Menu authoring system and method for automatically performing low-level DVD configuration functions and thereby ease an author's job

• US 6,453,459 B1
• Filed: 01/21/1998
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Brodersen, Rainer, Wallace, Gregory Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US09/010,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20020112226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/302, 345/474, 345/326, 345/719-726, 705/51, 707/522, 707/501.1, 386/97, 386/46, 386/4, 386/125-126, 709/227, 717/100-116, 717/136, 717/149
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• 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 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A DVD authoring system in a processor-based system removes an author from consideration of the DVD Specification during authoring. According to a preferred embodiment, the authoring system provides an authoring engine having an interactive graphical authoring interface, a data management engine, an emulator, a compiler, a multiplexer and a simulator. Using summary authoring data, the compiler builds a skeleton-form PGC layout structure comprising control PGC abstractions and router PGC abstractions. The compiler then resolves the PGC abstractions according to source-target connections. During playback on a DVD player, the PGC abstractions form elements in a connection-switching abstraction superstructure. Accordingly, in response to DVD-consumer and other control events, a source PGC preferably determines target PGC information and then transfers control, via virtual connections through necessary router PGC abstractions, to a target PGC abstraction. The target PGC abstraction then correspondingly initiates playback of a movie chapter or displays a menu.

Claims

1. A method for compiling an authored DVD video program, the method comprising:

providing an abstraction layer between menu buttons, movie chapters and connections therebetween, and interconnected PGCs, their instructions and their allocation within a DVD video space and domain structure;

whereby an author of the DVD video program is able to author the DVD video program by referencing elements of the abstaction layer rather than by referencing the interconnected PGCs, their instructions and their allocation within the DVD video space and domain structure.

2. A system for compiling an authored multimedia presentation to form a DVD video program, the system comprising:

means for providing an abstraction layer on top of interconnected PGCs, their instructions and their allocation within a DVD video space and domain structure; and

means for compiling elements of the abstraction layer to generate DVD program code and content.

3. A system for compiling an authored multimedia presentation to form a DVD video program, the system comprising:

means for authoring DVD program content; and

means for interlinking content elements with one another using automatically generated dummy PGCs.

4. A method for compiling an authored multimedia presentation to form a DVD video program, the method comprising establishing an abstracted reference to program code referenced in a DVD program before an absolute reference to the program code is known.