Audiovisual information management system with user identification

1. A method of using a system with at least one element selected from audio, image, and a video comprising a plurality of frames comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of usage preferences descriptions where each of said usage preference descriptions includes at least two of a browsing preferences description, a filtering preferences description, a search preferences description, and a device preferences description where,

(i) said browsing preferences description relates to a user's viewing preferences;

(ii) said filtering preferences descriptions and said search preferences descriptions relate to at least one of (1) content preferences of said at least one of audio, image, and video, (2) classification preferences of said at least one of audio, image, and video, (3) keyword preferences of said at least one of audio, image, and video, and (4) creation preferences of said at least one of audio, image, and video; and

(iii) said device preferences description relates to user's preferences regarding presentation characteristics of the presentation device;

(b) providing a plurality of usage history descriptions where each of said usage history descriptions includes at least one of a browsing history description, a filtering history description, a search history description, and a device usage history description, wherein each of said browsing history description, said filtering history description, said search history description, and said device usage history description corresponds at least to an associated respective one of said browsing preferences description, said filtering preferences description, said search preferences description, and said device preferences description where,

(i) said browsing history description relates to a user's viewing history;

(ii) said filtering history description and said search history description relate to at least one of (1) content usage history of said at least one of audio, image, and video, (2) classification usage history of said at least one of audio, image, and video, (3) keyword usage history of said at least one of audio, image, and video, and (4) creation usage history of said at least one of audio, image, and video; and

(iii) said device usage history description contains descriptors describing at least one of preferred audio and video rendering settings of the presentation device that relates to user's history regarding presentation characteristics of the presentation device, said at least one of audio and video rendering settings of said presentation device relating to how the user consumes said at least one of audio and video content;

 and where each of said browsing, filtering, search, and device usage history descriptions include a time descriptor proportional to a measured percentage of one or more audio or video programs consumed by a user at the setting associated with said respective usage history description; and

(c) providing a user identification description which identifies a corresponding set of at least one of said usage preference descriptions and at least one of said usage history descriptions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said user identification description identifies a corresponding set of at least two of said usage preference descriptions and at least two of said usage history descriptions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said system includes multiple user identification descriptions.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein each of said multiple user identification descriptions identifies a different corresponding set of at least one of said usage preference descriptions and at least one of said usage history descriptions.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein each of said multiple user identification descriptions identifies an overlapping set of at least one of said usage preference descriptions and at least one of said usage history descriptions.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said user identification description is included within said usage preference descriptions and said usage history descriptions.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said usage preferences description is separate from said usage history description, and storing said usage preferences description on a removable storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating said usage preferences description based on the content of said usage history description.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said usage preferences description includes at least two of said browsing preferences description, said filtering preferences description, said search preferences description, and said device preferences description.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said usage preferences description includes said browsing preferences description, said filtering preferences description, said search preferences description, and said device preferences description.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said usage preferences description includes at least said browsing preferences description, said filtering preferences description, and said search preferences description.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said usage preferences description includes at least said browsing preferences description, and said device preferences description.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said usage preferences description includes at least said filtering preferences description, said search preferences description, and said device preferences description.