Method for controlling real-time presentation of audio/visual data on a computer system

• US 5,692,213 A
• Filed: 10/16/1995
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Goldberg, David, Nichols, David A., Minneman, Scott L., Harrison, Steve R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HONG, STEPHEN S
• Application Number:
  US08/543,520
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 395/152-155, 395/806, 395/807, 395/173, 395/329, 395/330, 395/331, 345/119, 360/8, 364/514, 364/514 R, 364/514 A, 358/342, 358/312, 358/313, 358/320, 358/346, 348/13, 348/14, 348/15
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool

Abstract

A method of recording a real-time multimedia presentation and replaying a missed portion at an accelerated rate until the missed portion catches up to the current point in the presentation. The multimedia presentation may consist of audio, video, graphics, and text. A graphical timeline is provided to allow the user easy access to different points in the recorded presentation. All the media formats are synchronized at the accelerated rate and the audio is accelerated without changing its pitch.

Claims

1. A method of replaying in an accelerated format a multimedia real-time presentation of audio data and image data on a first computer system, the first computer system including a processor, speaker display device, and user input device, the first computer system coupled to a storage area for storing data, the image data comprising a plurality of frames, the method comprising the steps of:

recording a portion of the presentation into a recording buffer in the storage area, the recording buffer including audio data and image data;

using the processor to accelerate playback of the audio data of the presentation in the recording buffer;

using the processor to accelerate playback of the image data of the presentation in the recording buffer in order to keep the accelerated image data playback synchronized with the accelerated audio data playback;

recording the presentation in progress into the recording buffer during the accelerated playback of the audio and image data in the recording buffer; and

presenting the presentation at a normal speed after the presentation in the recording buffer has been played back and the accelerated playback catches up to the real-time multimedia presentation in progress.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage area is in a server system coupled to a computer network, wherein the first computer system and one or more other computer systems are coupled to the network, the method further comprising a step of:

replaying recorded portions of the presentation in the recording buffer in an accelerated format according to the steps of claim 1 in one or more of the other computer systems simultaneously with the accelerated replaying of the presentation in the recording buffer on the first computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor accelerates the playback of the recorded audio data by removing specific words or sounds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate that the presentation is accelerated is user selectable through said user input device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of keyframes are displayed on the display device which represent frames of the image data recorded at different points in time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a first keyframe shows a frame of the image data that is a percentage into the recording buffer and the rate at which the first keyframe changes is approximately equal to the percentage of a real-time rate of the presentation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a timeline of the recording buffer is displayed on the display device, wherein said timeline is augmented by markers that indicate events that occurred during the recording.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording buffer is a circular buffer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded portion of the presentation stored is limited to a predetermined amount.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded portion of the presentation may be further accelerated upon request from the user via the user input device by the steps of:

using the processor to compress the image data by reducing a number of frames in the image data that are displayed;

using the processor to break the audio data of the portion into segments determined by pauses in the audio data; and

replaying the presentation in the recording buffer in a further accelerated format by displaying the compressed image data on the display device and conveying an initial portion of each audio segment through the speaker.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio and image data in the recording buffer are gradually accelerated less as the accelerated playback of the presentation nears the real-time multimedia presentation in progress, wherein a smooth transition to the real-time presentation is provided.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pitch of the accelerated audio data is approximately equal to the pitch of the presentation from which it was recorded.

13. A method of replaying in an accelerated format an audio presentation on a computer system, the computer system including a processor, speaker and user input device, the computer system coupled to a storage area for storing data, the method comprising the steps of:

recording a portion of the presentation into a recording buffer in the storage area, the recording buffer including audio data;

using the processor to accelerate playback of the audio data of the presentation in the recording buffer;

recording the presentation in progress into the recording buffer during the accelerated playback of the audio data in the recording buffer; and

presenting the presentation at a normal speed after the presentation in the recording buffer has been played back and the accelerated playback catches up to the audio presentation in progress.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pitch of the accelerated audio data is approximately equal to the pitch of the presentation from which it was recorded.

15. An apparatus for replaying a portion of a multimedia real-time presentation of audio and video images in an accelerated format, comprising:

means for receiving the presentation;

means for receiving user input;

means for recording a portion of the presentation, said portion including audio and video images;

processor means for compressing the audio of the recorded portion of the presentation and compressing the video images in order to keep the video images synchronized with the compressed audio;

said processor means being coupled to said receiving means, said user input means, and said recording means; and

means, coupled to said processor means, for conveying the compressed audio and video;

said recording means recording the presentation in progress while the compressed audio and video are being conveyed until the compressed audio and video catch up to the real-time presentation in progress.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the pitch of the compressed audio is approximately equal to the pitch of the presentation from which it was recorded.

17. In a computer system, a method of presenting presentations including audio and video, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a presentation including audio and video;

recording a portion of the presentation into at least one file on a storage device, the at least one file including audio and video;

replaying the audio and video in the at least one file at an accelerated rate while the presentation in progress is being recorded into the at least one file; and

presenting the presentation in progress at an unaccelerated rate after the presentation in the at least one file has been replayed and the accelerated replaying of the presentation catches up to the presentation in progress.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the replaying step includes the steps of:

replaying the audio of the presentation in the at least one file at an accelerated rate; and

displaying the video of the presentation in the at least one file synchronized with the accelerated audio.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the video includes frames and the video is synchronized by displaying less than all of the frames comprising the video.

20. A computer program product for presenting presentations including audio and video, comprising:

code that receives a presentation including audio and video;

code that records a portion of the presentation into at least one file on a storage device, the at least one file including audio and video;

code that replays the audio and video in the at least one file at an accelerated rate while the presentation in progress is being recorded into the at least one file;

code that presents the presentation in progress at an unaccelerated rate after the presentation in the at least one file has been replayed and the accelerated replaying of the presentation catches up to the presentation in progress; and

a computer readable medium that stores the codes.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer readable medium is a memory or disk.

22. A computer program product for presenting presentations, comprising:

code that receives a presentation;

code that records a portion of the presentation on a storage device;

code that replays the recorded presentation at an accelerated rate while the presentation in progress is being recorded on the storage device;

code that presents the presentation in progress at an unaccelerated rate once the accelerated replaying of the recorded presentation catches up to the presentation in progress; and

a computer readable medium that stores the codes.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the presentation includes audio and video.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising code that synchronizes the accelerated replaying of the audio and video in the recorded presentation.

25. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the computer readable medium is a memory or disk.