Media Asset Lineage Tree for Version History Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems fail to uniformly represent and store related media assets and their supplementary descriptive information, particularly in cases of derivative works and different media versions, leading to disconnection and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system that receives original media assets and derivative versions, determines their lineage, generates a version history tree with associated descriptors, and presents it to users, allowing for updates and propagation of modifications across related assets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional disconnected storage methods are used for media assets and derivative works, then individual media files can be stored independently, but the lineage and relationships between original media and derivative versions cannot be uniformly represented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments media assets into hierarchical components: original media assets, derivative works, and associated descriptors. Each segment is stored independently but linked through a tree structure that preserves lineage information. This segmentation allows independent management of each media component while maintaining relational integrity through the version history tree.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a version history tree as an intermediary structure that mediates between individual media assets and their relationships. This tree structure serves as a mediator that connects original media assets to their derivative versions, preserving lineage information without requiring direct complex interconnections between all media files.
2Reliability
If all derivative versions and metadata are stored with full detail, then complete lineage information is preserved, but storage efficiency and retrieval speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying to create derivative works from original media assets, where each derivative is a copy with modifications. The version history tree records these copying relationships, allowing complete lineage tracking through references to parent assets rather than storing redundant full copies of all metadata at each level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where derivative works contain references to their parent assets, which in turn contain references to their parents, forming a nested hierarchy. This nesting allows lineage information to be preserved through nested references rather than duplicating complete metadata at each level, improving storage efficiency and retrieval speed.
3Loss of information
If a comprehensive version history tree is generated for all media assets, then complete lineage and descriptor information is available, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal version history tree structure that can represent any media asset and its derivatives regardless of type or format. This multi-functional tree structure handles various media types (video, audio, images) and their associated descriptors uniformly, reducing system complexity by applying a single versatile framework rather than separate systems for different media types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to media asset storage by organizing assets chronologically in a version history tree. This dimensional change transforms flat storage into a time-ordered hierarchy, allowing complete descriptor information to be accessed through temporal navigation rather than complex cross-referencing, thereby reducing system complexity.
4Stability of the object's composition
If modifications to descriptors are propagated to all related derivative versions, then data consistency is maintained, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes the version history tree structure in advance, pre-defining the relationships between original media assets and their derivatives. This preliminary structuring enables efficient update propagation by having the propagation path predetermined through the tree hierarchy, rather than requiring dynamic analysis of relationships during each update operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where modifications to descriptors in the version history tree automatically trigger propagation to affected derivative versions. This feedback system maintains metadata consistency by continuously monitoring and updating related assets, reducing the need for manual consistency checks and minimizing processing time through automated response.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable media for representing media assets. The method includes receiving an original media asset and derivative versions of the original media asset and associated descriptors, determining a lineage to each derivative version that traces to the original media asset, generating a version history tree of the original media asset representing the lineage to each derivative version and associated descriptors from the original media asset, and presenting at least part of the version history tree to a user. In one aspect, the method further includes receiving a modification to one associated descriptor and updating associated descriptors for related derivative versions with the received modification. The original media asset and the derivative versions of the original media asset can share a common identifying mark. Descriptors can include legal documentation, licensing information, creation time, creation date, actors' names, director, producer, lens aperture, and position data.