Method for making a multimedia application executable on hardware platforms with various different resource levels, a physical record containing such application, and an apparatus for executing such application

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG.
1 shows a flow chart for storing an application according to the invention.
The operations according to this flow chart can be executed directly after the general writing of the application.
In block 20 the unprocessed information of the application is received, as pertaining to a particular time interval or scene.
Generally, the scene size has been determined by the developer of the application.
In so doing, the scene has been usually built up from things like music or movie intervals, stills, graphic elements and others.
In the information, the data streams have usually been joined to an interleaved and multiplexed data file.
Sufficient processing power is available for executing the application at its highest quality level.
During execution of the application, often the processing is linear in time, in that the various streams are presented to a user in mutual synchronism, such as in the way of a movie.
However, this behaviour need not be uniform in time, where at one time an image may freeze, while accompanying music goes on.
In an interactive situation, the relative behaviours may be still more non-uniform.
In block 22 the first unprocessed item of the application is accessed, in view of therefor determining its string of quality level items.
In block 28, the minimum quality level for executing the (part of the) application is assessed.
This decision may be taken by the writer of the application.
Next, the scene heading is now provided the minimally required quality levels of all decoders as a first item of the string of quality level items.
Inasmuch as this first item may pertain to more than one decoder, it may be a composite item.
For being able to attain automatic scalability, subsequent items of the string must now be arranged so that a stepwise increasing quality can be indicated by going along the items of the string.
The operation in block 28 can be done either with the isolated scene, or in the context of preceding and/or succeeding scenes