System and method for customizing soundtracks

• US 20070282472A1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seldman, David I.
• Application Number:
  US11/444,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282472A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded

Abstract

A system and method for replacing all or part of the original audio of a digital program with other audio enables a user to customize a digital program soundtrack. The method includes receiving the audio portion of the digital program as an audio data stream including multiplexed associated audio and data packets, selecting at least one of the audio packets to be replaced by a replacement audio packet, and replacing the at least one of the audio packets with a replacement audio packet thereby customizing the audio portion of the digital program during program playback. The method also enables customizing an audio portion of a transmitted analog program. The method includes receiving first and second audio signals, receiving information transmitted in a vertical blanking interval of the transmitted analog program, interpreting the information and removing a replaceable audio signal, and replacing the replaceable audio signal with a user-selected audio signal.

Claims

1. A method for customizing an audio portion of a digital program comprising:

receiving the audio portion of the digital program as an audio data stream comprising multiplexed associated audio and data packets;

selecting at least one of the audio packets to be replaced by replacement audio packet; and

replacing the at least one of the audio packets with a replacement audio packet thereby customizing the audio portion of the digital program during program playback.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the plurality of audio packets in an audio buffer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the replacement audio packet in a replacement audio buffer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating an audio characteristics table based on information from the data packet associated with the at least one of the plurality of data packets.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a replacement audio table comprising information corresponding to the replacement audio packet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting at least one of the audio packets to be replaced comprises determining an audio packet program identifier from a program specific information table for the at least one of the audio packets to be replaced and storing the audio program identifier in an audio characteristic table.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying during playback of the digital video the at least one of the audio packets to be replaced by reading an audio program identifier from a header in the associated data packet.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising consulting the audio characteristics table and modifying the audio characteristics of the replacement audio packet to match the audio characteristics of the at least one of the audio packets.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein replacing the at least one of the audio packets with the replacement audio packet comprises retrieving the replacement audio packet from the replacement audio buffer and multiplexing the replacement audio packet with the audio data stream.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving the replacement audio packet from a DVD or CD.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising demultiplexing the data stream to separate the plurality of associated audio and data packets.

12. A system for customizing an audio portion of a digital program comprising:

means for receiving the audio portion of the digital program as an audio data stream comprising multiplexed associated audio and data packets;

a graphical user interface for selecting at least one of the audio packets to be replaced by replacement audio packets; and

a control system for replacing the at least one of the audio packets with a replacement audio packet thereby customizing the audio portion of the digital video during program playback.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control system comprises random access memory and an audio processor.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a data storage means for storing the audio packets.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising a data storage means for storing the replacement audio packet.

16. The system of claim 12 further comprising a demultiplexing means for demultiplexing the data stream to separate the associated audio and data packets.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for customizing an audio portion of a digital program, the method steps comprising:

receiving the audio portion of the digital video as an audio data stream comprising multiplexed associated audio and data packets;

selecting at least one of the audio packets to be replaced by replacement audio packet; and

replacing the at least one of the audio packets with a replacement audio packet thereby customizing the audio portion of the digital program during program playback.

18. A method for customizing an audio portion of a transmitted analog program comprising:

receiving the audio portion of the transmitted analog program, the audio portion comprising a first audio signal and a second audio signal;

receiving information transmitted in a vertical blanking interval of the transmitted analog program, the information comprising which of the first audio signal and the second audio signal is replaceable and the replaceable audio signal'"'"'s characteristics;

interpreting the information and removing the replaceable audio signal; and

replacing the replaceable audio signal with a user-selected audio signal.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising mixing the user-selected audio signal with the remaining first or second audio signal.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising transmitting the mixed user-selected audio signal and remaining first or second audio signal to a speaker.