Method for generating time based preview image for a video stream

Abstract

Systems and methods for rewinding a video to a point before the video was first viewed. Video transmitted by a media source is cached by a remote server. Upon a trick-play request for the video, the server generates a rewind stream that includes the video that was transmitted by the media source before the user started to view the video. Upon receiving the rewind stream, the user's equipment may cache the rewind stream in a rewind buffer and rewind or play from the rewind buffer. The server may also generate and transmit a forward stream of the video that the media source has not yet transmitted. The user's equipment may cache the forward stream in a forward buffer. To perform trick-play operations with the video, the user's equipment may migrate the playback of the video to the rewind and forward buffers and rewind or fast-forward the video from the buffers.

1 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A method of displaying a sequence of video frames, the method comprising:
 receiving information representative of the sequence of video frames for a display to be generated, the display comprising at least one other element that is relatively static in relation to at least a first portion of the sequence of video frames being displayed;   receiving video information associated with the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames;   generating, for inclusion in the display during play of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames, a play position indication region for display within or proximate to the display of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames, wherein the play position indication region represents at least a portion of a duration of playing of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames, and wherein proximate to the play position indication region during at least some portion of the play of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames is an indicator of a current play position within the sequence of video frames relative to the duration of the play of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames;   detecting an input, associated with at least one of the indicator of the current play position and the play position indication region, indicating another play position displaced along the play position indication region from the current play position, the input representing a first point in the sequence of video frames that is different from a second point in the sequence of video frames represented by the current play position indicator;   identifying that a portion of the received video information corresponds at least approximately to the first point in the sequence of video frames substantially temporally with the detecting of the input;   processing at least a portion of the identified portion of the received video information, substantially temporally with the detecting, based on the identified portion of the video information, such that a first image can be generated to represent at least one of the video frames in the sequence of video frames, the first image being at least an approximation of what the generated display would be during play of at least a second portion of the sequence of video frames at about the another play position in the sequence of video frames; and   generating, using the identified portion of the video information based on the processing, substantially temporally with the detecting of the input, the first image for display in response to the detecting of the input within or proximate to the play position indication region and the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames being generated for the display, wherein the first image at least approximates a second image of the at least the second portion of the sequence of video frames substantially proximate to the sequence of video frames at the first point, and wherein the first image when displayed within or proximate to the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames is displayed in a first region of the display that is smaller than a second region in which the first portion of the sequence of video frames is being displayed.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the sequence of video frames contains at least one of encoded frames and fields, the at least one of fields and frames having one of two types, the first type being capable of being decoded without information representative of at least one of another encoded frame or field, the second type being capable of being decoded with information representative of at least one of another encoded frame or field, the identified portion of video information comprising at least a portion of a single encoded frame of a first type. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the first image is displayed in a window. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the another play position associated with the first image corresponds to a play position later than the current play position. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the received video information includes a rewind stream that includes at least a third portion of the sequence of video frames corresponding to a play position prior to the current play position, further comprising:
 caching the received rewind stream in a rewind buffer; and   generating for display, a rewind cursor associated with a play position before the current play position.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the sequence of video frames is received from a video-on-demand source. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the received video information includes a forward stream that includes at least a third portion of the sequence of video frames corresponding to a play position after to the current play position, further comprising:
 caching the received forward stream in a forward buffer; and   generating for display, a forward cursor associated with a play position later than the current play position.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the forward cursor is associated with a current frame of the cached forward stream. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising:
 identifying advertisements in the received sequence of video frames; and   caching some of the sequence of video frames to skip the identified advertisements.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 30  further comprising:
 receiving a user selection of the first image; and 
 playing at least a third portion of the sequence of video frames from the play position associated with the first image in response to receiving the user selection. 
 
     
     
         40 . A system for causing the display of a sequence of video frames, the system comprising:
 control circuitry configured to:
 receive information representative of the sequence of video frames for a display to be generated, the display comprising at least one other element that is relatively static in relation to at least a first portion of the sequence of video frames being displayed; 
 receive video information associated with the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames; 
 generate, for inclusion in the display during play of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames, a play position indication region for display within or proximate to the display of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames, wherein the play position indication region represents at least a portion of a duration of playing of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames, and wherein proximate to the play position indication region during at least some portion of the play of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames is an indicator of a current play position within the sequence of video frames relative to the duration of the play of the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames; 
 detect an input, associated with at least one of the indicator of the current play position and the play position indication region, indicating another play position displaced along the play position indication region from the current play position, the input representing a first point in the sequence of video frames that is different from a second point in the sequence of video frames represented by the current play position indicator; 
 identify that a portion of the received video information corresponds at least approximately to the first point in the sequence of video frames substantially temporally with the detecting of the input; 
 process at least a portion of the identified portion of the received video information, substantially temporally with the detecting, based on the identified portion of the video information, such that a first image can be generated to represent at least one of the video frames in the sequence of video frames, the first image being at least an approximation of what the generated display would be during play of at least a second portion of the sequence of video frames at about the another play position in the sequence of video frames; and 
 generate, using the identified portion of the video information based on the processing, substantially temporally with the detecting of the input, the first image for display in response to the detecting of the input within or proximate to the play position indication region and the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames being generated for the display, wherein the first image at least approximates a second image of the at least the second portion of the sequence of video frames substantially proximate to the sequence of video frames at the first point, and wherein the first image when displayed within or proximate to the at least the first portion of the sequence of video frames is displayed in a first region of the display that is smaller than a second region in which the first portion of the sequence of video frames is being displayed. 
   
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the sequence of video frames contains at least one of encoded frames and fields, the at least one of fields and frames having one of two types, the first type being capable of being decoded without information representative of at least one of another encoded frame or field, the second type being capable of being decoded with information representative of at least one of another encoded frame or field, the identified portion of video information comprising at least a portion of a single encoded frame of a first type. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the first image is displayed in a window. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the another play position associated with the first image corresponds to a play position later than the current play position. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the received video information includes a rewind stream that includes at least a third portion of the sequence of video frames corresponding to a play position prior to the current play position, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 cache the received rewind stream in a rewind buffer; and   generate for display, a rewind cursor associated with a play position before the current play position.   
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the sequence of video frames is received from a video-on-demand source. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the received video information includes a forward stream that includes at least a third portion of the sequence of video frames corresponding to a play position after to the current play position, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 cache the received forward stream in a forward buffer; and   generate for display, a forward cursor associated with a play position later than the current play position.   
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46 , wherein the forward cursor is associated with a current frame of the cached forward stream. 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 identify advertisements in the received sequence of video frames; and   cache some of the sequence of video frames to skip the identified advertisements.   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 receive a user selection of the first image; and   play at least a third portion of the sequence of video frames from the play position associated with the first image in response to receiving the user selection.