System and method for controlling play of multiple dialog audio tracks of a software carrier

• US 5,712,950 A
• Filed: 03/12/1996
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• 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: Ostrover, Lewis S., Cookson, Christopher J., Lieberfarb, Warren N.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US08/614,205
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 386/97, 386/98, 386/99, 386/101, 386/102, 386/103, 386/104, 386/105, 386/106, 386/39, 369/1-5
• US Class Current: 386/201
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/363 using optical disks, e.g. CD, CD-ROM, to store accompaniment information in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/056 for extraction or identification of individual instrumental parts, e.g. melody, chords, bass; Identification or separation of instrumental parts by their characteristic voices or timbres
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/036 File multilingual, e.g. multilingual lyrics for karaoke
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00115 wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00137 involving measures which result in a restriction to contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier to authorised users
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00144 involving a user identifier, e.g. a unique customer ID
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/12 Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers within interface between computers and data recorders G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 : on discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1254 : for mixed data, i.e. continuous and discontinuous data
• 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 27/10 : Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 : of operating discs
• 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: G11B 7/0037 : with discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/013 : for discrete information, i.e. where each information unit is stored in a distinct discrete location , e.g. digital information formats within a data block or sector
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 : the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7925 : for more than one standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/802 : involving processing of the sound signal H04N9/806, H04N9/835 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8216 : using time division multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8222 : using frequency division multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8238 : for teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8244 : involving the use of subcodes

Abstract

A system for playing a selected one of multiple audio tracks recorded in synchronized fashion with a motion picture on an optical disk. The optical disk has encoded on it a mixing master music and effects ("M&E") track, or a switching master M&E track. Individual audio tracks are provided for language-specific versions of the same motion picture, but these tracks have data recorded in them only where there is dialog. In this way, for many a motion picture, all tracks but masters will have data recorded for well less than half of the running time of the motion picture. When a mixing master is used, it is mixed with a language-specific track when the latter has dialog; the mixing master contains no dialog. If a switching master is used, it may contain dialog recorded with the M&E; when a language-specific track has dialog recorded in it, it also contains M&E and the track is played to the exclusion of the switching master.

Claims

1. A system for controlling play of the audio tracks of a digital software carrier, said software carrier having recorded thereon a plurality of synchronized audio tracks, each audio track being made up of a plurality of data blocks, and a code for each of said audio tracks identifying its use as either a switching master, including music and effects and dialog language, or a track to be switched with the switching master, comprising means for selecting a switching master of predetermined length and a shorter track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master, and means for reading codes in the data blocks and for automatically switching between the selected tracks in accordance with said codes.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said audio tracks are digital audio tracks.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2 including means for playing said software carrier and deriving therefrom said audio track codes and digital audio track signals, and means for processing said audio track codes to determine how said digital audio track signals should be switched and for deriving an analog audio signal therefrom.

4. A system in accordance with claim 3 including control means for switching signals derived from said audio track signals in accordance with said audio track codes to derive said analog audio signal.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said software carrier has recorded thereon a code for each of said digital audio tracks indicative of the language of any dialog therein, and further including means for selecting a digital audio track to be switched in accordance with the dialog language desired by a user.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5 wherein information recorded on said software carrier is recorded in separately identifiable blocks, each software carrier block contains indicia of which digital audio tracks in the block represent a signal, and said control means operates on only the digital audio tracks in any block that are required to derive an analog audio signal in accordance with the dialog language desired by a user and said audio track codes.

7. A system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said software carrier has recorded thereon an identification of the type of each digital audio track, and further including means for processing derived signals in accordance with said track type identifications.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said software carrier has recorded thereon a representation of the available dialog languages on the software carrier, and further including means for representing a default language, and means for selecting a digital audio track to be switched in accordance with the default language which is represented and the available dialog languages on the software carrier.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 further including means, responsive to said default language matching none of said available languages, for allowing the user to choose an available language.

10. A method for controlling play of the audio tracks of a digital software carrier, said software carrier having recorded thereon a plurality of synchronized digital audio tracks, each audio track being made up of a plurality of data blocks, and a code for each of said digital audio tracks identifying its use as either a switching master, including music and effects and dialog language, or a track to be switched with said switching master, comprising the steps of selecting a switching master of predetermined length and a shorter track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master, reading codes in the data blocks, and switching between the selected tracks in accordance with said read codes.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10 wherein said software carrier has recorded thereon a code for each of said digital audio tracks indicative of the language of any dialog therein, and further including the step of selecting a digital audio track to be switched in accordance with the dialog language desired by a user.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein information recorded on said software carrier is recorded in separately identifiable blocks, each software carrier block contains indicia of which digital audio tracks in the block represent a signal, and the only digital audio tracks in any block that are operated upon are those required to derive said analog audio signal in accordance with the dialog language desired by a user and said audio track codes.

13. A method in accordance with claim 10 wherein said software carrier has recorded thereon an identification of the type of each digital audio track, and further including the step of processing derived signals in accordance with said track type identifications.

14. A method in accordance with claim 10 wherein said software carrier has recorded thereon a representation of the available dialog languages on the software carrier, and further including the steps of representing a default language, and selecting a digital audio track to be switched in accordance with the default language which is represented and the available dialog languages on the software carrier.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14 further including the step of allowing the user to choose an available language responsive to said default language matching none of said available languages.