Time-compression: systems concerns, usage, and benefits

ABSTRACT

With the proliferation of online multimedia content and the popularity of multimedia streaming systems, it is increasingly useful to be able to skim and browse multimedia quickly. A key technique that enables quick browsing of multimedia is time-compression. Prior research has described how speech can be time-compressed (shortened in duration) while preserving the pitch of the audio. However, client-server systems providing this functionality have not been available.

In this paper, we first describe the key tradeoffs faced by designers of streaming multimedia systems deploying time-compression. The implementation tradeoffs primarily impact the granularity of time-compression supported (discrete vs. continuous) and the latency (wait-time) experienced by users after adjusting degree of time-compression. We report results of user studies showing impact of these factors on the average- compression-rate achieved. We also present data on the usage patterns and benefits of time compression. Overall, we show significant time-savings for users and that considerable flexibility is available to the designers of client-server streaming systems with time compression.

References

1. 1.Arons, B. "Techniques, Perception, and Applications of Time- Compressed Speech." In Proceedings of 1992 Conference, American Voice I/O Society, Sep. 1992, pp. 169-177.
2. 2.Arons, B. "SpeechSkimmer: A System for Interactively Skimming Recorded Speech." A CM Transactions on Computer Human Interaction, 4, 1, 1997, 3-38.
3. 3.Beasley, D.S. & Maki, J.E. "Time- and Frequency-Altered Speech." In N.J. Lass (Ed.), Contemporary Issues in Experimental Phonetics, 419-458. NY: Academic Press, 1976.
4. 4.Degen, L., Mander, R., & Salomon, G. "Working with Audio: Integrating Personal Tape recorders and Desktop Computers." Proc. CHI '92, ACM, Apr. 1992, pp. 413-418.
5. 5.Fairbanks, G., Everitt, W.L., & Jaeger, R.P. "Method for Time or Frequency Compression-Expansion of Speech." Transactions of the Institute of Radio Engineers, Professional Group on Audio A U-2 (1954): 7-12. Reprinted in G. Fairbanks, Experimental Phonetics: Selected Articles, University of Illinois Press, 1966.
6. 6.Foulke, W. & Sticht, T.G. "Review of research on the intelligibility and comprehension of accelerated speech." Psychological Bulletin, 72: 50-62, 1969.
7. 7.Garvey, W.D. "The intelligibility of abbreviated speech patterns." Quarterly Journal of Speech, 39: 296-306, 1953. Reprinted in J. S. Lim (Ed.) Speech Enhancement, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983.
8. 8.Garvey, W.D. "The intelligibility of speeded speech." Journal of Experimental Psychology, 45:102-108, 1953.
9. 9.Gerber, S.E. "Limits of speech time compression." In S. Duker (Ed.), Time-Compressed Speech, 456-465. Scarecrow, 1974.
10. 10.Griffin, D.W. & Lim, J.S. "Signal estimation from modified short-time fourier transform." IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, ASSP-32 (2): 236-243, 1984.
11. 11.Harrigan, K. "The SPECIAL System: Self-Paced Education with Compressed Interactive Audio Learning," Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 27, 3, Spring 1995.
12. 12.Harrigan, K.A. "Just Noticeable Difference and Effects of Searching of User-Controlled Time-Compressed Digital-Video. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Toronto, 1996.
13. 13.Heiman, G.W., Leo, R.J., Leighbody, G., & Bowler, K. "Word Intelligibility Decrements and the Comprehension of Time- Compressed Speech." Perception and Psychophysics 40, 6 (1986): 407-411.
14. 14.Hejna Jr, D.J. "Real-Time Time-Scale Modification of Speech via the Synchronized Overlap-Add Algorithm." MS thesis, MIT, 1990. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
15. 15.Maxemchuk, N. "An Experimental Speech Storage and Editing Facility." Bell System Technical Journal 59, 8 (1980): 1383- 1395.
16. 16.Miller, G.A. & Licklider, J.C.R. '`The intelligibility of interrupted speech." Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, 22(2): 167-173, 1950.
17. 17.Neuburg, E.P. "Simple Pitch-Dependent Algorithm for High Quality Speech Rate Changing." Journal of the Acoustic Society of America 63, 2 (1978): 624-625.
18. 18.Orr, D.B. "A perspective on the perception of time compressed speech." In P. M. Kjeldergaard, D. L. Horton, & J. J. Jenkins, (Eds.) Perception of Language, 108-119. Merrill, 1971.
19. 19.Orr, D. B. Friedman, H.L., & Williams, J.C. "Trainability of listening comprehension of speeded discourse." Journal of Educational Psychology, 56: 148-156, 1965.
20. 20.Portnoff, M.R. ''Time-scale modification of speech based on short-time fourier analysis." IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, ASSP-29 (3): 374-390, 1981.
21. 21.Quereshi, S.U.H. "Speech compression by computer." In S. Duker (Ed.), Time-Compressed Speech, 618-623. Scarecrow, 1974.
22. 22.Resnick, P. & Virzi, R.A. "Skip and Scan: Cleaning Up Telephone Interfaces." Proc. CHI'92 (May 1992), ACM.
23. 23.Schmandt, C. & Arons, B. "A Conversational Telephone Messaging System." IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics CE-30, 3 (1984): xxi-xxiv.
24. 24.Scott, R.J. "Time Adjustment in Speech Synthesis." Journal of the Acoustic Society of America 41, 1 (1967): 60-65.
25. 25.Stanford Online: Masters in Electrical Engineering, 1998. http://scpd.stanford.edu/cee/telecom/onlinedegree.html
26. 26.Stifelman, L. "The Audio Notebook: Paper and Pen Interaction with Structured Speech" Ph.D. dissertation, MIT Media Laboratory, 1997.
27. 27.Stifelman, L.j., Arons, B., Schmandt, C. & Hulteen, E.A. "VoiceNotes: A Speech Interface for a Hand-Held Voice Notetaker." Proc. INTERCHI'93 (Amsterdam, 1993), ACM.
28. 28.Tarquin, A., Craver, L., & Schroder, D. "Time-Compression Effects of Video-tapes on Students," Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering, Vol. 110, No. 1, January 1984.
29. 29.Voor, J.B. & Miller, J.M. "The effect of practice upon the comprehension of time-compressed speech." Speech Monographs, 32: 452-455, 1965.

Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Collaborative and social computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • Interaction paradigms