Abstract: Accessing media data in bites, including: receiving a request from a client to access a media item, and determining an address of the requested media item, wherein the address indicates a location where the media item is stored; determining an identification number of a piece of the media item selected by the client; updating the address of the media item by combining the address with the identification number of the piece of the media item selected by the client; valuating the piece of the media item selected by the client, and sending a valuated price to the client; and providing access to the requested media item using the updated address of the media item when a payment for the valuated price is received from the client.

Abstract: Storing, building, managing, and controlling consumer personal information, including: building at least one level of personal information according to a standard; storing the personal information on a consumer rights locker; defining a scope of access under terms of a consumer to control access to the consumer rights locker; transmitting a plurality of parameters needed to access the consumer rights locker; receiving a request to access the consumer rights locker and the plurality of parameters; comparing the plurality of parameters to the scope of access; and granting access to the consumer rights locker when it is determined that the request is valid, wherein the request is valid when the plurality of parameters includes an access right that is consistent with information in the scope of access. Keywords include consumer rights locker and personal information.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that allow for the rapid creation of multiple novel views for applications. These multiple views may allow for not only stereo views but also for different viewpoints of a stereographic scene to be presented, or for a time progression of the stereo scene to be presented, where a viewpoint is altered with respect to time. The systems and methods may be employed to create the content for auto-stereographic displays or multiple view systems that use a plurality of novel views to display stereo media. Such displays or multiple view systems may include those employing parallax barriers or lenticular lenses.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for sharing movie information online. In one implementation, the user of an online movie service can share information about the contents of a library or other such rights locker, e.g., under Ultraviolet™ and DECE. Users may also share likes and dislikes. The movie service may make suggestions based on the contents of the user's library and the contents of other user's libraries, such as those of the user's designated friends. A user can become a follower or fan of another user and receive recommendations based on the target user's profile or specific recommendations made by the target. The user can receive a credit on their account or on a related account when another user makes a purchase that is attributable to that user, e.g., from a recommendation. A user may be designated as an influencer when followed by a sufficient number of other users.

Abstract: Managing assets during production of multimedia, comprising: creating at least one scouting image; creating a metadata including information needed to import the at least one scouting image as a shot; and generating a script including commands needed to recreate the shot in its current state, and storing camera and character attributes. Keywords include asset management and scouting images.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for sharing movie information online. In one implementation, the user of an online movie service can share information about the contents of a library or other such rights locker, e.g., under Ultraviolet™ and DECE. Users may also share likes and dislikes. The movie service may make suggestions based on the contents of the user's library and the contents of other user's libraries, such as those of the user's designated friends. A user can become a follower or fan of another user and receive recommendations based on the target user's profile or specific recommendations made by the target. The user can receive a credit on their account or on a related account when another user makes a purchase that is attributable to that user, e.g., from a recommendation. A user may be designated as an influencer when followed by a sufficient number of other users.

Abstract: Systems and methods presented here allow recreation of prior scenes, even if assets used in the scenes have evolved over time. The systems and methods employ query of a database to obtain data for backup and retrieval, e.g., information about shots made at prior points in time, where a “shot” refers to a scene or associated set of sequential frames (a single image may also be considered a shot in some instances), rendered or not depending on context. In the VP-VCR systems and methods, information may be obtained about rendered scenes which allow knowledge and subsequent use of each asset employed in the scene, including its proper version and representation at the time of the rendering. Such may be employed not only to obtain prior versions of shots, but also to allow modification of assets in prior shots to obtain new effects.

Abstract: Storing, building, managing, and controlling consumer personal information, including: building at least one level of personal information according to a standard; storing the personal information on a consumer rights locker; defining a scope of access under terms of a consumer to control access to the consumer rights locker; transmitting a plurality of parameters needed to access the consumer rights locker; receiving a request to access the consumer rights locker and the plurality of parameters; comparing the plurality of parameters to the scope of access; and granting access to the consumer rights locker when it is determined that the request is valid, wherein the request is valid when the plurality of parameters includes an access right that is consistent with information in the scope of access. Keywords include consumer rights locker and personal information.

Abstract: Comparing images, including: selecting a target image; selecting one or more search images; comparing the target image to a negative image corresponding to each search image to generate an image comparison score for each search image; and identifying the search image with the best image comparison score. Keywords include logging events and frame matching.

Abstract: Rendering a stereoscopic image of a 3-D environment, including: tracing a path of ray from a camera to a light source for every pixel in a view window; determining shading of all pixels in the view window; and adjusting the shading for all pixels to show horizontal displacement but substantially reduce vertical displacement in the stereoscopic image. Keywords include shading and horizontal displacement.

Abstract: Rendering a 3-D scene using bent ray, including; tracing a path of the bent ray from a camera to an object for each pixel in a view window, wherein the amount of bending in the bent ray is a function of the distance from the camera; rendering the each, pixel in the view window until all pixels in the view window have been rendered; and outputting the rendered view window as a rendered 3-D scene. Keywords include bent rays and object depth.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for minimizing re-projection artifacts. From a re-projection method, a distortion map determines areas of excessive stretching or compressing of pixels, which are then rendered. The re-projection and render are composited to create a new stereo image. Systems and methods are also provided for a “depth layout” process, whereby a new offset view of a 2D plate is created, allowing a stereo pair of images. Custom geometry that approximates the scene is created and 2D rotoscoping is employed to cut out shapes from the geometry. A depth map is created, from which an offset image may be re-projected, resulting in a stereo pair. Systems and methods are also provided for a fast re-projection technique, which creates a novel view from an existing image. The process generates a disparity map and then a distortion map, which is then used to create the new view.

Abstract: Managing multi-threaded computer processing, including: processing a main thread for an object in background of the multi-threaded computer processing without locking the object during its process in the background, wherein processing a main thread includes: monitoring the state of the object, wherein the object is deemed ready for processing after it satisfies a set of rules to check for its completeness, and the object has not been modified for a pre-determined period of time; creating and adding tasks to a queue for processing once the object is ready; and packaging required information for the tasks into a single data structure that is passed to a task thread and returned to the main thread upon completion.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to create better-looking animated eyes for CG characters. The systems and methods set the rigging of each eye to, rather than precisely converge on a target location, converge but be rotationally or angularly offset by a certain amount to simulate correct physical eye positioning and movements. In addition, the systems and methods provide even more realistic eye appearance by taking account of the refractive properties of the cornea, e.g., which can make the pupil appear larger than it actually is. The systems and methods may further take account of a shadowing effect of the upper eye caused by the brow, eyelashes, and upper lid (as well as an effect caused by reflection from the underside of the eyelashes). This darkening of the upper portion of the eye addresses vertical eyeline discrepancies caused by the visual and optical illusion of incorrect lighting.

Abstract: Managing and accessing media items, including: a plurality of domains configured to provide access to media items; a plurality of clients associated with the plurality domains, and providing a pathway for accessing the media items; and a spanning application configured to track and aggregate accessible media items from the plurality of domains based on authentication and registration information and associated rights of the plurality of clients and the plurality of domains, wherein the spanning application enables accessing of the media items across the plurality of domains.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for applying a controllable and predictable muscle oscillation to a portion of a body such as a character in a predetermined and intuitive way. Positions of separate muscle locations are analyzed throughout a timeline. A third derivative with respect to time of the positions of the separate muscles is calculated to measure a change of acceleration for a particular point of interest. The change in the acceleration gives positive or negative changes in the applied forces. The direction and magnitude of the applied forces is passed onto a part of a solution that creates a procedural oscillation based on the magnitude and the direction of the applied forces in the muscle space.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to provide a highly convenient and practically automated system for creation of highly-realistic menisci for CG characters. Creating the meniscus in the correct place and maintaining its correlation with moving eyes and eyelids was in the past difficult. The systems and methods disclosed provide a highly-realistic way to create and control such features. The systems and methods may create the meniscus in a procedural fashion, allowing the meniscus to properly track movements of character eyes and eyelids and to be animated in a highly-realistic fashion.

Abstract: Provided are systems and methods that address the problem of single scattering in homogeneous volumes. In one implementation, an importance sampling technique is provided that avoids a singularity near point light sources. The system and method can be extended to the situation of area lights of arbitrary shapes. The error caused by the non-constant distance to the finite-extent area light is distributed by using random sample points within the area light as points from which lighting is calculated for sampling points along the ray.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for managing depths in stereo images. In one implementation, systems and methods are provided for using a procedural shader and automated rendering to match depths of computer-generated images with that of native stereo images, i.e., images recorded using two cameras for stereo imaging. The system and method may employ a checkerboard and a tri-planar shader, and may further employ a texture reference object to make more convenient and intuitive the depth matching.

Abstract: Storyboard processing in a movie during production, including: creating a proxy shot for an imported shot; displaying the proxy shot; receiving a completion signal for the imported shot; reloading related metadata for the imported shot; and displaying the newly imported shot. Keywords include proxy shot and imported shot.