FR2847408A1 - Phonogram and videograph producing method, involves generating flows of intercommunication between local and remote sources of input signals, audio and visual messages, returning flows towards animators and participants - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves processing input audio signals received from animators and participants using central servers (SC) located on a central site. A flow of control of local or remote sources of the input signals is generated. A flow of intercommunication between the sources, and a flow of audio and visual messages (texts, images, video sequences) are generated. The flows are returned towards the animators and participants. An Independent claim is also included for a interface device for implementing the phonogram and videogrpah producing method.

Description

The present invention relates to a process for the production of

  remote phonograms and videograms as well as a device

  interface for the implementation of said method.

  It aims more particularly to solve the problems of quality production systems of phonograms and interactive videograms at

  from remote sources in real time.

  It applies in particular, but not exclusively, to listeners who receive a quality audio signal accompanied by images, texts, video sequences and who wish to: * reproduce and keep said audio signal accompanied by images, texts and video sequences, * interact in the content of said audio signal, * interact with: - other listeners located on several sites, in real time, - presenters and participants, located on several sites,

  responsible for animating, in real time, an audio session.

  It involves: - producers responsible for the progress, quality and any rights linked to the audio session, - a licensed mixing manager, responsible for providing a mix

  quality audio from different remote sound sources.

  In general, we know that many solutions have already been proposed in terms of interactive sound production. However, most of these solutions have the following drawbacks: - they do not manage the different components of the audio session and find it difficult to identify the different speakers, - they are not able to manage participants with rigor and flexibility in order to respond to requirements of interactivity, - they sometimes require the use of an additional telephone line to the Internet line, and the audio quality is very insufficient, - they do not allow listeners to be able to have specific assistance for comprehension on contents of the session and

  desynchronize during the session.

  The invention therefore more particularly aims to remove these

disadvantages.

  To this end, it proposes a system making it possible to take better advantage of the high technology means of communication currently available (for example multimedia communications using the Internet and Intranet networks) to ensure a connection between: listeners who receive a session audio accompanied by images, texts, video signals, - animators and participants located on several sites responsible, in real time, respectively for animating the audio session and for intervening during

of it.

  -3 According to the invention, this method of producing phonograms and videograms remotely essentially involves: - one or more central servers, located on a central site, processing incoming sound signals from presenters and participants , generating flows of command and control of the local or distant sources of said incoming sound signals, an intercommunication flow between said local or distant sound sources, and flows of audio and visual messages (texts, images, video sequences), and sending these so-called streams to said presenters and said participants, - mixing means, located on the central site, allowing a mixing manager to see and manipulate local or remote sound sources, to generate mixed audio messages and visual messages such as text images of video sequences and exchanging orders or voice messages with participants and ani mateurs, - interface means, located on local or remote sites, associated with the central server and the Internet network, allowing presenters and participants to intervene live without disturbing the sound sources, to have the "conversation in line "and" document exchange area on screen ", to receive the mixed audio message, and to dialogue with the listeners and the mixing manager, - interface means, located on local or remote sites, associated with Intemet network, allowing listeners to receive audio messages and visual messages, to reproduce and store them, to interact in their content and to dialogue with participants and other listeners, -4 interface means, located on the central site or on a remote site, associated with the central server and the Internet, allowing producers to communicate to the mixing manager the planning and format of the sessions, to intervene during sessions for monitoring purposes, and to identify auditors. An embodiment of the invention will be described below, by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawing, in which: The single figure is a schematic representation illustrating the

  general principle of the method according to the invention.

  In this example, the method according to the invention may include: * on the one hand, at a central site (block O), a central server (block SC) and a mixing manager (block MX), * d on the other hand, outside of said central site, various components of the process for producing phonograms and videograms remotely, namely: - animators and group of animators (AN block), - participants and group of participants (PA block) , - listeners (AU block), - producers (PR block), - broadcasting organizations (DIF block), - recording studios (SE block),

- the Internet network (ISP).

  The central server (block SC) contains a telephone access point (block POP) which receives the connections of the presenters (block AN) and the participants (block PA) by means of asymmetric digital lines (ADSL), respectively LAN and LPA, and can be extended to the

  universal telecommunications (UMTS) by means of an access point (block U).

  Said central server processes the incoming sound signals from the presenters (block AN) and the participants (block PA), generates the command and control flows from the remote sources, the intercommunication flow between the said remote sound sources, and the flow of audio and visual messages (texts, images, video sequences), and sends these said flows back to the presenters (AN block) and to the participants (PA block) by means

  said digital communication lines LAN and LPA respectively.

  The central server also contains a command and control system (block CM) for the access of the mixing manager (block MX), an access point (block P) for connection of producers (block PR) to the by means of an asymmetrical digital LPR line and an access point (block D) for connection of broadcasting organizations (block DIF) and recording studios (block SE)

  by means of an asymmetric digital line LDIF.

  In addition, the mixing manager (MX block), the participants (PA block), the animators (AN block), the producers (PR block) and the listeners (AU block) are connected to the Internet via IMX links respectively. ,

IPA, IAN, IPR and IAU.

  Thus, this computer and digital audio network constitutes an infrastructure equivalent to a professional mixing studio which generates phonogram and videogram productions, in real time, intended for listeners (AU block) through the Internet network, according to IMX and IAU connections. , audio / video broadcasting organizations (DIF block) and studios

  record (block SE) following the LDIF connection.

  -6 These productions of phonograms and videograms are the result of the interventions of the participants (block PA) and the animators (block AN) under the

  control of the mixing manager (block MX) and producers (block PR).

  The method according to the invention thus allows the listeners to dialogue with each other as well as with the presenters and the participants, these different speakers.

  being located on remote and different sites.

  In a more precise way - The mixing manager has, on the central site, a control system, associated with the central server, allowing, through a graphic interface, to see and manipulate the distant sound sources and '' a communication system for exchanging orders and voice messages with participants and facilitators. - The facilitators and participants have multitasking multimedia means equipped with ADSL access on the central server and Internet access, among other things, making it possible to transfer audio / video messages to the central server and to receive the mixed session, and mixing of local sources (case of a group of participants or a group of animators). The animators can trigger images, texts and advertising messages which are added to the mixed sound signal, have the functions "online conversation" and "document exchange area on

  screen "to intervene live without disturbing the sound sources.

  Participants are usually trainers, experts,

  journalists, artists and speak in the session.

  - The producers are responsible for the process, the quality and possibly the rights linked to the session; they communicate the planning and format of the sessions to the mixing manager; -7 they intervene during the session for control purposes; they verify and control the identity of the auditors and can charge for access

at the session.

  - Listeners have a multitasking multimedia station with Internet access, reading and recording facilities

  interactive and discussion means among online listeners.

  The process of connection with the system consists of connecting to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider, identifying oneself with the Access Provider's server to validate access, selecting the audio channel chosen, receive audio and visual messages, reproduce them, keep them, interact in their content and be able to interact with

  online listeners, participants and facilitators.

  In accordance with the approach described above, the listeners have interactive functions, offered by the method according to the present invention, grouped in a device called an interactive player / recorder, and

  allowing the implementation of said method.

  Advantageously, said interactive reader / recorder may: * receive several channels transmitted simultaneously, * receive: - public type streams, certain functions of which are linked to the fact that the listener is subscribed or decides whether or not to acquire phonograms and videograms , - flows of the protected type entering within the framework of a private corporate communication, * allowing a passage from one flow to another flow in a transparent manner for the listener whose rights have been identified; for example: - a general public listener without subscription will receive the public-type audio stream and will benefit from limited interactive functions depending on the nature of the phonogram, - a subscriber or public listener subscriber or purchaser of phonograms and videograms will benefit from all the functions interactive and protected content, - a listener, concerned by a private stream, will be informed of the next broadcast of private phonograms and videograms and will be able to decide whether or not to follow and store them while continuing to follow the private stream, * allow the phonogram and videogram storage function. The use of a memory card is essential to allow not only storage but also identification of the listener; thus, the auditor will be able to use any interactive player / recorder and access their personal profile; the memory card will therefore allow online operations (purchase, games, votes ...) as well as access to private streams and storage

  temporary phonograms and videograms.

  Obviously, phonograms and videograms should be designed so that the audio stream is synchronized with still images, multiple textual data and animation and interaction functions applicable to images as well as to texts; video sequences can enhance the content while limiting their impact on others

data types.

  In addition, they must be designed to admit immediate flows (urgent information, etc.); interactive features will

  reduced to predefined standard models.

  Advantageously, said interactive reader / recorder may include the following interactive functions: - "on air" functions which represent the state of the reader as a function of the actions performed by the listener; they allow in particular to know the state of the current relative position of the received session compared to the beginning of its emission, to download later the sessions to receive, to allow the listener to synchronize with a current session since the reader recorded the session from the start, to allow the listener to desynchronize the session while knowing the conditions for the end of the session, to keep or destroy the recording of the session since its start, - functions " karaoke "which manage the main stream corresponding to the transcription of the spoken or sung text in the original language, and the secondary streams corresponding either to simultaneous translations or to instant messages designed in real time by authorized speakers (participants, animators); they make it possible in particular to identify the participants in the main flow, to identify from among the lines of the scrolling text that which is active in relation to the past lines, to take breaks, slowdowns, loops and returns, as well as the selection of words for the transmission of the word to translation tools, search for synonyms, access to glossaries and / or thesauri, - a "live" function which allows the listener to intervene in direct in the session for question and answer sessions; it allows in particular to know the list of speakers who speak simultaneously, to display this list and the locations of said speakers, and to intervene according to an indicator (waiting,

active, mute).

- 10

Claims (10)

  1. Method for the production of phonograms and videograms remotely using multimedia communication means which can use the communication networks currently available, such as the high speed telephone network and networks of digital radio type, telephone networks cellular, Internet and Intranet networks, to ensure a connection between: - listeners (AU block) who receive an audio session accompanied by images, texts, video signals, - animators (AN block) and participants (PA block) located on several sites responsible, in real time, respectively for animating the audio session and intervening during it, characterized in that it comprises: one or more central servers (SC block), located on a central site (block O), comprising means for processing the incoming sound signals from presenters and participants, means for generating flu x command and control of local or distant sources of said incoming sound signals, an intercommunication flow between said local or distant sound sources, and flows of audio and visual messages (texts, images, video sequences), and means for send these said flows back to said organizers and said participants. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises mixing means (block CM) located on the central site, allowing a mixing manager (block MX) to see and manipulate the local or remote sound sources, generate mixed audio messages and visual messages such as text images of video sequences, and exchange orders or messages   voice with participants and facilitators.   - he 3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises interface means (POP block), located on local or remote sites, associated with the central server and the Internet network, allowing the animators and participants to intervene live without disturbing the sound sources, have the functions "online conversation" and "document exchange area on screen", receive the mixed audio message, and interact with the listeners and the mixing manager.   4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises interface means, located on local or remote sites, associated with the Internet network (ISP block), allowing listeners to receive audio messages and visual messages , and of   interact with participants and other listeners.   5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises interface means (block P), located on the central site or on a remote site, associated with the central server and the Internet, allowing producers (block PR) to communicate to the mixing manager the planning and format of the sessions, to intervene during the sessions for control purposes, and to identify the listeners. 6. Interface device for implementing the method according to one of previous claims,   characterized in that the interface means, located on local or remote sites, include means for * receiving several channels transmitted simultaneously, * receiving public type flows, - 12 * receiving protected type flows falling within the framework of a private company communication, * allow a passage from one stream to another stream in a transparent manner for the listener whose rights have been identified, * allow the storage function of phonograms and videograms. 7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises the "on air" functions which represent the state of the reader as a function of the actions performed by the listener; they allow in particular to know the state of the current relative position of the received session compared to the beginning of its emission, to download later the sessions to receive, to allow the listener to synchronize with a current session since the reader recorded the session from the start, to allow the listener to desynchronize the session while knowing the conditions for the end of the session, to   keep or destroy the recording of the session since its start.   8. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises the "karaoke" functions which manage the main stream corresponding to the transcription of the spoken or sung text in the original language, and the secondary streams corresponding either to simultaneous translations, or to instant messages designed in real time by authorized speakers (participants, facilitators), these functions making it possible in particular to identify the speakers in the main flow, to identify from among the lines of the text scrolling the one that is active in relation to the past lines , to make pauses, slowdowns, loops and returns, as well as the selection of words for the transmission of the word towards translation tools, search for synonyms, access   glossaries, and / or thesauri.   - 13 9. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a "live" function which allows the listener to intervene live in the session for question and answer sessions, this function making it possible in particular to know the lite of speakers who speak simultaneously, display this list and the locations of said speakers, and intervene according to a indicator (wait, active, mute).   10. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a memory card allowing the identification of the listener, access to private streams and storage   temporary phonograms and videograms.