Live broadcast interview conducted between studio booth and interviewer at remove location

• US 8,508,572 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Studio One Entertainment, Inc. (Aftermaster, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Studio One Entertainment, Inc. (Aftermaster, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryckman, Lawrence G., Soussan, Max N. D., Yankus, Sheldon G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US11/903,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,154 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.04, 348/207.1, 348/552, 348/571, 348/578, 348/584, 348/587, 348/722, 348/723, 352/1, 352/34, 352/35, 434/308, 434/309, 434/318, 463/1, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 725/86, 725/92, 725/93
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/361 Recording/reproducing of accompaniment for use with an external source, e.g. karaoke systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/021 Background music, e.g. for video sequences, elevator music musical accompaniment G10H2210/005
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method for providing a portal for an individual to access a web site for establishing personal relationships. The method includes the step of providing a portal booth to photograph the individual while the individual is in said booth to produce a photographic record of the individual, correlate selected demographic data about the individual with said photographic record, and transmit the photographic record and demographic data to the web site. The method also includes the step of correlating the photographic record and demographic data with an account for the individual at the web site such that other individuals can access the web site and the account to view at least said photographic record of said individual.

Claims

1. A method to record and transmit a performance, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a studio booth, the booth, including;

(i) an interior with a front wall, a rear wall, side walls extending between said front wall and rear wall, a floor, a ceiling, and a speaker system;

(ii) a high definition digital camera mounted at said front wall to generate video signals comprising at least one live in-booth performance;

(iii) an audio system including a booth microphone to detect and generate audio signals comprising an audio recording of said live in-booth performance;

(iv) a chroma key screen extending over at least a portion of said rear wall to produce background light that is, along with said live in-booth performance conducted in the booth, detected by said digital camera, digital camera;

(v) a computer system to generate backdrop signals representing a scenic backdrop;

(vi) a transmitter-receiver to send signals to a computer server at a location remote from said booth;

(vii) a flash encoder to receive said video signals, said audio signals, and said backdrop signals to generate performance signals comprising a recorded performance of said live in-booth performance, said recorded performance incorporating said video signals, said audio signals, and said backdrop signals, and transmit said performance signals to said transmitter-receiver; and

(viii) a system to minimize leakage by reducing pickup of sound produced by speakers in the studio booth by the booth microphone;

(b) providing a computer server remote from said booth;

(c) conducting said live in-booth performance;

(d) generating with said flash encoder said performance signals of said in-booth performance and transmitting said performance signals to said transmitter-receiver;

(e) transmitting with said transmitter-receiver said performance signals to said computer server for storage in said computer server; and

(f) substantially reducing or removing a subwoofer portion of the picked-up sound.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step providing the studio booth including the audio system to detect and generate audio signals comprising the audio recording of said live in-booth performance further comprising said system automatically adjusting vocal and music accompaniment portions to a selected dynamic range.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically adjusting a dynamic range of vocal and musical accompaniment portions of the audio signals to a selected dynamic range using an automatic dynamic range adjuster.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one full frequency sound in the speaker system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the anti-leakage system comprises a pair of high-mid range frequency speakers, and said method further comprises:

configuring one speaker of said pair of high-mid range frequency speakers to be out of phase with the other speaker of said pair of high-mid range frequency speakers.

6. A performance signal generating apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

(a) an enclosure including an interior having a front wall, and a speaker system, the speaker system including a subwoofer;

(b) a video camera mounted at said front wall and configured to generate video signals of a live performance in said interior of said enclosure;

(c) an audio system configured to detect and to generate audio signals of said live performance, said audio system including a microphone in said interior configured to pick up sound within said interior and an anti-leakage system configured to reduce sound generated by said speaker system and picked up by said microphone and said anti-leakage system comprising an equalizer configured to substantially reduce or remove the subwoofer portion of the picked up sound;

(d) a processing system configured to generate the performance signal using said video signals and said audio signals.

7. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said enclosure further includes a rear wall and said processing system further comprises:

a chroma key screen extending over at least a portion of said rear wall and configured to provide a background light that is, along with said live performance, detectable by said video camera along with said live performance to generate said video signals; and

a computer system configured to generate backdrop signals representing a scenic backdrop in place of at least a portion of said background light represented by said video signals.

8. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 7 wherein said processing system further comprises:

a transmitter-receiver configured to send signals to a computer server at a location remote from said enclosure; and

an encoder configured to receive said video signals, said audio signals, and said backdrop signals to generate the performance signal, said performance signal comprising a recorded performance of said live performance, and said encoder further configured to transmit said performance signal to said transmitter-receiver.

9. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said audio system further comprises an automatic dynamic range adjuster configured to adjust vocal and musical accompaniment portions to a selected dynamic range.

10. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said speaker system comprises at least one speaker configured to produce full-frequency sound.

11. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said equalizer is configured to remove between 50% and 80% of the subwoofer portion of the picked up sound.

12. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said equalizer is configured to remove between 50% and 90% of the subwoofer portion of the picked up sound.

13. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said anti-leakage system comprises a pair of high-mid range frequency speakers, and wherein one of said speaker of said pair of high-mid range frequency speakers is set out of phase with the other speaker of said pair of high-mid range frequency speakers.

14. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a media recorder configured to record and dispense a media recordation of said performance signal.

15. The performance signal generating apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a 3D projection unit configured to project a 3D projection.