Abstract: A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium such that when executed by a processor, causes the processor to identify an object of interest in a visual media element, analyze the object of interest according to a defined set of rules to form a recommendation for improvement of the visual media element, and recommend the improvement to the visual media element to a user. A method comprising receiving a visual media element as an input, determining a relevant object of interest within the visual media element, analyzing an aesthetic appearance of the relevant object of interest according to a guideline, and recommending a change to the visual media element for conforming to the guideline.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of playing a media includes receiving a first media stream of the media and displaying the first media stream in a first window of a media player. The first media stream includes navigable parts configured to be selected for higher resolution streaming. A request to stream a selected navigable part of the first media stream is sent. A second media stream with the selected navigable part is received and displayed. The resolution of the selected navigable part in the second media stream is higher than the resolution of the selected navigable part in the first media stream.

Abstract: Method, device and apparatus for delivering video telephony by using a media controller and a software defined networking (SDN) controller to enable multicasting for multi-party video conferencing. A media controller generates a video sending rate for each of the plurality of client devices based on a received video conference request and received network information. The media controller determines and independently constructs a maximum-rate delay-bounded multicast tree for each of the plurality of client devices that supports the largest possible multicast rate. The media controller determines a common congested link in the multicast trees, re-routes the multicast tree with the common congested link for the client device with the lowest weight of utility divided by its video sending rate and creating two subtrees, and iteratively re-routes the multicast trees until an aggregate video sending rate of the multicast trees sharing the common congested link meets a link capacity of the common congested link.

Abstract: A QoS management scheme for SDN. Network resource availability of routers and switches are maintained in a central resource database of a SDN controller. The SDN controller performs resource reservation, admission control and route calculation. When a flow is admitted or completed, the resource database is updated accordingly. Dynamic queue mapping for QoS routing in SDN is also provided. For a traffic flow with a certain traffic description and delay requirement, the queue mapping protocol dynamically assigns the flow to different priority queues at different switches along its routing path. Compared with the static mapping of a flow to a specified priority queue, the disclosed mapping is more flexible and uses network resources more efficiently.

Abstract: A system and method for securing media content are provided. A method for distributing security media content includes embedding a marking payload into media content, thereby producing embedded media content, applying a transform to the embedded media content, thereby producing secured media content, and distributing the secured media content. The marking payload is embedded based on perceptual information regarding the media content.

Abstract: A system and method for image and video compression using compressive sensing is provided. An embodiment method for compressing an image having a plurality of image blocks includes selecting an image block from the plurality of image blocks to compress, computing a sum of sinusoidal signals at different frequencies and amplitudes representation for the selected image block, quantizing the amplitudes of the sinusoidal signals at different frequencies, and saving the quantized amplitudes as a first compressed image block. The method also includes truncating the quantized amplitudes, thereby producing truncated quantized amplitudes, saving the truncated quantized amplitudes as a second compressed image block, and selecting either the first compressed image block or the second compressed image block as a final compressed image block. The selecting is based on a measure of the quality of the first compressed image block and the second compressed image block.

Abstract: A system and method for retargeting video sequences are provided. A method for retargeting a video includes a plurality of frames includes determining saliency information for the plurality of frames, determining a cost metric for the video, and retargeting the video based on the cost metric to produce a retargeted video. The cost metric considers loss due to cropping, scaling, temporal factors, and spatial factors. The retargeting makes use of a crop window for each frame in the plurality of frames.

Abstract: A system and method for differentiated services in adaptive streaming are provided. A method for server operations includes: determining an optimization of aggregated quality of experience scores for a set of candidate subscribers served by a server; adjusting a service rate of at least one subscriber based on the determined optimization of aggregated quality of experience scores; and streaming information to the at least one subscriber based on the adjusted service rate. The optimization is based on one or more of: a subscriber level for one or more of the plurality of subscribers; a current service rate; and available service rates.

Abstract: A method for scheduling user equipment (UE) devices comprising sorting the plurality of UE devices based on a weight of priority associated with each of the UE devices with respect to a plurality of subbands, and assigning one or more of the UE devices to each of the subbands using the weight of priority associated with the UE devices, wherein the weight of priority is based on one or more network utility functions associated with the UE devices. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions to receive a media content segment using a dynamic adaptive video streaming over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) (DASH) protocol, monitor a playback buffer size of a UE device, monitor a battery energy level of the UE device, and adjust a representation quality level in a segment request based on the target requested video rate, the playback buffer size and the battery energy level.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to receive a digital image comprising a current pixel and a plurality of nearby pixels, determine a pixel intensity of the current pixel, wherein the pixel intensity comprises a noise component, and reduce the noise component by applying a bilateral filter as a combination of a domain filter and a range filter on the current pixel, wherein the domain filter is dependent on the pixel intensity and geometric closeness between the current pixel and the nearby pixels, and wherein the range filter is dependent on the pixel intensity and photometric similarity between the current pixel and the nearby pixels.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of watermarking encoded video frames includes electronically receiving a bitstream comprising a plurality of encoded video frames that are divided into a plurality of macro-blocks, determining macro-block dependencies based on prediction information in the received bitstream, determining a set of macro-blocks having a minimal number of macro-block dependencies, and embedding a watermark in a plurality of macro-blocks selected from the set of macro-blocks having the minimal number of macro-block dependencies.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of comparing a first group of frames to a second group of frames includes electronically receiving the first group of frames, selecting a group of frames from the first group of frames as a first key frame set, calculating a hash distance between an image hash for each frame in the first key frame set to an image hash of each frame of a second key frame set taken from second group of frames, and choosing frames in the first group of frames with a minimum hash distances to respective reference frames to form a series of minimum hash distances.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of streaming media includes partitioning a media stream to be transmitted into a first stream of media segments at a media server. The first stream of the media segments has a first sequence. An index table is generated to identify the first sequence of the first stream of the media segments. The index table is encrypted using a key. A second stream of the media segments is generated. The second stream has a second sequence, which is random relative to the first sequence. The encrypted index table and a transcoded media stream having the second stream of the media segments are transmitted.

Abstract: A system and method for image and video compression and decompression using compressive sensing is provided. A method for decompressing a compressed image, where the compressed image having a plurality of compressed image blocks, and the method is performed on a processor, includes selecting a compressed image block, entropy decoding the selected compressed image block, and recovering an image block corresponding to the decoded selected compressed image block using compressive sensing recovery.

Abstract: A method for performing a video conference in a mobile phone is provided. The video conference involves a plurality of conferencing devices that display presentation content and a video image of one or more participants in the video conference. The mobile phone receives a first and second real-time transport protocol (RTP) packets including a video image of a participant and presentation content in the video conference, respectively. The video image of the participant includes a face portion of the participant and a background portion. The mobile phone decodes the video image of the participant and the presentation content, extracts the face portion of the participant from the video image of the participant, overlays the face portion of the participant over a portion of the presentation content to form a composite image, and displays the composite image on a display device of the mobile phone.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided to enable features and functionalities for automatically detecting and localizing the position of an object in a video frame and tracking the moving object in the video over time. One method includes detecting a plurality of objects in a video frame using a combined Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) algorithm, highlighting the detected objects, and tracking one of the detected objects that is selected by a user in a plurality of subsequent video frames. Also included is a user device configured to detect a plurality of objects in a video frame displayed on a display screen coupled to the user device using a combined HOG and LBP algorithm, highlight the detected objects, and track one of the detected objects that is selected by a user in a plurality of subsequent video frames on the display screen.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of processing an electronic image having caption text includes receiving the electronic source image, detecting the caption text in the electronic source image, reformatting the electronic source image, reformatting the caption text, and overlaying the reformatted caption text on the reformatted electronic image to form a resultant image.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating a computer server includes receiving streaming media data. The streaming media data includes content fragments and a media description file, and the media description file includes metadata describing the content fragments. The method also includes storing the content fragments in a cache.

Abstract: An embodiment of an apparatus to authenticate a sequence of video frames includes a process to choose intra-frames of the sequence and sample DC components thereof to produce a set of test fingerprints. To reduce a dimensionality of the test fingerprints, the DC components of the chosen intra-frames are multiplied by a projection matrix formed of eigenvectors associated with the larger eigenvalues of a covariance matrix for a library of frames. The projected test fingerprints are compared against a reference set of fingerprints for authentication. Time-stamp spacings of the chosen intra-frames are determined, and these spacings are employed to select candidate frames for authentication in the reference set of fingerprints.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided herein to achieve video or image sequence encoding with an improved denoising algorithm that is both efficient computationally and has acceptable overhead cost in comparison to other denoising schemes for video encoding. The embodiments include using recursive bilateral filtering as part of the denoising algorithm, which is integrated into a video encoder to overcome limitations of other encoder-integrated denoising algorithms. An embodiment method includes receiving, at a filtering and residual computation function at the encoder, a macro block comprising a plurality of pixels. The filtering and residual computation function also receives, from a motion estimation function at the encoder, a reference block. The reference block comprises a plurality of reference pixels corresponding to the macro block.