Video content identification using scene change signatures from downscaled images

1. An apparatus for identifying video content, the apparatus comprising:

an input port to receive a plurality of consecutive scene change signatures, each scene change signature including a downscaled image that immediately follows a scene change in the video content;

a comparator that determines an identification of the video content by matching the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to a database having a plurality of video content items, the database including previously determined scene change signatures for each scene change of each item of video content in the database, and

an output port to provide the identification of the video content from the comparator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the advertisement from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the video program and the identification of the video content is an identification of the video program.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the video program from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the advertisement and the identification of the video content is an identification of the advertisement.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the previously determined scene change signatures for each scene change of each item of video content in the database are arranged in a temporally consecutive order and the output port further provides information related to a temporal position of the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures within the plurality of previously determined scene change signatures for the identified video content.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the comparator further comprises:

a first search engine to compare a first scene change signature from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to the database using a first index that is sorted by scene change signature values to select a first plurality of video content in the database; and

a second search engine to compare a second scene change signature for a consecutively following scene for each of the identified plurality of video content from the database to select a second plurality of video content from the previously selected plurality of video content until a single video content is uniquely selected.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the output port further provides an indication if no video content is uniquely identified by the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the comparator includes a digital signal processor to test for autocorrelation between a sequence of scene change signatures for the plurality of consecutive scenes and a sequence of previously determined scene change signatures for each item of video content in the database.

8. An apparatus for identifying video content, the apparatus comprising:

a scene detector to detect a plurality of consecutive scenes in the video content;

a signature generator to determine a scene change signature for each of the plurality of consecutive scenes, each scene change signature including a downscaled image that immediately follows a scene change in the video content; and

a content identifier

to provide a plurality of scene change signatures to a comparator that compares the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to a database having a plurality of video content items, the database including previously determined scene change signatures for each scene change of each item of video content in the database, and

to receive an identification of the video content from the comparator.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising an incrementer to increase a number of consecutive scenes in the plurality of consecutive scenes if the content identifier does not receive the identification of the video content from the comparator.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the advertisement from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the video program and the identification of the video content is an identification of the video program.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the video program from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the advertisement and the identification of the video content is an identification of the advertisement.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the content identifier further receives information related to a temporal position of the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures within the plurality of previously determined scene change signatures for the identified video content.

13. A method for identifying video content, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of consecutive scene change signatures, each scene change signature including a downscaled image that immediately follows a scene change in the video content;

determining an identification of the video content by matching the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to a database having a plurality of video content items, the database including previously determined scene change signatures for each scene change of each item of video content in the database, and

providing the identification of the video content from the comparator.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the advertisement from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the video program and the identification of the video content is an identification of the video program.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the video program from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the advertisement and the identification of the video content is an identification of the advertisement.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the previously determined scene change signatures for each scene change of each item of video content in the database are arranged in a temporally consecutive order and the output port further provides information related to a temporal position of the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures within the plurality of previously determined scene change signatures for the identified video content.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the comparator further comprises:

comparing a first scene change signature from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to the database using a first index that is sorted by scene change signature values to select a first plurality of video content in the database; and

comparing a second scene change signature for a consecutively following scene for each of the identified plurality of video content from the database to select a second plurality of video content from the previously selected plurality of video content until a single video content is uniquely selected.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the output port further provides an indication if no video content is uniquely identified by the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the comparator includes a digital signal processor to test for autocorrelation between a sequence of scene change signatures for the plurality of consecutive scenes and a sequence of previously determined scene change signatures for each item of video content in the database.

20. A method for identifying video content, the apparatus comprising:

a scene detector to detect a plurality of consecutive scenes in the video content;

a signature generator to determine a scene change signature for each of the plurality of consecutive scenes, each scene change signature including a downscaled image that immediately follows a scene change in the video content; and

a content identifier

to provide a plurality of scene change signatures to a comparator that compares the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to a database having a plurality of video content items, the database including previously determined scene change signatures for each scene change of each item of video content in the database, and

to receive an identification of the video content from the comparator.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising an incrementer to increase a number of consecutive scenes in the plurality of consecutive scenes if the content identifier does not receive the identification of the video content from the comparator.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the advertisement from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the video program and the identification of the video content is an identification of the video program.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the video content includes a video program and an advertisement contained within the video program, the apparatus further comprising an ad filter to identify and exclude scene change signatures associated with the video program from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared to the database such that the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures compared is from the advertisement and the identification of the video content is an identification of the advertisement.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the content identifier further receives information related to a temporal position of the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures within the plurality of previously determined scene change signatures for the identified video content.

25. A method for identifying a temporal position in video content, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of consecutive scene change signatures substantially at the temporal position in the video content;

matching the plurality of scene change signatures to a database having a plurality of previously determined scene change signatures arranged in a temporally consecutive order for each scene of the video content; and

providing information related to the temporal position of the plurality of scene change signatures within the plurality of previously determined scene change signatures for the video content.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

comparing a first scene change signature from the plurality of consecutive scene change signatures to the database using a first index that is sorted by scene change signature values to select a first plurality of video content in the database; and

comparing a second scene change signature for a consecutively following scene for each of the identified plurality of video content from the database to select a second plurality of video content from the previously selected plurality of video content until a single video content is uniquely selected, the previously determined scene change signatures for each video content in the database being arranged in a temporally consecutive order.

27. The method of claim 25 matching the plurality of scene change signatures to a database includes testing for autocorrelation between a sequence of change signatures for the plurality of consecutive scenes and a sequence of previously determined change signatures for each item of video content in the database.