Enhancing a rendering system to distinguish presentation time from data time
A machine-implemented method: (A) maintains a value of a data time parameter representing an amount of time required by a rendering system to render a portion of temporal sequence presentation data at a default presentation rate; (B) provides the value of the data time parameter to a first component of the rendering system; (C) calculates, based on the value of the data time parameter, a value of a presentation time parameter representing an amount of time elapsed during rendering of the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data; and (D) provides the value of the presentation time parameter to a second component of the rendering system; wherein the value of the presentation time parameter is not equal to the value of the data time parameter.
1. A method, performed by at least one machine, for rendering temporal sequence presentation data in a machine-implemented rendering system, the temporal sequence presentation data being tangibly stored in a first computer-readable medium and comprising an unmodified plurality of n data elements corresponding to a portion of the temporal sequence presentation data, wherein each of the data elements in the unmodified plurality share a fixed specified presentation duration, the method comprising steps of:
(A) generating a modified plurality of data elements corresponding to the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data;
(B) maintaining a value of a presentation time parameter tangibly stored in a second computer-readable medium and representing an amount of time required to render the modified plurality of data elements;
(C) providing the value of the presentation time parameter to a first component of the rendering system; and
(D) providing a value of a data time parameter to a second component of the rendering system, wherein the value of the data time parameter represents n multiplied by the fixed specified presentation duration;
wherein the value of the presentation time parameter is not equal to the value of the data time parameter.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first component and the second component are the same component of the rendering system.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (B) comprises a step of providing the presentation time parameter value in response to a request from the first component for a current time.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (D) comprises a step of providing the data time parameter value in response to a request from the second component for a current time.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(E) storing the value of the data time parameter in the third computer-readable medium.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (B) comprises steps of:
(B)(1) for each data element in the modified plurality of data elements:
(a) identifying a default rendition period of the data element;
(b) identifying an actual presentation rate of the data element;
(c) dividing the default rendition period of the data element by the actual presentation rate of the data element to produce a quotient; and
(B)(2) maintaining a sum of the quotients produced by step (B)(1) as the presentation time parameter value in the second computer-readable medium.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (B) comprises steps of:
(B) (1) receiving an explicit request for the value of the presentation time parameter; and
(B) (2) providing the value of the presentation time parameter in response to the request.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (D) comprises steps of:
(D) (1) receiving an explicit request for the value of the data time parameter; and
(D) (2) providing the value of the data time parameter in in response to the request.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particular presentation rate is less than one.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particular presentation rate is greater than one.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unmodified plurality of n data elements comprises a plurality of n data samples.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein (D) comprises multiplying n by the fixed specified presentation duration to obtain the value of the data time parameter.
13. A device for rendering temporal sequence presentation data in a machine-implemented rendering system, the temporal sequence presentation data being tangibly stored in a first computer-readable medium and comprising an unmodified plurality of n data elements corresponding to a portion of the temporal sequence presentation data, wherein each of the data elements in the unmodified plurality share a fixed specified presentation duration, the device comprising at least one processor and at least one second computer-readable medium tangibly storing computer program instructions for:
(A) generating a modified plurality of data elements corresponding to the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data;
(B) maintaining a value of a presentation time parameter tangibly stored in a second computer-readable medium and representing an amount of time required to render the modified plurality of data elements;
(C) providing the value of the presentation time parameter to a first component of the rendering system; and
(D) providing a value of a data time parameter to a second component of the rendering system, wherein the value of the data time parameter represents n multiplied by the fixed specified presentation duration;
wherein the value of the presentation time parameter is not equal to the value of the data time parameter.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first component and the second component are the same component of the rendering system.
15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the step (B) comprises a step of providing the presentation time parameter value in response to a request from the first component for a current time.
16. The device of claim 13 , wherein the step (D) comprises a step of providing the data time parameter value in response to a request from the second component for a current time.
17. The device of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
(E) storing the value of the data time parameter in the third computer-readable medium.
18. The device of claim 13 , wherein the step (B) comprises steps of:
(B) (1) for each data element in the modified plurality of data elements:
(a) identifying a default rendition period of the data element;
(b) identifying an actual presentation rate of the data element;
(c) dividing the default rendition period of the data element by the actual presentation rate of the data element to produce a quotient; and
(B)(2) maintaining a sum of the quotients produced by step (B)(1) as the presentation time parameter value in the second computer-readable medium.
19. The device of claim 13 , wherein the step (B) comprises steps of:
(B) (1) receiving an explicit request for the value of the presentation time parameter; and
(B) (2) providing the value of the presentation time parameter in response to the request.
20. The device of claim 13 , wherein the step (D) comprises steps of:
(D) (1) receiving an explicit request for the value of the data time parameter; and
(D) (2) providing the value of the data time parameter in in response to the request.
21. The device of claim 13 , wherein the particular presentation rate is less than one.
22. The device of claim 13 , wherein the particular presentation rate is greater than one.
23. The device of claim 13 , wherein the unmodified plurality of n data elements comprises a plurality of n data samples.
24. The device of claim 13 , wherein (D) comprises multiplying n by the fixed specified presentation duration to obtain the value of the data time parameter.