual information strings upon a corresponding indication from him/her. In this embodiment, the user will not be provided with an excessive amount of information dialogue boxes and he/she will be able to access the updated information if he/she chooses to do so in response to the notification. He/she can switch between the textual information strings backwards from the most recent one for instance by repeatedly pressing the respective remote control button.
In a yet still further embodiment of the invention, said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of presenting the updated information or redisplaying the latest displayed textual information string to the user by instantly connecting to the remote database upon a corresponding request from him/her. In this alternative, although the image display device continues to update the textual information strings by frequently accessing the source database, it provides no information dialogues as long as the user does not make a corresponding request, for instance by pressing the respective button of the remote control.
In this regard, the present invention ensures that an image display device is operable to automatically generate textual information or subtitles during an actual program’s broadcast and that users are automatically delivered dynamic and real-time textual information in a genre-specific and/or interest-specific manner. Accordingly the user can continue his/her TV viewing experience without having to spend a certain amount of time on a computer in an effort to individually search and obtain the desired information. The information is delivered in a non-intrusive manner without disrupting the TV viewing experience of the users.

Claims (14)

  1. A method for operating an image display device, said image display device receiving a plurality of broadcasting services, said method for operating the image display device comprising the steps of,
    - enabling a user to set a list of interest topics,
    - retrieving information in association with the interest topics by connecting to a remote database,
    - processing the retrieved information to form textual information strings of different lengths,
    - displaying the textual information strings on the screen in a manner to be overlaid on an actual program and
    - continually accessing the remote database for updating content of the latest displayed textual information string in association with different interest topics so as to present the user with the updated information on a continuous basis.
  2. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 1, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of presenting the textual information strings by subtitles in the form of a horizontal band moving on a lower part of the image display device screen or by pop-up boxes on a predetermined location.
  3. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said textual information strings are presented during a commercial broadcast.
  4. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 3, characterized in that commercials presented during a program broadcast or inserted between two programs are definable by the image display device based on content identifiers provided by broadcasting services.
  5. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 3, characterized in that commercials presented during a program broadcast or inserted between two programs are detectable by a digital image processor of the image display device by analysing frames of a broadcast program such that a constant visual pattern indicative of a commercial broadcast is detected.
  6. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined location for displaying a pop-up box containing the textual information string on the image display device screen is determined by detecting a screen portion with a predetermined minimum size where a constant image region is discernible for a predetermined time period.
  7. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 6, characterized in that the constant image region is determined as a region having an unchanging image portion or a single fixed color image portion.
  8. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the textual information string is displayed on the detected constant image region for a subsequent time duration that is not longer than the predetermined time period.
  9. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the textual information string is displayed on the detected constant image region for a subsequent time duration that is longer than the predetermined time period, the textual information string being removed when a motion is detected on the constant image region.
  10. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of requesting from the user to provide consent prior to presenting the same with the textual information string.
  11. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 10, characterized in that a notification sound is generated by the image display device and a predetermined time period is assigned for waiting the user’s input.
  12. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 11, characterized in that said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of providing the user with the textual information string in response to a corresponding confirmation being received.
  13. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 12, characterized in that said method further comprises the step of presenting the user consecutively with previous textual information strings upon a corresponding indication being received.
  14. A method for operating an image display device as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said method for operating the image display device comprises the step of presenting the updated information or redisplaying the latest displayed textual information string to the user by instantly connecting to the remote database upon a corresponding request being received.
PCT/EP2014/056357 2014-03-28 2014-03-28 Image display device with automatic subtitle generation function WO2015144248A1 (en)

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