Method and system for scene change detection

Abstract

A method, in one exemplary embodiment, for automatically detecting scene changes within a digital video sequence including a succession of frames, including computing metrics, for each of a plurality of frames from a digital video sequence, the metric of a frame being a measure of distance between the frame and a given frame, identifying a candidate frame for which the metric of the candidate frame differs from the metric of the predecessor frame to the candidate frame, by at least a first threshold, determining whether the metrics of successive ones of each of a first plurality of frames, successively following the candidate frame, differ from one another by less than a second threshold, and further determining whether the metrics of each frame of a second plurality of frames, successively preceding the candidate frame, are larger than a third threshold. A system, of one exemplary embodiment, is also described and claimed.

1 . A method for automatically detecting scene changes within a digital video sequence including a succession of frames, comprising: 
 identifying a candidate frame that differs substantially from the predecessor frame to the candidate frame;    determining whether a first plurality of frames, successively following the candidate frame, are substantially similar to one another; and    further determining whether each of a second plurality of frames, successively preceding the candidate frame, differ substantially from a given frame, wherein the given frame follows the first plurality of frames.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising marking the candidate frame as a scene change frame, when said determining determines that the first plurality of frames are substantially similar to one another, and when said further determining determines that each of the second plurality of frames differs substantially from a current frame.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said marking does not mark the candidate frame as a scene change frame if a frame preceding the candidate frame is substantially similar to the current frame.  
     
     
         4 . A system for automatically detecting scene changes within a digital video sequence including a succession of frames, comprising: 
 a frame identifier identifying a candidate frame that differs substantially from the predecessor frame to the candidate frame; and    a comparator determining whether a first plurality of frames, successively following the candidate frame, are substantially similar to one another, and determining whether each of a second plurality of frames, successively preceding the candidate frame, differs substantially from a given frame, wherein the given frame follows the first plurality of frames.    
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4  further comprising a scene change marker marking the candidate frame as a scene change frame, when said comparator determines that the first plurality of frames are substantially similar to one another, and that each of the second plurality of frames differ substantially from the given frame.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein said scene change marker does not mark the candidate frame as a scene change frame if a frame preceding the candidate frame is substantially similar to the given frame.  
     
     
         7 . A method for automatically detecting scene changes within a digital video sequence including a succession of frames, comprising: 
 identifying a candidate frame that differs substantially from the predecessor frame to the candidate frame;    determining whether a first plurality of frames, successively preceding the candidate frame, are substantially similar to one another; and    further determining whether each of a second plurality of frames, successively following the candidate frame, differs substantially from an initial frame, wherein the initial frame precedes the first plurality of frames.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising marking the candidate frame as a scene change frame, when said determining determines that the first plurality of frames are substantially similar to one another, and when said further determining determines that each of the second plurality of frames differ substantially from the initial frame.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein said marking does not mark the candidate frame as a scene change frame if a frame following the candidate frame is substantially similar to the initial frame.  
     
     
         10 . A system for automatically detecting scene changes within a digital video sequence including a succession of frames, comprising: 
 a frame identifier identifying a candidate frame that differs substantially from the predecessor frame to the candidate frame; and    a comparator determining whether a first plurality of frames, successively preceding the candidate frame, are substantially similar to one another, and determining whether each of a second plurality of frames, successively following the candidate frame, differs substantially from an initial frame, wherein the initial frame precedes the first plurality of frames.    
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10  further comprising a scene change marker marking the candidate frame as a scene change frame, when said comparator determines that the first plurality of frames are substantially similar to one another, and that each of the second plurality of frames differs substantially from the initial frame.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein said scene change marker does not mark the candidate frame as a scene change frame if a frame preceding the candidate frame is substantially similar to the initial frame.