Authoring system for combining temporal and nontemporal digital media

• US 7,725,812 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Balkus, Peter A., Purcell, Thomas C., McElhoe, Glenn, Crofton, T. Winton
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn; Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US09/539,749
• Time in Patent Office: 3,707 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/517, 715/526, 715/200, 715/201, 715/202, 715/203, 715/204, 715/243, 715/255, 715/273, 715/234, 715/246, 345/716, 345/719, 345/720, 345/723, 345/724, 345/726, 345/704
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 21/854 Content authoring

Abstract

An authoring tool has a graphical user interface enabling interactive authoring of a multimedia presentation including temporal and nontemporal media. The graphical user interface enables specification of the temporal and spatial relationships among the media and playback of the presentation with the specified temporal and spatial relationships. The spatial and temporal relationships among the media may be changed independently of each other. The presentation may be viewed interactively under the control of the author during the authoring process without encoding the audio and video data into a streaming media data file for combination with the other media, simulating behavior of a browser that would receive a streaming media data file. The multimedia presentation may include elements that initiate playback of the presentation from a specified point in time. After authoring of the presentation is completed, the authoring tool assists in encoding and transferring the presentation for distribution. Information about the distribution format and location may be stored as user-defined profiles. Communication with the distribution location may be tested and presentation and the distribution information may be audited prior to encoding and transfer to reduce errors. A presentation is encoded according to the defined temporal and spatial relationships and the distribution format and location information to produce and encoded presentation. The encoded presentation and any supporting media data are transferred to the distribution location, such as a server. A streaming media server may be used for streaming media, whereas other data may be stored on a conventional data server. Accounts may be provided for a streaming media server for authors to publish their presentations. The authoring tool may be associated with a service that uses the streaming media server. Such streaming media servers also may be a source of stock footage for use by authors.

Claims

1. A computer implemented authoring system for authoring a presentation of temporal media and nontemporal media, comprising:

a graphical user interface for enabling a user to interactively author the presentation using a timeline comprising one or more tracks for temporal media and nontemporal media;

data defining a spatial relationship among the temporal and nontemporal media in a display area, wherein the data indicates, for each track of the temporal media and for the nontemporal media a portion of the display area in which media from the track will be displayed and a portion of the display area in which the nontemporal media will be displayed;

wherein the graphical user interface also enables the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship by presenting to the user, for each portion of the display area, the tracks available for the portion of the display area, and receiving from the user an indication of a track selected by the user for each portion of the display area; and

a viewer having access to the timeline and the data defining the spatial relationship, and having an output providing display information for displaying the temporal media and the nontemporal media combined according to the timeline and the spatial relationship, for each of one or more specified times along the timeline.

2. The authoring system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship includes a plurality of menus, including a menu for each portion of the display area, wherein each menu lists available tracks for selection for association with the corresponding portion of the display area.

3. The authoring system of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a view of the display area indicating a position of each of the portions of the display area.

4. A computer implemented system for authoring a presentation of temporal media and nontemporal media, comprising:

a timeline comprising one or more tracks enabling a user to specify a sequence of temporal media and enabling a user to specify nontemporal media in a temporal relationship with the temporal media;

data defining a spatial relationship among the temporal and nontemporal media in a display area, wherein the data indicates, for each track and for the nontemporal media, a portion of the display area in which temporal media from the track will be displayed and a portion of the display area in which the nontemporal media will be displayed;

an interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship by presenting to the user, for each portion of the display area, the tracks available for the portion of the display area, and receiving from the user an indication of a track selected by the user for each portion of the display area; and

an output through which the temporal media are presented, and in which at least the nontemporal media are presented with the defined spatial relationship with the temporal media and with a temporal relationship with the temporal media as specified by the timeline, for each of one or more specified times along the timeline.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a time bar associated with the timeline and manipulable by a user to specify the one or more specified times.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship includes a plurality of menus, including a menu for each portion of the display areas wherein each menu lists available tracks for selection for association with the corresponding portion of the display area.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the interface further includes a view of the display area indicating a position of each of the portions of the display area.

8. A computer implemented system for authoring a presentation of temporal media and nontemporal media, comprising:

a timeline comprising one or more tracks enabling a user to specify a sequence of temporal media and enabling a user to specify nontemporal media in a temporal relationship with the temporal media;

data defining a spatial relationship among the temporal media and the nontemporal media in a display area including an indication for each track in the timeline and for the nontemporal media a portion of the display area in which temporal media from the track will be displayed and a portion of the display area in which nontemporal media will be displayed;

an interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship by wherein the graphical user interface also enables the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship by presenting to the user, for each portion of the display area, the tracks available for the portion of the display area, and receiving from the user an indication of a track selected by the user for each portion of the display area; and

one or more outputs through which the temporal media are presented, and in which at least the nontemporal media are presented in the specified spatial relationship with the temporal media and with the temporal relationship with the temporal media as specified by the timeline, for each of one or more specified times along the timeline.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a time bar associated with the timeline and manipulable by a user to specify the one or more specified times.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship includes a plurality of menus, including a menu for each portion of the display area) wherein each menu lists available tracks for selection for association with the corresponding portion of the display area.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the interface further includes a view of the display area indicating a position of each of the portions of the display area.

12. 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 implement a user interface for a system for authoring a presentation of temporal media and nontemporal media, wherein the user interface comprises;

a timeline comprising one or more tracks enabling a user to specify a sequence of temporal media and enabling a user to specify nontemporal media in a temporal relationship with the temporal media;

a display area through which a visual portion of the presentation is displayed;

data defining a spatial relationship among the temporal media and the nontemporal media in the display area, including an indication, for each track in the timeline for which media data is displayed in the display area, of a portion of the display area in which temporal media from the track will be displayed and a portion of the display area in which nontemporal media will be displayed;

an interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship by wherein the graphical user interface also enables the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship by presenting to the user, for each portion of the display area, the tracks available for the portion of the display area, and receiving from the user an indication of a track selected by the user for each portion of the display area; and

whereby the nontemporal media are presented in the specified spatial relationship with the temporal media and in the specified temporal relationship with the temporal media as specified by the timeline.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the user interface further comprises a time bar associated with the timeline and manipulable by the user to specify one or more times in the presentation, and wherein a portion of the presentation is presented according to the one or more specified times in the presentation.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the spatial relationship among temporal media and nontemporal media is defined by a layout specification in which the display area is divided into a plurality of frames and each frame is assigned to one of nontemporal media and one of the tracks of the timeline.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the layout specification is further defined by a document in a markup language that defines a set of frames in a display area, and wherein a definition of each frame in the set of frames includes an indication of a track of the timeline or nontemporal media to which the frame is assigned.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the document in the markup language further includes additional nontemporal media that is displayed as part of the presentation.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the interface enabling the user to modify the data defining the spatial relationship includes a plurality of menus, including a menu for each portion of the display area, wherein each menu lists available tracks for selection for association with the corresponding portion of the display area.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the interface further includes a view of the display area indicating a position of each of the portions of the display area.