Patent Application
20110083068
The present invention relates to digital media and, more particularly, to merging digital annotations embedded in diverse binary formats having similar content.
There currently exist numerous binary formats, such as, wave-form audio (.wav), Windows® media file (.wmv), mp3 and the like, for digital media. Each format requires a specific device that allows a user to listen to/view content. No single device support all formats, thus a user that requires listening to/viewing media files saved in diverse formats must utilize multiple media devices and listen to similar content more than once. In addition to providing a playback feature, many devices allow a user to insert bookmarks into the digital media. Often times, the bookmarks are associated with, for example, verbal and/or text based annotations. In order to listen to/view annotations from multiple users, each using a different media format, multiple media devices are required. Moreover, if the annotations all apply to similar content, a reviewer will be required to listen to/view the same content multiple times.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of managing annotations in digital media includes receiving an input of at least two media files. Each of the at least two media files includes a media format and contains primary content and annotated content. The method also requires creating a merge file having a single media format with the merge file including all of the primary content from each of the at least two media files, identifying the annotated content from each of the at least two media files, and adding the annotated content from each of the at least two media files to the merge file.
System and computer program products are also described and claimed herein.
Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with the advantages and the features, refer to the description and to the drawings.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
With reference to
In order to avoid employing multiple digital media play back devices to listen to digital media streams 4 and 6 and the associated annotated content 10-16 and 18-22, digital media annotation management system 2 includes an annotation merging system 30. More specifically, annotation merging system 30 receives multiple digital media streams having annotations and similar primary content and 6 outputs a merged digital media stream 40 having the annotated content from each input stream. As will be discussed more fully below, annotation merging system 30 determines the content and location of each annotation for each input digital media stream. The resulting merged digital stream 40 includes, in order, all of the annotations from each input digital media stream.
Reference will now be made to
When all files are evaluated, and all annotations added to the merge file in proper order, the merge file is output as indicated in block 82. The merge file, as indicated above, includes all the annotations from each input digital media stream in a single media format. In this manner, a user can listen to the primary content of the digital media as well as annotations from multiple sources from a variety of different sources using a single playback device. That is, instead of listening to multiple digital media streams each having similar primary content and different annotations, a user can now listen to a single digital media stream having the primary content and a plurality of annotations from a variety of sources originally in different formats.
Generally, the method of managing annotations in digital media described herein is practiced with a general-purpose computer and the method may be coded as a set of instructions on removable or hard media for use by the general-purpose computer.
ROM 420 contains the basic operating system for computer system 400. The operating system may alternatively reside in RAM 415 or elsewhere as is known in the art. Examples of removable data and/or program storage device 430 include magnetic media such as floppy drives and tape drives and optical media such as CD ROM drives. Examples of mass data and/or program storage device 435 include hard disk drives and non-volatile memory such as flash memory. In addition to keyboard 445 and mouse 450, other user input devices such as trackballs, writing tablets, pressure pads, microphones, light pens and position-sensing screen displays may be connected to user interface 440. Examples of display devices include cathode-ray tubes (CRT) and liquid crystal displays (LCD).
A computer program with an appropriate application interface may be created by one of skill in the art and stored on the system or a data and/or program storage device to simplify the practicing of this invention. In operation, information for or the computer program created to run the present invention is loaded on the appropriate removable data and/or program storage device 430, fed through data port 460 or typed in using keyboard 445. Once entered, the computer program is executed causing the computer to manage annotations.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.
The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated
The flow diagram(s) depicted herein is just one example. There may be many variations to this diagram or the steps (or operations) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added, deleted or modified. All of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention.
While the preferred embodiment to the invention had been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.
