Abstract: Prior to sending to a requesting client device a requested multimedia application which comprises a plurality of kinds of materials and a scenario which defines a role of each material, the server converts an input (or original) format of a certain kind of materials of the requested application into a format with which the requesting client device can deal and converts format-dependent data of the scenario accordingly. This enables every consuming device to consume any of the multimedia applications stored in the server regardless of the material format with which the consuming device can deal with respective to a certain kind of materials. Four schemes different in conversion timing of the materials and the scenario are disclosed. The original format of the materials may be limited to a master data format, eg., the DV format if the certain kind of materials are moving picture materials.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to enable to obtain moving picture data of a desired bit rate at a high speed without re-coding when the multi-screen image is generated by synthesizing a plurality of moving picture data. When a layout designating means (502) designates the arrangement of moving pictures, a bit-rate deciding means (503) instructs a frame-type deciding means (505) to decide a bit rate of the synthesized multi-screen, and a degree-of-importance deciding means (504) decides an assignment rate of the frame rate, the frame-type deciding means (505) decides a frame type of the moving picture data acquired by a data acquiring means (501) and asks a synthesizing means (506) to synthesize the screen. The multi-screen generated by the synthesizing means (506) is streamed onto the network via a data transmitting means (507).

Abstract: A multimedia program editing method enables a layout with a higher degree of freedom by simplified input operations. Available media materials and a plurality of predetermined frames are displayed. The user sets a current scenario time to a desired time by clicking on a desired one of a plurality of time control icons, and associates a desired material with one of the predetermined frames at the desired time by mouse operations. In response to the association of the desired material, information on the association is registered to a scenario to prepare for an instruction to present the desired material in one of said predetermined frames. Any attribute of one of the predetermined frames can be changed. If the user terminates the association by specifying the desired material and clicking on a predetermined icon, then the attribute of the one of the predetermined frames is restored to a state before the desired material was attached to the frame.

Abstract: A multimedia editing system for editing a scenario that defines the details of a multimedia application. The system presents to a user only media materials permitted to situations at a current time in the scenario under editing (a current scenario time) to facilitate a selection of media material. The media materials are divided into a plurality of types. Each of the types may have at least one format, a part of which is supported by the system (supported formats). Each media material is associated with a type, a format and an availability code of the material in a material table. The availability code indicates one of predetermined states of each material. In response to a change in one of situations that affects an availability of materials of a certain type and/or a certain format, the availability code of a material affected by the change is updated such that the availability code of each material reflects a current state of the material.

Abstract: A plurality of individual objects is put together to a group of page type objects in a page type object producing unit. When a display timing and a deletion timing for the group of page type objects are input, a page change timing of each of the page type objects in the group is automatically set in a page change timing setting unit to display the page type objects with a dynamic image at equal intervals in a display period between the display timing and the deletion timing. Therefore, it is not required to input a display timing and a deletion timing for each of the individual objects for the purpose of editing a scenario in which the individual objects are assigned to frames of dynamic image to display the individual objects with the dynamic image, and a scenario editing operation can be easily performed.