Data structure for audio signals that can be mixed and/or switched

• US 6,442,335 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US09/657,130
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.576, H04/N.578, H04/N.5781, H04/N.5782, H04/N.5783, H04/N.979, H04/N.592, 386/29, 386/39, 386/45, 386/54, 386/75, 386/95, 386/107, 386/125, 386/126, 386/96, 386/97-106, 369/32, 369/44.28, 369/48-50, 369/54, 369/58, 369/124, 369/275.3, 381/1-23, 381/124
• 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 data stream for processing by a system that generates an audio signal, said data stream comprising a sequence of data blocks containing a plurality of synchronized digital audio tracks;

the data stream including a code for each of said digital audio tracks identifying it as either a switching master including music and effects (M&

E) and dialog, or a track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master.

2. A data stream according to claim 1 wherein said sequence of data blocks represents an image program with which the digital audio tracks are synchronized so that when the data stream is processed by said system, an image signal can be derived synchronized with the audio signal.

3. A data stream according to claim 1 or claim 2 that includes a code for each of said digital audio tracks indicative of the language of any dialog therein so that when the data stream is processed by said system, the audio tracks can be switched in accordance with the language desired by a user.

4. A data stream according to claim 3 wherein the data stream has a structure comprising a lead-in section followed by said sequence of data blocks, said lead-in section containing data indicative of the language of the audio information represented by the data blocks.

5. A method of processing stored data, said stored data having a sequence of data blocks containing a plurality of synchronized digital audio tracks, and a code for each of said digital audio tracks identifying its use as either a switching master including music and effects (M&

E) and dialog, or a track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master;

said method including the steps of;

determining from said audio track codes how the data in the audio tracks should be switched,

selecting a switching master and a track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master, and

generating an audio signal in accordance with the selected tracks and the respective identifying track codes.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said sequence of data blocks also represents an image program with which the digital audio tracks are synchronized, and said method includes the step of deriving an image signal synchronized with said audio signal.

7. A method according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein a code for each of said audio tracks indicative of the language of any dialog therein is contained in the stored data, the method further including the step of allowing a user to select digital audio tracks to be switched in accordance with a desired dialog language.

8. A method according to any of claims 5-7 wherein an individual data block in said stored data contains indicia of which digital audio tracks in the block contain data, the method including the step of operating on only the digital audio tracks in the data blocks that are required to derive an audio signal in accordance with said audio track codes and the dialog language desired by a user.

9. A method of processing a data stream, said data stream having a sequence of data blocks containing a plurality of synchronized digital audio tracks, and a code for each of said digital audio tracks identifying its use as either a switching master including music and effects (M&

E) and dialog, or a track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master;

said method including the steps of;

determining from said audio track codes how the data in the audio tracks should be switched,

selecting a switching master and a track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master, and

generating an audio signal in accordance with the selected tracks and the respective identifying track codes.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein said sequence of data blocks also represents an image program with which the digital audio tracks are synchronized, and said method includes the step of deriving an image signal synchronized with said audio signal.

11. A method according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein a code for each of said audio tracks indicative of the language of any dialog therein is contained in the data stream, the method further including the step of allowing a user to select digital audio tracks to be switched in accordance with a desired dialog language.

12. A method according to any of claims 9-11 wherein an individual data block in said data stream contains indicia of which digital audio tracks in the block contain data, the method including the step of operating on only the digital audio tracks in the data blocks that are required to derive an audio signal in accordance with said audio track codes and the dialog language desired by a user.

13. A set of data embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a data stream for processing by a system that generates an audio signal, said set of data comprising a sequence of data blocks containing a plurality of synchronized digital audio tracks;

the set of data including a code for each of said digital audio tracks identifying it as either a switching master including music and effects (M&

E) and dialog, or a track containing audio segments to be switched with said switching master.

14. A set of data embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a data stream according to claim 13 wherein said sequence of data blocks represents an image program with which the digital audio tracks are synchronized so that when the set of data is processed by said system, an image signal can be derived synchronized with the audio signal.

15. A set of data embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a data stream according to claim 13 or claim 14 that includes a code for each of said digital audio tracks indicative of the language of any dialog therein so that when the set of data is processed by said system, the audio tracks can be switched in accordance with the language desired by a user.

16. A set of data embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a data stream according to claim 15 wherein the set of data has a structure comprising successive data blocks, and a section containing data indicative of the language of the audio information represented by the data blocks.