1. A method of temporally formatting first and second temporally related media items included in a time-dependent document in an information presentation system; the information presentation system including memory for storing data, a processor connected for accessing the data stored in the memory, and at least one media presentation device; the data stored in the memory including instruction data indicating instructions the processor executes; the method comprising: operating the processor to obtain, for each of the first and second media items, at least one pair of temporally adjacent media item event data items, referred to as a pair of temporally adjacent events, identifying a media item segment; each event in each pair of temporally adjacent events marking a point in time in the respective media item such that a second event in the pair of events follows a first event in time; each media item segment indicating whether occurrence of the media item segment in the time-dependent document is predictable or unpredictable; operating the processor to obtain temporal constraint data indicating a time ordering relation value specified between first and second temporally related event data items, referred to hereafter as a pair of temporally related events, identified from among the temporally adjacent events; a first one of the temporally related events being an event included in a media item segment in the first media item and a second one of the temporally related events being an event included in a media item segment in the second media item; operating the processor to obtain a durational time data item, hereafter referred to as a duration, for each respective media item segment; each durational time data item indicating an elapsed time for presenting the respective media item segment on the at least one media presentation device; each durational time data item further indicating whether the duration is predictable or unpredictable; each predictable duration indicating a range of predictable elapsed presentation durations for a respective media item segment; and for each respective media item segment having a predictable occurrence and a predictable media segment duration, operating the processor to assign a document presentation time value to each event included in the respective media item segment using the range of predictable elapsed presentation durations indicated for the respective media item segment and using the temporal constraint data specified between the respective media item segment and a second media item segment; each respective media item segment for which document presentation time values are assigned having a computed presentation duration falling within the range of predictable elapsed durations for the respective media item segment; the document presentation time values assigned satisfying the temporal constraint data specified between the respective media item segment and the second media item segment.
1. A method of temporally formatting first and second temporally related media items included in a time-dependent document in an information presentation system; the information presentation system including memory for storing data, a processor connected for accessing the data stored in the memory, and at least one media presentation device; the data stored in the memory including instruction data indicating instructions the processor executes; the method comprising: operating the processor to obtain, for each of the first and second media items, at least one pair of temporally adjacent media item event data items, referred to as a pair of temporally adjacent events, identifying a media item segment; each event in each pair of temporally adjacent events marking a point in time in the respective media item such that a second event in the pair of events follows a first event in time; each media item segment indicating whether occurrence of the media item segment in the time-dependent document is predictable or unpredictable; operating the processor to obtain temporal constraint data indicating a time ordering relation value specified between first and second temporally related event data items, referred to hereafter as a pair of temporally related events, identified from among the temporally adjacent events; a first one of the temporally related events being an event included in a media item segment in the first media item and a second one of the temporally related events being an event included in a media item segment in the second media item; operating the processor to obtain a durational time data item, hereafter referred to as a duration, for each respective media item segment; each durational time data item indicating an elapsed time for presenting the respective media item segment on the at least one media presentation device; each durational time data item further indicating whether the duration is predictable or unpredictable; each predictable duration indicating a range of predictable elapsed presentation durations for a respective media item segment; and for each respective media item segment having a predictable occurrence and a predictable media segment duration, operating the processor to assign a document presentation time value to each event included in the respective media item segment using the range of predictable elapsed presentation durations indicated for the respective media item segment and using the temporal constraint data specified between the respective media item segment and a second media item segment; each respective media item segment for which document presentation time values are assigned having a computed presentation duration falling within the range of predictable elapsed durations for the respective media item segment; the document presentation time values assigned satisfying the temporal constraint data specified between the respective media item segment and the second media item segment. 11. The temporal formatting method of claim 1 wherein assigning document presentation times to events included in media item segments occurs prior to the runtime presentation of the time-dependent document to a user of the information presentation system.