Abstract: Video editing methods and systems enable an editor to edit a video project for which source media assets are located at a media storage server located remotely from the editor with substantially the same fidelity and editing feature set that would be available if the source media assets and editor were co-located. A video editing client used by the editor maintains a persistent cache of proxy media with the layers of the video project stored independently, facilitating editing with combinations locally originated assets and remote assets. The client requests frames not already cached from the remote server via a low bandwidth network. Unless a frame is purged from the cache, no frame is requested from the server more than once. A multi-level priority prefetching scheme, including sequence-based prefetching, populates the cache with frames likely to be requested during editing.

Abstract: When collaborators working on a media composition project share portions of a composition that involve the use of plug-ins, the collaborator receiving the shared portion requires a local copy of the plug-ins in order to play or edit the shared portion. If a plug-in is missing, the receiving system automatically notifies the receiving collaborator of the missing plug-in, and enables the receiver to purchase or rent it from a marketplace made available within the receiver's media composition application, and to download, install, load, and run the missing application without restarting the composition application. The same process may be used when a plug-in on the receiving system needs to be updated before it is able to process the shared portion. This streamlines collaboration in distributed media composition workflows.

Abstract: Social media messages associated with a news story item are scheduled to be published at a time relative to an expected air time of the news story in a news rundown. When the time to air of the news story item is changed, the time for publishing the social media message is changed automatically according to the updated news rundown, maintaining the relative timing. This helps news organizations manage the timing of social media messages that are related to broadcast stories, without the need to monitor a changing rundown. When social media messages published in advance of a news item broadcast engender high interest, newsroom producers may react by promoting the news item within the rundown and publishing additional teaser messages. Conversely, low reaction levels may lead to the demotion of a story, or even its elimination from the rundown.

Abstract: Multiple applications request data from multiple storage units over a computer network. The data is divided into segments and each segment is distributed randomly on one of several storage units, independent of the storage units on which other segments of the media data are stored. At least one additional copy of each segment also is distributed randomly over the storage units, such that each segment is stored on at least two storage units. This random distribution of multiple copies of segments of data improves both scalability and reliability. When an application requests a selected segment of data, the request is processed by the storage unit with the shortest queue of requests. Random fluctuations in the load applied by multiple applications on multiple storage units are balanced nearly equally over all of the storage units.

Abstract: During the production of a time-based media project, it is often desirable for editors to work with media files or reels of a given size, both in terms of the temporal duration of media represented in each file and the number of tracks in a file. During the course of editing, files may become longer, or incorporate additional tracks, making them cumbersome to handle. A super-file view that displays multiple files simultaneously provides a framework for an editor to rebalance files during the course of media production. A graphical user interface permits users to adjust the content of the various files, including moving tracks among multiple files that comprise a given reel, as well as media between files belonging to different reels.

Abstract: Pixel-based and region-based methods, computer program products, and systems for detecting, flagging, highlighting on a display, and automatically fixing edge violations in stereoscopic images and video. The highlighting and display methods involve signed, clamped subtraction of one image of a stereo image pair from the other image, with the subtraction preferably isolated to a region of interest near the lateral edges. Various embodiments include limiting the detection, flagging, and highlighting of edge violations to objects causing a degree of perceptual discomfort greater than a user-set or preset threshold, or to objects having a certain size and/or proximity and/or degree of cut-off by a lateral edge of the left or right eye images of a stereo image pair. Methods of removing violations include automatic or semi-automatic cropping of the offending object, and depth shifting of the offending object onto the screen plane.

Abstract: A transmission medium and protocol is provided for bi-directional communication between an audio system and a peripheral device. The transmission medium includes a communication medium for communicating data and a communication medium for communicating a clock signal that corresponds to a transmission rate of bits on the other communication media. By transmitting the clock signal on a separate communication medium from the data, clock recovery is avoided. There may be multiple clock domains. By having multiple clock domains, multiple sample rates can be supported. Synchronization information is embedded in the signal by using run length limiting markers between the data for each channel and a synchronization word having more consecutive zero bits than the number of bits for each channel. One or more channels may be dedicated to providing control and status information.

Abstract: Accessing only the lower bandwidth data in video data stored in a scalable format requires skipping around within a data file to locate the desired data for a specified progression dimension for each image. This causes seek and rotational latency to occur for each image, increasing access time per image and lowering the available bandwidth for reading motion video from the storage system. Such increases in access time significantly degrade performance of local and shared storage systems, particularly for video editing and other video playback systems used in production, post-production and broadcast operations. To improve the performance of such systems, motion video data stored in a scalable format is processed so as to copy the lower bandwidth data into a separate file. These separate files can be accessed by video editing systems, media management systems and other devices or computer programs that use the lower bandwidth data.

Abstract: A compositional tool classifies and indexes loops in a library of audio loops by generating a time-stamped series of the durations of the percussive events that comprise each loop. The duration of a percussive event is based on spectral masking, in which a subsequent event having a spectral similarity to a prior event terminates the prior event. A composer queries the library with a query loop, and the system returns loops ranked according to the distance of their rhythmic signatures from that of the query loop, the distance determination being based on dynamic time warp analysis. Rhythmic signatures may also be used to classify and index video sequences.

Abstract: A distributed self-scaling network audio processing system includes end nodes interconnected by packet-switched network and operating as peers on the network. Each of the end nodes supports local input processing, mixing, and output processing. The input processing includes the option of dual input channels for supporting separate front-of-house and monitor workflows. End nodes are added to the system to support specific audio processing applications, based on the number of audio sources, the number of output mixes required, and the number of locations from which users choose to interact with the system.

Abstract: Multiple applications request data from multiple storage units over a computer network. The data is divided into segments and each segment is distributed randomly on one of several storage units, independent of the storage units on which other segments of the media data are stored. At least one additional copy of each segment also is distributed randomly over the storage units, such that each segment is stored on at least two storage units. This random distribution of multiple copies of segments of data improves both scalability and reliability. When an application requests a selected segment of data, the request is processed by the storage unit with the shortest queue of requests. Random fluctuations in the load applied by multiple applications on multiple storage units are balanced nearly equally over all of the storage units.

Abstract: A portable development and execution framework for processing media objects. The framework involves: accepting an instruction to perform a media processing function; accepting a media object to be associated with the media processing function; wrapping the media object with an attribute that specifies a type and format of the media object, and a hardware domain associated with the media object; and causing an execution domain to perform the media processing function on the media object. The instruction to perform the media processing function is expressed in a form that is independent of the hardware domain associated with the media object, and may also be independent of the type and format of the media object. The media object may be an image, and the media processing function may include an image processing function performed on a GPU.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating computationally complex audio effects with low latency involve partitioning computation required to produce the effect into two components: a first component to be executed on a low latency signal network; and the second component to be executed simultaneously with the first component on a high latency signal network. For certain effects for which computation is separable into high and low latency functions, such dual signal network execution results in an overall signal latency of the low latency signal network and an overall efficiency of the high latency signal network. The low and high latency signal networks may be implemented on a DSP and a general purpose microprocessor respectively or both networks may be implemented on a single CPU. Simultaneous dual network implementation is especially beneficial in professional audio performance and recording environments.

Abstract: Synchronous playback of time-based media received from one or more locations remote from a primary editing/mixing studio is achieved by time-stamping media samples with a local presentation time before streaming them to the primary studio. At the primary studio, samples having the same presentation timestamp are played back at the same time, independently of the samples' arrival time at the playback system. Media stored locally to the playback system may also be included as part of the synchronous playback using locally computed presentation times. In order to accommodate media streaming transmission delays, the playback system negotiates a suitable delay with the remote systems such that samples corresponding to a given presentation time are received at the playback system from remote locations prior to playback of media corresponding to the given presentation time.

Abstract: A transcript editor enables text-based editing of time-based media that includes spoken dialog. It involves an augmented transcript that includes timing metadata that associates words and phrases within the transcript with corresponding temporal locations within the time-based media where the text is spoken, and editing the augmented transcript without the need for playback of the time-based media. After editing, the augmented transcript is processed by a media editing system to automatically generate an edited version of the time-based media that only includes the segments of the time-based media that include the speech corresponding to the edited augmented transcript.

Abstract: A system for transferring metadata between an audio mixing console and a digital audio workstation connected by an audio link and a computer network. The audio mixing console and the digital audio system implement an Ethernet-based communication protocol for sending messages between them over the network connection, the messages including metadata specifying a plurality of settings on the audio mixing console corresponding to audio information received by the audio mixing console during a live performance. The audio information is sent to the digital audio system over the high bandwidth connection. The high bandwidth connection can also be used to transfer the metadata. The transfer of metadata between the console and the digital audio workstation facilitates new digital audio archiving, virtual live mixing, and virtual soundcheck workflows.

Abstract: A unique material identifier (UMID) for a media file that was not provided with a UMID at its point of origination is generated by using the content of the file, and is independent of the time of file import or accessing. For a given item of media material, the UMID remains unchanged and uniquely identifies the item when such a file is imported or accessed multiple times. The UMID may be generated by hashing together selected portions of the metadata and essence of the media file. The amount of metadata and essence sampled is chosen to provide a high degree of assurance that the UMID will be unique, but is kept small enough so as to avoid causing a perceptible lag when the UMID is generated. In various embodiments the UMID is based purely on one or more selected portions of the media file essence.

Abstract: Video editing methods and systems enable an editor to edit a video project for which source media assets are located at a media storage server located remotely from the editor with substantially the same fidelity and editing feature set that would be available if the source media assets and editor were co-located. A video editing client used by the editor maintains a persistent cache of proxy media with the layers of the video project stored independently, facilitating editing with combinations locally originated assets and remote assets. The client requests frames not already cached from the remote server via a low bandwidth network. Unless a frame is purged from the cache, no frame is requested from the server more than once. A multi-level priority prefetching scheme, including sequence-based prefetching, populates the cache with frames likely to be requested during editing.

Abstract: Methods and systems for populating a cache memory that services a media composition system. Caching priorities are based on a state of the media composition system, such as media currently within a media composition timeline, a composition playback location, media playback history, and temporal location within clips that are included in the composition. Caching may also be informed by descriptive metadata and media search results within a media composition client or a within a media asset management system accessed by the client. Additional caching priorities may be based on a project workflow phase or a client project schedule. Media may be partially written to or read from cache in order to meet media request deadlines. Caches may be local to a media composition system or remote, and may be fixed or portable.

Abstract: A user-configurable modular audio control surface comprises master modules for controlling global surface properties and channel modules for controlling one or more individual audio channels. The modules are disposed in a two-dimensional spatial arrangement such that any module can occupy a location within the control surface not occupied by another module. The modules are connected to each other and to external platforms hosting media applications and plug-ins via a network. Control surface users can interact with external applications via remote graphical user interfaces displayed on modules within the surface, and can automate multiple external applications using an automation system built into the surface. Automation line graphs and metadata for both internal and external applications are displayed over the corresponding waveform displays that can include audio ahead of a current playback location.