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Time capsules: An abstraction for access to continuous-media data

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Abstract

Data in continuous-media systems, such as digital audio and video, has time parameters associated with it that determine its processing and display. We present the time capsule abstraction to describe formally how timed data shall be stored, exchanged, and accessed in a real-time system. When data is written into a time capsule, a time stamp and a duration are associated with the data item. When it is read, a time stamp is used to select the data item. The time capsule abstraction includes the notion of clocks that ensure periodic data access that is typical for continuous-media applications. By modifying the parameters of a clock, effects such as time lapses or slow motion can be achieved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM European Networking Center, Tiergartenstr. 8, D-6900, Heidelberg 1, Germany

    Ralf Guido Herrtwich

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  1. Ralf Guido Herrtwich
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An earlier version of this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the 11th IEEE Real-Time Systems Symposium held in Orlando in Dec. 1990.

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Herrtwich, R.G. Time capsules: An abstraction for access to continuous-media data. The Journal of Real-Time Systems 3, 355–376 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365998

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