Metadata for providing media content

• US 20080065691A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Black, James Felix, Muller, Max, Suitts, Jason Robert, Currey, Jonathan James
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Providing digital media content is disclosed. A metadata file and a plurality of data files are received. The metadata file is used to process the plurality of data files. The processing of the plurality of data files using the metadata file is performed without human intervention to provide a downloadable digital media content asset.

Claims

1. A method of providing digital media content, comprising:

receiving a metadata file and a plurality of data files; and

using the metadata file to process the plurality of data files without human intervention to provide a downloadable digital media content asset.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving the metadata file and the plurality of data files includes receiving at a first instance a first subset of the plurality of data files and receiving at a second instance a second subset of the plurality of data files.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the metadata file specifies a role each of the plurality of data files in providing the downloadable digital media content asset.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein processing the plurality of data files includes combining together at least a portion of each of the plurality of data files to provide the downloadable digital media content asset.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein processing the plurality of data files includes associating at least one of the plurality of data files with a track of a multi-track video format encoding of the downloadable digital media content asset.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of data files is encrypted or converted before using the metadata file to process the plurality of data files.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the downloadable digital media content asset is encrypted with digital rights management after using the metadata file to process the plurality of data files.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein processing the plurality of data files includes using chaptering information specified in at least one of the plurality of data files to section the downloadable media content asset into chapters.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein using the metadata file to process the plurality of data files includes storing a copy of the plurality of data files.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a data file to be stored for possible future use in producing a version of the downloadable digital media content asset.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein processing the plurality of data files includes producing the digital media content asset when one of the plurality of data files is modified, replaced, added, or removed.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the metadata file and the plurality of data files are received by a digital media service provider from a media content provider.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving the metadata file and the plurality of data files enables a plurality of versions of the downloadable digital media content asset to be produced.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein one of the versions is optimized for storage space efficiently.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of the following properties of the downloadable digital media content asset is determined using the metadata file:

a content description, a purchase price, a pre-sale start date, a sale date, a sale end date, a release date, a geographical distribution area, and a distribution authorization.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a requirement for display or ordering of information associated with the downloadable digital media content asset is at least in part determined by one or more of the following:

a priority level specified for an element of the metadata file and an ordering of an element of the metadata file within the metadata file.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the downloadable digital media content asset includes making the downloadable digital media content asset available for rental, purchase, or distribution.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the downloadable digital media content asset includes a downloadable file or a content that can be streamed.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the downloadable digital media content asset is one of at least two digital media content assets associated with a single digital media content product.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the downloadable digital media content asset includes feature film content, and the metadata file can be used to provide a second downloadable digital media content asset including a preview of the feature film.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of data files includes one or more of the following files:

a video file, an audio file, a text file, a metadata file specifying sectioning of the digital media content asset, an image file, an asset section preview image file, a file including closed captioning information, and a file including subtitle information.

22. A system for providing digital media content, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a metadata file and a plurality of data files; and

a processor configured to use the metadata file to process the plurality of data files without human intervention to provide a downloadable digital media content asset.

23. A computer program product for providing digital media content, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a metadata file and a plurality of data files; and

using the metadata file to process the plurality of data files without human intervention to provide a downloadable digital media content asset.