Method and data processing apparatus

1. A method of generating pictographic representations, the method comprising:

receiving input content comprising textual information and a video item, the textual information being derived from the video item and aligned to a video playback timeline associated with the video item;

obtaining summarization information, the summarization information describing the video item;

selecting one or more elements from the textual information;

comparing, by circuitry, the selected elements of textual data with the obtained summarization information;

determining, based on the comparison, that one or more of the selected elements satisfy a specified comparison threshold;

identifying a pictographic representation for each of the one or more of the selected elements that are determined to satisfy the specified comparison threshold, the pictographic representations being selected from a pictographic representation set comprising a plurality of pictographic representations, the identified pictographic representations being associated with the one or more of the selected elements that are determined to satisfy the specified comparison threshold; and

selectively outputting, with the video item, the identified pictographic representations aligned to the video playback timeline associated with the video item.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the selective outputting comprises displaying the identified pictographic representations along with the textual information.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the video item comprises one or more of a scene, body language of one or more people in the scene and facial expressions of the one or more people in the scene.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the input content further comprises audio information comprising one or more of music, speech, an audio description audio track and sound effects, and the textual information is associated with both the audio information and the video item.

5. The method according to claim 4 , comprising:

identifying portions of the audio description audio track, the audio description audio track relating to speech representations of one or more items of text in the video item;

identifying pictographic representations for the items of text in the video item; and

selectively outputting, with the video item, the identified pictographic representations for the items of text in the video item aligned to the video playback timeline associated with the video item.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the textual information comprises one or more of a subtitle, a description of the video item, speech to text converted audio description, real-time social media data associated with the video item, and a closed caption.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the summarization information describes the whole of the video item.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the summarization information describes a portion of the video item, the portion of the video item being temporally aligned with the selected elements of the textual information.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the summarization information comprises:

receiving system information and/or metadata from an external server, the system information and/or metadata describing the video item; and

using the received system information and/or metadata to form summarization data.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the summarization information comprises segmenting image features from a portion of the video item.

11. The method according to claim 1 , comprising:

segmenting image features from a portion of the video item to identify the textual information of the input content.

12. The method according to claim 1 , comprising:

identifying a related video item to a current video item received with the input content;

identifying a preamble portion of the related video item, the preamble portion comprising a summary of the current video item; and

using the preamble portion to form the summarization information.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determination that one or more of the selected elements satisfy the specified comparison threshold is made, at least in part, in accordance with a determined genre of the input content.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determination that one or more of the selected elements satisfy the specified comparison threshold is made, at least in part, in accordance with a determination of an identity or a location of a user who is viewing the outputted video item.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pictographic representations are stored in a dynamic pictographic representation dictionary.

16. The method according to claim 15 , comprising filtering the dynamic pictographic representation dictionary in accordance with a determined genre of the input content, wherein the selected pictographic representation is selected from the filtered dynamic pictographic representation dictionary.

17. The method according to claim 15 , comprising filtering the dynamic pictographic representation dictionary in accordance with a determination of an identity of a user who is viewing the output content, wherein the selected pictographic representation is selected from the filtered dynamic pictographic representation dictionary.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the summarization information representing the video item is a vector signal which aggregates the video item with audio information of the input content and the textual information in accordance with individual weighting values applied to each of the one or more of the video item, the audio information and the textual information.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the summarization information further comprises:

receiving system information and/or metadata from an external server, the system information and/or metadata describing the video item,

using the received system information and/or metadata to form summarization data, and

segmenting image features from a portion of the video item.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the input content is one of a movie, television program, or a broadcast received via a network connection.

21. A data processing apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry configured to:

receive input content comprising textual information and a video item, the textual information being derived from the video item and aligned to a video playback timeline associated with the video item,

obtain summarization information, the summarization information describing the video item,

select one or more elements from the textual information, to compare the selected elements of textual data with the obtained summarization information,

determine, based on the comparison, that one or more of the selected elements satisfy a specified comparison threshold,

identify a pictographic representation for each of the one or more of the selected elements that are determined to satisfy the specified comparison threshold, the pictographic representations being selected from a pictographic representation set comprising a plurality of pictographic representations, the identified pictographic representations being associated with the one or more of the selected elements that are determined to satisfy the specified comparison threshold, and

selectively output, with the video item, the identified pictographic representations aligned to the video playback timeline associated with the video item.

22. A non-transitory storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which when executed by a computer perform the method according to claim 1 .