Generation of video

• US 8,405,662 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ITI Scotland Limited (Scottish Government)
• Original Assignee: ITI Scotland Limited (Scottish Government)
• Inventors: Russell, George, Richards, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTTRAM, ALAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/333,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20090147010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 345473-475, 386/290, 715723-726, 715/972
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence

Abstract

An apparatus and a method are provided for generating video data derived from the execution of a computer program. In a first mode, the apparatus is operable to (a) execute a computer program comprising one or more components executed in a sequence of execution frames, each execution frame having a given state; and (b) record video data comprising a sequence of video data frames corresponding to the sequence of execution frames. In a second mode, the apparatus is operable to (c) process video data which have been recorded during the previous execution of the program, to allow a visualization of the execution of that program; and (d) allow a user, at any frame of the sequence of video data frames, to change the mode to the first mode and to obtain from the video data the state of the corresponding execution frame of the program.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating video data derived from the execution of a computer program, the apparatus having first and second modes of operation;

wherein, in the first mode of operation, the apparatus is operable to execute a computer program comprising a plurality of components, wherein the execution of each component is conducted in a sequence of execution frames, the apparatus being further operable in said first mode of operation to record video data comprising a sequence of video data frames corresponding to the sequence of execution frames; and

wherein, in the second mode of operation, the apparatus is operable to process video data which have been recorded during the previous execution of a computer program, in order to allow a user to obtain a visualization of the execution of that computer program, and wherein, in the second mode of operation, the apparatus is further operable to allow a user, at any frame of said sequence of video data frames, to change the mode of operation of the apparatus to the first mode of operation and to obtain, from said video data, the state of the corresponding execution frame of the computer program, the apparatus further comprising;

means operable to allow a user to modify said video data by a step selected from the group consisting of at least one of adding an item to the frame, deleting an item from the frame, and changing the state of one or more items comprised in the frame, such that, in the first mode of execution, the apparatus is then operable to execute the computer program starting from the modified frame using the modified data, and to record video data resulting from the execution of the computer program.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video data comprise re-execution data.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video data comprise information about the initial state of the program components at the start of the execution sequence, together with a stored time line of interactions communications which took place during the execution sequence between program components.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises execution environment generation means configured to generate a deterministic execution environment for conducting the execution of said computer program.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises an execution environment generation means configured to generate an execution environment operable such that the execution of the components of the computer program is carried out in a plurality of sequential frames of execution, wherein the execution environment is further operable to:

i) allow communication between one of said components and another of said components in different frames of execution; and

ii) prevent communication between one of said components and another of said components in the same frame of execution.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the execution environment is operable to only allow communication between components in adjacent frames of execution.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said communication between components includes at least one of sending a message to another component and reading data from another component.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said communication between components includes communications that are processed by said execution environment in a pre-determined order.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one component is an object.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the execution is conducted in an execution environment which is distributed over multiple machines.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the execution is conducted in an execution environment which is distributed over a plurality of parallel processors.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises an execution environment operable such that the execution of at least one component of a computer program is carried out in a plurality of sequential frames of execution, the execution environment being further operable to process communications between components of the computer program in a predetermined order.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program which, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform as an apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A method for generating video data derived from the execution of a computer program, the method comprising:

i) executing one or more components of a computer program in an execution environment operable such that the execution of each component is conducted in a sequence of execution frames;

ii) during said execution, recording video data corresponding to said sequence of execution frames, wherein said video data are sufficient to allow the state of any frame of execution to be recreated;

iii) obtaining a desired sequence of re-execution frames from said video data;

iv) executing the sequence of re-execution frames obtained in step iii) in said execution environment;

v) pausing the execution of said sequence of re-execution frames at a given frame to obtain a candidate frame;

vi) modifying the state of said candidate frame by a step selected from the group consisting of at least one of adding an item to the frame, deleting an item from the frame, and changing the state of one or more items comprised in the frame, to obtain a modified sequence of re-execution frames; and

vii) executing the computer program using data of the modified sequence of re-execution frames and recording video data resulting from the execution of the computer program.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of obtaining a visualization of the changing state of said sequence of execution frames.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the execution environment is further operable to:

i) allow communication between one of said components and another of said components in different execution frames; and

ii) prevent communication between one of said components and another of said components in the same execution frame.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program which, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as claimed in claim 14.

18. A method for generating video data derived from the execution of a computer program, the method comprising:

i) obtaining a desired sequence of re-execution frames from video data recorded during the previous execution of a computer program comprising one or more components;

ii) executing said sequence of re-execution frames in an execution environment operable such that the execution of each component is conducted in a sequence of execution frames;

iii) pausing the execution of said sequence of re-execution frames at a given frame to obtain a candidate frame having a given state;

iv) modifying the state of said candidate frame by a step selected from the group consisting of at least one of adding an item to the frame, deleting an item from the frame, and changing the state of one or more items comprised in the frame, to obtain a modified sequence of re-execution frames; and

v) executing the computer program using data of the modified sequence of re-execution frames and recording video data resulting from the execution of the computer program.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the step of obtaining a visualization of the changing state of said sequence of re-execution frames.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the execution environment is further operable to:

i) allow communication between one of said components and another of said components in different re-execution frames; and

ii) prevent communication between one of said components and another of said components in the same re-execution frame.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program which, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as claimed in claim 18.

22. An apparatus for generating video data derived from the execution of a computer program, the apparatus comprising:

i) an execution environment generation module configured to generate an execution environment operable to execute one or more components of a computer program such that the execution of each component is conducted in a sequence of execution frames;

ii) a recording device operable to record video data corresponding to a sequence of execution frames being executed by said execution environment, wherein said video data are sufficient to allow the state of any frame of execution to be recreated, and wherein said apparatus is operable to obtain a desired sequence of re-execution frames from said video data, said sequence of re-execution frames being for execution in said execution environment; and

iii) a frame state modifier operable, following an interruption of the execution of a sequence of re-execution frames by said execution environment, to allow modification of the state of a candidate re-execution frame by a step selected from the group consisting of at least one of adding an item to the frame, deleting an item from the frame, and changing the state of one or more items comprised in the frame, to obtain a modified sequence of re-execution frames for execution by said execution environment.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the execution environment generation module is configured to generate an execution environment operable such that the execution of the components of the computer program is carried out in a plurality of sequential frames of execution, wherein the execution environment is further operable to:

i) allow communication between one of said components and another of said components in different frames of execution; and

ii) prevent communication between one of said components and another of said components in the same frame of execution.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program which, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform as an apparatus as claimed in either of claim 22 or 23.