Electronic film editing system using both film and videotape format

• US 5,930,445 A
• Filed: 02/24/1995
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Peters, Eric C., Phillips, Michael E., O'Connor, Patrick D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US08/393,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/346, 358/311, 358/343, 358/345, 358/452, 348/96-100, 345/327-328, 360/32, 360/27, 360/13, 360/14.1, 360/69, 360/73.01, 386/4, 386/52, 386/54, 386/55, 386/61, 386/65, 386/131
• US Class Current: 386/290
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• 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 27/06 Cutting and rejoining; Notching, or perforating record carriers otherwise than by recording styli record carriers with provision for splicing G11B23/20
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• 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 7/0112 one of the standards corresponding to a cinematograph film standard

Abstract

A system for generating a digital representation of a video signal comprised of a sequence of video frames which each include two video fields of a duration such that the video plays at a first prespecified rate of frames per second. The sequence of video frames includes a prespecified number of redundant video fields. Redundant video fields in the video frame sequence are identified by a video processor, and the video frame sequence is digitized by an analog to digital convertor, excluding the identified redundant video fields. The digitized video frames are then compressed by a video compressor to generate a digital representation of the video signal which plays at a second prespecified rate of frames per second.

Claims

1. A computer-based system for non-linear editing of a program from a source having a temporal resolution corresponding to a playback rate of 24 frames per second, comprising:

a random access computer readable medium on which a plurality of sequences of digital images are stored corresponding to the source and having a one-to-one correspondence with the playback rate of 24 frames per second;

nonlinear editing means, responsive to user input, for specifying a sequence of segments of said plurality of sequences of digital images store on the random access computer readable medium, wherein a start location and a stop location of each segment in its corresponding sequence of digital images may be at any frame boundary and are at a temporal resolution corresponding to the playback rate of 24 frames per second; and

means for generating a representation of the program from the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

2. The computer-based system of claim 1, further including a means for synchronizing an audio soundtrack with the representation of the program.

3. The computer-based system of claim 2, wherein the synchronized representation of the program and the audio soundtrack is a television signal.

4. The computer-based system of claim 3, wherein the means for generating includes a means for generating redundant video fields within the television signal so that the television signal can be displayed at a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second.

5. The computer-based system of claim 3, further comprising a display that displays the television signal.

6. The computer-based system of claim 2, wherein the audio soundtrack corresponds to film having a frame rate of 24 frames per second and the means for synchronizing includes a means for slowing down the audio soundtrack from the rate corresponding to a film rate of 24 frames per second to a rate corresponding to a film rate of 23.976 frames per second.

7. The computer-based system of claim 2, wherein the audio soundtrack is a digitized representation, and further including a display that displays the representation of the program and the synchronized digitized representation of the audio soundtrack.

8. The computer-based system of claim 7, wherein the representation of the program and the synchronized digitized representation of the audio soundtrack are displayed at a frame rate of 24 frames per second.

9. The computer-based system of claim 7, wherein the display includes a metric that displays a current location of an image of the representation of the program in any of a time code format, a key code format and a film footage format.

10. The computer-based system of claim 1, further including:

a bin containing information about the start location and the stop location of each segment of the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images in any of a time code format, a key code format and a film footage format; and

means for updating the bin with the start location and the stop location of each segment in response to the specifying of the sequence of segments of the sequence of digital images.

11. The computer-based system of claim 1, wherein the representation of the program is a film cut list that identifies cuts to be made to film so that the film can be edited to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

12. The computer-based system of claim 11, further comprising a means for editing the film to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images based upon the film cut list.

13. The computer-based system of claim 1, wherein the representation of the program is an edit decision list that describes edits to be made to a video sequence corresponding to the source and having a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second, so that the video sequence can be edited to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

14. The computer-based system of claim 1, further comprising means, operative in response to data indicative of redundant fields within image data corresponding to film and having a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second, for converting the image data to the sequences of digital images.

15. The computer-based system of claim 14, further comprising means for converting the film to the image data having the frame rate of 29.97 frames per second and the data indicative of the redundant fields within the image data.

16. The computer-based system of claim 15, wherein the data indicative of the redundant fields within the image data includes a film transfer log having a synchronization point between the film and the image data and data indicative of where in a pull-down sequence the pull-down sequence was used to generate the image data.

17. A method for non-linear editing of a program from a source having a temporal resolution corresponding to a playback rate of 24 frames per second, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of sequences of digital images in a random-access computer readable medium, wherein each sequence of digital images has a one-to-one correspondence with the playback rate of 24 frames per second;

nonlinear editing of a sequence of segments of said plurality of sequences of digital images stored on the random access computer readable medium, wherein a start location and a stop location of each segment in its corresponding sequence of digital images may be at any frame boundary and are at a temporal resolution corresponding to the playback rate of 24 frames per second; and

generating a representation of the program from the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of specifying includes editing a digitized soundtrack corresponding to the sequences of segments of the sequence digital images so that the digitized soundtrack is in synchronization with the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of generating the representation of the program includes generating a television signal including a synchronized soundtrack.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of synchronizing includes slowing down the digitized soundtrack from a rate corresponding to a film rate of 24 frames per second to a rate corresponding to a film rate of 23.976 frames per second.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating the representation of the program as the television signal includes adding redundant fields within the television signal so that the television signal can be displayed at a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of displaying the television signal.

23. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the step of displaying the representation of the program in synchronization with the digitized soundtrack.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the representation of the program and the synchronized digitized soundtrack are displayed at a frame rate of 24 frames per second.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of displaying the representation of the program includes displaying a metric tracking a current location of an image of the representation of the program in any of a time code format, a key code format and a film footage format.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of specifying the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images includes updating a bin containing information identifying the start location and the stop location of the segments of the sequences of digital video images, the information being in any of a time code format, a key code format and a film footage format.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of generating the representation of the program includes the step of generating a film cut list that describes cuts to be made to film so that the film can be edited to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of cutting the film according to the film cut list to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of generating the representation of the program includes the step of generating an edit decision list that describes edits to be made to image data corresponding to film and having a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second, so that the image data can be edited to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

30. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of digitizing image data representing film having a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second, using data indicative of redundant fields within the image data, so as to generate the sequences of digital images having a frame rate of 24 frames per second.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of converting the film to the image data including the redundant fields and the data indicative of the redundant fields.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of converting the film to the image data includes generating a film transfer log having a synchronization point between the film and the image data and data indicative of where in a pull-down sequence the pull-down sequence was used to generate the image data.

33. A program made by the method of claim 17.

34. A computer-based system for non-linear editing of a program from a source having a temporal resolution corresponding to a playback rate of 24 frames per second, comprising:

a random access computer readable medium on which at least one sequence of digital images is stored corresponding to the source and having a one-to-one correspondence with the playback rate of 24 frames per second, wherein the digital images have a first order;

nonlinear editing means, responsive to user input, for specifying a sequence of segments of the at least one sequence of digital images stored on the random access computer readable medium, wherein a start location and a stop location of each segment in its corresponding sequence of digital images may be at any frame boundary and are at a temporal resolution corresponding to the playback rate of 24 frames per second, wherein the digital images in the sequence of segments have a second order different from the first order; and

means for generating a representation of the program from the sequence of segments of the at least one sequence of digital images.

35. The computer-based system of claim 34, further including a means for synchronizing an audio soundtrack with the representation of the program.

36. The computer-based system of claim 35, wherein the synchronized representation of the program and the audio soundtrack is a television signal.

37. The computer-based system of claim 36, wherein the means for generating includes a means for generating redundant video fields within the television signal so that the television signal can be displayed at a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second.

38. The computer-based system of claim 36, further comprising a display that displays the television signal.

39. The computer-based system of claim 35, wherein the audio soundtrack corresponds to film having a frame rate of 24 frames per second and the means for synchronizing includes a means for slowing down the audio soundtrack from the rate corresponding to a film rate of 24 frames per second to a rate corresponding to a film rate of 23.976 frames per second.

40. The computer-based system of claim 35, wherein the audio soundtrack is a digitized representation, and further including a display that displays the representation of the program and the synchronized digitized representation of the audio soundtrack.

41. The computer-based system of claim 40, wherein the representation of the program and the synchronized digitized representation of the audio soundtrack are displayed at a frame rate of 24 frames per second.

42. The computer-based system of claim 40, wherein the display includes a metric that displays a current location of an image of the representation of the program in any of a time code format, a key code format and a film footage format.

43. The computer-based system of claim 34, further including:

a bin containing information about the start location and the stop location of each segment of the sequence of segments of the sequence of digital images in any of a time code format, a key code format and a film footage format; and

means for updating the bin with the start location and the stop location of each segment in response to specification of the sequence of segments of the sequence of digital images.

44. The computer-based system of claim 34, wherein the representation of the program is a film cut list that identifies cuts to be made to the film so that film can be edited to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequence of digital images.

45. The computer-based system of claim 44, further comprising a means for editing the film to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequence of digital images based upon the film cut list.

46. The computer-based system of claim 34, wherein the representation of the program is an edit decision list that describes edits to be made to a video sequence corresponding to film and having a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second, so that the video sequence can be edited to correspond to the sequence of segments of the sequence of digital images.

47. The computer-based system of claim 34, further comprising means, operative in response to data indicative of redundant fields within image data corresponding to film and having a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second, for converting the data to the sequence of digital images having a frame rate of 24 frames per second.

48. The computer-based system of claim 47, further comprising means for converting the film to the image data having the frame rate of 29.97 frames per second and the data indicative of the redundant fields within the image data.

49. The computer-based system of claim 48, wherein the data indicative of the redundant fields within the image data includes a film transfer log having a synchronization point between the film and the image data and data indicative of where in a pull-down sequence the pull-down sequence was used to generate the image data.

50. A program having a playback rate of 24 frames per second, made by a nonlinear process comprising:

storing a plurality of sequences of digital images corresponding to a source in a random access computer readable medium, the sequence of digital images having a one-to-one correspondence with the playback rate of 24 frames per second;

nonlinear editing of a sequence of segments of said plurality of sequences of digital images stored in The random access computer readabIe medium, wherein a start location and a stop location of each segment in its corresponding sequence of digital images may be at any frame boundary and is at the temporal resolution of the playback rate of 24 frames per second; and

generating a representation of the program from the sequence of segments of the sequences of digital images.

51. The program of claim 50, wherein the generated representation of the program is a cut list.

52. The program of claim 51, wherein the method further comprises the step of making the program by cutting film according to the cut list to correspond to the sequence of segments.