Abstract: A method and apparatus for simplifying the steps needed to produce a graphical cue to words being displayed as they are to be sung by a performer such as in Karaoke. The production of a CD-Graphics (CD-G) product containing compact disc ("CD") audio accompanied with a visual presentation of the lyrics is facilitated. In the end CD-G product, the lyrics are displayed on a CRT as white letters against a chroma keyed background (usually blue). An operator is able to precisely control the appearance of the lyrics of the display and the filling of the displayed lyrics in time with the music. The color of the fill can be specified e.g., to distinguish male solo or female solo or combination. The operator may also create display titles and other stylized graphical images for display during interludes where there is music and no lyrics. The operator may also specify the way in which graphical elements are put on the screen e.g., painted from left to right, right to left, spiral out from the center, etc.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ensuring that MIDI data stored in the subcode channel area of a compact disc is synchronized with the main channel audio of the compact disc. Synchronization problems have been created when transferring audio on a tape from an audio studio to a PCM 1630 tape which is to be used as a compact disc master resulting in a squashing or stretching of the audio data with respect to the MIDI data. One reason this can occur is because F-1 tape records and plays back at 29.97 frames per second while PCM 1630 tape records and plays back at 30 frames per second. The result is that even if the MIDI data and main channel audio data begin in sync, they lose sync during transfers and may drift apart linearly over time as well as be offset with respect to each other. The present invention corrects such synchronization problems by playback simulation, MIDI data/Main channel audio sync measurement and MIDI data adjustment.

Abstract: A system and method for use as an authoring system for the development of CD-ROM products containing interleaved digitized audio and graphic images and other information which may be read and displayed or played under control of a computer. The graphic images and other computer information are stored in a file on the CD-ROM such that when the CD-ROM is accessed by a user, the graphic images and other computer information are displayed and made available to the user synchronously with the playing of the audio information. Combinations of several streams of audio and graphic/computer information can be interleaved into the same file. The system enables an editor to combine various audio files in synchronization with multiple graphic images into a single file which can then be stored on a CD-ROM. Other computer information can also be interleaved with the graphics and audio to allow for control over the playback at runtime.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sending digital audio data and/or digital graphics within available bandwidth used to carry television signals into end-user homes and offices, such as, additional bandwidth which will become available as optical fiber replaces cable currently in use to carry cable television programming. The invention also makes it possible for digital audio and graphics, including computer generated data such as output from a word processing, paint or real time file builder program, to be sent over any regular television channel on any cable system. The system could even be used on a television signal broadcast at a normal broadcast frequency if the signal received in the home is of high enough quality.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a single CD-ROM disc useable on computers having unrelated operating systems or for multi-media platforms, specifically, wherein the two different operating systems are Hierarchical File System (HFS) used by Macintosh computers and MS-DOS which is the operating system used by IBM and compatible personal computers. The resulting compact disc is in ISO 9660 format which is a standard of the International Standards Organization which describes a logical format for organizing data on a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM). In this manner, it is possible to, for example, store two versions of a program on the same CD-ROM, one for execution on Macintosh computers and the other for execution on IBM PC and compatible computers. Thus, data which is to be stored on an ISO 9660 formatted disc can be sent from the producer or supplier of the data to a compact disc presser on a single magnetic medium such as a Bernoulli removable cartridge disk under a single operating system partition.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for encoding data in a text format such as ASCII or EBCDIC on a laser disc or compact disc without affecting the digitized sound by utilizing what is known as the subcode channel of the laser disc or compact disc. By storing text data in the subcode channel region as described herein, it is possible to create subtitles for movies in a number of languages such that the language in which the subtitles appear is user selectable. In this manner, it is possible to create laser discs having subtitle information in, for example, ten languages thereby avoiding the necessity of creating ten separate laser discs, each having a different language used for subtitling.