User control for displaying tags associated with items in a video playback

1. A method of displaying a video with one or more sets of tags, the method comprising:

causing a display device to display a sequence of video frames depicting a video scene in a tagless mode, wherein the video scene depicts a plurality of visually perceptible items;

receiving a signal requesting that the video scene be displayed in a tag mode; and

in response to receipt of said signal, generating one or more visually perceptible tags, positioning the generated one or more tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames, and causing the display device to display the generated one or more visually perceptible tags in conjunction with the video scene so positioned, wherein each of the generated tags is associated with at least one respective visually perceptible item appearing in the video scene, thereby resulting in display of the video scene in the tag mode;

wherein the tagless mode does not display any of the visually perceptible tags.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said generating the one or more visually perceptible tags comprises generating the one or more visually perceptible tags in real time.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said generating the one or more visually perceptible tags comprises generating the one or more visually perceptible tags in near real time.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said positioning the generated tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames comprises positioning the generated tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames in real time.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said positioning the generated tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames comprises positioning the generated tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames in near real time.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal requesting that the video scene be displayed in a tag mode is generated in response to a user request to display the video scene in the tag mode.

7. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

when in the tag mode, receiving a request to display the video scene in a tagless mode; and

in response to receipt of the request to display the video scene in the tagless mode, causing the display device to display the video scene without any tags.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the tags are overlaid on the video scene.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a tag comprises text comprising information regarding the item associated with that tag.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a tag comprises one of a box or a border within which content of the tag is contained.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a tag has associated with it a lead line extending from the tag to the item in the video scene associated with that tag.

12. An apparatus for use with a display device to display a video with one or more sets of tags, the apparatus comprising:

a hardware processor operatively associated with the display device, the hardware processor configured to:

cause the display device to display a sequence of video frames depicting a video scene in a tagless mode, wherein the video scene depicts a plurality of visually perceptible items;

process a signal requesting that the video scene be displayed in a tag mode; and

in response to said signal, generate the one or more visually perceptible tags, position the generated tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames, and cause the display device to display the generated one or more visually perceptible tags in conjunction with the video scene so positioned, wherein each of the generated tags is associated with at least one respective visually perceptible item appearing in the video scene, thereby resulting in display of the video scene in the tag mode;

wherein the tagless mode does not display any of the visually perceptible tags.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising:

the display device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to cause a display device to display a sequence of video frames depicting a video scene in a tagless mode, wherein the video scene depicts a plurality of visually perceptible items;

instructions to process a signal requesting that the video scene be displayed in a tag mode; and

instructions to, in response to said signal, generate one or more visually perceptible tags, position the generated tags in accordance with coordinates that are associated with at least one frame of the sequence of video frames, and cause the display device to display the generated one or more visually perceptible tags in conjunction with the video scene so positioned, wherein each of the generated tags is associated with at least one respective visually perceptible item appearing in the video scene, thereby resulting in display of the video scene in the tag mode;

wherein the tagless mode does not display any of the visually perceptible tags.