Abstract: This invention is a method for manipulating virtual objects displayed on a video conference broadcast by generating a computerized three dimensional image of an object to be superimposed on a first video broadcast signal from a local video camera for display on a remote video monitor, and superimposing the same object on a second video broadcast signal from a remote video camera for display on a local video monitor, grabbing a portion of the three dimensional image by placing a hand in close proximity to the portion of the image moving the hand while maintaining the hand in close proximity to the image and regenerating the three dimensional image to a new perspective view corresponding to the movement of the image with the hand to create the appearance that the hand is manipulating a virtual object displayed over the video broadcast signal.

Abstract: A method of animating a sprite in a video production comprising a plurality of sequential video frames is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of selecting (2004) a feature, with which the sprite is to be juxtaposed, in one of said video frames, applying (2006) a feature tracking process to the video production to thereby output (2008), for a series of said plurality of video frames containing the feature, a temporal-spatial record for the feature across the plurality of video frames, and compositing (2010), with the series of said plurality of video frames, a corresponding series of instantiations of the sprite dependent upon the temporal-spatial record.

Abstract: Methods and systems for processing media content are described and in at least some embodiments utilize a composite or composition, which can be considered as a representation of an editing project as a single track. Editing projects can have one or more tracks, and each track can be associated with one or more data stream sources that can have effects or transitions applied on them. Compositions can be nested inside one another and provide an economical way for complex editing manipulations to take place.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for handling special windows in a display comprises a window manager in an operating system that is called by application programs to create special windows. The window manager embeds static key signals including encoded special window information, such as the coordinates of a window area to be specially processed, into a video RAM. An existing video interface scans the video RAM and transmits display information, including the key signals, to the display. The present invention further comprises a window decoder in the display, that detects the key signals, extracts the encoded special window information, and controls display circuitry performing the desired special processing. The key signal encoding scheme does not create visually discernible display aberrations that could distract the user or interfere with normal window management.

Abstract: To improve the convenience in picture processing of a target picture, a filtering unit (102) and patterning unit (103) are supplied with information on a target one selected by a touch pad (6) from a plurality of pictures to minify to thumbnail information, and apply various kinds of filtering and patterning to the target picture information, the thumbnail information are supplied to a display control unit (104) for display in display areas, and the filtering unit (102) and patterning unit (103) are controlled by a controller (105) to detect the kind of the picture processing applied to one selected by the touch pad (6) from the plurality of thumbnails being displayed and apply it to the target picture.

Abstract: There is provided herein a system and method for adapting high resolution input material to display specifications of a particular display device, thereby ensuring that the high quality of the input material is preserved as best as possible in the final video work. The instant invention is an improvement over traditional media editing programs, in that controls are provided to ensure the quality of the final product. Additionally specific movement effects selectable when working with still images are also separately monitored by the instant invention to ensure an efficient application of these effects, thereby preserving the visual quality of the material.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for the generation of visual effects according to the elapsed time for real time display. One embodiment of the present invention provides an automated mechanism for displaying visual effects (e.g., fade to or from a target color) through adjusting color correction parameters (e.g., the look up table for gamma correction) without disturbing display color calibration settings for the current display device. Time-based adjustments are made in small steps in the beginning and end and large steps in the middle of the transition to provide perceptually smooth transition effect. In one embodiment, a operating system resource is provided to manage, synchronously or asynchronously, the visual effect on behalf of requesting applications, simplifying the coding of the application programs and providing consistency across application programs. In one embodiment, the operating system resource uses a reservation system to prevent conflict and interference between application programs.

Abstract: A method for indexing a sports video program carried by a video stream is disclosed. The method includes temporarily indexing a plurality of shots of the video stream by performing shot detection. In addition, the method further includes extracting a plurality of shots of the sports video program from at least one portion of the shots indexed during the shot detection at least according to low level visual features of the at least one portion, whereby the extracted shots are temporarily kept indexed. Additionally, the method further includes validating a plurality of shots by comparing one of the extracted shots with at least the others of the extracted shots, whereby the validated shots are kept indexed for use of playback of at least one portion of the sports video program.

Abstract: A method comprises selecting a first center point for a first portion of an image, copying the first portion, centered about the first center point, to a buffer; and inverting the copied first portion about a first edge of said portion.

Abstract: An integrated, fully automated video production system that provides a video director with total control over all of the video production devices used in producing a show. Such devices include, but are not limited to, cameras, robotic pan/tilt heads, video tape players and recorders (VTRs), video servers and virtual recorders, character generators, still stores, digital video disk players (DVDs), audio mixers, digital video effects (DVE), video switchers, and teleprompting systems. The video production system provides an automation capability that allows the video director to pre-produce a show, review the show in advance of “air time,” and then, with a touch of a button, produce the live show. In one embodiment, the invention provides a video production system having a processing unit in communication with one or more of the video production devices mentioned above.

Abstract: Multi-media project editing methods and systems are described. In one embodiment, a project editing system comprises a multi-media editing application that is configured to enable a user to combine multiple different video clips into a video project. A bitmap processor coupled with the multi-media editing application receives a first bitmap that can be used to render a transition between video clips and automatically processes the first bitmap to provide a different transition between video clips. Processing of the first bitmap can include, without limitation, using the first bitmap to provide an entirely new and different second bitmap, or processing the first bitmap in a manner which renders a transition that is different from the transition defined by the first bitmap. In one embodiment, a user is able to enter one or more parameters, through a user interface (UI), with the parameters then being used to manipulate the first bitmap to provide the different transition.

Abstract: A user can perform secure transactions via an interactive television ticker. While viewing an advertisement scrolling in the ticker, the user can select that advertisement to initiate an on-line transaction. That resulting transaction can be performed within the ticker. A visual indicator (such as an icon) can be displayed in the ticker to indicate to the viewer that the transaction is secure, so as to allow confidential information to be safely exchanged. Security can be provided by way of a security application integrated with software of the ticker or by way of another security component with which the ticker software communicates.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus is provided that inputs and outputs images of different resolutions. When a resolution of a line drawing input via an interface is lower than the resolution of the monitor and the resolution of an image input via the interface is higher than the resolution of the monitor, the line drawing is provided to an interpolation circuit and the image is provided to a low-pass filter. The line-drawing is interpolated in the interpolation circuit and the image is pixel thinned by the low-pass filter. The line drawing and the image are displayed after being converted to the resolution of the monitor.

Abstract: A large area display workstation provides a liquid crystal display, configured to produce an image. The electrical components of the liquid crystal display are disposed on a substrate through a large area fabrication technique. The workstation has a first, high-resolution video display, and the large area display is a second, lower-resolution file identification display. The computer displays a user-selected file in a high-resolution format on the high-resolution video display for manipulation, and displays a plurality of file indicators in a low-resolution format on the large area display.

Abstract: A content editing apparatus that edits digital broadcast content that is composed of a plurality of data carousels for realizing pseudo-interaction is provided. An operation reception unit receives identification information and a transmission start time and a transmission end time of each module that constitutes a data carousel from an operator. A control unit stores the received information as module information into a module information storage unit. A data carousel definition unit sorts each transmission start time and transmission end time included in the module information, defines a carousel time period of each data carousel based on the sorted times, and selects modules to be transmitted during each carousel time period.

Abstract: The relation between the edit resultant clip and the clip to be edited is managed with the hierarchical structure by managing means, so that the complicate editing works can be easily performed if the editing works are performed based on the information stored in the managing means.

Abstract: A hypervideo player for playing hypervideos containing both video and hypervideo hyperlinks provides user selectable run-time options for the form of hypervideo hyperlink emphasis region display attributes displayed at the time of viewing. The hypervideo player may reside on a host system. The hypervideo player integrates video file(s) and hypervideo hyperlink data file(s) to form a hypervideo. The hypervideo player decodes a video file, encodes the decoded video file with a corresponding hypervideo hyperlink data file at key frames of the video file to form a hypervideo, displays the hypervideo on a display device and provides the user, at the time of viewing, with at least one user selectable option for the form of hypervideo hyperlink emphasis region display attributes. The hypervideo player preferably employs interpolation between key frames to determine the display position of the hypervideo hyperlink emphasis region(s) in non-key frames of the hypervideo.

Abstract: Triggers for interactive television display are incorporated into a video stream in coordination with graphics associated with the triggers. Graphic sources such as channels (16,18) of a character generator (21) supply graphics associated with the triggers to graphic signal inputs (26,28) of a switch. When a channel supplies a graphic, a message denoting the associated trigger and associating the trigger with the channel is forwarded to a gateway computer (60). The gateway computer monitors connections between graphic signal inputs (26,28) and the video output (32) of the switch, and forwards triggers associated with a particular channel to an inserter (40) only if such channel is connected to output (32).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for determining validity of cached frames of a compositing hierarchy as a composition tree of a digital video composition is edited. The techniques use interval lists associated with nodes in a compositing tree to determine which cached frames of a composition hierarchy are guaranteed to be valid in the face of arbitrary edits to the hierarchy.

Abstract: The present invention is capable of easily and quickly selecting and applying desired effects. In the present invention, single-shot effects and continuous effects for specifying special effects for images are arranged and displayed in the order of use in a single-effect display area 105A and a continuous effect display area 105B of an effect list display area 105, so that the user can easily and quickly select a single-shot effect and a continuous effect to apply desired special effects, in order to easily and quickly apply the desired special effects to input image at desired timing.

Abstract: An editing system for producing a resultant clip from a plurality of clips. Information indicating relations between the clips is stored and managed in a database according to a hierarchical structure. The content of a first resultant clip can be updated at any time, and the system automatically updates all other resultant clips that are produced from the first resultant clip.

Abstract: A method and system of speech recognition presented by a back channel from multiple user sites within a network supporting cable television and/or video delivery is disclosed. The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises ans system and method of using a back channel containing a multiplicity of identified speech channels from a multiplicity of user sites presented to a speech processing system at a wireline node in a network that supports at least one of cable television delivery and video delivery.

Abstract: A computer based image data processing system reads image data from a framestore and processes this data in response to user commands. In order to effect these commands the user is provided with a graphical user interface. In the interface a first region is displayed in which a number of clips representing an output sequence are represented by clip regions on a timeline, along with transitions between the clips which are represented by edit regions. The interface also displays a pointer that is arranged to move over the timeline, and a second region representing input controls. The controls relate to transition operations when the pointer is located over an edit region, and relate to other functions when the pointer is not located over an edit region.

Abstract: This invention is a method for manipulating virtual objects displayed on a video conference broadcast by generating a computerized three dimensional image of an object to be superimposed on a first video broadcast signal from a local video camera for display on a remote video monitor, and superimposing the same object on a second video broadcast signal from a remote video camera for display on a local video monitor, grabbing a portion of the three dimensional image by placing a hand in close proximity to the portion of the image moving the hand while maintaining the hand in close proximity to the image and regenerating the three dimensional image to a new perspective view corresponding to the movement of the image with the hand to create the appearance that the hand is manipulating a virtual object displayed over the video broadcast signal.

Abstract: A feature-rich transport multiplexer and a number of associated methods, systems, subsystems, software features, graphical user interfaces and control systems are disclosed. The disclosure includes GUI's that enable operators to easily monitor and manipulate content streams flowing through a transport multiplexer in real-time. The disclosed interfaces include screens that supply operators with identity, structure, configuration, bandwidth utilization and/or status information for system hardware and software. The disclosed features also provide computer assisted routing configuration for present and future routing events through simple manipulation, such as drag and drop operations, of graphical objects. Routing control is further simplified by permitting operators to configure routing control of individual content stream components as well as groups of such components simultaneously.

Abstract: A method of interfacing human users with electronic devices liberates electronic devices from specific input and output devices and substitutes a universal communication system between them. The method combines the advantages of personal customization with the advantages of unlimited access to electronic devices. In particular, it provides disabled individuals with full access to suitably equipped electronic devices such as ATMs, telephones, fax machines, computers, copiers, TVs, VCRs, stereos, and microwave ovens. This method therefore provides the means for making these important electronic devices equally accessible to everyone. In a preferred embodiment, the communication system includes a speech synthesis and recognition system [56] which is connected to an accessor total access port [54], an ATM [70] connected to a target total access port [68], and a total access link [66] between the accessor total access port [54] and the target total access port [68].

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for searching and browsing multimedia, and more particularly, to a video skimming method and apparatus which is capable of summarizing the full content of a subject video data within a short time and rapidly moving to a desired section by skimming the content of the video based on scenes and shots formed by shot clustering and shot segmentation. The video skimming apparatus selects scenes to be reproduced and scenes to be skipped based on content-based video skimming, and then continuously reproducing a pertinent section in a shot of the scene or partially reproducing the same by utilizing a skipping technique.

Abstract: A method of determining the boundary of a slow motion replay of an event in a video includes determining a statistical measure of different portions of the video. The video may include the event and the slow motion replay of the event. Based upon the statistical measure determining the boundary of the slow motion replay of the event.

Abstract: A storyboard of video clips is divided into zones, or segments. The user selects a zone, and the invention presents a list of effects that are applicable to the selected zone. The user can select among the presented effects in order to apply the effect to the selected zone. Effects that are inapplicable to the selected zone are hidden from view and not displayed. Thus, the overall number of effects that are presented at any given time is reduced, and the process of selecting an appropriate effect is simplified and made easier for novice users.

Abstract: An entertainment system has a personal computer as the heart of the system with a large screen VGA quality monitor as the display of choice. The system has digital satellite broadcast reception, decompression and display capability with multiple radio frequency remote control devices which transmit self identifying signals and have power adjustment capabilities. These capabilities are used to provide context sensitive groups of keys which may be defined to affect only selected applications running in a windowing environment. In addition, the remote control devices combine television and VCR controls with standard personal computer keyboard controls. A keyboard remote also integrates a touchpad which is food contamination resistant and may also be used for user verification. Included in the system is the ability to recognize verbal communications in video signals and maintain a database of such text which is searchable to help identify desired programming in real time.