Abstract: Techniques and tools for representing pixel data in a video processing or capture system are described. Described techniques and tools provide efficient color representation for video processing and capture, and provide flexibility for representing colors using different bit precisions and memory layouts. Described techniques and tools include video formats that can be used, for example, in hardware or software for capture, processing, and display purposes. In one aspect, chroma and luma information for a pixel in a video image is represented in a 16-bit fixed-point block of data having an integer and fractional components. Data can be easily converted from one representation to another (e.g., between 16-bit and 10-bit representations). In other aspects, formats for representing 8-, 10- and 16-bit video image data (e.g., packed and hybrid planar formats), and codes for indicating the formats, are described.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to parsing encrypted content and sending the encrypted content to appropriate stacks of components. Encrypted video content is sent to a video stack and encrypted audio content is sent to an audio stack. Components in either stack may or may not be able to decrypt the encrypted content. A common interface is provided to the components to pass encrypted content and encryption content with one another. Components not able to perform decryption pass on the encrypted content to succeeding components in the stack until a component capable of decrypting the encrypted content receives the encrypted content. Control from a hardware lawyer in a stack may be sent back through the stack using a secure link established by the common interfaces used by the components.

Abstract: A video encoding acceleration service to increase one or more of the speed and quality of video encoding is described. The service acts as an intermediary between an arbitrary video encoder computer program application and arbitrary video acceleration hardware. The service receives one or more queries from the video encoder to identify implementation specifics of the video acceleration hardware. The service interfaces with the video acceleration hardware to obtain the implementation specifics. The service communicates the implementation specifics to the video encoder. The implementation specifics enable the video encoder to: (a) determine whether one or more of speed and quality of software encoding operations associated with the video encoder can be increased with implementation of a pipeline of one or more supported encoding pipeline configurations and capabilities, and (b) implement the pipeline by interfacing with the service.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Accelerating video data decoding is described. In one aspect, hardware accelerated video decoding operations are configured to decode source video data in a first encoded data format. During video data processing operations, the source video data is evaluated to detect any change in the encoding format. Responsive to detecting a change in the source video data encoding, wherein the changed encoding is at least partially incompatible with the first encoded data format, the hardware accelerated video decoding operations are dynamically reconfigured. The reconfigured decoding operations decode the source video data content based on the changed encoded data format.

Abstract: Described is an adaptive scheduler associated with a desktop window manager that dynamically controls the rate at which graphics frames are composed. Values corresponding to performance when composing a frame are measured, and the frame composition rate is adjusted as necessary based on the values. The measured data is sampled to provide smooth adjustments. The sampled data is evaluated as to whether the current frame rate is too slow, too fast, or acceptable. If too slow, the frame rate may increased relative to the refresh rate, while if too fast, the frame rate is decreased relative to the refresh rate. In one implementation, the frame rate is too fast if a count of missed frames achieves a missed threshold value, or if a count of late frames achieves a late threshold value. The frame rate is too slow if a count of early frames exceeds an early threshold value.

Abstract: Methods for mapping color data having at least one color associated therewith to an output device based on an input device profile and an output device profile, each profile having a tone curve and a color matrix, are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving color data from an input device and determining whether the color data is in a linear space. If it is determined that the color data is not in a linear space, the method further includes applying the tone curve of the input device profile to the color data to convert it into a linear space. The method further includes converting the color(s) associated with the color data from the input linear space to an output linear space by applying the color matrix of the input device profile and the inverse color matrix of the output device profile to create color-converted image data.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for predicting an event's occurrence and notifying one or more interested applications that an event has been predicted to have occurred.

Abstract: Strategies are set forth for performing a scaling operation on image information using a filter. According to one exemplary implementation, the strategies involve: computing, based on scaling to be performed, a number of filter kernels required to implement the filter and a number of taps required for each filter kernel; pre-computing and storing the number of filter kernels; and applying the filter kernels to a row or column of the image information by repeatedly sequencing through the filter kernels if there are more pixel elements in the row or column than there are pre-calculated filter kernels. The scaling operation can employ a Catmull-Rom filter. Further, the scaling operations can be implemented by a pixel shader by assigning weighting information and delta-shifted versions of the image information to respective texture units of the pixel shader.

Abstract: Strategies are set forth herein for quantizing and dithering original image information to produce quantized image information. According to one exemplary implementation, the strategies involve: quantizing a sum that combines an original value taken from the original image information, a noise value, and an error term, to produce a quantized value; and calculating an error term for a subsequent quantizing operation by computing a difference between the quantized value and the original value. By virtue of his process, the strategies essentially add noise information to the quantization process, not the original image information, which results in quantized image information having reduced artifacts. The strategies can be used in conjunction with the Floyd-Steinberg error dispersion algorithm. According to another feature, the noise value is computed using a random number generator having a long repeat period, which further reduces artifacts.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: Methods, systems and architectures for processing renderable digital content are described. The various embodiments can protect against unauthorized access or duplication of unprotected content (i.e. decrypted content) once the content has reached a rendering device such as a user's computer. A flexible framework includes an architecture that allows for general media sources to provide virtually any type of multimedia content to any suitably configured rendering device. Content can be protected and rendered locally and/or across networks such as the Internet. The various embodiments can provide a standard platform that can that can be leveraged to protect content across a wide variety of rendering environments, content types, and DRM techniques.

Abstract: A radiation-curable composition for an ink base, ink composition, outer primary composition, buffering material or matrix material for fiber optics includes, in the uncured state, a secondary amino or tertiary amino silicone-containing additive.

Abstract: In accordance with certain aspects of the present invention, enhancements have been developed to further extend the performance of a generic DVD navigator. The methods and arrangements herein provide a mechanism that allows a player application to precisely ‘bookmark’ locations during playback, and later resume playback at the selected bookmarked locations.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for synchronizing various time-stamped data streams. The data streams can be synchronized to another data stream or to a point of reference such as a reference clock. In one embodiment, synchronization processing takes place in association with a filter graph comprising multiple filters. The filter graph is configured to process multiple timestamped data streams for rendering the data streams in accordance with data stream timestamps. A synchronization module is provided and is associated with the filter graph queries individual filters of the, filter graph to ascertain input timestamp-to-output timestamp mappings. The module computes adjustments that are to be made to output timestamps in order to synchronize the data streams, and then instructs queried filters to adjust their output timestamps in accordance with its adjustment computations.

Abstract: Strategies for effectively discovering, selecting, configuring, and controlling components used in media processing applications are described. According to one exemplary implementation, the strategies described configure the components based on profile information, configuration information, and a hierarchical ordering of configuration parameters. The hierarchical ordering may combine different coding paradigms, where one or more high level nodes in the ordering may define configuration parameters which are common to multiple coding paradigms. In this ordering, selection of a configuration parameter may cascade down to affect lower-ranking dependent parameters in the hierarchical ordering. According to one advantage, the hierarchical ordering provides a more uniform, extensible, and problem-free approach to configuring components than unstructured approaches to configuration. Moreover, applications can utilize the hierarchical ordering at different levels of granularity.

Abstract: Described herein is an implementation that facilitates the reverse presentation of an encoded digital media stream. This abstract itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. The scope of the present invention is pointed out in the appending claims.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for synchronizing various time-stamped data streams. The data streams can be synchronized to another data stream or to a point of reference such as a reference clock. In one embodiment, synchronization processing takes place in association with a filter graph comprising multiple filters. The filter graph is configured to process multiple timestamped data streams for rendering the data streams in accordance with data stream timestamps. A synchronization module is provided and is associated with the filter graph queries individual filters of the filter graph to ascertain input timestamp-to-output timestamp mappings. The module computes adjustments that are to be made to output timestamps in order to synchronize the data streams, and then instructs queried filters to adjust their output timestamps in accordance with its adjustment computations.

Abstract: Techniques and tools for representing pixel data in a video processing or capture system are described. Described techniques and tools provide efficient color representation for video processing and capture, and provide flexibility for representing colors using different bit precisions and memory layouts. Described techniques and tools include video formats that can be used, for example, in hardware or software for capture, processing, and display purposes. In one aspect, chroma and luma information for a pixel in a video image is represented in a 16-bit fixed-point block of data having an integer and fractional components. Data can be easily converted from one representation to another (e.g., between 16-bit and 10-bit representations). In other aspects, formats for representing 8-, 10- and 16-bit video image data (e.g., packed and hybrid planar formats), and codes for indicating the formats, are described.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for arbitrarily indexing multimedia content. In accordance with example embodiments, a multimedia content stream that comprises one or more samples is received. At least one of the samples is passed to one or more multimedia filters for analysis based on criteria that define an index type for the multimedia filter. Once it is determined that the sample meets the criteria for an arbitrary filter and index type, an index entry that identifies both the sample and the index type of the arbitrary filter is created. The index entry is adapted in accordance with a common, extensible indexing scheme to coexist with other index entries of other or the same index type for the sample. The created index entry is stored for subsequent access.