Abstract: Computer-based methods for time-based media composition of programs that include secondary material. The methods involve searching for secondary media available from secondary material providers over a wide-area network, selecting secondary material, receiving metadata pertaining to the selected secondary material, inserting a representation of the selected secondary media into a media composition, playing back a sequence of the media composition that includes the secondary media, wherein playback of the secondary media involves playing an evaluation version of the secondary media streamed to a media composition system over the wide area network, and displaying metadata pertaining to the selected secondary material. The media composition system facilitates purchasing and transfer, and re-linking of the secondary media for inclusion within the media composition.

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: An editing system handles offspeed and full speed playback of long GOP compressed video information by having one decoder for full-speed or slower forward playback of long GOP compressed motion video information, and a second single-frame, stateless decoder for use for off-speed playback. When compressed data is read from a file, the compressed data for at least one complete group of pictures is read into a buffer, herein called a compressed data buffer. A data structure, herein called a frame ring, is constructed to describe each image in the compressed data buffer. The single-frame, stateless decoder receives decompression parameters in addition to the compressed data for each image from this buffer. If the compressed data is a B-frame or P-frame, then uncompressed data for any other images (i.e., reference frames) required by the decoder to decompress the frame also is input to the single-frame, stateless decoder.

Abstract: An image sequence captured at a first image rate is encoded as an encoded image sequence at a second image rate with information in the encoded image sequence indicative of images that are repeated when decoded. To assist in editing a video program using the encoded image sequence, the information in the encoded image sequence indicative of images that are repeated when decoded may be cleared. Further, image index information for the encoded image sequence may be generated. This image index information is used to map a temporal position of an image in a decoded image sequence to a position of corresponding data in the encoded image sequence. Temporal positions used with the image index information correspond to the first image rate.

Abstract: One or more digital audio systems, such as a digital audio workstation, and one or more digital video systems, such as a video server, are interconnected by a computer network. A communication protocol among the systems using the computer network enables the systems to play back in synchronization. The communication protocol defines several states for connections between systems. In particular, two systems may be disconnected, connected and unlinked or connected and linked. Each system transitions through defined state changes that are caused by a sequence of commands in the communication protocol, called a play start sequence, to initiate synchronized playback. The play start sequence can be initiated by any of the linked systems. The communication protocol includes a mechanism for distributing a running time clock from the digital audio system for synchronizing with the digital video system when the digital audio system and digital video system are not both synchronized by the same video reference signal.

Abstract: The problem of watermarking a sequence of images from a motion picture can be divided into two parts. The first part is embedding watermarks in the sequence of images. The second part is detecting embedded watermarks in a target sequence of images where the target sequence may have resulted from one or more attacks on an original sequence of images in which the watermarks were embedded. Motion pictures are watermarked by embedding information in different ways in different images. In general, the information to be embedded is used to define a plurality of watermark images. Each watermark image is an apparent pattern of noise in both signal and frequency domains, and is different from the other watermark images. Preferably, each watermark image is temporally uncorrelated with the other watermark images. Each watermark image is used to modify a corresponding image from the motion picture.

Abstract: If motion video data is stored in a scalable format, such as motion JPEG 2000, in computer files on disk drives, then access to only the lower bandwidth data requires skipping around within a data file to locate only the desired data for a specified progression dimension for each image. This skipping around causes seek and rotational latency to occur for each image, and increases 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.

Abstract: It is desirable to provide a bitstream format for compressed data that would allow multiple processors to access and decompress different parts of the data in parallel. Compressed images are usually defined in terms of macroblocks that have a width less than the image width and a height less than the image height. Thus, an image is divided several bands of multiple lines, and each band of multiple lines is divided into a macroblock. The set of macroblocks that define a band is called herein a macroblock rasterscan. The bit stream format includes, for each image, a picture header followed by image scan data. The image scan data includes data corresponding to a plurality of macroblock rasterscans. The data for each macroblock rasterscan includes data for a plurality of macroblocks for a band of lines in the image followed by padding. The padding ensures that data for each macroblock rasterscan terminates on a data boundary.

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: Systems and methods for editing a computer-base musical score include detecting a collision between objects placed in the score and automatically moving one of the colliding objects out of the way to eliminate the collision. Selection of the object to be moved is based on a comparison of the priority levels of the colliding objects. To enhance clarity and legibility of the score, objects are organized into groups of similar type objects. Groups are treated as a single object for the purposes of avoiding collisions. Certain object types are transformed, including scaled, rotated, or sheared, to avoid collisions.

Abstract: In a distributed or multi-user system, it is possible for a user to try to access a media file that is not optimal for the user's purposes. In other words, the best quality version of some source material might not be the most optimal version for all users. For example, some users might use less network bandwidth if they used lower resolution video data. User context information is used to limit which versions of a source may be provided to a user that requests the source. The system interprets the user context information to provide the best quality version of the source for the user's purposes. Example user context information may include a specified working resolution and/or a specified target resolution for the user. The context information may be specified for the user or may be specified for a group of users, location of the user or other characteristic related to the user, from which the user in turn inherits the context information.

Abstract: An image sequence captured at a first image rate is encoded as an encoded image sequence at a second image rate with information in the encoded image sequence indicative of images that are repeated when decoded. To assist in editing a video program using the encoded image sequence, the information in the encoded image sequence indicative of images that are repeated when decoded may be cleared. Further, image index information for the encoded image sequence may be generated. This image index information is used to map a temporal position of an image in a decoded image sequence to a position of corresponding data in the encoded image sequence. Temporal positions used with the image index information correspond to the first image rate.

Abstract: A scalable infrastructure indexes and tracks media data and metadata in a distributed, multi-user system. An indexer is associated with particular storage locations, such as a disk, or a directory on a disk, to maintain an index of media files or metadata stored in those storage locations. The indexer monitors activity on any storage location with which it is associated. Any additions, deletions or modifications to files in that storage location cause the indexer to update its index. This index then can be accessed by any of a number of applications in the same manner as conventional indexes. There may be different indexers for different storage locations. Separate indexers may be provided for media files and compositions that use those media files.

Abstract: A method of processing music data is disclosed. The method comprises storing score data providing a representation of a musical score and storing part data defining a musical part derived from the score, the part data including data specific to the part. The score data and part data together form an accessible data representation of the part. The method further comprises modifying or outputting the part by accessing the part representation. The method finds particular use in music notation software.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a representation of a color modification to be applied to segments on a digital nonlinear editing system, where each segment is a component of a media composition, and represents a section of a digital media. An indication of a modification to be applied to a color attribute of a segment is received, and the source from which the segment originates is identified. The indication of the color modification is then stored, and, as a result, the color modification is applied to other segments that originate from the identified source. Source color modification is applied to a section of a digital media on a digital nonlinear editing system. a media segment represents the section of a digital media. The segment is a component of a media composition, and originates from a source data structure. The source data structure also represents the section of the digital media. The section is received, and the first source data structure from which the segment originates is identified.

Abstract: A communication protocol over the serial bus allows a peripheral device to control the flow of data between a host computer and the peripheral device so as to maintain synchronization to a periodic reference signal. The protocol involves transferring flow control messages between the peripheral device and the host computer, allowing the peripheral device to control how and when the host computer sends the uncompressed audio and video data.

Abstract: Creation of a program with interactive content and time-based media would be improved by having several people working simultaneously on both the interactive content and the time-based media. The range of types of data that can be associated with the time-based media also can include a variety of types of content that enhance the time-based media, including data that is opaque to the editing system. To support editing of such programs, enhanced content may be edited into a program as either a clip or a locator, according to a user's selection. The components that represent enhanced content also may be edited in the same way as components that represent time-based media. Enhanced content may be represented by enhancement files that include data defining enhancements. An enhancement includes an identifier of the enhancement within the enhancement file, and a reference to a file defining enhanced content associated with the enhancement.

Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying musical sounds are provided. In one implementation, a method includes receiving a collection of sound identifiers. Each sound identifier in the collection identifies a sound. Each sound identifier is associated with a corresponding audio representation. The collection of sound identifiers is used to construct a hierarchy of sound identifiers where each sound identifier appears only once in the hierarchy of sound identifiers. The hierarchy of sound identifiers is arranged according to a musical similarity between the sounds identified by the collection of sound identifiers. A selection of a first sound identifier is received. The first audio representation corresponding to the first sound identified by the first sound identifier is unavailable. The second sound identifier identifies a second sound that is musically similar to the first sound identified by the first sound identifier.

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: It is desirable to provide a bitstream format for compressed data that would allow multiple processors to access and decompress different parts of the data in parallel. Compressed images are usually defined in terms of macroblocks that have a width less than the image width and a height less than the image height. Thus, an image is divided several bands of multiple lines, and each band of multiple lines is divided into a macroblock. The set of macroblocks that define a band is called herein a macroblock rasterscan. The bit stream format includes, for each image, a picture header followed by image scan data. The image scan data includes data corresponding to a plurality of macroblock rasterscans. The data for each macroblock rasterscan includes data for a plurality of macroblocks for a band of lines in the image followed by padding. The padding ensures that data for each macroblock rasterscan terminates on a data boundary.