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Automatically generating consistent schedules for multimedia documents

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Abstract

A schedule for a multimedia document indicates when document events should occur. We describe a two-phase algorithm that automatically produces schedules for interactive multimedia documents, which can contain both predictable behavior (such as audio and video) and unpredictable behavior (such as user interaction and programs with unpredictable execution times). The first phase of the algorithm, called the compiletime scheduler, preprocesses high-level temporal specifications before the document is presented and creates as much of the schedule as possible. Our compiletime scheduler is conceptually similar to TEX's spatial layout algorithm in that it permits time to be stretched or shrunk between events inside media segments to arrive at an “optimal” presentation for a document. The second phase of the algorithm, called the runtime scheduler, resolves the presentation of media segments that depend upon unpredictable behavior.

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Correspondence to M. Cecelia Buchanan.

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Buchanan, M.C., Zellweger, P.T. Automatically generating consistent schedules for multimedia documents. Multimedia Systems 1, 55–67 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01213484

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