This application claims priority to earlier filed U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/529,460, filed Dec. 12, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This present invention relates generally to disc jockey equipment and more specifically to video players for disc jockeys. Video players and DVD players have been known in the art for quite some time, however, no DVD player unit on the market exists that has been designed with the disc jockey in mind. Disc jockeys are expanding their repertoire from music alone to performances incorporating video clips. Therefore, there is a perceived need for a video player unit designed for the disc jockey.
Moreover, because disc jockeys must be able to arrange their performance on the fly, the video equipment must include two video sources to allow the disc jockey to play media form one unit for his audience while simultaneously load and ready for play media in a second video player unit. The video equipment must also have the ability to switch between the video signals of the two video players to facilitate a seamless performance for the audience. Also, two video sources are commonly mixed to generate unique visual effects.
Video sources are typically displayed using video players, such as DVD optical drives. However, these consumer video player units on the market currently lack important features for disc jockeys. First, the units are not built ruggedly enough for transportation between performances. Second, the units lack a second video player unit and often lack critical features to a disc jockey such as being able to set “cue” and “loop points” to allow replay of segments of video and audio. Third, the units lack the ability to immediately play media without any pause due to latency problems in the playback device. Fourth and most importantly, the consumer units lack the ability to synchronize the playback of dual sources of video to enable seamless transition from one video signal to the other.
Additionally, the video player unit must be easy to use for the disc jockey so he or she may concentrate on the content of the performance rather than on the operation of the equipment.
The present invention provides a custom video player device that solves the deficiencies of the prior art. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, dual video drives in a single rugged chassis are provided with easy to use and comprehensive playback features that the modern disc jockey needs to have an exciting performance.
The video player includes a first housing and a second housing. The first housing has a control unit contained therein. The control unit has a first interconnection, a second interconnection. A first user interface, having a selectable setting, is connected to the control unit and is in control of the first interconnection. A second user interface, having a selectable setting, is also connected to the control unit and is in control of the second interconnection. The second housing has a first video drive and a second video drive, and an output contained therein. The first video drive has a first video signal and is connected to the first interconnection. Operation of the first video drive is controlled by the control unit via the first user interface and the first interconnection. The second video player has a second video signal and is connected to the second interconnection. Operation of the second video player is controlled by the control unit via the second user interface and the second interconnection. The first video signal and the second video signal are selectively mixed and routed through the output of the second housing according to the respective settings of the first user interface and the second user interface.
Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention is to provide a video player having a video playback unit with dual video drives for providing two independent video sources, and a control unit connected to the video playback unit. The control unit has two interfaces to control each of the video players in the playback unit, and the interfaces are arranged substantially in a format that is particularly well suited for use by disc jockeys.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player capable of reading DVD optical media.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player capable of reading CD optical media.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player capable of reading MP3 format.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player having functions to set “cue” and “loop points” to facilitate seamless looping of audio and video.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player having pitch-bend functions to enable the disc jockey to synchronize the video playback between the two video players.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player where the video playback and control units are in separate rack-mountable housings.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player wherein the playback of video is immediate upon activating the play controls of the device.
Yet, another object of the instant invention is to provide a dual video player that is compatible with NTSC and PAL television systems.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Referring now to the figures, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in
The playback unit 100 of the present invention has playback housing 102 with a front and a rear panel 104, 106. Extending from the edges of the playback housing are rack mounts 108. The rack mounts 108 and playback housing 102 are configured so that the playback unit 100 is mountable within a standard nineteen-inch rack, which disc jockeys commonly use. Within the housing of the playback unit 100 are a first and second video drives 110, 112, which are preferably DVD optical drives, but could be other removable-media type video drives such as VCD and 5VCD compatible optical drives. The first and second video drives 110, 112 could also be CD+G format compatible to facilitate Karaoke performances. It should be understood that video is meant to include associated audio, if desired.
The appropriate media (e.g. DVD, VCD, 5VCD, or CD+G discs) is loaded into one of the video drives 110, 112 through the front panel 104 of the playback unit 100 by activating the appropriate first and second eject controls 114, 116, which are located on the front panel 104 and between the first and second video drives 110, 112. To turn the dual video player 10 on and off, a power switch 118 is located on the front panel 104 of the playback unit 100 and just below the eject controls 114, 116.
Another unique feature of the video player 10 is the ability for the system to be upgraded by using the video drives 110, 112. The disc jockey loads media pre-loaded with an upgrade package into the video drives 110, 112 and then the video player 10 will automatically detect and install the upgrade. The disc jockey may obtain an upgrade either by downloading it through the internet and storing it on appropriate media, obtaining a copy from a distributor, or ordering it direct from the manufacturer.
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Also, on the first interface 210 of the control unit 200 are a set of playback controls 226. The playback controls 226 include play 228, pause 230, cue 232, fast-forward 234, rewind 236, next track 238, previous track 240, slow motion 242, and program 244 controls. Each of the identified playback controls 226 operates the first video drive 110 of the playback unit 100 according to its namesake. Accordingly, the play control 228 starts playback of video on the first video drive 110 and the pause control 230 pauses playback of video on the first video drive 110. The play and pause controls 228, 230 also have the function of setting an initial cue point (not shown) within the video playback of the first video drive 110. During playback, the cue control 232 will return the video playback to the last cue point set by either the play or pause controls 228, 230. The fast-forward and the rewind controls 234, 236 start playback of video at high speed either in forward or reverse play, respectively. Activating either the fast-forward or the rewind controls 234, 236 repeatedly will cycle through playback speeds of X2, X4, X8, X16, and X32. Activating either control 234, 236 while set at speed X32 will restart the cycle at the beginning. The slow motion control 242, which slows forward playback of the first video drive 110, can be cycled through four speed settings. The next track and previous track controls 238, 240 advance forward or backward by one track or chapter the playback of video from the first video drive 110. The program control 244 activates a menu where the disc jockey can use the menu navigation controls 218 to reorder the order of play of the tracks and chapters on media within the first video drive 110.
The first interface 210 also has a pitch fader 246 for fine adjustment of the playback pitch/speed. This feature is incredibly important to the performance of the disc jockey because it enables him or her, when used in conjunction with the other pitch controls, to synchronize the tempo of the playback of the first and second video drives 110, 112 with each other. Synchronizing the tempo allows the disc jockey to seamlessly switch from the playback of first video drive 110 to playback from the second video drive 112 and vice versa.
Complimentary to the pitch fader 246 are the pitch bend control 248a, 248b, and pitch activation control 250. The pitch activation control 250 disables and enables the pitch fader 246 and the pitch bend control 248a, 248b. This keeps the disc jockey from accidentally bumping the pitch fader 246 or the pitch bend control 248a, 248b during performance after he or she has already selected the desired settings. The pitch bend control 248a, 248b momentarily increases or decreases, as desired, the tempo of the playback of the first video drive 110. This enables the disc jockey, once he or she has synchronized the tempo of the playback of both video drives 110, 112 using the pitch fader 246, to match the bass beats of both video drives 110, 112.
Just below the pitch activation 250 is the loop control 252. When activated a first time during playback, the loop control 252 sets a loop-start point. Activating the loop control 252 a second time simultaneously sets a loop-end point and immediately restarts playback at the loop-start point. The video playback will then continuously play between the loop-start and loop-end points until the loop control 252 is activated a third time.
The first interface 210 also has a setup control 254, which activates a menu (not shown) where the disc jockey can set equipment settings and parameters using the menu navigation controls 218. The setup menu is split into several sub-menus including language setup, screen setup, audio setup, custom setup features and settings (including a parental lock feature). These features are standard on most consumer electronic devices and are not critical to the present invention. Therefore, they will not be discussed in detail.
The first interface 210 also has a set of function controls 256. The function controls 256 include title 258, subtitle 260, volume adjust 262a, 262b, key adjust 264a, 264b, angle 266, and zoom 268 controls. The title function control 258 activates the title menu content of a DVD if such content exists. Similarly, the subtitle function control 260 activates any subtitle content on subtitle compatible DVDs. The volume adjust control 262a, 262b adjusts the output volume up or down as desired. The key adjust control 264a, 264b adjusts the key of the audio up or down as desired for compatible DVDs. The angle function control 266 cycles through multiple angles of compatible DVDs. Finally, the zoom function control 268 allows the picture to be enlarged by a factor of X2 or X4. Activating the zoom function control 268 multiple times cycles through these choices.
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The first display 214 has a number of indicators including a media type 270, play mode 272, title number 274, chapter/track number 276, total 278, program 280, Dolby Digital/DTS 282, angle 284, elapsed time 286, and parental lock 288 indicators. The media type indicator 270 displays the type of media (e.g. DVD, CD, or VCD) in the first video drive 110. The play mode indicator 272 indicates if the first video drive 110 is playing or paused, and shows the repeat modes that are currently in use, if any. If the video drive 110 is stopped, the entire screen will display “STOP.” The title number indicator 274 shows the title number of the current media being played. The chapter/track number indicator 276 shows the current chapter or track number. The total indicator 278 indicates if the time is the total elapsed time on the media or track/chapter. The program indicator 280 indicates is the dual video player 10 is currently in a set program. The Dolby Digital/DTS indicator 282 indicates if a compatible DVD has Dolby Digital or DTS audio enabled. The angle indicator 284 indicates if a separate angle is in use (as set by the angle function control 266 described above) while the media in playing. The elapsed time indicator 286 indicates the elapsed time for the media. Finally, the parental lock indicator 288 indicates if the parental locking feature is engaged as set through the custom setup features menu of the setup control 254.
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The master video switch 290 has a first and second output switch 292, 294, a first and second On Screen Display (“OSD”) controls 296, 298, a blackout control 300, and three indicators (vid1 indicator 302, vid2 indicator 304, and a black indicator 306). Activating either the first or second output switch 292, 294 selects the first or second video drives 110, 112, respectively, to output through the master video output 116. Activating the blackout control 300 blacks out output of the master video output 116. The indicators vid1302, vid2304 and black 306, indicate which output control 292, 294, 300 has been selected for output through the master video output 116. The OSD controls 296, 298 suppress any text generated from the video drive 110, 112 themselves from displaying through the master video output 116. This is useful to a disc jockey to prevent the video drive's 110, 112 functions (e.g. play, pause, fast forward, rewind, etc.) from being displayed to the audience during the disc jockey's performance.
The first interface 210 also has an eject control 308, which ejects media from the first video drive 110 of the playback unit 100. This control is in addition to and functions the same as the eject control 114 located on the playback unit 100. This extra eject control 308 has been added for the convenience of the disc jockey.
The first interface 210 also has a random control 310, which when activated selects from among the available titles on the current media within the first video drive 110 at random. Once activated, titles will continually be selected at random. Activating the random control 310 a second time disables this feature and resumes normal sequential play.
The first interface 210 also has a repeat control 312 with four modes: disabled, chapter/track, title, and entire media. The repeat control enables continuous repeat play of either the entire media within the first video drive 110, the current title, or the current chapter/track. The disabled mode resumes normal play. Activating the repeat control 312 repeatedly cycles through the modes of play.
The first interface 210 also has a display control 314, which toggles the elapsed time indicator 286 to display the time elapsed in the track, the time remaining in the track, and the total time remaining. Activating the display control 314 repeatedly cycles through these display modes.
While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.
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