An authoring tool has a graphical user interface enabling interactive authoring of a multimedia presentation including temporal and nontemporal media. The graphical user interface enables specification of the temporal and spatial relationships among the media and playback of the presentation with the specified temporal and spatial relationships. The spatial and temporal relationships among the media may be changed independently of each other. The presentation may be viewed interactively under the control of the author during the authoring process without encoding the audio and video data into a streaming media data file for combination with the other media, simulating behavior of a browser that would receive a streaming media data file. The multimedia presentation may include elements that initiate playback of the presentation from a specified point in time. After authoring of the presentation is completed, the authoring tool assists in encoding and transferring the presentation for distribution. Information about the distribution format and location may be stored as user-defined profiles. Communication with the distribution location may be tested and presentation and the distribution information may be audited prior to encoding and transfer to reduce errors. A presentation is encoded according to the defined temporal and spatial relationships and the distribution format and location information to produce and encoded presentation. The encoded presentation and any supporting media data are transferred to the distribution location, such as a server. A streaming media server may be used for streaming media, whereas other data may be stored on a conventional data server. Accounts may be provided for a streaming media server for authors to publish their presentations. The authoring tool may be associated with a service that uses the streaming media server. Such streaming media servers also may be a source of stock footage for use by authors.

Authoring system for combining temporal and nontemporal digital media

An editing system and delivery system synchronizes the transmission of interactive elements with a video signal, such that the interactive components may supplement information provided in the video signal at predefined periods. The interactive elements are transmitted in relation to the video such that the interactive elements will arrive in time to display the components concurrently with a portion of the video presentation. The interactive elements may be transmitted within a video signal to a viewer. The viewer is configured to display the interactive elements in response to a signal from the delivery system. An editing system is disclosed that may define a programming track for interactive elements that may be associated with one or more audio and video tracks. The editing system schedules transmission and appearance of the elements. A graphical user interface of the editing system may display a time in a presentation timeline when the interactive elements appear and the duration which the interactive elements are displayed. Graphical user interface representations of the interactive elements are translated into commands including file transfer instructions to be executed on a playback system. The playback system may transmit information element data within a video signal to a viewer.

System and method for providing interactive components in motion video

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. Such enhancement files may be imported into a bin of an editing system to create components that describe the enhanced content referenced by the enhancements. The enhanced content may be modified using native applications for the enhanced content during editing of the program. The components describing the enhanced content in the editing system can be updated using identifiers of the enhanced content that are stored by the components. Enhanced content also may be automatically synchronized with time-based media.

Editing time-based media with enhanced content

MAD (Movie Authoring and Design) is a novel design and authoring system that facilitates the process of creating dynamic visual presentations such as motion pictures and lecture-demonstrations. MAD supports the process by enhancing the author's ability to structure and modify a presentation and to visualize the ultimate result. It does this by allowing both top-down design and bottom-up creation with a hierarchical multimedia document representation; by supporting the flexible inclusion and combination of words, images, sounds, and video sequences; and by providing realtime playback of the best approximation to the ultimate presentation that can be produced at any stage of the design process.

MAD represents a paradigm shift from traditional methods of authoring and producing motion pictures. Its development therefore requires in-depth observation of a variety of users working on a variety of filmmaking projects. After describing the key concepts underlying MAD and the current, second-generation prototype software, we describe a number of interesting applications of MAD. In doing so, we review how we have worked with users in an iterative design process and how studies of the work of these users have informed key design issues.

A multimedia system for authoring motion pictures

The review and Approval system of the present invention advantageously provides computer implemented access for a reviewer to digital content for the purpose of reviewing and approving the digital content. The system is capable of communication with an editing system, and automatically informing an editor of the reviewer's comments.

Review and approval system

This paper describes a novel approach to authoring multimedia documents based on the walk-through paradigm. Using this approach, multimedia authoring tasks can be performed in the context of the multimedia presentation under construction. It greatly simplifies the authoring process by hiding the use of composition constructs and eliminating the turn-around time from the editing and testing parts of the development cycle. End user multimedia authoring and fast prototyping can therefore be realized.

C.-N. Hsi

Papers

The walk-through approach to authoring multimedia documents