Abstract: A method for recording data to optical media is provided. Embodiments include receiving a selection of data files to record from a source to a destination optical media, and generating an enumeration of the data files. The enumeration identifies each source file by a source file path node. A location on the destination optical media to record each source file is identified by destination file path node for each data file. Only one occurrence of any source file in the enumeration of data files will be recorded to the destination optical media, and a data tree of files on the destination optical media includes multiple pointers to the same data file.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for the recording of data to an optical media are provided. In one example, a method includes the selection of data to be recorded by a client application. After interface with an image mastering application programming interface, the selection of an optical media format, and the selection of an optical media recording device, the selected data is sent to a stash file. A task list of operations to be performed in the recording of the selected data is created, and the data is recorded by executing the task list from Kernel Mode of an operating system. In another example, an image mastering application programming interface is provided. The image mastering application programming interface is a collection of COM objects including a disk master, a stash file, a disk recorder, and a burn engine. In another example, a computer readable media having program instructions for the recording of data to an optical media is provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in the utilization of an authoring file, readable by a DVD-Video authoring program, that defines the playback structure of the DVD-Video material residing in a given disc's “DVD-Video zone” (VIDEO_TS directory) and also defines the location of the assets that make up the disc's DVD-Video “presentation data.” Specifically, the invention presents a method of optimizing the efficiency with which a DVD-Video title stored on a rewritable disc (e.g. DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, or CD-RW) that has been revised in a compatible software application may be written back to that same disc. The method determines the minimum amount of file rewriting required to effect the desired revisions to the project, in particular avoiding the rewriting of large VOB files.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in the generation of an authoring file, readable by an authoring program of a DVD-Video or other interaction video media, that defines the playback structure of the content residing in a given disc's “authored content zone” and also defines the location of the assets that make up the disc's “presentation data.” The improvements allow generation of an authoring file that references assets that are within the authored content zone of the medium. This allows the authoring “project” from which the final DVD-Video disc image was created to be reopened in a compatible authoring program—and to be modified by such a program—without reference to any of the original source materials.

Abstract: Techniques of making a recording of or transmitting a sound field from either multiple monaural or directional sound signals that reproduce through multiple discrete loud speakers a sound field with spatial harmonics that substantially exactly match those of the original sound field. Monaural sound sources are positioned during mastering to use contributions of all speaker channels in order to preserve the spatial harmonics. If a particular arrangement of speakers is different than what is assumed during mastering, the speaker signals are rematrixed at the home, theater or other sound reproduction location so that the spatial harmonics of the sound field reproduced by the different speaker arrangement match those of the original sound field. An alternative includes recording or transmitting directional microphone signals, or their spatial harmonic components, and then matrixing these signals at the sound reproduction location in a manner that takes into account the specific speaker arrangement.

Abstract: A distributed file system with dedicated nodes capable of being connected to workstations at their bus. The system uses a complementary client-side and server-side file caching method that increases parallelism by issuing multiple server requests to keep the hardware devices busy simultaneously. Most of the node memory is used for file caching and input/output (I/O) device buffering using dynamic memory organization, reservation and allocation methods for competing memory-intensive activities.

Abstract: A profile of information flow rate of a source data stream having inherently variable information flow rate may be developed and conformed to a constrained target profile of output bit rate as would be generated by a variable compression ratio encoding scheme to be applied to the source data stream. The target profile may be constrained as to minimum output bit rate, maximum output bit rate, and average output bit rate. The resulting conforming profile identifies an encoding plan for the source data stream. One application is preparation of video material for storage on a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) where total bit storage capacity is limited, the source data stream is an uncompressed video data stream, and the target encoding scheme is MPEG-2 data compression.

Abstract: A system particularly adapted for cleaning ink residue from cells forming part of an outer surface of a ceramic inking roll of a printing press roller assembly includes an ultrasonic tank unit. Seated on an top open end of the tank unit is a drive mechanism comprising a set of spaced apart wheels operatively connected to a motor by a belt. As fitted over the wheels, the belt engages one end of a shaft of the ink roller assembly. An opposite end of the shaft then is held by a set of wheels of an idle mechanism also seated on the tank unit top end. For use the tank unit is filled with a cleaning solution so that about a bottom one-third of the roll outer surface submerges in the solution, and the shaft and any included bearings or gears on the shaft remain free from contact with the solution. As the motor drives the belt to slowly turn the roll through the cleaning solution, sonic energy from a generator in the tank unit forces solution into the roll cells to incrementally scrub out the imbedded ink residue.