System and method for controlling play of multiple versions of the same motion picture stored on an optical disk

• US 5,574,567 A
• Filed: 02/07/1996
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Home Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Entertainment Company LP (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ostroyer, Lewis S., Cookson, Christopher J., Lieberfarb, Warren N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Khoi
• Application Number:
  US08/598,197
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/341, 358/342, 358/343, 358/310, 360/18, 360/19.1, 360/33.1, 360/48
• US Class Current: 386/261
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2583 wherein two standards are used on a single disc, e.g. one DVD section and one CD section
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• 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: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9206 the additional signal being a character code signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9262 using predictive coding

Abstract

An optical disk containing PG-rated and R-rated versions of the same motion picture. To minimize redundant storage of data, three types of video data blocks are provided in the same track, in an interleaved fashion--A-type blocks which contain material unique to version A, B-type blocks which contain material unique to version B, and C-type blocks which contain material common to both. A series of codes and pointers included in each block allow play of all common blocks, play of all A or B blocks depending on which version has been selected, and skipping over of the blocks which contain data unique to the unselected version. Play of adult-rated versions are automatically prevented if a parental lock option in the player has been keyed on. The disk may contain special software for identifying multiple versions of the same material where the selection criterion is one other than a rating.

Claims

1. A software carrier for storing video data for access by a data processor comprising a single track with a data structure having three different types of interleaved video data blocks, each of said video data blocks including (1) video data unique to one of at least two versions of the same program material, (2) video data unique to the other of said at least two versions of the same program material, and (3) video data common to said at least two versions of the same program material, with said track containing at least one data block of each of said three types and said video data blocks further containing addresses and pointer data identifying the sequential addresses of the video data blocks to be selected for a particular version of the same program material.

2. The software carrier in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said video data blocks further contains a code identifying whether the block contains video data unique to one version, or data common to said at least two versions.

3. The software carrier in accordance with claim 2, wherein a lead-in section of said software carrier track may contain type codes for said versions.

4. The software carrier in accordance with claim 2, wherein a lead-in section of said software carrier track may contain codes indicative of the version types as well as software for determining how said codes are to be used.

5. The software carrier in accordance with claim 1, wherein a lead-in section of said software carrier track may contain type codes for said versions.

6. The software carrier, in accordance with claim 1, wherein a lead-in section of said software carrier track may contain codes indicative of the version types, as well as software for determining how said codes are to be used.