Method and system for synchronization of an auxiliary sound source to motion picture film, video tape, or other picture source containing a sound track
First Claim
1. In the showing of viewable images depicting motion and wherein the viewable images are provided by operation of a first medium containing first means providing a first sound signal to provide an audio message of first quality accompanying the viewable images and wherein said means for providing said first sound signal are made from a master recording, the method of synchronizing with said first sound signal a second sound signal of higher quality than said first quality but containing the same audio message to accompany the showing of the viewable images, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a second medium containing second means for providing said second sound signal;
making said second means from the master recording for enabling said second means to provide said second sound signal of said higher quality but containing the same audio message;
starting operation of said second medium a predetermined time interval before commencing the operation of the first medium;
thereafter simultaneously operating both said second medium and said first medium for simultaneously providing both said second sound signal and said first sound signal but wherein the audio message of said second sound signal is preceding by said predetermined time interval the audio message of said first sound signal;
accessibly placing in temporary storage a continuously updated current portion of said second sound signal occurring over a current time interval at least equal to said predetermined time interval; and
continiously removing from temporary storage successive increments of said second sound signal correlated with the currently occurring first sound signal for providing said second sound signal synchronized with said first sound signal; and
utilizing the synchronized second sound signal for providing the same audio message as said first sound signal but at a higher quality to accompany the showing of the viewable images.
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Abstract
A method and system for synchronizing a digital signal of an audio message at higher quality with another signal of the same audio message at lower quality. The invention synchronizes an auxiliary high quality audio digital sound signal source with the ordinary quality analog sound signal coming from a conventional analog sound track on motion picture film as the motion picture is being shown and maintains effective synchronization in spite of missing segments of the sound track due to film splices. The invention does not require synchronization tracks, markers, codes, time codes or other extrinsic data. The only requirement is that the higher qualtiy audio message recording, e.g. in a digital medium, be made from the same "master recording" (or a high quality duplicate thereof) as the sound track so that the auxiliary recording have the same informational content as the sound track. In order to maintain synchronization of the high quality audio message in spite of missing segments of the lower quality audio message, the higher quality message is caused to precede the lower quality message, and is temporarily stored in time-delay means, such as a FIFO overwriting memory store. Correlation is achieved by re-iterative subtractions between digital numbers representative of characteristics of the absolute value envelope of the ordinary quality message signal and digital numbers representative of characteristics of the absolute value envelope of the high quality message. When the missing segments of the cinema sound track amount to more than the time-delay storage capability of the time-delay means, the system immediately smoothly "fades" over to utilize the conventional analog sound track of the cinema film for uninterrupted sound accompanying the motion picture being viewed by the theater audience. Re-synchronism is quickly achieved, and the system immediately automatically smoothly "fades" back to the higher quality sound.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. In the showing of viewable images depicting motion and wherein the viewable images are provided by operation of a first medium containing first means providing a first sound signal to provide an audio message of first quality accompanying the viewable images and wherein said means for providing said first sound signal are made from a master recording, the method of synchronizing with said first sound signal a second sound signal of higher quality than said first quality but containing the same audio message to accompany the showing of the viewable images, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a second medium containing second means for providing said second sound signal; making said second means from the master recording for enabling said second means to provide said second sound signal of said higher quality but containing the same audio message; starting operation of said second medium a predetermined time interval before commencing the operation of the first medium; thereafter simultaneously operating both said second medium and said first medium for simultaneously providing both said second sound signal and said first sound signal but wherein the audio message of said second sound signal is preceding by said predetermined time interval the audio message of said first sound signal; accessibly placing in temporary storage a continuously updated current portion of said second sound signal occurring over a current time interval at least equal to said predetermined time interval; and continiously removing from temporary storage successive increments of said second sound signal correlated with the currently occurring first sound signal for providing said second sound signal synchronized with said first sound signal; and utilizing the synchronized second sound signal for providing the same audio message as said first sound signal but at a higher quality to accompany the showing of the viewable images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. The method of synchronizing with an analog signal of an audio message a digital signal of said audio message, and wherein the audio message of said analog signal is derived from a master recording, said method comprising the steps of:
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causing said digital signal of the audio message to be derived from the master recording; and correlating intrinsic characteristics of said audio message of said digital signal with intrinsic characteristics of said audio message of said analog signal for synchronizing said digital signal with said analog signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. The method of synchronizing a second signal having an audio message at higher quality with a first signal having said audio message at lower quality and wherein said first signal is derived from a master recording, said method being capable of accommodating discontinuities in said first signal and comprising the steps of:
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cuasing said second signal to be derived from the master recording, causing the higher quality audio message of the second signal to precede in time the lower quality audio message of the first signal by at least a predetermined interval of time, temporarily storing a continuously updated current segment of the higher quality second audio message, said continuously updated current segment of the higher quality second audio message having a time duration at least equal to the current interval of time by which the higher quality second audio message signal is preceding the lower quality first audio message signal, selectively removing from temporary storage those portions of said higher quality second audio message having intrinsic characteristics correlating with intrinsic characteristics of said lower quality first audio message, and using the selectively removed portions of said higher quality second audio message for providing said second signal having the audio message at higher quality synchronized with the audio message at lower quality of said first signal. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A system for synchronizing an audio message signal at higher quality with an audio message signal at lower quality, wherein said audio message at lower quality is derived from a master recording said system comprising:
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a medium for providing said audio message at higher quality made from the master recording, contorl means for causing said medium to provide the higher quality audio message signal preceding in time the lower quality audio message signal by at least a predetermined interval of time, time-delay means for temporarily storing a continuously updated current segment of the higher quality audio message signal having a time-delay capability at least equal to said predetermined interval of time, said control means including correlating means associated with said time-delay means for selectively removing from said time-delay means those portions of said higher quality audio message signal having intrinsic characteristics correlating with intrinsic characteristics of said lower quality audio message signal for providing said higher quality audio message signal synchronized with said lower quality audio message signal, and whereby said system is capable of accommodating discontinuities in said lower quality audio message signal. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A system for providing a viewing audience with high quality sound synchronized with viewable images having an ordinart sound signal track associated with said viewable images for providing ordinary sound synchronized with said viewable images, said system comprising:
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auxiliary means for providing a high quality signal for providing said high quality sound, control means coupled to said auxiliary means for controlling said auxiliary means, time-delay means coupled to said auxiliary means for temporarily storing a continuously updated current segment of said high quality signal, and said control means including correlating means for correlating portions of said current segment with said ordinary sound signal track for providing a high quality sound signal synchronized with said ordinary sound signal track for providing said high quality sound synchronized with the viewable images, whereby said system maintains synchronization of said high quality sound with said viewable images in spite of discontinuities in said ordinary sound signal track. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60)
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Specification