Interactive news gathering and media production control system

• US 20070011710A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Era Digital Media Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Era Digital Media Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chiu, Fu-Sheng
• Application Number:
  US11/172,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011710A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A media production control system with built-in newsgathering and fact-checking tools, able to receive news feeds in multiple formats from many sources, and featuring geographic portability and low cost. The system allows a producer to select and queue individual feeds for broadcast or limited distribution, using either the system'"'"'s software or an externally coupled device. Shared communications tools comprise a web browser, an instant-messaging package, a chat room, a headlines display, and a virtual whiteboard.

Claims

1. A media production control system comprising:

a plurality of input sources coupled to a network for creating feed data, the network capable of transferring data;

a plurality of servers coupled to the network for processing feed data, comprising at least a core server for managing the feed data from the input sources, and a streaming server for creating an output data stream;

a server software program for managing the input sources and for producing an output; and

a client software program for communicating with the server software program.

2. The media production control system of claim 1 further comprising an external video control console coupled to the core server.

3. The media production control system of claim 1 further comprising an external audio control console coupled to the core server.

4. The media production control system of claim 1 where the server software program further comprises:

a media content encoder operating in near-real-time for encoding media content;

a multipanelled user interface for selecting an active input source from the plurality of input sources; and

a plurality of collaborative programs for communicating with the plurality of input sources.

5. The media production control system of claim 4 where the collaborative programs comprise a chat room, a shared web browser, a streaming text data feed, an instant-messaging package, and a whiteboard.

6. The media production control system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of client packages, each client package comprising:

a computer;

a camera unit coupled to the computer for producing video input data;

a headset, comprising a microphone and earphone, coupled to the computer for communicating with an operator and for producing audio input data,

the client software program; and

a networking device for connecting to the network.

7. The media production control system of claim 6, where the networking device is selected from the group consisting of a modem, an Ethernet port, an IEEE 802.11(b) wireless networking device, an 802.11(g) wireless networking device, and an 802.11(h) wireless networking device.

8. The media production control system of claim 6, the client software program comprising:

a source creation subsystem for producing an input source from the audio input data and the video input data;

a user interface for interacting with the collaborative programs of the server software program; and

a networking program for coupling to the network and for detecting a bandwidth of the network.

9. The media production control system of claim 8 where the source creation subsystem adjusts the input source according to the bandwidth of the network.

10. The media production control system of claim 1 further comprising a digital audio-video recorder for recording a subset of the plurality of input data.

11. The media production control system of claim 10 further comprising a recording software program for controlling the digital audio video recorder.

12. The media production control system of claim 11 further comprising a metadata editing program for annotating a recorded audio-video input data.

13. The media production system of claim 1 where each input source of the plurality of input sources is selected from the group consisting of a land-line telephone, a cellular telephone, a satellite cellular telephone, a radio transceiver, a remote news video system, a satellite news video system, and the client package.

14. The media production control system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of limited packages, each limited package comprising:

a computer;

a client software program comprising a user interface for interacting with the collaborative programs of the server software program; and

a networking device for connecting to the network.

15. The media production control system of claim 14 where the networking device is selected from the group consisting of a modem, an Ethernet port, an IEEE 802.11(b) wireless networking device, an 802.11(g) wireless networking device, and an 802.11(h) wireless networking device.

16. A media production control system with a client system, the client system, comprising:

a computer;

a camera unit coupled to the computer for producing video input data;

a headset, comprising a microphone and earphone, coupled to the computer for communicating with an operator and for producing audio input data;

a client software program; and

a networking device for connecting to a network.

17. The media production system of claim 16, the client software program comprising:

a source creation subsystem for producing an input source from the audio input data and the video input data;

a user interface for interacting with collaborative programs of a server software program; and

a networking program for coupling to the network and for detecting a bandwidth of the network.

18. The media production system of claim 16 where the networking device is selected from the group consisting of a modem, an Ethernet port, an IEEE 802.11(b) wireless networking device, an 802.11(g) wireless networking device, and an 802.11(h) wireless networking device.

19. The media production system of claim 16 where the source creation subsystem adjusts the input source according to the bandwidth of the network.