GB2224866A

GB2224866A - Improvements in or relating to an event recording device

Info

Publication number: GB2224866A
Application number: GB8825644A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Julian David Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-11-02
Filing date: 1988-11-02
Publication date: 1990-05-16
Also published as: GB8825644D0

Abstract

An event recording device is provided which may be of use by film or television editors. The event recorder comprises a memory, and a clock, and manually operable means to transfer time signals to the memory from the clock, representative of the time, at the instant of operation of the manually operable means. Means are provided to transfer the recorded time signals from the memory to a further item of apparatus. The manually operable means may thus be actuated at the beginning and the end of an interview, for example, thus enabling an editor subsequently to easily identify the part of a video tape which holds the relevant interview. <IMAGE>

Description

Description of Invention Improvements in or relating to an event recording device The present invention relates to an event recording device and more particularly relates to an event recording device intended for use in connection with the editing of television or other broadcast material, or material intended for use in making video presentations or the like.

Whilst the invention will be described hereinafter with specific reference to the editing of television material intended for broadcast purposes, it will be appreciated that the invention may find application in similar or related fields.

When a television programme, such as an outside broadcast, is being prepared, material from various sources is utilised to create an edited master, which is a final recorded tape which can be played to provide the required programme material.

In establishing the edited master material from a number of different sources may be utilised, and the editor must effectively decide precisely which items of material are to be used. The sources usually comprise pre-recorded tapes, and the editor selects extracts from these tapes. As far as each extract is concerned the editor must decide precisely which sections of material are to be utilised, defining a start point and a stop point. The editor must also make decisions as to how each item is to begin and end, for example with a wipe, a dissolve, or a key. The duration and precise nature of such wipes and dissolves must also be specified by the editor.

These functions may be performed on an edit controller, which is a machine that can greatly assist in the performance of the editing function but it is to be appreciated that if the editor is faced with a large amount of material to consider, the task of preparing an edited master within the short period of time that is usually available is very onerous.

It is now conventional, to utilise a time code, such as a Vertical Interval Time Code (VITC) while recording with a video camera. This effectively identifies each frame recorded from a video camera with a signal indicating the precise time of the recording of that frame. Other forms of time code which perform the same function also exist. These time codes can be read from the recorded tape, and with an appropriate edit controller it is possible to move any particular tape directly to any particular time as indicated by the time code.

The present invention has thus evolved from a need to provide a programme editor with information, in a readily utilisable form, concerning the items of material to be selected from a large source of material when preparing a programme.

According to this invention there is provided an event recorder comprising a memory, a clock, manually operable means to transfer time signals to the memory signals from the clock, representative of the time, at the instant of operation of the manually operable means, and means to transfer the time signals from the memory to a further item of apparatus.

Preferably the recorder is a portable hand held device.

Advantageously the manually operable means comprise a keyboard.

Preferably the keyboard may be used to record in the memory information to be associated with successive pairs of recorded time signals, the means to transfer the time signals also serving to transfer the information.

Conveniently the keyboard may be used to amend the time signals or information stored in the memory.

Advantageously means are provided for scanning the times recorded in the memory and providing an indication of the times are not sequential.

Preferably the transfer means comprise a port, adapted to be connected to an edit controller or the like.

Conveniently the recorder is adapted to add a fixed time offset to the time signals in the memory, either while they are in the memory, or while they are passing to the transfer means.

Preferably the recorder incorporates a memory to store a plurality of pre-determined time off-sets, there being means to select one of said pre-determined time off-sets for use as said fixed time off-set.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a block diagram illustrating a typical embodiment of the invention.

An event recorder in accordance with the invention is preferably a hand held battery powered apparatus. The apparatus comprises a central processing unit 1 of the microprocessor type. Directly associated with the central processing unit 1 is the keyboard 2 which has an appropriate format depending upon the functions that the particular embodiment of the invention has to perform. The keyboard may thus be an alpha-numeric keyboard and may have the facility for specific keys initiating specific functions of the apparatus.

The central processing unit is also associated with a display 3. The display may be a light emitting diode display or a liquid crystal display.

Associated with the central processing unit is a clock 4 adapted to generate and emit signals representative of the absolute time at any particular instant, with regard to a particular reference time. The reference time may be set in dependence upon the country in which the device is to be utilised and may thus, as far as the United Kingdom is concerned, be considered to be set on Greenwich meantime.

The clock II is adapted to provide signals to a time calculator 5 which is associated with a memory 6 containing indications of times, relative to a base time, such as Greenwich Mean Time, in all the major countries of the world. The time calculator may thus calculate the "offset" from the time generated by the clock to obtain the time in any particular country of the world, or vice-versa. The memory 6 thus contains a plurality of pre-determined time off-sets, any one of which may easily be selected for use. For example, the memory 6 may be such that by keying in, through the keyboard, the name or code of a particular country, the time off-set between that country and Greenwich Mean Time may be called up.

The clock 4 is also associated with an element which performs a stop-watch function 7, as will be described hereinafter.

The central processing unit 1 is also associated with a random access memory 8 adapted to store information. The information, when stored, may be altered by appropriate use of the keyboard. Finally the central processing unit is associated with a port 9 enabling the described apparatus to be connected, via a communication system, to a further item of apparatus, such as an edit controller.

The described apparatus, is sufficiently light and portable to be carried by, for example, the cameraman (or a director), forming part of an outside broadcast team preparing, for example, a broadcast relating to a concert.

When the apparatus is utilised, the camerman may initiate operation of the device in the appropriate mode and may then operate a predetermined key on the keyboard, thus passing into the memory 8 a signal representative of the time signal generated, at that instant, by the clock 4. This time may, for example, be the instant at which the camerman commences filming an interview. On subsequently pressing an appropriate button a further time signal, as generated by the clock 4 will be recorded in the memory 8, and this time signal may represent the end of the interview.

The arrangement is such that it is possible to enter, by means of the keyboard into the memory, a comment, label, or title associated with the two times that have been recorded.

Subsequent operation of appropriate buttons will enable a series of pairs of times to be entered into the memory 8, each pair of time effectively representing a start instant and a stop instant indicating a period of time when valuable material is being recorded by the camera. Each period of time may be identified by an appropriate label or comment.

The information stored within the memory 8 may, upon appropriate operation of the keyboard, be transferred, from the memory, through the port 9 and an associated communication system, to an edit controller or similar device. The person then operating the edit controller may utilise the information transferred to the edit controller to select directly, from a video tape supplied from the camera, the items of material that are identified from the data supplied by the event recorder, which will be the items thought to be of most interest. Thus a significant amount of time is effectively saved since the editor does not have to consider all the material that was recorded, but only has to consider such material that is thought, at the time of recording, to be of interest.The editor may, of course, take into account the title or comment associated with each pair of recorded times to ascertain whether the material recorded between those times will, or will not, be of value in preparing the programme that is to be broadcast.

It is to be noted that, in certain circumstances, it will not be possible to operate the keyboard at the instant when material that is to be of value is being recorded. For example, if a concert is being recorded, it may well be desired to show, in a subsequent programme, a short period before the commencement of each piece. The cameraman filming such a concert does not know preceisely when the orchestra will start playing.

However, the camerman would be able to actuate the keyboard when an orchestra does start playing to mark that instant of time. ' Subsequently, by operating the keyboard in an appropriate way, it will be possible to amend the entry in the memory relating to the time at which the button was pressed to be a time some seconds prior to the time at which the button was pressed, thus ensuring that a brief period before the orchestra starts to play is then within the period of time identified by the times stored in the memory. Likewise the entry in the memory relating to the end of a measured period of time may also be altered, if circumstances require such action.

In order to ensure that there is no "overlap" of periods of time when times have been altered, the apparatus may include a "ripple" facility which will scan the instants of time recorded in the memory to ensure that they are all sequential.

Whilst the described device may be utilised in a "live" situation, the device may also be utilised to accomplish a preliminary edit of previously recorded material. In such a case the previously recorded material is played, and the appropriate buttons on the keyboard are pressed. The time recorded in the memory will then not be directly equivalent to the time on the time code signals present on the film. Thus an off-set may need to be introduced. This can be accomplished by operating the keyboard.

It is conceivable that the time present on the device will not be equivalent to the time present in any particular country, due to the various time-zones that exist around the world. This may be especially relevant if signals are being received directly from another country by satellite and are being subjected to a preliminary editing operation as the signals arrive. Thus the time calculator is associated with a memory 6 to enable signals to be generated to provide any time with an appropriate off-set. As has been mentioned, by keying in the name or code of a country, the appropriate off-set is instantly available. The time signals may be provided with an off-set as they are stored in the memory. Alternatively, all of the time signals stored in the memory may be given a standard off-set as they are transferred to the port 9.

It is to be appreciated that the central processing unit may be provided with a facility to enable more than simple editing to be accomplished, and thus the central processing unit may be operated, by means of the keyboard, to enter into the memory indications of the particular sources of the material to be used in the edits, where more than one camera is in operation, an indication of the mode to be used, for example if the video channel is to be used without the associated audio channel, and vice-versa, any split audio/video edit delays, that is to say where the audio signal from a piece of material is utilised before the video signal or vice-versa, the type of effect to be provided at the end of an item of material, i.e. a cut, a wipe, a mix or the like, together with an indication of the wipe pattern number, and the edit transition duration.

It is thus envisaged that by utilising this device, it may well be possible for the camerman, or director, forming part of an outside broadcast team, to prepare at least preliminary edit instructions to the edit controller, thus enabling the edit controller immediately to produce a preliminary master tape.

Whilst this master tape may need further editing, at least the master tape would not contain totally redundant material.

It is to be noted that the described apparatus includes a stop-watch function, enabling the time elapsed from the initiation of the stop-watch function to be displayed on the display device 3.

Claims

1. An event recorder comprising a memory, a clock, manually operable means to transfer time signals to the memory signals from the clock, representative of the time, at the instant of operation of the manually operable means, and means to transfer the time signals from the memory to a further item of apparatus.

2. A recorder according to claim 1 which is a portable hand held device.

3. A recorded according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the manually operable means comprise a keyboard.

4. A recorder according to claim 3 wherein the keyboard may be used to record in the memory information to be associated with successive pairs of recorded time signals, the means to transfer the time signals also serving to transfer the information.

5. A recorder according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the keyboard may be used to amend the time signals or information stored in the memory.

6. The recorder according to claim 5, wherein means are provided for scanning the times recorded in the memory and providing an indication of the times are not sequential.

7. A recorder according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the transfer means comprise a port, adapted to be corrected to an edit controller or the like.

8. A recorder according to any one of the preceding claims adapted to add or subtract a fixed time off-set to the time signals in the memory, either while they are in the memory, or while they are passing to the transfer means.

9. A recorder according to Claim 8 wherein the recorder incorporates a memory to store a plurality of pre-determined time off-sets, there being means to select one of said pre-determined time off-sets for use as said fixed time off-set.

10. An event recorder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

10. A recorder according to any one of the preceding claims incorporating a display.

11. An event recorder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

12. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. An event recorder comprising a memory, a clock, manually operable means to transfer time signals to the memory from the clock, representative of the time, at the instant of operation of the manually operable means, a keyboard adapted to be used to record in the memory information to be associated with successive pairs of recorded time signals, and means to transfer the time signals and the said information from the memory to a further item of apparatus.

2. A recorder according to claim 1 which is a portable hand held device.

3. A recorded according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the manually operable means comprise the keyboard.

A A recorder according to any one of the preceidng claims wherein the keyboard may be used to amend the time signals or information stored in the memory.

5. The recorder according to claim #, wherein means are provided for scanning the times recorded in the memory and providing an indication of any times that are not sequential.

6. A recorder according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the transfer means comprise a port, adapted to be connected to an edit controller or the like.

7. A recorder according to any one of the preceding claims adapted to add or subtract a fixed time off-set to the time signals in the memory, either while they are in the memory, or while they are passing to the transfer means.

8. A recorder according to Claim 7 wherein the recorder incorporates a memory to store a plurality of pre-determined time off-sets, there being means to select one of said pre-determined time off-sets for use as said fixed time off-set.

9. A recorder according to any one of the preceding claims incorporating a display.