Device for interactive video playback

Claim 1

A system for interactive video playback, said system including a modified video playback apparatus (20) for a selectively addressable and optically readable video disc (22), said playback apparatus including manually activatable control means (24) for the selective activation of one of a number of playback and addressing modes, and also including a first output (26) for the video information read from a disc and organized in frames, characterized in that the system further comprises: a. a first input (32) to said playback apparatus for receiving selection signals for the selective activation, in the same way as said manually activated control means, of one of said number of playback and addressing modes; b. an extraction element (58) for receiving said video information and for detecting and extracting frame numbers therefrom for presentation to a second output (60); c. a computer system comprising: c1. interface means (34) for interfacing to said first input and second output; c2. a second input (36) which is connected to said second output (60) via said interface means in order to receive said frame numbers; c3. an internal random addressable read-write memory for storing the data of alpha-numerical characters, and of selection signals for said playback apparatus to be exclusively activatable by a request signal receivable within said read-write means; c4. a third output (38) which is connected to said first input (32) via said interface means (34) in order to output an activated selection signal; c5. an internal activation output for supplying control signals and data signals to said internal read/write memory; c6. a fourth output (46) for supplying, under the control of a predetermined frame number which acts as data for the computer of said computer system, the data of a predetermined number of said alphanumerical characters as additional video information in order to display a playback or addressing mode, notably indicating a waiting situation while awaiting a request signal to be received; c7. a keyboard (42) for inputting a request signal to said computer to activate, during a waiting situation, a change over to a next playback or addressing mode or waiting situation; and d. said keyboard being suitable for inputting computer instructions which are organized according to a higher programming language; e. an interface between said playback apparatus and said computer which includes, in addition to said extraction element, emulation switches for a number of said manually activatable control means in order to emulate electrically the activated condition of the associated control means.

Claim 2

A system for interactive video playback, said system including a modified video playback apparatus (20) for a selectively addressable and optically readable video disc (22), said playback apparatus including manually activatable control means (24) for the selective activation of one of a number of playback and addressing modes, and also including a first output (26) for the video information read from a disc and organized in frames, characterized in that the system further comprises: a. a first input (32) to said playback apparatus for receiving selection signals for the selective activation, in the same way as said manually activated control means, of one of said number of playback and addressing modes; b. an extraction element (58) for receiving said video information and for detecting and extracting frame numbers therefrom for presentation to a second output (60); c. a computer system comprising: c1. interface means (34) for interfacing to said first input and second output; c2. a second input (36) which is connected to said second output (60) via said interface means in order to receive said frame numbers; c3. an internal random addressable read-write memory for storing the data of alpha-numerical characters, and of selection signals for said playback apparatus to be exclusively activatable by a request signal receivable within said read-write means; c4. a third output (38) which is connected to said first input (32) via said interface means (34) in order to output an activated selection signal; c5. an internal activation output for supplying control signals and data signals to said internal read/write memory; c6. a fourth output (46) for supplying, under the control of a predetermined frame number which acts as data for the computer of said computer system, the data of a predetermined number of said alphanumerical characters as additional video information in order to display a playback or addressing mode, notably indicating a waiting situation while awaiting a request signal to be received; c7. a keyboard (42) for inputting a request signal to said computer to activate, during a waiting situation, a change over to a next playback or addressing mode or waiting situation; and d. said keyboard being suitable for inputting computer instructions which are organized according to a higher programming language; e. an interface between said playback apparatus and said computer which includes, in addition to said extraction element, emulation switches for a number of said manually activatable control means in order to emulate electrically the activated condition of the associated control means.