A window-based editor for digital video and audio

The authors present a window-based editor for manipulating digital video and audio. The editor supports real-time recording, playback, and editing (cut, copy, and paste) of several multimedia objects. Using the X Window system, the authors have implemented the editor on an environment of Sun SPARCstations, and PC-ATs equipped with video compression hardware. The user interface of the multimedia editor consists of a main editing window for each display device, and rope windows, which represent synchronized sequences of digital video and audio being accessed, called ropes. Experience shows that the editor provides a simple and easy to use, but powerful system for multimedia document preparation, and it can act as a basis for supporting applications such as multimedia mail, electronic distribution of television news and video entertainment, etc