text:
A method for providing enhanced content for play across multiple play platforms employs steps of delivering media content to a client device; delivering HTML content to a client device, the HTML content being accessible and usable by a plurality of client device platforms; activating a browser to access the HTML content, the browser being located on and compatible for use with the client device; activating firmware on the client device to access the media content; and incorporating the accessed HTML content with the accessed media content.
1. An information storage medium comprising:
AV data including at least one video object that is constituted of video object units each having an audio pack, a video pack, and a navigation pack; and
event occurrence information for generating an event designated based on a data structure of the AV data.
2. The information storage medium of
a markup document for outputting an AV screen corresponding to the AV data, wherein the event occurrence information is recorded in the markup document.
3. The information storage medium of
4. The information storage medium of
5. The information storage medium of
6. The information storage medium of
a trigger event identifier;
a video title set identifier of a designated video title set; and
a navigation pack identifier of a designated navigation pack.
7. The information storage medium of
an application program interface for setting the trigger event and canceling the trigger event.
8. The information storage medium of
9. The information storage medium of
10. The information storage medium of
11. The information storage medium of
12. The information storage medium of
13. A method of playing an information storage medium comprising AV data, which includes a video title set containing at least one video object containing video object units each having an audio pack, a video pack, and a navigation pack, and event occurrence information for generating a predetermined event, the method comprising: interpreting the event occurrence information; and generating the event if a data structure matched with a result of the interpretation of the event occurrence information is discovered while the AV data is being decoded.
14. The method of
15. The method of
16. The method of
17. The method of
18. The method of
19. The method of
20. The method of
21. An apparatus for playing an information storage medium comprising AV data, which includes a video title set containing at least one video object that is constituted of video object units each having an audio pack, a video pack, and a navigation pack, and event occurrence information for generating a predetermined event, the apparatus comprising: a reader reading the AV data or the event occurrence information; a presentation engine interpreting the read event occurrence information, outputting the interpretation result, and generating the event; and a decoder requesting the presentation engine to generate an appropriate event if a data structure of the AV data matched with the interpretation result received from the presentation engine is discovered during decoding the AV data.
22. The apparatus
23. The apparatus of
24. The apparatus of
25. The apparatus of
26. The apparatus of
27. The apparatus of
28. An information storage medium comprising:
AV data having a data structure, which includes a video title set containing a video object having a plurality of video object units each having an audio pack, a video pack, and a navigation pack; and
markup document data containing event occurrence information generating a designated event based on the data structure of the AV data.
29. The information storage medium of
event information; and
a request displaying a content of the AV data on a designated portion of a screen provided by the markup document when the data structure of the AV data is matched with the event information.
30. A method of reproducing data from an information storage medium comprising AV data, which comprises a data structure including a video title set containing a video object having a plurality of video object units each having an audio pack, a video pack, and a navigation pack, and markup document data comprising event occurrence information, the method comprising:
reading the markup document data; interpreting the event occurrence information; generating a screen provided by the markup document data; and
displaying a content of the AV data on a portion of the screen according to an event of event occurrence information when the data structure of the AV data is matched with the event occurrence information.
31. The method of
matching the parameters of the markup document data with the navigation pack of the video title set.
This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/898,479 for "SYSTEM, METHOD AND ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE FOR A. COMMON CROSS PLATFORM FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DVD-VIDEO CONTENT INTEGRATED WITH ROM CONTENT" filed Jul. 2, 2001, which is a non-provisional claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/216,822 for "SYSTEM, METHOD AND ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE FOR A COMMON CROSS PLATFORM FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DVD-VIDEO CONTENT INTEGRATED WITH ROM CONTENT" filed Jul. 7, 2000, all of which are incorporated herein by reference as if set for in their entirety.
The present invention relates to enhancement of multimedia content and more particularly to a system, method and apparatus for enhancing multimedia content with supplemental content.
Multimedia computer systems have become increasingly popular over the last several years due to their versatility and their interactive presentation style. A multimedia computer system can be defined as a computer system having a combination of video and audio outputs for presentation of audio-visual displays. A modern multimedia computer system typically includes one or more storage devices such as an optical drive, a CD-ROM, DVD (DVD-Video or DVD Audio etc), Laser Disc, Video Disc or Audio Disc, or a hard drive. Audio and video data are typically stored on one or more of these mass storage devices. In some file formats the audio and video are interleaved together in a single file, while in other formats the audio and video data are stored in different files, many times on different storage media. Audio and video data for a multimedia display may also be stored in separate computer systems that are networked together. In this instance, the computer system presenting the multimedia display would receive a portion of the necessary data from the other computer system via the network-cabling.
Multimedia computer systems have become increasingly popular over the last several years due to their versatility and their interactive presentation style. A multimedia computer system can be defined as a computer system having a combination of video and audio outputs for presentation of audio-visual displays. A modern multimedia computer system typically includes one or more storage devices such as an optical drive, a CD-ROM, a hard drive, a videodisc, or an audio disc, and audio and video data are typically stored on one or more of these mass storage devices. In some file formats the audio and video are interleaved together in a single file, while in other formats the audio and video data are stored in different files, many times on different storage media. Audio and video data for a multimedia display may also be stored in separate computer systems that are networked together. In this instance, the computer system presenting the multimedia display would receive a portion of the necessary data from the other computer system via the network cabling.
Graphic images used in Windows multimedia applications can be created in either of two ways, these being bit-mapped images and vector-based images. Bit-mapped images comprise a plurality of picture elements (pixels) and are created by assigning a color to each pixel inside the image boundary. Most bit-mapped color images require one byte per pixel for storage, so large bit-mapped images create correspondingly large files. For example, a full-screen, 256-color image in 640-by-480-pixel VGA mode requires 307,200 bytes of storage, if the data is not compressed. Vector-based images are created by defining the end points (corners), thickness, color, pattern and curvature of lines and solid objects within an image. Thus, a vector-based image includes a definition that consists of a numerical representation of the coordinates of the object, referenced to a corner of the image.
Bit-mapped images are the most prevalent type of image storage format, and the most common bit-mapped-image file formats are as follows. A file format referred to as BMP is used for Windows bit-map files in 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, and 24-bit color depths. BMP files contain a bit-map header that defines the size of the image, the number of color planes, the type of compression used (if any), and the palette used. The Windows DIB (device-independent bit-map) format is a variant of the BMP format that includes a color table defining the RGB (red green blue) values of the colors used. Other types of bit-map formats include the TIF (tagged image format file), the PCX (Zsoft Personal Computer Paintbrush Bitmap) file format, the GIF (graphics interchange file) format, and the TGA (Texas Instruments Graphic Architecture) file format.
The standard Windows format for bit-mapped images is a 256-color device-independent bit map (DIB) with a BMP (the Windows bit-mapped file format) or sometimes a DIB extension. The standard Windows format for vector-based images is referred to as WMF (Windows meta file).
Full-motion video implies that video images shown on the computer's screen simulate those of a television set with identical (30 frames-per-second) frame rates, and that these images are accompanied by high-quality stereo sound. A large amount of storage is required for high-resolution color images, not to mention a full-motion video sequence. For example, a single frame of NTSC video at 640-by-400-pixel resolution with 16-bit color requires 512K of data per frame. At 30 flames per second, over 15 Megabytes of data storage are required for each second of full motion video. Due to the large amount of storage required for full motion video, various types of video compression algorithms are used to reduce the amount of necessary storage. Video compression can be performed either in real-time, i.e., on the fly during video capture, or on the stored video file after the video data has been captured and stored on the media. In addition, different video compression methods exist for still graphic images and for full-motion video.
Examples of video data compression for still graphic images are RLE (run-length encoding) and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression. RLE is the standard compression method for Windows BMP and DIB files. The RLE compression method operates by testing for duplicated pixels in a single line of the bit map and stores the number of consecutive duplicate pixels rather than the data for the pixel itself. JPEG compression is a group of related standards that provide either lossless (no image quality degradation) or lossy (imperceptible to severe degradation) compression types. Although JPEG compression was designed for the compression of still images rather than video, several manufacturers supply JPEG compression adapter cards for motion video applications.
In contrast to compression algorithms for still images, most video compression algorithms are designed to compress full motion video. Video compression algorithms for motion video generally use a concept referred to as interframe compression, which involves storing only the differences between successive frames in the data file. Interframe compression begins by digitizing the entire image of a key frame. Successive frames are compared with the key frame, and only the differences between the digitized data from the key frame and from the successive frames are stored. Periodically, such as when new scenes are displayed, new key frames are digitized and stored, and subsequent comparisons begin from this new reference point. It is noted that interframe compression ratios are content-dependent, i.e., if the video clip being compressed includes many abrupt scene transitions from one image to another, the compression is less efficient. Examples of video compression which use an interframe compression technique are MPEG, DVI and Indeo, among others.
MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) compression is a set of methods for compression and decompression of full motion video images that uses the interframe compression technique described above. The MPEG standard requires that sound be recorded simultaneously with the video data, and the video and audio data are interleaved in a single file to attempt to maintain the video and audio synchronized during playback. The audio data is typically compressed as well, and the MPEG standard specifies an audio compression method referred to as ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation) for audio data.
A standard referred to as Digital Video Interactive (DVI) format developed by Intel Corporation is a compression and storage format for full-motion video and high-fidelity audio data. The DVI standard uses interframe compression techniques similar to that of the MPEG standard and uses ADPCM compression for audio data. The compression method used in DVI is referred to as RTV 2.0 (real time video), and this compression method is incorporated into Intel's AVK (audio/video kernel) software for its DVI product line. IBM has adopted DVI as the standard for displaying video for its Ultimedia product line. The DVI file format is based on the Intel i750 chipset and is supported through the Media Control Interface (MCI) for Windows. Microsoft and Intel jointly announced the creation of the DV MCI (digital video media control interface) command set for Windows 3.1 in 1992.
The Microsoft Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) format is a special compressed file structure format designed to enable video images and synchronized sound stored on CD-ROMs to be played on PCs with standard VGA displays and audio adapter cards. The AVI compression method uses an interframe method, i.e., the differences between successive frames are stored in a manner similar to the compression methods used in DVI and MPEG. The AVI format uses symmetrical software compression-decompression techniques, i.e., both compression and decompression are performed in real time. Thus AVI files can be created by recording video images and sound in AVI format from a VCR or television broadcast in real time, if enough free hard disk space is available.
As discussed above, such audio and video content is often stored on media such as CD-ROM or digital video disc (DVD). However, once a vendor has delivered such content to a customer, the vendor loses any practical control over the product. Even if the product is delivered under license rather than out right sale, it has traditionally been difficult to prevent a customer from copying the content or providing the content to any number of friends so that they might illegally copy the content.
The now familiar compact disk preserves information as a series of microscopic pits and smooth areas, oriented in concentric circular or helical tracks, on the otherwise smooth, planar surface of an annular disk. Recorded information is read from a compact disk by directing a focused laser beam along the recorded tracks, and detecting variations in the intensity of the laser beam along the recorded tracks, and detecting variations in the intensity of the laser beam as it encounters the microscopic pits and smooth areas on the disk. The coherence and relatively short wavelength of laser radiation enables large volumes of information to be written onto very small spaces of a recording medium.
Compact disks were first introduced in the music recording industry in 1982, and now account for 43% of all recorded music sales. In the United States alone, over three hundred million compact disks are sold annually, with a retail value of over three billion dollars, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The most prevalent format for recording multimedia events onto such disks is Digital Video or Versatile Disk (DVD). The DVD is a read only format for recording a relatively large amount of high quality data. When delivered to a user, the disk is input into a CD-ROM player on a client device such as a computer. Software on the client device allows the DVD formatted data to be read.
Once the DVD disk has been manufactured the content is essentially fixed. The content that the user can access from the disk is limited to the content provided when the disk was manufactured. In order to update the information, a new disk must be created and delivered to the user. This is an expensive and inconvenient solution.
Thus there remains a need for a system for easily and efficiently updating content provided on a DVD-disk. Such a system would preferably allow update information to be delivered via a network such as the Internet. In addition, such a system would take advantage of software capabilities already present on the client device, and would importantly be able to function on the many different possible platforms of client devices, such as for example Macintosh, PC or a set top box.
Disc technologies that are re-writeable like a CD-RW or technologies that allow multiple sessions can be used for adding additional or updated content directly to the disc. Thus for multi-session discs, where the first session of the disc is write-once and additional sessions on the disc can be either write-one, or rewriteable, additional or updated content can be added to these additional sessions of the disc. This includes such technologies as the "Orange Book" specification for CD-ROM, including CD-PROM and Multimedia discs such a Dataplay.
Flash memory based and other similar memory technologies can be used for storing multimedia and additional or updated content as well. This includes IBM technology that uses a USB interface to coupled a personal computer to a storage device such as a "keychain" memory device.
The present invention advantageously addresses the above and other needs.
The present invention advantageously addresses the needs above as well as other needs by providing the enhancement of multimedia content and more particularly to providing a system, method and apparatus for enhancing multimedia content with supplemental content.
In one embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a method for providing enhanced content for play across multiple play platforms. The method employs steps of delivering media content to a client device; delivering HTML content to a client device, the HTML content being accessible and usable by a plurality of client device platforms; activating a browser to access the HTML content, the browser being located on and compatible for use with the client device; activating firmware on the client device to access the media content; and incorporating the accessed HTML content with the accessed media content.
In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a method for enhancing multimedia content. The method employs steps of providing a recording medium; recording content onto the recording medium; integrating HTML content with the recorded content; accessing the recorded content and the HTML content; and playing a multimedia event based on the accessed content.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following description of the presently contemplated best mode of practicing the invention is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
In various embodiments, the client devices may take the form of computers, televisions, stereos, home appliances, or any other types of devices. In one embodiment, the client apparatuses and the host computer each include a computer such as an IBM compatible computer, Apple Macintosh computer or UNIX based workstation.
A representative hardware environment is depicted in
A preferred embodiment is written using JAVA, C, HTML and the C++ language and utilizes object oriented programming methodology. Object oriented programming (OOP) has become increasingly used to develop complex applications. As OOP moves toward the mainstream of software design and development, various software solutions require adaptation to make use of the benefits of OOP. A need exists for these principles of OOP to be applied to a messaging interface of an electronic messaging system such that a set of OOP classes and objects for the messaging interface can be provided.
A preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to implement documents on the Internet together with a general-purpose secure communication protocol for a transport medium between the client and the Newco. HTTP or other protocols could be readily substituted for HTML without undue experimentation. Information on these products is available in T. Berners-Lee, D. Connoly, "RFC 1866: Hypertext Markup Language—2.0" (November 1995); and R. Fielding, H, Frystyk, T. Berners-Lee, J. Gettys and J. C. Mogul, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol—HTTP/1.1: HTTP Working Group Internet Draft" (May 2, 1996). HTML is a simple data format used to create hypertext documents that are portable from one platform to another. HTML documents are SGML documents with generic semantics that are appropriate for representing information from a wide range of domains. HTML has been in use by the World-Wide Web global information initiative since 1990. HTML is an application of ISO Standard 8879; 1986 Information Processing Text and Office Systems; Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).
To date, Web development tools have been limited in their ability to create dynamic Web applications which span from client to server and interoperate with existing computing resources. Until recently, HTML has been the dominant technology used in development of Web-based solutions. However, HTML has proven to be inadequate in the following areas:
Sun Microsystem's Java language solves many of the client-side problems by:
With Java, developers can create robust User Interface (UI) components. Custom "widgets" (e.g., real-time stock tickers, animated icons, etc.) can be created, and client-side performance is improved. Unlike HTML, Java supports the notion of client-side validation, offloading appropriate processing onto the client for improved performance. Dynamic, real-time Web pages can be created. Using the above-mentioned custom UI components, dynamic Web pages can also be created.
Sun's Java language has emerged as an industry-recognized language for "programming the Internet." Sun defines Java as: "a simple, object-oriented, distributed, interpreted, robust, secure, architecture-neutral, portable, high-performance, multithreaded, dynamic, buzzword-compliant, general-purpose programming language. Java supports programming for the Internet in the form of platform-independent Java applets." Java applets are small, specialized applications that comply with Sun's Java Application Programming Interface (API) allowing developers to add "interactive content" to Web documents (e.g., simple animations, page adornments, basic games, etc.). Applets execute within a Java-compatible browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator) by copying code from the server to client. From a language standpoint, Java's core feature set is based on C++. Sun's Java literature states that Java is basically, "C++ with extensions from Objective C for more dynamic method resolution."
Another technology that provides similar function to JAVA is provided by Microsoft and ActiveX Technologies, to give developers and Web designers wherewithal to build dynamic content for the Internet and personal computers. ActiveX includes tools for developing animation, 3-D virtual reality, video and other multimedia content. The tools use Internet standards, work on multiple platforms, and are being supported by over 100 companies. The group's building blocks are called ActiveX Controls, small, fast components that enable developers to embed parts of software in hypertext markup language (HTML) pages. ActiveX Controls work with a variety of programming languages including Microsoft Visual C++, Borland Delphi, Microsoft Visual Basic programming system and, in the future, Microsoft's development tool for Java, code named "Jakarta." ActiveX Technologies also includes ActiveX Server Framework, allowing developers to create server applications. One of ordinary skill in the art readily recognizes that ActiveX could be substituted for JAVA without undue experimentation to practice the invention.
In accordance with one embodiment, a cross-platform DVD specification defined, which is called InterActual Technologies Cross Platform, hereafter referred to by the name ITX. By following the ITX specification, DVD authors can create HTML-enhanced DVD-Video/Audio content that can play reliably across multiple playback platforms, ranging from computers (such as Windows and Macintosh) to Internet-connected set-top devices (such as the Sony Playstation II and Nuon-enhanced consumer DVD players). The general requirements for enhanced DVD authoring and the requirements for the playback devices, both hardware and software are described herein.
The ITX enables DVD-Video/Audio (hereafter referred to only as DVD-Video) content developers to create products that seamlessly combine the Internet and/or other DVD-ROM capabilities with DVD-Video to create a richer, more interactive, and personalized entertainment experience for their customers. All this is accomplished without the need for content developers to create special content for each unique playback platform, and without the need of becoming an expert programmer on Windows, Macintosh, and other platforms. Additionally the present invention allows for customized content and functions tailored for specific platform(s).
Internet connectivity is not a requirement for the use of ITX. A stand-alone system with HTML browser functionality is all that is required. In addition, CD-DA (standard music CDs) can also be enhanced by use of ITX.
The following terms are defined as follows:
The following documents are incorporated by reference:
The ITX specification provides a common framework whereby content developers, browser providers, and hardware manufacturers can successfully create and playback Internet-enhanced DVD and CD products.
This description of the embodiments is divided into three major sections, targeting three different audiences:
With reference to
To better understand the purpose and goals of ITX three possible usage scenarios are described, each with an increasing level of complexity.
DVD-Video Disc with Movie Script Provided:
A movie is authored with the entire screenplay provided on the DVD disc in HTML format. Clicking on any scene visually represented in the HTML immediately links the user to that scene within the DVD-Video. Besides being a finer granularity than the normal chapter navigation provided on DVD-Video, the HTML-based script could contain other media (pictures, audio) and/or live web links for other information (stored either on the DVD disk, or accessible through the Internet). Further, the text of the screenplay in HTML could automatically "scroll" with the DVD-Video to give the appearance of being synchronized with the DVD-Video. Although many of these types of features (minus live web links and synchronized scrolling) could be authored in DVD-Video, HTML authoring is much more efficient, immediate and widely known.
More Complex Menus:
A DVD-Video is shipped with a simple HTML page that does little except start a movie. However, the HTML page also uses the Internet and checks to see if that movie has any web site updates. If it does, then the HTML page launches a new movie menu that is downloaded from the web. This new menu might have e-commerce opportunities (buy gifts based on the movie; buy tickets for the sequel to the DVD, etc.). Because the new movie menu is not on the DVD-Video, but rather is on a server accessible via the internet, the window of time during which the choices on the new movie menu is available can be decided by the studio long after the DVD-Video has shipped. The new movie menu may have new links to an actor's web site, which can be particularly advantageous if, for example, the actor has become a star since the movie was made, and therefore wasn't given star treatment in the original DVD-Video. The new movie menu may just be a more convenient way to navigate the disc to a finer granularity than the chapters provided. Advantageously, in accordance with the present embodiment, the DVD can have new movie menus stored on a server accessible through the internet, and that can be changed over time. If the DVD-Video is played without ITX, the DVD-Video operates in a conventional manner.
Live Webcast with the Director or Stars in Live Chat:
A DVD-Video movie is shipped with an HTML page that links the user to an ITX web site. This site (and studio advertising) notifies the user of the date/time of a "live chat" with, for example, the movie's director, who will discuss the making of the movie. Near the event starting time, the user connects to the web site with the DVD-Video in his/her DVD player. At the start time, the director begins sending voice (such as streaming audio, e.g., Real Audio) over the Internet. The director controls the DVD player of the user, as well as other DVD players, by sending play, pause, fast-forward, and rewind commands, etc. (Latecorners are automatically synchronized). User (if they have, for example, a browser with a keyboard) can enter questions. The director can choose which questions to answer and control every DVD player to an appropriate scene in the movie and discuss the scene. Through the use of bitmap overlay layers and drawing tools, the director can pause the video and draw on the screen (like a football play) to better explain the details involved in creating a certain scene, for example. As the director moves from one question to another the video can use transitions and special effects to make the presentation more professional and entertaining.
In order to support the above-described functionality, the present embodiment is as follows. An ITX disk can contain DVD Video and ITX-compatible ROM data, DVD-Audio and ITX-compatible ROM data, CD-Audio and ITX-compatible ROM data, or the like. The ITX compatible ROM data can be any digital file type including HTML and graphics, including for example, HTML graphics, subject to file system limitations described below. There is no theoretical limit to the amount of ITX compatible ROM data that can be placed on a DVD disk, except for physical constraints of the DVD disk (or in an alternative embodiment CD-disk).
An ITX-compatible disk adheres to rules regarding capability, detection, file system, directory structure, and content location, each of which is described in further detail herein. As multi-platform support is a goal of the present embodiment, an ITX disk provides for both platform-specific behavior and general-purpose behavior. Platform-specific behavior can be accomplished using the ITX-API described above, by either placing platform-specific binaries on the DVD disk in predefined directories, described herein, or by authoring general purpose HTML content that uses, for example, ECMAScript or JavaScript and the ITX API to detect specific platforms and to "serve" web pages specifically designed for a particular platform, i.e., particular type of device. General purpose content can be created for playback on multiple platforms using HTML content and the ITX API. Both approaches can be combined so that platform-specific behavior can be employed with certain devices, while other devices, such as devices developed after release of the DVD disk, can be supported with general-purpose behavior.
For personal computers, such as personal computers operating under Microsoft Windows, ITX content can be viewed through a proprietary browser client per the ITX content viewed through the proprietary browser client can be the same content that is displayed on, for example, a browser-enhanced consumer electronics system, such as a set top box, a game console, or an internet-connected DVD player or the like.
The device must provide a capability to determine the type of media that has been inserted into the device. Specifically, the device must be able to determine whether the media is a DVD disk or some form of CD disk. For CD-DA, there may or may not be a file structure formatted on the CD-DA disk, such as described herein and therefore the CD-DA disk table of contents must be read per the "red-book" specification.
An ITX-compatible DVD or CD is detected by checking for the existence of a file named index.htm in a directory named common. The ITX-API version information can be found in a mediated area in the index.htm file, which is an HTML file.
The index.htm file provides JavaScript that detects the particular type of device into which the DVD disk has been inserted, and the device is "navigator," and provides general framework for interactive playback. For a disk not authored in accordance with the ITX content, a content homepage is employed, i.e., file named default.htm is employed. The default.htm file may be stored in memory on the device.
Content Development Requirements:
DVD/ROM Authoring Considerations:
ITX Directory and File Naming Conventions (Mandatory Compliance)
When making an ITX disk, DVD video zone files must be placed physically at the beginning of the ITX disk, contiguously, in the order specified by the DVD-Video specification, likewise, DVD-Audio zone files must follow the DVD-Video files in contiguous order.
The DVD specifications for DVD-Video and DVD-Audio require that each disc contain specific directories and files. For example, the DVD-Video files are contained in a directory (or folder) with the name VIDEO_TS; DVD-Audio files in the AUDIO_TS directory. The VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS directories should be the first entries in the directory descriptor (the true order of the directory and file entries is usually hidden, since most operating systems list them in, for example, alphabetical order). There is no such requirement for "DVD-ROM" content, and, thus, developers can arrange other files on a disc in any desired manner. It is best to place ROM-zone files in subdirectories versus the root directory. The placement of files on a dual-layered disk (DVD-9, DVD-14, or DVD-18) is generally independent of layer details. DVD-Video and DVD-Audio files must begin on layer zero. ROM-zone files are beginning after the DVD-Video (or DVD-Audio) files and can cross layer boundaries, if needed. In order to prevent problems that can arise from this open aspect of the specifications, ITX provides a convention for ordering and naming files.
Files stored for use with ITX can be in any DVD disc directory. However, there must be a method that allows the platform-specific browser and/or playback engine to identify the initial starting HTML file in the case were there is no executable file. Also, in order to simplify support, it is strongly suggested that the full convention described below be followed on all ITX-authored discs.
ITX Naming Standard:
Each DVD-Video authoring system and tool set supports different naming capabilities; such as ISO-9660, ISO-9660 with Joliet extensions, Macintosh file names, support for Macintosh resources, hybrid discs, etc. Some authoring tools go even further by forcing a certain character case (e.g., the Toshiba authoring system forces all characters to uppercase). These issues must be taken into account as part of the development process since some playback platforms may operate differently depending on the physical layout and file structure on the DVD. As a specific example, Windows and Macintosh operating systems are case insensitive, whereas Unix and Linux operating systems are case sensitive.
For ITX compliance, the following naming standard must be followed:
All files and directories must be developed with case sensitivity in mind. The recommended approach is to use only capital letters for all directories, file names, and HTML references. To be safe, only use A-Z, 0-9 and the underscore. The initial HTML file shall have a name of ITX.HTM.
ITX Directories:
The ITX.HTM file must be located in a directory that follows these rules. Other files, based on individual authoring needs may be located in any directory following any convention. There may be more than one ITX.HTM file. For example, there could be a different one for each platform supported, or just one primary one and one alternate for a single platform that requires special operations.
Note that any new platform directory names should be reserved and assigned before use. However, each platform developer can control the directory structure under its reserved top-level directory name. For example, Sony could create a PS2 and PS3 directory under the SONY directory.
This directory structure allows for proprietary executable binary files for each platform. For example, a current PCFriendly DVD (i.e., a DVD in accordance with the present embodiment) can utilize the directory structure by placing the Windows version of software in a WIN directory, and a Macintosh version of software in a MAC directory. Upon insertion of the disc, the platform will initiate execution of the appropriate binaries (based on some platform-specific autorun feature) and then the binaries will load the ITX.HTM file.
The set-top player browser shall locate its starting file via the following logic:
The above-described structure allows for device specific executable binary file for each type of device supported by a particular DVD disk. The platform-specific directory structure and its associated set of binaries enable any platform to run executables specifically designed for any device provided that such executables are available on the particular DVD disk being utilized. This capability, in essence, allows the device specific binaries to override general purpose ITX content or override a standard browser mechanism. While the actual ROM content may reside in a device specific directory, it is recommended that all content reside in the common directory when possible. The common directory can support any number of subdirectories, including device specific subdirectories.
The common directory stores, in most cases, the actual ITX content (versus platform specific binaries). It is recommended that all ITX content (even platform specific ITX content reside in the common directory as this provides an intuitive content development approach. By maintaining a single content directory, Java Script can easily be used to detect platforms and render appropriate HTML players pages tailored to specific devices.
There may be cases where device specific binaries may be included on the DVD disk, but still the general-purpose content. For example, an ITX disk can utilize the directory structure by placing a Windows version of software in the WIN directory, and the Macintosh version of the software in the MAC directory. Upon insertion of the ITX disk, the platform will initiate execution of the appropriate binaries (based on a device specific feature, such as autorun) and then the binaries will load the index.htm file located in the common directory, the starting point for any general-purpose ITX disk.
The starting or entry point is the index.htm file, with which resides in the top level of the common directory. It is recommended that all ITX content (with the exception of device-specific binaries) be stored in the common directory. Java Script can then be used to detect platforms and render appropriate HTML pages tailored to specific platforms. The index.htm file will be the background "container" web page while standard playback occurs. This page enables Java Script event handlers to be loaded and activate to handle events during playback. The meta-data of the index.htm file contains the ITX-API version information.
Referring to
If the index.htm file exists, then the DVD disk is an ITX disk. Otherwise, the DVD disk is determined not to be an ITX disk. During a second phase, a determination is made as to whether the DVD disk is a DVD-Video or a DVD-Audio, or whether a disk of another type has been inserted, such as a CD-DA. Logic for performing the second phase is included, generally, in the device, and this is not discussed in detail further herein. (Such logic is known.)
During a third phase, a determination is made as to a default playback mode of the device. This is determined by reading a "player mode" from the property, e.g., InterActual.PlayerMode. If the device is configured for "play" mode, ITX content, e.g., HTML content, is bypassed, whereas if the device is configured for ITX mode, then the ITX content is launched beginning with the index.htm file in the common directory. The ITX content itself can then be updated dynamically if the device is connected to the Internet, or an equivalent network. There is no Internet connection, or equivalent connection, the device renders ITX content from a ROM portion of the DVD disk.
For non-ITX disks, when the device is configured for ITX mode, a default content home page (called default.htm) is displayed and an Internet connection, or equivalent, is attempted to provide potential ITX content for the non-ITX disk.
During a fourth phase, platform specific file detection occurs, and a determination is made as to whether there are platform specific binary files on the DVD disk for the device. This is accomplished by searching for a predefined directory, as described above, associated with the device.
During a fifth phase, a determination is made as to whether a connection to the internet or similar network, can be made. This step is performed for ITX disks in order to determine whether updated content is available from a server. Additionally, for DVD disks without ITX content, a connection to an on-line database can be attempted, so that the database can be interrogated to determine whether a server containing content associated with the DVD disk is available. If such content is available, an interactive experience similar to that available on ITX disk can be offered to the user of the device. When the device is in "play" mode, then ITX disk can display an icon, to signify that ITX content is available from the DVD disks ROM area. If the user selects the icon, a content home page is displayed, i.e., default.htm, so that the user can switch to ITX mode.
With reference to
It is recommended that each player have a user setup that allows the ITX functionality to be overridden, such as:
ITX Programming Interface (Mandatory Compliance):
This section describes the ITX application programming interface (API) for controlling and scripting ITX-enhanced discs. The API is divided into five sections:
This section describes how to embed DVD-Video within an HTML page and control its layout.
Computer operating systems shall embed DVD-Video using currently available embedding techniques. Examples for each of the major computer operating systems is are provided below:
After the DVD-Video object is embedded in the web page, it can be accessed using any style sheet, link, or scripting language. Values for the ID string must begin with a letter (A-Z or a-z) and may be followed by any number of letters, digits, hyphens, and periods up to a maximum of 48.
Unlike computers, set-top boxes do not generally have a full-blown operating system and browser. Therefore, the capabilities within the browser are often more restricted. For embedding DVD-Video within these platforms using ITX, the "PCFriendly" ID must be integrated within the embedded browser as any other tag structure. With this approach, any embedded browser that encounters the "PCFriendly" tag, would automatically associate this identifier with the ITX programming API described later in this section.
While many possible windows configurations are possible for displaying the update data, the update data is preferably provided on a screen in the following manner:
Commands (also known as functions or methods in OOP terminology) control the playback and navigation mechanisms of a DVD-Video/Audio or CD-DA disc. Commands can be used by the calling application (HTML, C++, or other) to initiate a DVD/CD playback function. The commands supported by ITX are listed below.
Items in square brackets [ ] are optional.
Command Notes:
[*] optional parameters
Opening of VOB files and MPEG files is required for baseline support. Other file types are advanced features. An open file can be played, paused, stopped. Fast forward and rewind are not available. Stopping causes the file pointer to be reset to the start of the file.
2. Slow and Slow Reverse.
If slow is supported a speed of � is required. Other slow speeds may also be supported; decreasing powers of two are recommended: �, ⅛, 1/16, etc although any value from � to 1/99 is allowed. Integer reciprocal values are used for the speeds, such as 2 for � and 4 for �, etc.
3. Menu.
Menu choices are:
The bookmarks are assigned a number when set. A GotoBookMark returns to the same position on the disc as when the bookmark was set (saved). Preservation of bookmarks during powerdown is not required, however, if implemented, bookmarks shall be unique to the disc (using a generated disc id). A minimum of one bookmark per disc is required if implemented (32 recommended). It is recommended that bookmarks save the entire DVD-Video or DVD-Audio state, but this is not required. At a minimum, the correct title and time must be saved.
5. Zoom and Pan.
Zoom parameters are based on a percentage, so integer values of 10000 and 10000 (x and y) indicate 100% of normal full screen display with no zoom. Normally the x and y scale factors should be the same to maintain a correct aspect ratio. When zooming to a value greater than 100%, by default, the center point of the image remains on the center of the display. Panning allows moving the center point of the portion of the image to be displayed. These x and y pan parameters are provided as a percentage of the display from −50% to +50% using integer values from −5000 to +5000. (This is done so that the differences between NTSC and PAL do not have to be calculated in pixels. Additionally, it may also be possible to use the same HTML code for handling 4:3 and 16:9 as well.) If the pan parameters would cause the display to pan off the edge of the video, then the platform software shall only set that panning parameter to the largest or smallest value that keeps the video in the display area.
6. Blending.
This advanced feature allows an HTML page to be constructed that includes a background color (the colorkey) that is treated as clear. Other information on the page (graphics or text) is then alpha blended with the video. An alpha value of 0 indicates that the video shows everywhere. An alpha value of 255 indicates that the HTML page shows everywhere (except where it is clear as defined by the colorkey value). This allows, for example, placing textual titles on top of the video (or blended with the video). Graphical menus can be added in the same manner. A minimum of 16 (256 recommended) discreet alpha values are required if this feature is supported. However, the alpha blend parameter is always from 0 to 255.
7. Bitmap Layers.
The bitmap layer features allow defining and using multiple layers (possibly only one active at a time depending on the playback device) with other layers stored in memory and ready to be activated when needed. This is how an event moderator can remotely draw onto the video image. The number of bits per pixel (color depth) can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 16, 24 or 32. For bpp of 1, 2, 4 and 8 a palette must be provided (32-bit ARGB data). It is anticipated that the most frequently used capability will be bpp values of 1 or 2 to be used for image markup, like a chalkboard with 1 to 4 colors. Bpp values of 15, 16, 24 and 32 allow images to be used on a layer.
Errors and Warnings
All commands shall return one of the following error codes
Layers and Pixel Formats:
With reference to
An alpha value of 0 indicates a transparent color (i.e. the video shows through) and 255 is a solid opaque color (i.e. no video shows through). The first entry in every color palette should consist of 4 bytes of zero, a clear color. The default color value, c, in CreateLayer( ) should normally be zero to initialize the layer to a clear color. Special visual effects can be created by use of other values, such as initializing a layer to red, then erasing it off with a series of drawing commands and/or by changing alpha values, in the color palette, etc. Layers and data on them are not affected by video transitions and special effects having to do with video playback.
As described in the next section, some commands may be modified with time parameters and special effects or transitions. Of particular note to the bitmap layer commands are the ChangePalette( ) and VectorDraw( ) commands. A VectorDraw( ) command with a time duration simply draws a line incrementally. However, the ChangePalette( ) command with a time duration should be implemented such that there are three complete palettes, the original, the final and the current palette. At each time increment every palette table entry is interpolated towards its final value. The ShowLayer( ) and HideLayer( ) commands may have a timed special effect applied to them such as a wipe or fade.
Transitions, Special Effects and Timing:
Similar to how an author might use transitions and special effects during video editing, ITX allows a subset of these types of capabilities, depending on the unique capabilities of each playback system. If a system cannot produce the effect due to hardware or software limitations then it should gracefully degrade to some emulation or simply produce no effect at all, but concluding at the same logical end point.
Transitions can be used, for example, when switching from one scene to another with a time search or chapter search. If no effect is specified, then the playback system would normally produce a standard cut or possibly insert black frames between the scenes. However, if a wipe left is specified, then the final still frame of scene 1 is shown and scene 2 wipes in from the left at the specified rate. (No attempt is made to provide a moving image for both scenes simultaneously.)
The following table details the optional parameters and their ranges:
1. Immediate Execution
To cause a timed command or special effect to start immediately, the t1 parameter must be set to zero (or to a value less than the current relative time). The t2 parameter contains the duration of the command (when t1=0). If t1 is greater than zero, but less than the current relative time then the duration is equal to t2-t1. A negative duration is treated as the shortest possible time for that operation.
2. Delayed Execution
To cause a command to be queued for later execution, the t1 parameter must be set to a non-zero value greater than the current relative time. To accomplish this the current relative time can be queried via the GetRelTime property. Alternatively, the relative time can be set using the SetRelTime command. Once a command has been queued, the player shall convert the relative time to an absolute time for its scheduled execution and cannot be changed. (However, the command queue can be flushed.)
3. SpecialFX.
Any immediate or delayed execution command can have a special effect or transition (with optioannl parameter) added to modify its operation. All special effects and transitions must be accepted by all players but may be emulated or ignored if the effect cannot be performed. The same is true of the timed nature of various commands—if a player has a fixed duration for executing a particular command, then the requested duration is ignored.
4. Command Macros
Macros of commands can be created by using the SetRelTime and then issuing various commands based with offsets from that time.
5. Command Queue
The player must support a command queue with a depth of at least two items (eight is recommended; PC/Mac: 64 is recommended). That is, two items are pending execution at a later time while further commands continue to execute. If a command is accepted for the queue, then it must be executed (unless flushed or some other operation negates or overrides its action). Times stored in the queue should be in an absolute machine time (not relative time and not DVD playback time) so that subsequent changes to the relative time do not affect commands already queued.
6. Conflicting Commands
Because it is possible to schedule commands that have overlapping times, these must be checked prior to acceptance for the queue. Non-conflicting, overlapping operation can be accepted. Conflicting overlapping operations may be accepted also if the operations can still be logically completed. Conflicting overlapping operations that are accepted shall return a warning code. An example of a conflicting operation would be to schedule a chapter advance with a 5 second fade in and a second chapter advance after only 2 seconds. Robust internally interlocks must be used if there is any chance of an erroneous program to lock up a machine due to the use of timed or delayed execution commands. A fallback to basic sequential operation is suggested.
Exemplary transitions and special effects according to an embodiment of the invention include the following.
LRTB: 1=left, 2=right, 3=top, 4=bottom
ULURLLLR: 1=upper left, 2=upper right, 3=lower left, 4=lower right
All transitions and/or effects do not make sense with each command. The guiding philosophy should be to implement only those that make sense. The following table is the recommended set features for the most advanced playback systems with Y1 being the most basic to Y4 the most advanced.
ITX Events
Events are integral to synchronizing DVD-Video with other media. With these events, web pages can be synchronized with the audio or video. For example, each ChapterEvent (start of new chapter) can change an HTML storyboard that corresponds to the movie. Time events can be used to coordinate advertising messages in HTML while the video is playing: when James Bond is driving his BMW, an appropriate web page (BMW or auto sales site) can automatically be displayed at the same time.
The value of events is that these external media do NOT have to be embedded or even be known at the time the DVD-Video is authored. This flexibility keeps DVD-Video authoring on schedule and greatly minimizes the authoring costs while adding valuable and unique features to each disc.
Events can be used by the calling application (HTML, C++, or other) to receive notification of DVD playback status. If a platform does not support an event, then an error code must be returned when its use is attempted. Supported events are:
ITX Properties
Properties can be used to find information about commonly used variables; such as time, title and chapter. All properties must be supported even if the advanced feature itself is not supported. Non-supported features may return a reasonable default value (for example if the zoom feature is not supported the zoom properties should always return 10000.) If a feature is not supportable and there is no reasonable value, then a −1 should be returned.
The following properties are supported:
8. Layer Properties.
The MaxLayers property is how many simultaneous overlay layers the hardware can process or the software/hardware system can effectively emulate as simultaneous overlays in real time and blend with a full screen video. The NumLayers property returns the number of layers that can be created (but not necessarily used simultaneously) based on the amount of free memory currently available.
The concept of layer resolution is that a 720�480 image requires some number of bytes of data (depending on the bpp) at a resolution of 1. A resolution of 2 uses one data item for a 2�2 pixel area of the image (i.e. 4� less data). This allows a layer to be defined for markup that doesn't need high accuracy and/or a method for a platform to perform graceful degradation if not enough memory is available for a full resolution layer. Resolution 3 is a 3�3 pixel area, and is somewhat awkward. Resolution 4 is a 4�4 pixel area. No other resolutions are defined.
Disc Type Detection
The GetDiscType property requires that the type of disc in the player be available to the application. A disc may be only one of the following types:
For a DVD disc, any number of the DVD sub-types may be detected and have their respective bits set as follows:
Browser Requirements
Web browsers and the software environment on each platform shall be capable of the following
HTTP Header Formatting (Base)
Each HTTP header should be formatted with the following information (in addition to standard HTTP header information:
Browser must be able to support cookie mechanism, which of course places a memory requirement on the hardware device. Cookie shall be placed by browser in local persistent memory and shall be readable only by a specific server and browser/hardware partner. Cookie shall contain:
The following is matter of design choice.
Ability to pass commands directly to DVD/CD navigator, such as:
In order to provide a consistent baseline platform for ITX content developers it is important that the platform and hardware vendors properly support the ITX API. Not all hardware platforms will have identical capabilities. So it is important that each platform provide access to the features that are available and graceful degradation for those that are not supported—and provide this as feedback so that content developers understand how their content will function on different platforms.
Baseline Hardware Platform Requirements
Hardware platform vendors must provide hardware and interfaces capable of performing all the functions specified as base above to be ITX compatible. If the feature is not available it is important that it either be emulated or degrade gracefully in some manner. Items marked as advanced can be supported or not, but the Supported Features bits must accurately indicate what features are available.
It is expected that hardware platforms meet these minimum specifications:
Play video full screen down to a 4:1 downscale (180�120 (NTSC), 180�144 (PAL)).
Advanced Hardware Platform Requirements:
Each advanced feature requires that it be fully supported for its feature bit to be enabled. However, different playback systems may have differing levels of support for some features, such as the number of bookmarks supported or the variety of special effects supported.
Local Storage/Memory Requirements:
The only local storage requirement of ITX is minimal memory for the purpose of placing cookies. Optionally, the hardware platform can also support larger local memory for the purposes of caching web pages. More information: TBD.
Hardware Platform Considerations
Some set-top players may not be able to access both DVD-Video and ROM content at the same time. The application will need to permit intelligent caching, and the platform will need to provide sufficient memory.
Directory Structure for Current PCFriendly Client:
User Operation Control:
AMGM (Audio Manager Menu): Optional Visual Menu defined in the Audio Manager (AMG). The Audio Manager contains the information and data to control all Audio Title Sets (ATS), all Video Title Sets (VTSs) for Audio Titles and the AMGM.
With reference to
With reference to
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
Referenced by
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Dorkus Malorkus
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Reno, NV
Oddometer: 1,824
Dorkus Malorkus
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Reno, NV
Oddometer: 1,824
Should have read the whole thread to see that someone has already pirated my pic. Nevermind.
I'm gonna shower and head for the ER. I'll get the thread back on track when I return.
Show me your fleece
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Where men are men and sheep get nervous
Oddometer: 2,178
OK, on to day 2. This is where the trip really started for me because Blakebird left us..., seriously, because this is where the pavement stopped and the fun began.
We woke up bright and early, packed up our crap, grabbed the maps off Blakebird since he was the one with the routes, the rest of us were just wining it(Yup, the maps that Phucknob loosed within 24hours ).
Quick look at my rear tire, and It was in serious danger of not making the rest of the trip. After onle a few miles the knobs were splitting at the base, both front and back sides. After a few comments about me not needing a twist throttle, a switch is all I need, same goes for the rear brake, it was decided that I should take it easy for the next few days......No Wheelies, No Skiding, no roosting......Dam boring, I felt like a kid who just had his toys taken away. Last time I run a Trackmaster II.
This is just one of many cracks in the tire.
So, we head back 5 miles or so to town to find gas, with our Spanish speaking Bitch (edeslaur), this was easy to find and set the pace for just about every small holding we hit along the way. May be $$$ over Pemex, but these local guys are dam convenient.
Here is me showing my best side, with Spanish Bitch fillig up my tank for me.....He is a well trained bitch!
Oh, there is the close up of the nice stickers S.B. made us put on our bikes (No not the flag), he was blabering on about in his post. Some gay thing about "friends for life"
So after gas, back down the road to Coco's.
This was a nice fun road, I'm sure just about everyone reading this knows it, since it's about the only road you can take down the west side of Baja.
Funny on the way out, we were saying how it was nice and fast gravel road with a few rocky sections thrown in for good measure, taking it at between 40 and 50mph, on the way back, we hit it about 20mph faster saying well what happened to that road, we were all sure we must have missed the rocky sections because they felt like gravel to us now after the other stuff we hit on the trip in between going out and coming back.
We took a quick stop at some place (Gonzarliz bay?).
OK, I'll let someone else can chime in, and finish off the rest of the day.
Sheep Shagger screwed with this post 03-04-2008 at 07:52 PM
Show me your fleece
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Where men are men and sheep get nervous
Oddometer: 2,178
Plate Spinner
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: 101 and 246, CA
Oddometer: 2,513
weight a minute
Great report guys.
Does anyone know if there is a decent place to cross over the border, you know without contracting staph or something?
"You know sir, there is a fine line between Badass and Dumbass." Medical Records Lady
[*]'06 1150 GSA Thread: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375824[*]'06 1150 GSA SE Registry: http://www.ericsyn.com/2006bmwr1150gsadv.html[*]Great Ride North, Alaska/Yukon '09 http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494846[/LIST]
Wannabe Adventurer
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Oregon
Oddometer: 82
As Sheep Lover has already said, day 2 would have us finding gas. We stopped by the store were we got dinner the night before to ask for directions. Two blocks down at the end of the street was a man named Chilo who would have gas for us.
Sheep Humper and Eric getting gas. See Chilo in the background?
The 640A waiting its turn:
Arno just hanging out:
On the way to Gonzaga Bay we would attempt to find lunch at a few different places. As it turns out, this sign does not say anything about food but what the hell do I know. I go down to find the restaurant anyway, which of course doesnt exist.
We did end up finding a restaurant but as we would find out most of the places on this route are only open Fri-Sun. Being Monday we are SOL.
We get to the store in Gonzaga Bay and are happy to find delicacies such as Raspberry Zingers, cookies and Gatorade.
From Gonzaga Bay we pushed on to Cocos for a few beers. Really, this whole section seems uneventful now. At the time it was kick-ass fast paced gravel road riding. After the days to come it now feels like a boring fast paced grind to get to the good stuff. The views though were beautiful even though I didnt really take many pictures.
It was cool to meet Coco. He mentioned that the doctors are going to remove his other leg next month. He was very matter of fact about it and said that he is ready to get rid of it.
From Cocos we slabbed it to Guerrero Negro. By time we got there the sun was already setting and it was cold as hell. I dont think any of us expected it to be so cold. We got gas at the Pemex and grabbed some dinner at a restaurant across the street. The hotel next to the restaurant was full. Being that it was stinking cold and it was now fully dark we didnt want to dick around so off the Desert Inn it was. The Desert Inn is the only hotel mentioned in the AAA guide for Guerrero Negro. It was a nice place but at $90 a night we thought it was a little over priced for Mexico. But they did have hot water, secure parking and a bar.
I'll let the other guys post their pictures from Day 2. I'm too lazy to dig through their libraries.
Wannabe Adventurer
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Oregon
Oddometer: 82
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Parker, CO
Oddometer: 16,667
I didn't think Mexicali was that bad... until I was on my way out. Then it was just the last 1/4 mile that blew.
IBA #11735 . 1968-present
San Diegan
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Sandy Eggo
Oddometer: 445
Day 2 dawned beautifully. Why is it when you go camping, you're up with the sun, but when you go to work, 10AM is too early to crawl out of bed?
Going on this trip was a relatively last-minute decision on my part (I'm a slacker, you see), and I didn't want to take any of the big sleeping bags I had (strapping it to the back of the bike would be the only option). I didn't have a sleeping pad, but fall asleep often enough on the carpet in front of the TV, so figured I was fine (surprisingly, the ground WAS softer than a carpeted floor - the whole trip!). And I didn't want to spend $300 on a tent I might use for only a trip or two. So I totally cheaped on the equipment.
In the interest of space, I had actually paid attention to the weather reports and had packed this silly little flannel sleeping sack that was "good to 45 degrees" Yeah, my a$$. I froze my butt off that night, waking shivvvvvvering and ended up getting dressed in full gear, then crawling into the sack of nearly-uselessness.
The $27 tent I bought from Sports Authority worked out OK, but needed to be staked to stand up. Whatever, I didn't expect it to make it back when I bought it. It also made a heck of a racket in the wind. But turned out to be a great value for the $$ spent.
Back to the trip details:
BlakeBird had to turn back at this point due to the flu. It turns out that, IronButt rider tho he is, he didn't get as far as we expected - which meant he was hammered by this illness (and it dogged him most of the week, even after being back home). Great call on his part. Riding the KLR certainly didn't help, of course.
Of course, I'm still PO'd at my Kodak and I had a crappy night of sleep freezing my hiny off, so no pics until Gonzaga Bay. The road out there was dusty and we passed several vehicles, all American.
The idiot with the class C motorhome shocked and amazed us. Not that it made it, but that the owner was subjecting it to that beating. Or going 2mph and taking several days to do the route. He was stopped talking to someone when we passed him.
We'd hoped the Pemex was open at Gonzaga for SheepShagger. It wasn't, the doors chained shut.
Maybe the store has gas. Nope. Campsite? Nope. OK, nothing to it but to keep on keeping on!
The bikes parked outside the store, which is VERY well stocked. Sleeping bags, cans of tuna (I bought 4 and a jar of mayo, which would come in very handy later), water, bolts, all kinds of things one might need when desert sports are called upon.
More of this day coming, I'm cutting out to work now...
Eric D
06 Husqvarna TE610 - IMS 5 gal clear tank, heated grips, Alaska Leather sheepskin, Dirt Bagz, Leo Vince slip on, JD Jetting kit, Utah skid plate, Cycra barkbusters
08 BMW K1200S - It's freakin' awesome
Ride reports:
- 10 Mar Baja
- 08 Feb Baja
- 07 Aug West coast PDX->SAN
- More!
edeslaur screwed with this post 03-05-2008 at 07:57 AM
San Diegan
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Sandy Eggo
Oddometer: 445
While we were at the store, we took a break and had lunch.
Jwashburn is looking at the military group we passed as they were hiking in. On past trips, we've found it's in our best interests not to try to take pictures of them.
This is how you know you made it to Gonzaga.
Now, as you recall, I need a better sleeping bag. The one in the store says it;s good to 50 degrees. It's definitely big. I pass anyways. FWIW, it's cheaper than in the US.
The road to Coco's is graded about once every 10 years, the washboards and rocks make doing 50+ a much better ride than 30mph. I grew up on roads like this, so I'm flying. Even so, there are plenty of things that make it clear that riding at night is bad mojo.
We make it to Coco's and stop for cerveza! The sign helps guide you.
It looks like this from further afar
From here it's the "good road" to pavement, about 4-6 miles we're told. It felt like longer, but I'll take it!
Once you hit pavement and head south for a while, you see these really strange trees/cactus. Anyone know what they're called?
Smoke/riding break!
More of this day in about an hour or two.
Eric D
06 Husqvarna TE610 - IMS 5 gal clear tank, heated grips, Alaska Leather sheepskin, Dirt Bagz, Leo Vince slip on, JD Jetting kit, Utah skid plate, Cycra barkbusters
08 BMW K1200S - It's freakin' awesome
Ride reports:
- 10 Mar Baja
- 08 Feb Baja
- 07 Aug West coast PDX->SAN
- More!
Wandering Soul
Joined: Jul 2004
Location: Pickwick Lake, Tennessippi
Oddometer: 11,354
That's a Boojum (Fouquieria columnaris). Pretty much indiginous only to Baja.
gaspipe [the original]
Hair of the dog that bit me, Lloyd...
Dorkus Malorkus
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Reno, NV
Oddometer: 1,824
I had some concerns about a couple of members of the group:
I still have the flu-action going, so I'm going to keep the dialog to a minimum. Here's some more pics.
The beach south of San Felipe
Bags pressing down on the plastic makes for smelly, melty plastic:
The last pavement we'll do for awhile
We broke the "never ride at night" rule several times.
Nobody else, just us. No electricity, no generators, no crying babies (except the ones we brought). It was all good.
The moonrise was incredible. The photo doesn't convey how huge it was yada yada.
Blakebird said he left because of the flu. The real reason was the socks.
"My Python boot is too tight,
I couldn't get it off last night,
A week went by,
And now it's July,
I finally got it off,
And my girlfriend cried 'you got stinkfoot'"
And off he goes, hidden gas mask under the chin bar.
Vaya con Dios, Amigo!
Show me your fleece
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Where men are men and sheep get nervous
Oddometer: 2,178
Show me your fleece
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Where men are men and sheep get nervous
Oddometer: 2,178
Wannabe Adventurer
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Oregon
Oddometer: 82
You got me there, I don't know how many times I yelled Sheep Shagger you assho1e... Sheep Shagger you douche bag... Sheep Shagger you phucknob...
All kidding aside, I wasn't the one trying to entice you with a sheep skin seat cover...
jwashburn screwed with this post 03-05-2008 at 12:52 PM
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Illinois 23
(2-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
Michigan State 20
(3-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Coverage: GamePlan
12:00 PM ET, September 30, 2006
Spartan Stadium (MI), East Lansing, MI
Top Performers
Passing: D. Stanton (MSU) - 144 YDS
Rushing: P. Thomas (ILL) - 18 CAR, 110 YDS
Receiving: J. Willis (ILL) - 3 REC, 91 YDS, 2 TD
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32 year old man | Erie, CO, USA | Seeking women 27-37 within 25 miles
Active within 24 hours
To be Forgotten is Worse than Death.
I am a Systems Engineer working on computers for a small but successful business in Boulder. I enjoy BBQ's with friends and family, outdoor activities, and I am an avid Avalanche hockey fan. I own my own house and am looking for someone to help make my house a home. I am hoping for a long term, meaningful relationship; a best friend that I can share my life with. Just to give you an idea here are some things from my bucket list: Visit Japan Get rink side hockey seats at an AVS game. Skydiving Hot Air Balloon Tour ancient Inca ruins Take a cooking class Learn to ride a motorcycle Hike the ice caverns in Alaska Fly to Mars
Camping , Coffee and conversation , Cooking , Dining out , Fishing/Hunting , Gardening/Landscaping , Hobbies and crafts , Movies/Videos , Museums and art , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Nightclubs/Dancing , Performing arts , Playing cards , Playing sports , Political interests , Shopping/Antiques , Travel/Sightseeing , Video games , Watching sports , Wine tasting
Baseball, Basketball, Billiards / Pool, Bowling, Cycling, Dancing, Football, Hockey, Inline skating, Other types of exercise, Running, Skiing, VolleyBall, Walking / Hiking, Weights / Machines
I exercise 3-4 times per week.
I like Birds, Dogs, Exotic Pets, Fish, Reptiles
I contemplate getting a dog but I am doing a lot of work on my house and don't like the idea of subjecting it to that environment. Maybe someday.
Some other viewpoint
Any great restaurant with live music.
University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO
Love all types of movies from action to romantic comedy. Like to make improvements to the house including designing and building a new fireplace mantle. Enjoy cooking and trying new recipes for friends. Decorating house for holidays.
Hanging out with friends and family. Hosting parties. Going to hockey games. Concerts. Traveling to various locations both domestic and abroad.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|5'7" (170cms)
|5'0" (152cms) to 8'0" (243cms)
|Body type:
|About average
|Slender, About average, Curvy, Athletic and toned, A few extra pounds
|Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Green, Hazel
|Dark brown
|Auburn / Red, Black, Light brown, Dark brown, Blonde, Salt and pepper, Silver, Dark blonde, Grey, Platinum
|No Way
|No Way, Occasionally, Cigar aficionado, Yes, but trying to quit
|Social Drinker
|Never, Social Drinker, Regularly, Moderately
|Technical / Science / Computers / Engineering
|No preference
Currently working on Boulder as a Sr. Systems Engineer. Management drives me crazy with horrible expectations and timelines but I try to survive. Just keep telling myself it's a paycheck :P
|$25,001 to $35,000
|Less Than $25,000, $25,001 to $35,000, $35,001 to $50,000, $50,001 to $75,000, $75,001 to $100,000, $100,001 to $150,000, $150,001+
|Never Married
|Never Married
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|White / Caucasian
|Asian, Black / African descent, East Indian, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Native American, Pacific Islander, White / Caucasian, Other
|Christian / Other
|No preference
|Bachelors degree
|High school
Graduated Fairview High School 2001. Got my Bachelors from University of Colorado at Boulder in Computer Science in 2005.


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Originally written on Fox Soccer | Last updated 12/1/12
In a week filled with buzz about David Beckham's final MLS game and Landon Donovan's future, Houston just proceeded with business as usual. No one has paid much attention to their run of four MLS Cup appearances in seven years in the buildup to this final. Few people have noted that this Dynamo group - albeit with a markedly different composition - won on two of those occasions before succumbing to the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center last year. Only a handful of observers have noticed the savvy decision to fly into southern California after a quiet week of training in Houston to avoid some of the trappings of the final. This final is all about Beckham and the Galaxy, unless you actually have to prepare for it and devise a way to cope with a Dynamo outfit that possesses all of the necessary tools to sour the anticipated coronation. "I think everyone in the league is well aware of Houston and greatly respects them," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said on Thursday before he delved into th...
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Ballantyne's Deafness (Paperback)
|Author: Mike Martin
|Editor: John Graham Michael Martin
$97.90 + Free Shipping
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CONDITION: Brand New
IN STOCK: Usually Ships within 1 business day
Learn more about Ballantyne's Deafness:
Format: Paperback
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Sku: 203353785
Publish Date: 4/10/2007
Pages: 350
Edition Number: 6
Age Range: NA
See more in Audiology & Speech Pathology
|Developments in the field of hearing health care have been significant over the last five years. This complete revision of Deafness reflects these changes and is not only an updating of the previous information but also adds new areas such as social aspects of deafness and mental health and deafness. The book maintains its original aim to be targeted at a wide range of readers who have a need for information on deafness. It will provide easily digested information for a wide range of professionals who have no experience in the field as well as for lay people such as parents of deaf children and deaf people themselves. As it covers a very wide range of topics in one volume it will also serve as an initial reference work for professionals already working with deaf and hard of hearing people. The 27 chapters are written by experts currently practising in their respective subjects. The chapters describe the nature and number of people with hearing loss, the anatomy and physiology of the ear, causes of deafness and their treatment, the measurement of hearing and screening for hearing loss, hearing loss in children and its diagnosis treatment and management, the effects of ageing and noise on hearing, psychological and psychiatric aspects of deafness, hearing aids and assistive devices, cochlear and other implanted devices.