Abstract: The estimation of an HRTF for a given individual is accomplished by means of a coupled model, which identifies the dependencies between one or more images of readily observable characteristics of an individual, and the HRTF that is applicable to that individual. Since the HRTF is highly influenced by the shape of the listener's outer ear, as well as the shape of the listener's head, images of a listener which provides this type of information are preferably applied as an input to the coupled model. In addition, dimensional measurements of the listener can be applied to the model. In return, the model provides an estimate of the HRTF for the observed characteristics of the listener.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to filtering comments presented to users in connection with multimedia content, such as video and audio content. In a particular implementation, there are two types of users of this system. A writer comments on sections of a real-time multimedia stream, while readers or viewers observe the discussion embodied by the comments that are displayed.

Abstract: A method for displaying interactive advertisements on a television having a controller connected thereto and configured for receiving input from a viewer of the television is disclosed. The controller has a receiver operable to receive advertisements and a processor operable to modify the advertisements. The method generally comprises requesting action by the viewer of the television, modifying an advertisement based on the action of the viewer, and displaying the modified advertisement on the television.

Abstract: A data-compressed audio waveform is temporally modified without requiring complete decompression of the audio signal. Packets of compressed audio data are first unpacked, to remove scaling that was applied in the formation of the packets. The unpacked data is then temporally modified, using one of a number of different approaches. This modification takes place while the audio information remains in a data-compressed format. New packets are then assembled from the modified data, to produce a data-compressed output stream that can be subsequently processed in a conventional manner to reproduce the desired sound. The assembly of the new packets employs a technique for inferring an auditory model from the original packets, to requantize the data in the output packets.

Abstract: A method of generating a list of ranked media-content search results is presented. The method begins with a plurality of links to media-content being collected and the media content is grouped by originating site. A query for media-content is initiated when a keyword is received. The media-content from each originating site or subsite receives a tag-specific ranking. Each grouping of media-content is ranked based on external-based metrics and quality-based metrics. Quality-based metrics are defined by calculating a percentage of the media-content of each grouping that is associated with the keyword, the quality of the media content, relevance of the text associated with each media-content to the keyword, and other measurements. A relative weighting between external-based metrics and quality-based metrics is established for each grouping of media-content.

Abstract: A method of reducing storage capacity needed to store a target image in a large database of images is presented. A target image is uploaded from a client system to a server system, which are connected through an Internet connection. An image index is queried to find an approximate match to the target image and to identify a most similar reference image to a processed target image stored in an image database. The difference between the target image and a raw image corresponding to the identified most similar reference image is encoded. A pointers corresponding to the processed reference image stored in the image index is updated to reflect the newly stored target image in the image index.

Abstract: Displaying personalized content to content observers by content providers (e.g., advertisers) who disseminate content over a network is disclosed. In particular, enabling the display of targeted content to television viewers is disclosed. Identification of the content observer(s) observing a content display device at a particular time (and/or identification of the content display site) is made, and targeted content for display is selected based on a determination of content appropriate for display to those content observer(s) in accordance with a criterion based on the identity and/or a characteristic of the content observer(s) (and/or the content display site). The attention of each content observer can be sold to the content provider that places the highest value on that content observer's attention. In particular, the value paid by content providers over time can be maximized.

Abstract: An improved system and method for disambiguating text strings labeling content objects is provided. A text string set may be received from a user. Frequencies of co-occurring text strings in a text collection may be obtained, and a disambiguation measure may be determined for a pair of text strings that each co-occur with a text string in the text string set. The disambiguation measure may be based on a weighted KL divergence of text string distributions that maximizes the value of divergence when a text string set may occur in different contexts. A disambiguation measure may be determined for a list of the top most common pairs of text strings that co-occur with the text string set, and the pairs of text strings may be output in decreasing order by disambiguation measure for those pairs of text strings with a disambiguation measure that exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A social network is managed by applying connectivity and similarity measures to social network information to identify possible new relationships between social network users, and then automatically suggest those identified relationships to the social network users. The social network information can include user profile information and indicate existing social relationships between the users in the social network. Users can provide feedback regarding the suggestions, including indications whether the relationship was accepted, consummated, or declined. The social network information can be updated using the feedback. Similarity measures can be based on one or more of shared contacts, or common interests or activities, or content associated with social network users, or ratings within the social network of users and/or their content. Possible relationships having similarity measures that suggest the users likely to already know each other, can be omitted and not suggested.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to using image data and contextual data to determine information about a scene, based on one or more previously obtained images. Contextual data, such location of image capture, can be used to determine previously obtained images related to the contextual data and other location-related information, such as billboard locations. With even low resolution devices, such as cell phone, image attributes, such as a histogram or optically recognized characters, can be compared between the previously obtained images and the newly captured image. Attributes matching within a predefined threshold indicate matching images. Information on the content of matching previously obtained images can be provided back to a user who captured the new image. User profile data can refine the content information. The content information can also be used as search terms for additional searching or other processing.

Abstract: A method of checking whether a content aggregator's content matches a content owner's content involves generating a fingerprint of the content and looking for a matching fingerprint from the content owner through a service provided by the content owner. In one aspect, the fingerprints are generated from an intermediate digest of the content instead of the original form.

Abstract: A method of generating congruous metadata is provided. The method includes receiving a similarity measure between at least two multimedia objects. Each multimedia object has associated metadata. If the at least two multimedia objects are similar based on the similarity measure and a similarity threshold, the associated metadata of each of the multimedia objects are compared. Then, based on the comparison of the associated metadata of each of the at least two multimedia objects, the method further includes generating congruous metadata. Metadata may be tags, for example.

Abstract: The invention enables and/or facilitates the display of personalized content to content observers by content providers (e.g., advertisers) who disseminate content over a network. In particular, the invention can be used to enable the display of targeted content to television viewers and/or targeted product placements within a television program. The invention can advantageously enable identification of the content observer(s) observing a content display device at a particular time and/or identification of the content display site, and selection of targeted content for display based on a determination of content appropriate for display to those content observer(s) in accordance with a criterion based on the identity and/or a characteristic of the content observer(s) and/or the content display site.

Abstract: A method for expanding a query to include additional terms associated through visual content is provided. A bipartite graph is constructed based on a database of visual content and associated textual content. One partition of the bipartite graph contains visual content and the other partition of the bipartite graph contains textual content. Weighted edges between nodes in the two partitions represent associations between the visual content and textual content in the database. Random walks on the bipartite graph are performed to derive probabilistic association scores between textual content that are indirectly associated with each other through visual content. The query is expanded to include additional terms whose equivalent textual content is highly associated with the query's equivalent textual content.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to filtering comments presented to users in connection with multimedia content, such as video and audio content. In a particular implementation, there are two types of users of this system. A writer comments on sections of a real-time multimedia stream, while readers or viewers observe the discussion embodied by the comments that are displayed.

Abstract: A method for deriving probabilistic association scores based on image content is provided. A bipartite graph is constructed based on a database of image content and associated textual content. One partition of the bipartite graph contains image content and the other partition of the bipartite graph contains textual content. Weighted edges between nodes in the two partitions represent associations between the image content and textual content in the database. Random walks on the bipartite graph are performed to derive probabilistic association scores between image content and textual content. Association scores are used to automatically annotate images and detect spurious image tags.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to summarizing video or other multimedia content based on the blogging activities of one or more users. In one implementation, a user may select a video and one or more blogs that annotate various segments of the video. A user may specify one or more desired attributes of the blog or comment entries, which a system processes to create an edit decision list. The edit decision list can be used to generate a summarized version of the multimedia content that includes the content segments associated with blog entries that meet the desired attributes.

Abstract: Techniques are described herein for determining a distractibility measure for an item to be displayed on a display. The distractibility measure for an item is determined based on the individual distractibility measures for one or more of: the static distraction of the item, the onset response of the item, the optic-flow motion of the item, and the change in velocity of objects in the item. Each individual distractibility measure can be further multiplied by a weighting factor which affects the composition of the distractibility measure for the item. The distractibility measure for the item can be further based on the size of the item, how far away the item is from a primary content on the display, and the distractibility measure of the primary content on the display. The distractibility measure for the item can be compared to a maximum level of distractibility for automatically determining whether the item should be displayed on the display.

Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting media information to users that fosters discovery of new media and a media discovery interface are disclosed. Media objects such as songs are analyzed to determine a set of three or more objective characteristics that describe the media object. Icons representing the media objects are then presented to a user in display illustrating a three-dimensional space in which each dimension corresponds to a different characteristic and the icons are located within the three-dimensional space based on their characteristics. In this way, media objects having similar characteristics are located near each other within the three-dimensional space allowing the user to see and access similar media objects quickly and easily. Because the display does not rely on previously-generated metadata, the user may be shown media objects that have never been classified by users or which are relatively unknown to the general population of users.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating and playing a sequence of media objects based on a mood gradient are also disclosed. A mood gradient is a sequence of items, in which each item is media object having known characteristics or a representative set of characteristics of a media object, that is created or used by a user for a specific purpose. Given a mood gradient, one or more new media objects are selected for each item in the mood gradient based on the characteristics associated with that item. In this way, a sequence of new media objects is created but the sequence exhibits a similar variation in media object characteristics. The mood gradient may be presented to a user or created via a display illustrating a three-dimensional space in which each dimension corresponds to a different characteristic. The mood gradient may be represented as a path through the three-dimensional space and icons representing media objects are located within the three-dimensional space based on their characteristics.