Low bandwidth television

Abstract

The present invention is concerned with client-side production in a personal computer environment of low bandwidth images and audio. A series of low bandwidth still images along with a “script” and audio data is sent over a network in a client/server architecture or is read from a compact disk or other memory. A “director” module residing in a client personal computer uses the “script” to tell the computer how to execute a sequence of “moves” on the still images. These moves include cuts, dissolves, fades, wipes, focuses, flying planes and digital video effects such as push and pull. Moves within a still image occur in real time, and are relatively smooth and continuous as compared to prior art network video. Low bandwidth is achieved because most of the production is done at the client location without relying upon slow, bandwidth-limited downloading of conventional network video formats.

1 - 31 . (canceled)  
   
   
       32 . A system for data communications between a server and a client computer that are in communication with each other via a computer network to thereby display a digital video production on the client computer without the digital video production itself being sent over the network from the server to the client computer, the system comprising: 
 a client computer in communication with a computer network;    a server in communication with the computer network;    wherein the client computer is configured to receive a plurality of image files and a script module from the server over the computer network, the image files defining a plurality of images that are to be displayed as part of a digital video production, the script module defining how the plurality of image files are to be processed to generate the digital video production; and    wherein the client computer is configured to execute a software module that is resident thereon, the software module being configured to generate the digital video production for display on the client computer from the received image files and the received script module.    
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 32  wherein the digital video production comprises a plurality of images and a plurality of transition effects that are displayed as the video progresses from one image to another.  
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the client computer is further configured to receive at least one audio file from the server over the computer network, the audio file defining an audio portion of the digital video production, wherein the script module is configured to further define how the audio portion is to be coordinated with the images of the digital video production, and wherein the software module is further configured to generate the digital video production for display on the client computer from the received image files, the received at least one audio file, and the received script module.  
   
   
       35 . The system of  claim 34  wherein the server is further configured to communicate the script module to the client computer before the image files and before the at least one audio file.  
   
   
       36 . The system of  claim 34  wherein the computer network comprises the Internet.  
   
   
       37 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the server is further configured to send a preliminary communication to the client computer over the computer network, the preliminary communication comprising a plurality of preliminary image files and the script module.  
   
   
       38 . The system of  claim 37  wherein the client computer is further configured to begin displaying the digital video production once the software module has generated a preliminary portion of the digital video production from the received script module and the received preliminary image files, wherein the client computer continues to receive subsequent image files from the server over the computer network, and wherein the software module is configured to generate and display subsequent portions of the digital video production as the subsequent image files are received by the client computer from the server.  
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the plurality of image files comprise a plurality of still images.  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 39  wherein the plurality of image files comprise a plurality of bit mapped still images.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the script module comprises a plurality of commands in an edit decision list (EDL).  
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 33  wherein the transition effects comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of cuts, dissolves, fades, wipes, focuses, defocuses, moving banners, flying image planes, pushes, and pulls.  
   
   
       43 . A method comprising: 
 generating a video sequence locally at a client computer from (1) data received by the client computer from a remote server over a computer network that represents a plurality of still images and (2) data received by the client computer from a remote server over a computer network that represents instructions defining how the still images are to be sequenced together to generate the video sequence; and    displaying the generated video sequence on the client computer.    
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 43  further comprising: 
 storing a software module locally on the client computer, the software module being configured to (1) process the received instructions data and (2) generate the video sequence from the received still images data in accordance with the processed instructions data.    
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising: 
 receiving, at the client computer, the instructions data and a preliminary portion of the still images data from a remote server over a computer network; and    wherein the generating step comprises generating a preliminary portion of the video sequence from the received instructions data and the received preliminary portion of the still images data; and    wherein the displaying step comprises displaying the preliminary portion of the video sequence once it has been generated.    
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 45  further comprising: 
 subsequently receiving a subsequent portion of the still images data from a remote server over a computer network; and    wherein the generating step further comprises generating a subsequent portion of the video sequence from the received instructions data and the received subsequent portion of the still images data; and    wherein the displaying step further comprises displaying the subsequent portion of the video sequence once it has been generated and after the preliminary video sequence portion has been displayed.    
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the video sequence comprises a plurality of successive still images having transition effects interleaved therebetween, and wherein the generating step further comprises (1) processing the instructions data to identify at least one transition effect for placement between a succession of still images, and (2) placing the identified at least one transition effect between that succession of still images.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the video sequence further comprises an audio portion, the method further comprising: 
 receiving data that represents the audio portion of the video sequence from a remote server over a computer network, wherein the instructions data further defines how the received audio data is to be incorporated into the video sequence, and wherein the generating step further comprises incorporating the received audio data into the video sequence in accordance with the processed instructions data.    
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the computer network comprises the Internet, the method further comprising: 
 connecting the client computer to an Internet website;    displaying a page of the Internet website on the client computer; and    initiating the receiving steps, the generating step, and the displaying step in response to selection of a link on the displayed page by a user of the client computer.    
   
   
       50 . A system comprising: 
 a client computer in communication with a computer network;    a server in communication with the computer network;    wherein the server is configured to communicate, over the computer network, a partial video production and a plurality of instructions to the client computer, the instructions defining how a software program resident on the client computer can generate a full video production from the partial video production; and    wherein the client computer is configured to (1) receive the partial video production and the instructions, (2) execute a software program resident thereon to generate the full video production from the received partial video production in accordance with the received instructions, and (3) display the full video production thereon.