WO1999053497A1

WO1999053497A1 - Multimedia system

Info

Publication number: WO1999053497A1
Application number: PCT/GB1999/001047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Haydon Harrison
Original assignee: Songplayer Ltd.
Priority date: 1998-04-08
Filing date: 1999-04-06
Publication date: 1999-10-21
Also published as: GB2336237A; GB9807406D0

Abstract

A multimedia system is disclosed which includes a primary playback means, for example, an audio CD player, for playing a primary recorded track from a primary medium such as an audio CD. The system additionally includes secondary playback means, such as a visual display unit, for playing a secondary recorded track from a secondary medium such as a computer file. The primary and secondary playback means may be incorporated into a general-purpose computer. Additionally, synchronisation means is provided for synchronising the rate at which the secondary recorded track is played with the playing of the primary medium. The synchronisation means may be incorporated into a software program running on a computer. In a particular exemplary embodiment, the secondary recorded track may contain lyrics and/or musical information relating to an audio track on the primary medium to generate a display in time with playing of the audio track.

Description

1 Multimedia System

The present invention relates to a multimedia system in which two or more media cooperate to provide multimedia output.

A system is currently known that provides a multimedia CD having CD-Audio recording and an additional data track on which is stored computer data. Included within the computer data is a program which can be installed onto the hard-disk of a user's computer and run on that computer. When run, the program then accesses the data track on the multimedia CD to provide a visual and audio accompaniment to the and CD- Audio tracks on the CD. The computer-generated accompaniment and CD-Audio can be accessed simultaneously. For example, a representation of sheet music and lyrics may be displayed for each track on the CD simultaneously with the track being played.

However, the provision of both CD-Audio and a data track means that royalty fees must be paid by the manufacturer of the CD for both the CD-Audio tracks and the material such as sheet music and lyrics contained in the data track. The royalties payable on the CD- Audio tracks typically account for the greatest part of the cost of a product such as this. As a consequence, the product is likely to be unattractive to those people who have already bought a conventional CD containing CD-Audio and who subsequently decide that they wish to take advantage of the multimedia information available. Such people will be forced into paying royalties for the CD- Audio twice.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a multimedia enhancement to a digital audio or digital audio- visual recording, without suffering from the disadvantages of the above- described system.

From a first aspect the invention provides a multimedia system comprising: primary playback means for playing a recorded track from a primary medium; 2 secondary playback means for playing a secondary recorded track from a secondary medium; and synchronisation means for synchronising the rate at which the secondary recorded track is played with the playing of the primary medium.

In one particularly useful example, the primary playback means is a CD reader, the primary medium is a music audio CD and the secondary recorded track contains a representation of a data relating to the music on the CD, the synchronisation means ensuring that data are displayed which correspond to the part of the music being played from the CD.

Alternatively, the primary medium may be an audio or video computer file. Preferably, the file is in a compressed format. For example, the file may be in Motion Picture Experts Group Layer 3 format (MP3).

The system may further comprise media identification means operative to verify the primary medium as genuine, and to enable the synchronisation means only in the event that the primary medium is verified as genuine.

The secondary medium may be a computer hard disc. The secondary track, in such embodiments, is embodied as data recorded on the hard drive.

Preferably, the secondary track includes information which can be interpreted by the synchronisation means control the rate at which the secondary track is played and thereby achieve synchronisation with the primary track.

From another aspect, the present invention provides a computer connected to a source of a first medium or media and a source of an additional medium or additional media, arranged such that upon validation of the identity of the first medium it synchronises playing of the first and additional media. More particularly, the present invention enhances a first medium or media, particularly CD-Audio recording, by providing an additional medium or additional media playable in synchronism with the first medium or media.

This minimises royalty fees payable to authors/proprietors of works in which copyright subsists. It also provides the distinct advantage of ensuring that the first medium is correct and that appropriate royalty fees have been paid for it. Copies of e.g. audio CD's inevitably differ, even if inaudibly, from the original work. The computer can detect this difference and prevent synchronisation of playback of the first and additional media. Thus piracy of e.g. audio CDs is minimised since in order to take advantage of the synchronisation of the first and second media, the first medium must be a legitimate copy (i.e. one on which royalty fees have been paid).

The sources of the first and additional media may be physically distinct. For example, the first medium may be provided on an audio CD and the additional medium or media on the computer's hard disk. Other storage media such as DVD, flash-RAM and ROM may equally be used. For example, selected portions of the additional medium or media may be downloaded from an internet web site and stored on the hard-disk of a user's computer.

The first and additional media may be audio and/or visual. For example, the first medium may be an audio CD and the additional medium or media comprise representations of sheet music for the or each musical voice (both vocal and instrumental) graphically rendered on a computer monitor. The additional medium may also include video footage, guitar tablature, or rhythmic timing beats.

Thus, a user who has purchased a legitimate copy of an audio work, for example on

CD or encoded in a computer file, may subsequently decide to take advantage of the information provided by the additional medium or media. At this later stage, royalties are payable only on the material contained on the additional medium. This avoids unnecessary 4 royalty payments to the proprietors of the copyright works, whilst ensuring that pirate copies of the first medium are not used in an attempt to avoid payment of royalty fees.

As discussed above, copies of e.g. audio CD's inevitably differ from the originals. In particular, the playing time of individual tracks or the total playing time of the tracks may differ from that of the original. Similarly, the sound at a specific point in a track may differ from that of the original.

Thus validation of the identity of the first medium may comprise the steps of: i) determining the playing time of one or more tracks (i.e. of at least one of the individual components of the first medium), determining the total playing time of the first medium or of taking a sample of at least one track (i.e. sampling at least one specific portion of the first medium); ii) comparing the playing time or sample determined in (i) with that for a known first medium; and iii) analysing the results of (ii) to determine the identity of the first medium (i.e. determine whether or not it is a legitimate copy).

Validation may also be achieved by checking for the presence or absence of an "electronic signature" on the first medium. Audio CD recording machines for use with WORM (write once, read many) and WMRM (write many, read many) recordable CD media leave an electronic signature on the recorded medium to prevent its subsequent duplication, thus preventing multiple generations of copies being made. The present invention can look for such a signature and thereby prevent synchronisation with even a first generation copy.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an arrangement using an audio CD as the first medium; and 5

Figure 2 shows a simplified computer display of a typical embodiment of the invention.

A computer 10 is connected to an audio CD player 20 containing an audio CD (not shown). The audio CD player 20 may conveniently by a CD-ROM drive of the computer. The computer also has a hard-disk 30. The hard disk 30 contains a program and data on which the program can operate to display video, sound and sheet music for a specific audio CD. The program and data may having been downloaded from a world wide web site (not shown).

The program is run and validates audio CD to ensure that it does not have an electronic signature indicative of copying and that the individual playing time for each of the tracks together with the total playing time for the CD is the same as that of the specific audio CD title.

The program then synchronises playing of audio CD with that of video sound and sheet music through the display and speakers 50, 51 under control of a user (not shown) using an input device 70.

If validation (above) fails, the playing of video, sound and sheet music can still be done, but it is not synchronised with the playing of audio CD 21.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

A system of the type described above for displaying information for musicians will now be described in more detail.

The system operates to generate a display shown in simplified form in Figure 2. The display includes the words of a song, shown at 60, recorded on an audio CD album 21. In the 6 display, an indication of an appropriate guitar chord is shown at 62 alongside the words of the song. The display is divided into regions, each containing several words 60 and one chord designation 62. The system operates to highlight one such region at a time in synchronism with the words shown in the region being sung as the CD album 21 is played.

Assume now that a user owns an audio CD (which is the primary medium of the invention) on which there is a song that he or she wishes to learn to play.

The user must first obtain the software program and install it onto their computer. Typically, the program is made available free of charge for download from an Internet web site, in a conventional manner.

The user must then obtain a data file for the particular song of interest. This may also be obtainable from an Internet web site, but would, most typically, be charged for.

Included in the data file is information which enables the program to identify the required audio CD. For example, the data file may contain a figure which identifies the total playing time of the CD and of the track concerned. The industry-standard format for CDs allows the maximum playing time to be specified to a high degree of accuracy, such that the chance is very small that two audio CDs have the same total playing time and that they have a track with the same track number and an identical playing time. Thus, the figure of the total playing time and the playing time of a track can be used to identify a CD. Moreover, most copying systems which can be used to duplicate CDs will cause the total playing time and the playing time of each track of the copy to differ by a small amount from the original.

Therefore, upon a user loading a data file for a particular track, the program checks for the presence of a CD in the audio CD player 20, and if it finds one, it compares its total playing time and paying time of the selected track with that specified in the data file. If the times do not agree, the audio CD is rejected as being incorrect, and the program will not attempt to synchronise with it. Also included in the data file is a the text of the song lyrics (if the track has lyrics), a list of guitar chord designations and a list of timing values.

The program displays the lyrics in a first page of regions on a display screen, much as shown in Figure 2. The program then highlights the first region. The program then initiates playing of the CD audio track.

As the track plays, the program repeatedly checks the elapsed play time. Once this exceeds a first timing value in the data file, the program then highlights the next of the screen regions. This process is repeated using consecutive timing values from the data file until the track is complete. Once the time value has been reached to move on from the last region on the display screen, the program will generate a new page of regions and, once again, highlight the first of these. Thus, the user is presented with a continually updating display of the proper chords to play and words to sing.

The program achieves proper synchronisation between the display and the CD audio track through its continuous monitoring of the timing signals generated during playing of the CD. Such signal are made available to programs through the application program interface of the Microsoft Windows (r.t.m.) operating system.

It will be readily understood that the present invention can be put into practice with substantially any primary medium from which a computer can receive accurate timing signals. In one particular alternative embodiment favoured by the applicant, the recorded track is contained in a file on the computer's hard drive (in this context, the hard drive becomes the primary medium). For greatest advantage, the file is in a compressed format, such as the so- called MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group, Layer 3) format. Such a file can, for example, readily be downloaded by a user from an Internet web site, along with the corresponding data file.

Claims

Claims:

1. A multimedia system comprising: primary playback means for playing a primary recorded track from a primary medium; secondary playback means for playing a secondary recorded track from a secondary medium; and synchronisation means for synchronising the rate at which the secondary recorded track is played with the playing of the primary medium.

2. A multimedia system according to claim 1 in which the primary medium is an audio CD.

3. A multimedia system according to claim 2 in which the primary playback means includes a CD-ROM drive of a computer.

4. A multimedia system according to any preceding claim in which the secondary medium is a computer data file.

5. A multimedia system according to claim 4 in which the secondary playback means includes a computer visual display unit.

6. A multimedia system according to any preceding claim in which the synchronisation means further includes a primary medium authentication means which assesses the authenticity of the primary medium, and synchronises playing of the secondary recorded track only in the event that the primary medium is assessed as genuine.

7. A multimedia system according to claim 6 in which the primary medium authentication means compares data measured from the primary medium with specimen data recorded on the secondary medium.

8. A multimedia system according to claim 7 in which the data compared specify a playing time of the primary recorded track and/or a total playing time of the primary medium.

9. A multimedia system according to any preceding claim in which the synchronisation means is embodied in part of a software program running on a computer.

10. A multimedia system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A computer connected to a source of a first medium or first media and to a source of an additional medium or additional media, arranged such that upon validation of the identity of the first medium the computer synchronises playing of the first and additional media.

12. A computer according to claim 11 in which sources of the first and additional media are physically distinct.

13. A computer according to claim 11 or claim 12 in which the first medium or first media include an audio and/or a visual medium.

14. A computer according to any one of claims 11 to 13 in which the source of the first medium is an audio CD or a DVD.

15. A computer according to any one of claims 11 to 14 in which the additional medium or additional media include an audio and/or a visual medium.

16. A computer according to any one of claims 11 to 15 in which the identity of the first medium being validated by its total playing time. 10

17. A computer according to any one of claims 11 to 16, the identity of the first medium being validated by the playing time of at least one of its individual components.

18. A computer according to any one of claims 11 to 17, the identity of the first medium being validated by sampling at least one specific portion of the first medium.

19. A computer according to any one of claims 16 to 18 in which validation comprises the steps of comparing the playing time or sample of the first medium with that of a known first medium and correlating the results of the comparison to determine the identity of the first medium.

20. A computer according to any one of claims 11 to 19, the identity of the first medium being validated by the presence or absence of an electronic signature on the first medium.

21. A computer substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.