Device for interactive video playback
First Claim
1. A system for interactive video playback, said system including a modified video playback apparatus (20) for a selectively addressable and optically readable video disc (22), said playback apparatus including manually activatable control means (24) for the selective activation of one of a number of playback and addressing modes, and also including a first output (26) for the video information read from a disc and organized in frames, characterized in that the system further comprises:
- a. a first input (32) to said playback apparatus for receiving selection signals for the selective activation, in the same way as said manually activated control means, of one of said number of playback and addressing modes;
b. an extraction element (58) for receiving said video information and for detecting and extracting frame numbers therefrom for presentation to a second output (60);
c. a computer system comprising;
c1. interface means (34) for interfacing to said first input and second output;
c2. a second input (36) which is connected to said second output (60) via said interface means in order to receive said frame numbers;
c3. an internal random addressable read-write memory for storing the data of alpha-numerical characters, and of selection signals for said playback apparatus to be exclusively activatable by a request signal receivable within said read-write means;
c4. a third output (38) which is connected to said first input (32) via said interface means (34) in order to output an activated selection signal;
c5. an internal activation output for supplying control signals and data signals to said internal read/write memory;
c6. a fourth output (46) for supplying, under the control of a predetermined frame number which acts as data for the computer of said computer system, the data of a predetermined number of said alphanumerical characters as additional video information in order to display a playback or addressing mode, notably indicating a waiting situation while awaiting a request signal to be received;
c7. a keyboard (42) for inputting a request signal to said computer to activate, during a waiting situation, a change over to a next playback or addressing mode or waiting situation; and
d. said keyboard being suitable for inputting computer instructions which are organized according to a higher programming language;
e. an interface between said playback apparatus and said computer which includes, in addition to said extraction element, emulation switches for a number of said manually activatable control means in order to emulate electrically the activated condition of the associated control means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for interactive video playback utilizing a modified playback apparatus for video discs. Such a video disc contains stored video information and possibly also audio information. The various playback and addressing modes can be activated by operation of buttons. The information read is directly suitable for playback on a television screen. The playback apparatus is modified for executing these playback and addressing modes also under the control of selection signals received from a computer. There is also provided an extraction element for extracting the frame numbers from the information read and for supplying these numbers as data to the computer. The computer furthermore includes a read/write memory for the storage of the information of alphanumerical characters and of selection signals for the playback apparatus. In some cases, the latter signals are activatable only by a request signal. The computer also includes an output for said alphanumerical characters as additional display information. There is also provided a keyboard suitable on the one hand for inputting instructions for the computer which are expressed in a higher programming language in order to modify the program to be executed by the computer. It can also be used for producing a request signal for activating a selection signal read from the read/write memory.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A system for interactive video playback, said system including a modified video playback apparatus (20) for a selectively addressable and optically readable video disc (22), said playback apparatus including manually activatable control means (24) for the selective activation of one of a number of playback and addressing modes, and also including a first output (26) for the video information read from a disc and organized in frames, characterized in that the system further comprises:
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a. a first input (32) to said playback apparatus for receiving selection signals for the selective activation, in the same way as said manually activated control means, of one of said number of playback and addressing modes; b. an extraction element (58) for receiving said video information and for detecting and extracting frame numbers therefrom for presentation to a second output (60); c. a computer system comprising; c1. interface means (34) for interfacing to said first input and second output; c2. a second input (36) which is connected to said second output (60) via said interface means in order to receive said frame numbers; c3. an internal random addressable read-write memory for storing the data of alpha-numerical characters, and of selection signals for said playback apparatus to be exclusively activatable by a request signal receivable within said read-write means; c4. a third output (38) which is connected to said first input (32) via said interface means (34) in order to output an activated selection signal; c5. an internal activation output for supplying control signals and data signals to said internal read/write memory; c6. a fourth output (46) for supplying, under the control of a predetermined frame number which acts as data for the computer of said computer system, the data of a predetermined number of said alphanumerical characters as additional video information in order to display a playback or addressing mode, notably indicating a waiting situation while awaiting a request signal to be received; c7. a keyboard (42) for inputting a request signal to said computer to activate, during a waiting situation, a change over to a next playback or addressing mode or waiting situation; and d. said keyboard being suitable for inputting computer instructions which are organized according to a higher programming language; e. an interface between said playback apparatus and said computer which includes, in addition to said extraction element, emulation switches for a number of said manually activatable control means in order to emulate electrically the activated condition of the associated control means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification