Intelligent transfer of multimedia data files from an editing system to a playback device

• US 6,763,523 B1
• Filed: 04/03/1998
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Sacilotto, Roger P. Jr., Doehring, Martin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Son P.
• Application Number:
  US09/054,868
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• Field of Search: 345/723, 725/32, 725/36, 725/91, 725/114, 725/138, 707/206
• US Class Current: 725/91
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• 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: 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: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

A method and system is provided to avoid the duplicate storage and transfer of multimedia data in a playback device, thereby increasing system bandwidth and available playback memory. A multimedia composition describes an edited piece of audio and video multimedia data. The composition is created and transferred to a playback device. The composition is examined to determine whether the multimedia data referred to in the composition is already stored in the playback device. If the data is stored in the playback device, or in transit to the playback device, it is not transferred to the playback device.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data from first storage associated with an editing system to second storage associated with a playback system, comprising:

receiving a multimedia composition comprising a plurality of clips, wherein each clip references multimedia data stored in the first storage and specifies a range of video frames in the referenced multimedia data;

transferring the multimedia composition to the playback system;

determining whether the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by each clip of the multimedia composition is stored in the second storage associated with the playback system; and

transferring the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by each clip of the multimedia composition from the first storage to the second storage only if the specified range of video frames in the referenced multimedia data is not already in the second storage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if any of the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by the multimedia composition is in transit to the second storage, and

wherein the specified range of video frames is transferred only if the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is not in transit.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data that is in transit has been transferred to the second storage.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining how many multimedia compositions at the playback system refer to video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback system;

identifying video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback system to which no multimedia compositions at the playback system refer; and

deleting from the second storage the video frames in the multimedia data to which no multimedia compositions at the playback system refer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein deleting is performed only if the second storage stores more than a threshold amount of multimedia data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining includes maintaining a reference count that corresponds to a number of times a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data stored at the second storage is referred to by multimedia compositions at the playback system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining further includes:

incrementing the reference count for specified range of video frames in the multimedia data if a multimedia composition that references the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is transferred to the playback system; and

decrementing the reference count for a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data if a multimedia composition that references the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is deleted from the playback system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises:

sending a query to the playback system querying whether the specified range of video frames is stored in the second storage; and

receiving a reply from the playback system indicating whether the specified range of video frames is stored in the second storage.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing from the second storage video frames that are not referenced by at least one clip of a multimedia composition at the playback system.

4. A system comprising:

at least one workstation to create a multimedia composition comprising a plurality of clips, wherein each clip references multimedia data stored in the at least one workstation and specifies a range of video frames in the referenced multimedia data;

a playback device coupled to the at least one workstation to store and play multimedia compositions created by the at least one workstation using multimedia data stored in the playback device; and

a transfer tool to transfer the multimedia composition and the multimedia data referenced by each clip of the multimedia composition from said at least one workstation to said playback device, wherein the transfer tool is adapted to only transfer the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by each clip of the multimedia composition if the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by the clip is not already stored in the playback device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the transfer tool is further adapted to only transfer the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by the multimedia composition that also is not in transit from the workstation to the playback device.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the transfer tool further comprises means for determining whether the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data that is in transit has been transferred to the second storage.

11. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

means for determining how many multimedia compositions at the playback device refer to video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback device;

means for identifying video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback device to which no multimedia compositions at the playback device refer; and

means for deleting from the playback device the video frames in the multimedia data to which no multimedia compositions at the playback device refer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for deleting deletes multimedia data only if the playback device stores more than a threshold amount of multimedia data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining includes means for maintaining a reference count that corresponds to a number of times a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback device is referred to by multimedia compositions at the playback device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for determining further includes:

means for incrementing the reference count for a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data if a multimedia composition that references the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is transferred to the playback device, and

means for decrementing the reference count for a portion specified range of video frames in the multimedia data if a multimedia composition that references the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is deleted from the playback device.

17. The system of claim 4, wherein the transfer tool comprises:

means for sending a query to the playback device querying whether the specified range of video frames is stored in the second storage; and

means for receiving a reply from the playback system indicating whether the specified range of video frames is stored in the second storage.

18. The system of claim 4, wherein the playback device removes from the second storage video frames that are not referenced by at least one clip of a multimedia composition at the playback device.

19. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium;

computer program instructions stored on the computer readable medium that, when processed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method for transferring data from first storage associated with an editing system to second storage associated with a playback system, comprising;

receiving a multimedia composition comprising a plurality of clips, wherein each clip references multimedia data stored in the first storage and specifies a range of video frames in the referenced multimedia data;

transferring the multimedia composition to the playback system;

determining whether the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by each clip of the multimedia composition is stored in the second storage associated with the playback system; and

transferring the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by each clip of the multimedia composition from the first storage to the second storage only if the specified range of video frames in the referenced multimedia data is not already in the second storage.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

determining if any of the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data referenced by the multimedia composition is in transit to the second storage, and

wherein the specified range of video frames is transferred only if the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is not in transit.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises determining whether the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data that is in transit has been transferred to the second storage.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

determining how many multimedia compositions at the playback system refer to video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback system;

identifying video frames in the multimedia data stored at the playback system to which no multimedia compositions at the playback system refer; and

deleting from the second storage the video frames in the multimedia data to which no multimedia compositions at the playback system refer.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein deleting is performed only if the second storage stores more than a threshold amount of multimedia data.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein determining includes maintaining a reference count that corresponds to a number of times a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data stored at the second storage is referred to by multimedia compositions at the playback system.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein determining further includes:

incrementing the reference count for a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data if a multimedia composition that references the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is transferred to the playback system; and

decrementing the reference count for a specified range of video frames in the multimedia data if a multimedia composition that references the specified range of video frames in the multimedia data is deleted from the playback system.