Rendering CD redbook audio using alternative storage locations and formats

In a multimedia presentation system for running an application program, wherein the application program normally renders continuous media content from a removable source medium using a default device driver that is not part of the application program, wherein the continuous media content is organized as one or more performance tracks on the removable source medium, a method of running the application program to render the continuous media content from a mass storage device rather than from the removable source medium, the method comprising:

• converting the continuous media content from a performance track format that is native to the removable source medium to an alternative format suitable for rendering on a local rendering device;
• storing the continuous media content on the mass storage device in the alternative format;
• installing a proxy device driver that functions in place of the default device driver normally used by the application program;
• the proxy device driver, in response to instructions from the application program to render the continuous media content from the removable source medium, instead performing the following steps:
• reading the continuous media content from the mass storage device;
• writing the continuous media content to the local rendering device.

In a computer for running an application program, wherein the application program normally renders continuous media content from a removable compact disk that is associated with the application program, the application program normally using a simple device driver that is not part of the application program to render the continuous media content, wherein the application program identifies the continuous media content to the simple device driver in terms of performance track information relative to the removable compact disk, the simple device driver being associated with a compact disk drive that both reads and renders the identified continuous media content from the removable compact disk;

• a method of running the application program to render the continuous media content from a mass storage device rather than from the removable compact disk, the method comprising:
• installing a proxy device driver in the computer that functions in place of the simple device driver normally used by the application program;
• exposing a proxy interface to the application program from the proxy device driver, wherein the proxy interface is substantially the same as an existing interface exposed by the simple device driver;
• the proxy device driver, in response to instructions from the application program to render the continuous media content, identifying the continuous media content to a compound device driver in terms information other than performance track information, and instructing the compound device driver to render the continuous media content.

A method of directing an application program executing on a client computing device to render continuous media content from a remote network server, wherein the application program is of a type that normally renders continuous media content from a removable compact disk associated with the application program, the application program normally using a compact disk device driver that is not part of the application program to render the continuous media content from a local compact disk drive, wherein the local compact disk drive, if it were present, would both read and render the continuous media content from the removable compact disk;

• the method comprising:
• converting the continuous media content from a format that is native to the compact disk to an alternative format suitable for rendering without the compact disk drive;
• storing the continuous media content on the remote network server in the alternative format;
• installing a proxy device driver that executes on the client computing device in place of the simple device driver normally used by the application program;
• the proxy device driver, in response to instructions from the application program to render the continuous media content using the local compact disk drive, instead performing the following steps:
• reading the continuous media content from the remote network server;
• locally rendering the continuous media content.

A multimedia presentation system for running an application program, wherein the application program normally renders continuous media content from a default source medium using a simple device driver that is not part of the application program, and wherein the application program identifies the default source medium in terms of a local media drive that both reads and renders the continuous media content from the default source medium, the multimedia presentation system comprising:

• a data processor;
• a mass storage device other than the default source medium, the mass storage device storing the continuous media content;
• a local rendering device;
• a proxy device driver installed to execute on the data processor in place of the simple device driver normally used by the application program;
• wherein the proxy device driver, in response to instructions from the application program to render the continuous media content, reads the continuous media content from the mass storage device and writes the continuous media content to the local rendering device without any modifications to the application program.

A multimedia presentation system for running an application program, wherein the application program normally renders continuous media content from a removable compact disk that is associated with the application program, the application program normally using a default device driver that is not part of the application program to render the continuous media content, wherein the application program identifies the continuous media content to the simple device driver in terms of performance track information relative to the removable compact disk, the default device driver being associated with a compact disk drive that both reads and renders the identified continuous media content from the removable compact disk;

• the multimedia presentation system comprising:
• a data processor;
• a mass storage device other than the removable compact disk, the mass storage device storing the continuous media content in a format that is not organized as performance tracks;
• a local rendering device;
• a proxy device driver installed to execute on the data processor in place of the default device driver normally used by the application program;
• a compound device driver that executes on the data processor to read and render the continuous media content;
• wherein the proxy device driver, in response to instructions from the application program to render the continuous media content, identifies the continuous media content to the compound device driver in terms of a filename relative to the mass storage device, and instructs the compound device driver to render the continuous media content.