A method and apparatus for creation, distribution, assembly and verification of media, including one embodiment, media is transmitted to a receiver where the receiver assembles the media into programming. In another embodiment, media is transmitted to the receiver from a plurality of sources. In a further embodiment, a source of media performs a tagging operation to associate sets of tags with elements of the stream of media. In various embodiments, different combinations of look-and-feel, content and other tags are associated with the media stream. In an additional embodiment, tagging of the media stream is performed at the receiver. A user at the receiver may also provide data about the user to the receiver. In yet another embodiment, the receiver uses the tags to assemble the media into a program. In still further embodiments of the invention, various Royalty Only Aggregate Revenues or “ROAR” models and apparatus are disclosed.

Method and apparatus for creation, distribution, assembly and verification of media

A media organizer and entertainment center includes an importer for importing individual media/data selections and automatically assigning each selection at least one associated category flag pursuant to predetermined or user defined criteria. The center also includes a storage device for storing compressed data corresponding to the plurality of individual media/data selections and the associated category flags and a retriever for retrieving selections from the storage device based upon user selection of one or more of the associated category flags, and a data decompresser that translates the compressed data into playable digital or audio media data. With the center, playable digital or audio media data can be advantageously transported, organized, played or recorded through or on a variety of products or devices.

Music organizer and entertainment center

A system and method of the present invention allow users to access, manage, and edit information about content data, often referred to as metadata. Metadata is collected from various sources, added, and maintained in a metadata database. In addition, metadata is dynamically read from the metadata database and dynamically displayed in a graphical user interface in an organized manner, such as a hierarchical tree. In the graphical user interface, a user may add, delete, and/or modify the metadata. As the user changes the metadata, the metadata database is updated and the user's changes are propagated throughout the graphical user interface such that the hierarchical tree is displays the changed metadata.

System and method of managing metadata data

A computer system and method for controlling a media playing device. The system provides a user interface for allowing a user access to media pieces stored in a media database. The interface is also for controlling a media playing device, like a player piano or movie playing video device, that is coupled to the computer to play the accessed or selected piece of media. In one embodiment there is a computer interface that allows a user to display only music that relates to a selected category, like jazz or classical music. Another embodiment allows the user to direct the media playing device to automatically play selected music pieces that are related to a selected music category. Another embodiment allows a user to direct the media playing device to automatically play selected music pieces that are related to the selected music composer or artist.

Computer control system and user interface for media playing devices

Systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and playing music are provided, particularly systems and methods employing a top-down process, where the user is provided with a musical composition that may be modified and interacted with and played and/or stored (for later play). The system preferably is provided in a handheld form factor, and a graphical display is provided to display status information, graphical representations of musical lanes or components which preferably vary in shape as musical parameters and the like are changed for particular instruments or musical components such as a microphone input or audio samples. An interactive auto-composition process preferably is utilized that employs musical rules and preferably a pseudo random number generator, which may also incorporate randomness introduced by timing of user input or the like, the user may then quickly begin creating desirable music in accordance with one or a variety of musical styles, with the user modifying the auto-composed (or previously created) musical composition, either for a real time performance and/or for storing and subsequent playback. The graphic information preferably is customizable by a user, such as by way of a companion software program, which preferably runs on a PC and is coupled to the system via an interface such as a USB port. A modified MIDI representation of music is employed, preferably, for example, in which musical rule information is embedded in MIDI pitch data, and in which sound samples may be synchronized with MIDI events in a desirable and more optimum manner. The system architecture preferably includes a microprocessor for controlling the overall system operation. A synthesizer/DSP preferably is provided in order to generate audio streams. Non-volatile memory preferably is provided for storing sound banks. Preferably removable non-volatile storage/memory is provided to store configuration files, song lists and samples, and optionally sound bank optimization or sound bank data. A codec preferably is provided for receiving microphone input and for providing audio output. A radio tuner preferably is provided so that output from the radio tuner may be mixed, for example, with auto-composed songs created by the system, which preferably includes a virtual radio mode of operation.

Systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and playing musical compositions

A method and apparatus are disclosed for simultaneously outputting digital audio and MIDI synthesized music utilizing a single digital signal processor. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) permits music to be recorded and/or synthesized utilizing a data file containing multiple serially listed program status messages and matching note on and note off messages. In contrast, digital audio is generally merely compressed, utilizing a suitable data compression technique, and recorded. The audio content of such a digital recording may then be restored by decompressing the recorded data and converting that data utilizing a digital-to-analog convertor. The method and apparatus of the present invention selectively and alternatively couples portions of a compressed digital audio file and a MIDI file to a single digital signal processor which alternately decompresses the digital audio file and implements a MIDI synthesizer. Decompressed audio and MIDI synthesized music are then alternately coupled to two separate buffers. The contents of these buffers are then additively mixed and coupled through a digital-to-analog convertor to an audio output device to create an output having concurrent digital audio and MIDI synthesized music.

Method and apparatus for simultaneous output of digital audio and midi synthesized music

A text compression method and apparatus are disclosed that enable overall compression ratios of more than six or eight to one for normal language text. Plural multiple-word dictionaries that are specialized for the particular field of use are employed together with a header transmission format that identifies which dictionaries are to be used. In addition, entries in these dictionaries are categorized by a weighted frequency of use ranking in which the product of the word length in characters and the frequency of occurrence of that word in the text is taken as the weighted figure of merit for ranking words to be placed in the individual dictionaries.

Text compression and expansion method and apparatus

A system and method for translating MIDI files is used with a sequencer and synthesizer. When a MIDI file is imported into a system, the file is scanned and voice assignment information extracted. This information is stored in a converted file. If desired, the extracted information can be stored using MIDI system exclusives. This allows either any original program change information, or the extracted information, to be used during a performance of the converted MIDI file.

Midi file translation

A system is provided including a host processor and an audio capture and playback adapter having a DSP co-processor. The adapter includes shared memory accessible from both the DSP and the host. A DSP program is periodically written to the shared memory by the host and executed by the DSP. A non ping-pong dual buffer technique is disclosed wherein alternately one buffer is executed by the DSP while the remaining buffer is updated or linked by the host. In one embodiment, two pointer variables are used, each indicating respectively which buffer is currently being executed by the DSP and which has been updated by the host. Initially both pointer A and pointer B point to buffer A containing the initial DSP code. Each time the DSP requires execution of the configurable program, it reads pointer B, copies it to pointer A, and then branches to the buffer pointer A points to. When the host begins to relink to a buffer, it first sets pointer B equal to pointer A, relinks into the opposite buffer as pointer A, and then sets pointer B to this opposite buffer. The host is thereby prevented from updating a buffer currently being executed by the DSP. Real time dynamic linking of code segments in a tightly coupled co-processing system is thereby provided.

Method and apparatus for dynamically linking code segments in real time in a multiprocessor computing system employing dual buffered shared memory

A MIDI playback system is described in which a sequencer is characterized by: logic for generating a sequence of events, the sequence comprising groups of events, each group comprising events to be executed within a first time interval, the groups being separated in the sequence by marker events for indicating the time intervals, the sequencer being arranged to send the sequence of events together to a synthesizer. A synthesizer is described comprising storage means to receive and store the sequences of events; logic for reading an event from the storage; and logic for determining if the event is a marker event, the synthesizer being arranged to wait, if the event is a marker event, a time equal to the first time interval before reading another event from storage. Using this arrangement, the sequencer is no longer required to schedule the MIDI commands precisely on time and therefore the timing services that a software implementation of such a sequencer might ask from a computer system are reduced.

Ronald J. Lisle

Papers

Method and apparatus for simultaneous output of digital audio and midi synthesized music

Text compression and expansion method and apparatus

Midi file translation

Method and apparatus for dynamically linking code segments in real time in a multiprocessor computing system employing dual buffered shared memory

Midi playback system