Methods and systems for digital file distribution to theaters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10212463-B2
Application number	US-201313859139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods for efficiently distributing digital cinema files from a server to a theater are disclosed. The systems and methods may comply with DCI requirements. A server updates an original composition playlist, updates a track file associated with the updated composition playlist, and distributes the updated composition playlist and updated track file to one or more theaters over a communications network. The theater is configured to store the updated track file at a storage containing copies of all track files associated with the updated composition playlist and update the theater's original composition playlist to the updated composition playlist. The server may have a database configured to track the composition playlists and associated track files present in each theater in the system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for distributing digital cinema file updates over a network from a server to a theater, comprising:
storing at the server an original composition playlist, the original composition playlist specifying an order that a first plurality of track files can be played back for presentation of a movie, wherein the first plurality of track files comprise image track files and audio track files corresponding to video and audio content of a first version of the movie;
storing at the server one or more new track files comprising only a portion of video or audio content of a modified version of the movie;
updating at the server the original composition playlist; the updated composition playlist specifying an order that a second plurality of track files can be played back for presentation of the modified version of the movie, wherein the second plurality of track files comprises at least some of the first plurality of track files corresponding to video and audio content of the first version of the movie and the one or more new track files corresponding to the portion of video or audio content of the modified version of the movie;
receiving, over the network, a request from the theater for the one or more new track files and the updated composition playlist;
in response to receiving the request from the theater:
authenticating the theater;
determining at the server what version of a composition playlist corresponding to a presentation of the movie was previously transmitted to the theater by querying a database for a record of a most recent composition playlist of the theater corresponding to a presentation of the movie; and
transmitting over the network from the server to the theater the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files; and

after transmitting the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files, updating the record of the database to record that the updated composition playlist and the second plurality of track files are associated with the theater.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files is performed only if it is determined at the server that the updated composition playlist is used at a region corresponding to the theater.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the server performs the determining and transmitting steps for a plurality of theaters.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content of the one or more new track files is a scene of the modified version of the movie.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content of the one or more new track files is a foreign language audio version of the movie.

6. A system comprising:
a server configured to:
store an original composition playlist, the original composition playlist specifying an order that a first plurality of track files can be played back for presentation of a movie, wherein the first plurality of track files comprise image track files and audio track files corresponding to video and audio content of a first version of the movie;
store one or more new track files comprising only a portion of content of a modified version of the movie;
update an original composition playlist, the updated composition playlist specifying an order that a second plurality of track files can be played back for presentation of the modified version of the movie, wherein the second plurality of track files comprises at least some of the first plurality of track files corresponding to video and audio content of the first version of the movie and the one or more new track files corresponding to the portion of video or audio content of the modified version of the movie;
receive, over a network, a request from a theater for the one or more new track files and the updated composition playlist;
in response to receiving the request from the theater:
authenticating the theater;
determining what version of a composition playlist corresponding to a presentation of the movie was previously transmitted to the theater by requesting from a database a record of the theater's most recent composition playlist; and
transmit the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files to the theater over a communications network; and

after transmitting the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files, update the record of the database to record that the updated composition playlist and the second plurality of track files are associated with the theater; and

the database communicatively coupled to the server and comprising the record of a most recent composition playlist of the theater corresponding to the presentation of the movie.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the server transmits the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files only if the composition playlist is used at a region corresponding to the theater.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the content of the one or more new track files is a foreign language audio version of the movie.

9. A system, comprising:
a server configured to:
receive, over a network, a request from a theater for an updated track file and an updated composition playlist associated with playback of a modified version of a movie, wherein the updated track file comprises only a portion of video or audio content of the modified version of the movie;
in response to receiving the request from the theater:
authenticate the theater;
determine the theater's current composition playlist and current track files, wherein the current composition playlist specifies an order the current track files are played back for a first version of the movie; and
transmit the updated composition playlist and the updated track file to the theater over a communications network, wherein the updated composition playlist specifies an order the updated track file and some of the current track files are played back for the modified version of the movie; and

after transmitting the updated composition playlist and the one or more new track files, update a record of a database communicatively coupled to the server to record that the updated composition playlist is associated with the theater for playback of the movie; and

a security module communicatively coupled to the server.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a database communicatively coupled to the server, wherein the database comprises records of a theater's current composition playlist.

11. A method for creating a digital cinema package at a server, comprising:
receiving a request order at the server for component parts of a digital cinema package;
storing at the server the component parts of the digital cinema package;
fulfilling the order by assembling the digital cinema package based on the component parts, the assembled digital cinema package comprising a plurality of track files and a composition playlist specifying how the plurality of track files are played back for a presentation of a movie;
validating that the digital cinema package is compliant with Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) standards;
receiving, over a network, a request from a theater for the validated digital cinema package;
in response to receiving the request, transmitting the validated digital cinema package over the network from the server to the theater; and
after transmitting the validated digital cinema package, updating a record of a database communicatively coupled to the server to record that the composition playlist and the plurality of track files are associated with the theater.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating an encryption key for the validated digital

Assignees

• Silverman Leon
• Voris James
• Arana Mark
• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Silverman Leon
• Voris James
• Arana Mark

Classifications

• H04N21/26291

  for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client (deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25) · CPC title

• H04N21/812

  involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02) · CPC title

• H04N21/8541

  involving branching, e.g. to different story endings · CPC title

• H04N21/2407 Primary

  Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads (arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14) · CPC title

• H04N21/41415

  involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk · CPC title