Method for visually and audibly representing computer instructions for editing

• US 5,568,275 A
• Filed: 06/26/1995
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Walsh, John J., Norton, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US08/494,761
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 358/311, 358/335, 358/342, 358/310, 358/341, 358/343, 360/14.1, 360/13, 360/32, 360/19.1
• US Class Current: 386/285
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

The invention is a method for visually and audibly representing computer instructions for editing video which provides audio and/or visual information with such instructions for editing a video tape or film program. Audiovisual information is provided by storing with the identification of the source of each segment audiovisual representations of that segment. Typically, the instructions are stored on a computer and the audiovisual representations are digitized sequences of video images and sound, whereby an operator can request playback of the representations for any source segment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for visually representing computer instructions for assembling a video program, comprising the steps of:

a. choosing, with the aid of a computer, segments of video material to be incorporated into the video program;

b. storing, on a computer-readable medium and in response to a choice made in the step of choosing, an identification of a source of each segment of the video program and a destination of the segment in the video program, wherein the source and the destination form a computer instruction for assembling the video program; and

c. storing, on the computer-readable medium and in response to the choice made in the step of choosing and with the computer instruction of each segment, a computer-accessible representation of the segment, distinct from the segment and which includes at least one of audio and video information.

2. The method defined by claim 1, wherein the identification of the source of each segment includes an indication of source material for the segment and time codes indicating points at which the segment begins and ends in the source material.

3. The method defined by claim 2, wherein the identification of the source of each segment includes an indication of a type of transition to be used from any previous segment in the video program.

4. The method defined by claim 1, wherein the representation for a segment is a single still image.

5. The method defined by claim 4, wherein each image for a segment is in a digitized form.

6. The method defined by claim 5, wherein the identification of each segment source and the digitized representations are stored in a single computer file.

7. The method defined by claim 5, further comprising monitoring a signal whereby an operator can request playback of the representations of for any segment in the video program.

8. A computer-implemented method for visually representing computer instructions for assembling a video program, comprising the steps of:

a. choosing, with the aid of a computer, segments of video material to be incorporated into the video program;

b. storing on a computer-readable medium and in response to a choice made in the step of choosing, an identification of a source of each segment of the video program in a computer-accessible form and a destination of the segment in the video program, wherein the source and the destination form an instruction for assembling the video program;

c. storing, in response to a choice made in the step of choosing, a representation of each segment in a location on the computer-readable medium in a computer-accessible form, distinct from the segment which includes at least one of audio and video information; and

d. storing, on the computer-readable medium and in response to a choice made in the step of choosing and with the identification of each segment source, a computer-readable identification of the location of the representation of that segment.

9. The method defined by claim 8, wherein the representation for a segment is a single still image.

10. The method defined by claim 9, wherein the image for a segment is in a digitized form.

11. The method defined by claim 10, wherein the segment source identifications and the digitized representations are stored in a single computer file.

12. The method defined by claim 10, further comprising monitoring a signal whereby an operator can request playback of the audio and video representations for any segment.

13. The method defined by claim 8, wherein the identification of the source of each segment includes an indication of source material for the segment and time codes indicating points at which the segment begins and ends in the source material.

14. The method defined by claim 13, wherein the identification of source material of a segment includes an indication of a type of transition to be used from any immediately previous segment in the video program.

15. A method for visually representing computer instructions for assembling a video program, comprising the steps of:

a. generating and storing in a computer-readable memory, in response to computer-assisted editing instructions, a sequence of computer instructions for assembling the video program, each identifying a source video and a segment of the source video and a destination of the segment in the video program;

b. storing, in the memory and in response to the computer-assisted editing instructions, with each computer instruction, a visual representation of the segment of the source video identified by the computer instruction for assembling the video program distinct from the segment.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of generating and storing, with the sequence of assembly instructions, a graphical timeline representative of the video program.

17. The method defined by claim 15, wherein the identification of the source of each segment includes an indication of source material for the segment and time codes indicating points at which the segment begins and ends in the source material.

18. The method defined by claim 17, wherein the identification of the source of each segment includes an indication of a type of transition to be used from any immediately previous segment in the video program.

19. The method defined by claim 15, wherein the representation for a segment is a sequence of images.

20. The method defined by claim 19, wherein each image for a segment is in a digitized form.

21. The method defined by claim 20, wherein the segment source identifications and the digitized representations are stored in a single computer file.

22. The method defined by claim 20, further comprising monitoring a signal whereby an operator can request playback of the audio and video representations for any segment.

23. A system for manipulating visual representations of computer instructions for assembling a video program, the system comprising:

a. means for receiving computer instructions for assembling the video program, each identifying a source of video information and a destination for the video information in the video program, and a representation of the video information associated with each instruction;

b. means for displaying the computer instructions, including means for displaying, for each computer instruction, the representation of the associated video information;

c. means for accessing the source identified by a computer instruction and for displaying the video information;

d. means for receiving a verification that the source of video information corresponds to the representation of the associated video information displayed by the means for displaying; and

e. means for assembling the video program according to the computer instruction after receipt of the verification.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising means for extracting the computer instructions from the visual representation of the computer instructions and for providing the computer instructions to the means for assembling.

25. A method for visually representing computer instructions for assembling a video program, comprising the steps of:

choosing segments of video material to be incorporated into the video program;

selecting a destination in the video program for the chosen segment;

selecting a type of transition to be used between each pair of segments of the video program;

storing, in response to the steps of selecting, and on a computer-readable medium in computer readable form for each segment of the video program, indications of a source of the segment, an indication of a portion of the source that identifies the segment, the selected destination in the video program, and the type of transition to be used from any previous segment in the video program, wherein the indications stored form a computer instruction for assembling the video program; and

storing, on the computer-readable medium in response to the steps of selecting and for each of the selected segments, a representation of the selected segment in computer readable form, distinct from the segment and with the computer instruction stored for the segment includes at least one of audio and video information.

26. The method defined by claim 25, wherein the identification of the source of each segment includes an indication of source material for the segment and time codes indicating points at which the segment begins and ends in the source material.

27. The method defined by claim 25, wherein the representation for a segment is a sequence of images.

28. The method defined by claim 27, wherein each image for a segment is in a digitized form.

29. The method defined by claim 28, wherein the segment source identifications and the digitized representations are stored in a single computer file.

30. The method defined by claim 28, further comprising the step of monitoring a signal whereby an operator can request playback of the representations for any segment.

31. A method for audibly representing computer instructions for assembling an audio program, comprising:

choosing, with the aid of a computer, segments of audio material to be incorporated into the audio program;

storing, in response to a choice made in the step of choosing, an identification of a source of each segment of the audio program;

storing with the identification of each segment source, in response to the choice made in the step of choosing, an indication of a location in the audio program selected for the segment; and

storing with the identification of the source of each segment, in response to the choice made in the step of choosing, a representation of that segment, distinct from the segment and which includes audio information, wherein the representation for the segment is a digitization of the audio of the segment.