Media Difference Engine for Collaborative Editing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current collaborative media editing systems face challenges in enabling seamless collaboration across different creative tools due to incompatible compositional data models and formats, leading to lossy conversions and inflexibility in content management systems.

Innovation Solution

A general-purpose difference engine with a plug-in architecture determines differences between media composition revisions, generates native change lists, and exports them in a canonical form, reducing the need for media editing applications to perform format conversions and enabling independent composition recreation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If compositions are converted to a standardized interoperable format for collaborative editing, then compatibility across different creative tools is improved, but the richness of native format compositions is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility across creative toolsVSAvoidrichness of native format

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the composition data into two separate representations: a simplified interoperable format for cross-tool compatibility and a rich native format for preserving full editing functionality. This segmentation allows each format to serve its specific purpose without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that maintains both the interoperable format (for exchange between tools) and the native format (for rich editing). This intermediary approach prevents direct lossy conversion by keeping both representations coexisting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If media editing applications perform format conversions to enable collaboration, then interoperability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveinteroperabilityVSAvoidconversion software requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the format conversion functionality from the media editing applications themselves and places it in a separate content management system. This extraction reduces the complexity burden on individual editing tools while maintaining interoperability capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The content management system is designed as a universal platform that handles format conversions for multiple different creative tools. This multi-functional approach consolidates conversion capabilities centrally, reducing the need for each application to have its own conversion software.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If canonical change lists are used to track revisions across different applications, then collaboration is improved, but the vocabulary of operations is limited to the lowest common denominator

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaborative editing efficiencyVSAvoidediting operations support

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by maintaining application-specific change lists that capture the full vocabulary of operations for each individual application, while also generating a canonical change list for cross-application compatibility. Each change list serves its specific context with appropriate detail and granularity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Adaptability or versatility

If creative tools are required to generate interoperable versions for each edit, then collaboration is enabled, but flexibility and efficiency decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaborative capabilityVSAvoidediting efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The content management system acts as an intermediary that automatically handles the generation and management of interoperable versions. This mediates between the creative tools and the collaboration requirements, freeing editors from manual conversion tasks while enabling seamless collaboration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250201275A1Difference engine for media change management

Publication Date: 2025.06.19 AVID TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

A universal media difference engine generates a change list specifying the edits required to create an edited revision of a media composition from a base version. The difference engine determines the format of the media composition, locates and installs a plug-in corresponding to the format, and uses the plug-in to parse the composition and generate the change list. The supported compositional formats include formats native to specific media editing applications, as well as interoperable formats. The difference engine is able to convert rich change lists expressed in native form to canonical change lists that are compatible with multiple editing applications. Timeline, mixer configuration, and scene graph composition types are supported. Content management system storage requirements are reduced by storing a base version and change lists instead of multiple revisions of the composition. A media composition recreation engine recreates an edited revision by applying a change list to a prior version.