US 20050226601A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0226601 A1 Cohen et al. (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 13, 2005 (54) DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR Publication Classi?cation SYNCHRONIZING AN EFFECT TO A MEDIA PRESENTATION (51) Int. Cl? ..................................................... ..H04N 5/91 (52) Us. 01. .............................................................. .. 386/75 (76) Inventors: Alon Cohen, Tena?y, NJ (US); Ra? Maslaton, Tena?y, NJ (US) (57) ABSTRACT Correspondence Address: A method and device for generating the list of effects and associated activation time points of media presentation and PEARL COHEN ZEDEK, LLP a list of synchronization time stamps or time points and 10 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA values calculated from the signal, synchronizing an effect to SUITE 1001 a media playback including calculating a value from the NEW YORK, NY 10020 (US) signal, associating the calculated value With a time stamp of (21) Appl. No.: 11/095,590 the media, and associating an effect signal for an effect to be generated at a time point on a time base synchronized to said (22) Filed: Apr. 1, 2005 time stamps. The method or system may include calculating a value from a segment or multiple segment of a signal, searching a database for such calculated value, returning a Related US. Application Data time stamp in a media presentation that is associated With such value, and returning a control signal for a physical (60) Provisional application No. 60/560,244, ?led on Apr. effect that is associated With such time point of such pre 8, 2004. sentation. cg ucclwQ Patent Application Publication Oct. 13, 2005 Sheet 1 0f 5 US 2005/0226601 A1 [l0 [a media. 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Patent Application Publication Oct. 13, 2005 Sheet 5 0f 5 US 2005/0226601 A1 f'mbc daig' oLiA e-FFec-t s?m {In a» hummus?“ J J, m Emu/446“;u Such SIEJlWo-DI W US 2005/0226601 A1 Oct. 13, 2005 DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR in a table or collection of values, returning a ?rst time stamp SYNCHRONIZING AN EFFECT TO A MEDIA or a time point that is associated With the value as found PRESENTATION from among such table or collection of values, and returning an effect signal associated With a second time point in the CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED presentation Where said ?rst and second time points may be APPLICATION different [0001] This application claims priority from US. Provi [0006] Embodiments of the invention include a device sional Patent Application No. 60/560,244, ?led Apr. 8, 2003, having a digital memory for storing one or more values entitled “Device, System and Method for Enhancement of calculated from signals in a data stream, Where one or more Video Content”, Which is incorporated in its entirety herein of such values are associated With a time interval of such by reference. data stream. The digital memory may also store effect signals, Where at least one of such effect signals is associated BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With a time point of such data stream. [0002] A presentation of recorded movies or a recorded audio may be enhanced by adding special effects to the BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS recording or on a separate media, and reproducing the effects in a presentation of the recording. The synchroniZation of [0007] Embodiments of the invention may be understood the effect With an event in the presentation may be bene?cial and appreciated more fully from the folloWing detailed to the impact of the effect on a listener or vieWer. Improper description taken in conjunction With the draWings in Which: synchroniZation of the effect With the sound or sight in a [0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of components of a media presentation may impair the impact of the effect on a system for synchroniZing effects With a media presentation vieWer or listener. in accordance With an exemplary embodiment of the inven SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION tion; [0003] Embodiments of the invention include a method for [0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a media storage calculating a value from a digital signal in a data stream, device and a media recording unit With a data storage unit in associating the value With a time period of the data stream accordance With an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and associating an effect With the time period. In some [0010] FIG. 3 is a ?oW chart of a method of inserting embodiments the value may be calculated using for example effect signals into a data stream in accordance With an a cyclic redundancy check algorithm applied to a for embodiment of the invention; example non consecutive very loW bandWidth portion of data extracted from the presentation signal such as for [0011] FIG. 4 is a ?oW chart of a method of returning example data in a close caption line of a video signal. In effect signals associated With a media presentation in accor some embodiments, the effect may be a physical effect dance With an embodiment of the invention; and generated to re?ect an event or occurrence being presented in the data stream at the time period. In some embodiments [0012] FIG. 5 is a ?oW chart of a method of embedding the effect may be selected from a menu of effects, such as effect signals in a transmission, in accordance With an physical effects, and the effect may be generated prior to the embodiment of the invention. event re?ected in the data stream. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE [0004] In some embodiments the time period may be INVENTION referenced from a ?xed point in the data stream. The effect timing may be triggered betWeen events (e.g., the occurrence [0013] In the folloWing description, various aspects of the of closed captioning signals) Where the time period is present invention Will be described. For purposes of expla interpolated betWeen the events and extrapolated after the nation, speci?c con?gurations and details are set forth in events; from extrapolation, for example, a running clock or order to provide a thorough understanding of the present timer may be generated. In some embodiments the effect invention. HoWever, it Will also be apparent to one skilled in may be generated prior to the effect speci?ed timing or the the art that the present invention may be practiced Without desired perception moment of the effect, to compensate for the speci?c details presented herein. Furthermore, Well human perception response time, effect generation delay, knoWn features may be omitted or simpli?ed in order not to control system delays, and effect propagation delays in obscure the present invention. Various examples are given different environments for example vieWing room siZe. For throughout this description. These are merely descriptions of example When the effect is scent or smell it may take longer speci?c embodiments of the invention. The scope of the for the scent to propagate from the scent generator to the invention is not limited to the examples given. vieWer (e.g. smeller). In some embodiments the delay may be adjusted by the effects rendering unit from the effect’s [0014] Unless speci?cally stated otherWise, as apparent from the folloWing discussions, it is appreciated that original associated timing, to enable the use of a single throughout the speci?cation, discussions utiliZing terms effects track for multiple rendering setups, different control such as "processing,”“computing,”“calculating,”“determin technologies, different room siZes or user preferences Where ing,”“deriving” or the like, refer to the action and/or pro an installation may incorporate its oWn unique required delay that may be derived from various in?uencing ele cesses of a processor, computer or computing system, or similar electronic or hardWare computing device, that ments. manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical, [0005] Embodiments of the invention include calculating such as electronic quantities Within the computing system’s a value from a signal in a data stream, searching for the value registers and/or memories into other data similarly repre US 2005/0226601 A1 Oct. 13, 2005 sented as physical quantities Within the computing system’s recording device 12 may be linked to a source 18 of a media memories, registers or other such information storage, trans presentation such as for example a television antenna, DVD mission or display devices. player, MP3 player, satellite dish, digital video recorder, cable TV, Internet, or other source or feed of media such as [0015] The processes and displays presented herein are not for example audio or video. inherently related to any particular computer, communica tion device or other apparatus. The desired structure for a [0020] In some embodiments, media recording device 12 variety of these systems Will appear from the description may include or may be operably linked With a media beloW. In addition, embodiments of the present invention are presentation device 22; such devices may be separate. For not described With reference to any particular programming example, media recording device 12 may be used to create language, machine code, etc. It Will be appreciated that a “effects ?les”, stored in a memory or digital memory (e.g., variety of programming languages, machine codes, etc.