Abstract: A method and device is disclosed for encoding a group of video frames. A first number of frames in the group is motion compensated temporally filtered based on multiple frames. A second number of frames in the group is motion compensated temporally filtered based on single reference frames. The first and second number of frames are transformed into wavelet coefficients. Further, the wavelet coefficients are entropy encoded. In one example, the first number of frames are located within a first portion of the group and the second number of frames is located within a second portion of the group. In another example, the first number of frames and the second number of frames are interleaved within the group.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to method of detecting a scene change in video. The method includes a difference being calculated between consecutive frames of the video producing a plurality of difference values. A histogram is taken of the difference values. A scene change is detected if a majority of the difference values in the histogram exceed a predetermined value.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of and a device for coding (10*) an image sequence g(i,j,k)). The device (10*) has a noise filter (12) for noise filtering (12) the image sequence (g(i,j,k)), and for regarding the noise filtering (12) as a rate-distortion optimization problem in order to adapt the response of the noise filter (12). In particular, a filter parameter set (C) is determined to adapt the response of the filter (12) in that the image sequence (g(i,j,k)) is encoded using an optimal bit-budget, which is the bit-budget used for compressing a noise-free image sequence, and the distortion for the given bit-budget is minimized. A solution of the rate-distortion problem is proposed that calculates (12) the filter parameter set (C) by a Lagrange multiplier method. Separate minimization is used to determine each parameter of the parameter set (C) independently.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for encoding video data in an embedded fashion in order to achieve fine granular scalable video. The method includes the video data being transformed into a plurality of DCT coefficients. Further, the DCT coefficients are arranged into sub-groups and the DCT coefficients are scanned according to the sub-groups. The DCT coefficients being scanned by the sub-groups enables a higher level of scalability to be achieved.

Abstract: This invention relates to a digital modulation method and apparatus used for recording an audio or video signal, computer data, and etc on a recording medium such as an optical or magneto-optical disc. Data words of m bits are translated into code words of n bits in accordance with a conversion table. The code words satisfy a (d, k) constraint in which at least d “0”s and not more than k “0”s occur between consecutive “1”s. The n-bit code words alternate with p-bit merging words which are selected such that between the leading “1” in the code word following the merging word and the trailing “1” in the merging word are at least d “0”s, and further that between the trailing “1” in the code word preceding the merging word and the leading “1” in the merging word are at least d “0”s.

Abstract: There is disclosed a delay budget controller for use with a decoder buffer that receives streaming data packets over a data network from a streaming transmitter and stores the data packets in a plurality of access units for subsequent retrieval by a streaming data decoder. The delay budget controller comprises 1) a first controller for monitoring at least one network parameter associated with the data network; and 2) a second controller for monitoring in the decoder buffer a delay budget region comprising a sequence of access units that are about to be accessed sequentially by the data decoder. The delay budget region comprises a retransmission region and a late region separated by a temporal boundary, wherein the second controller detects missing data packets in the retransmission region and the late region and, in response to detection of a missing data packet in the retransmission region, transmits a retransmission request for the missing data packet to the streaming transmitter.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the invention a spread spectrum pixel clock signal is generated to spread out the frequency bandwidth within which the peak emission of an electromagnetic interference signal occurs, so as to decrease the peak electromagnetic emission level. In one embodiment of the invention, this objective is accomplished by employing the horizontal synchronization signal of a video image to generate a periodic waveform that modulates the pixel clock reference input, such that clock signal pulses are spread out within each scan line. The modulation signal is synchronized with the horizontal synchronization signal such that each pixel location remains consistent in the horizontal and time domain.

Abstract: The invention relates to a new method of reconstruction of tridimensional scenes. While conventional methods are often limited to the 3D reconstruction of the bounding volume of the concerned objects, the proposed method of recovery of a 3D geometric model from 2D views taken by one single camera, giving an information even about the parts which are hidden in each view, is implemented according to a first depth labeling step, implemented in a sub-system (11) and including initialization and projection sub-steps followed by a refinement process, and to a second reconstruction step, implemented in a sub-system (12). By means of a close cooperation of the 3D depth maps thus obtained for two views of a scene, a 3D model is identified and extracted.

Abstract: An amplifier, in particular an RF amplifier is described having an amplifier input, the amplifier comprises: a first controllable semiconductor having a first controllable mainstream path coupled to first source means for controlling the first mainstream path, and having a first biased control input; and a second controllable semiconductor having a second controllable mainstream path coupled to second source means for controlling the second mainstream path, and having a second control input coupled to the first main stream path and to the amplifier input. Both the first and second mainstream paths are coupled to a common load, and the first and second source means are arranged for controlling input impedance and noise impedance respectively of the amplifier input. This amplifier arrangement allows independent control and optimisation of both the amplifier input impedance and the noise impedance.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to fine granular coding technique that includes both quality and temporal scalability. This is accomplished by utilizing a hybrid temporal/SNR scalability structure that is readily adaptable to fine granular coding techniques. In one example of this structure, temporal enhancement frames and FGS enhancement frames are included in a single enhancement layer. In another example, two distinct enhancement layers are used to achieve the hybrid temporal-SNR scalability. The two layers include a temporal scalability layer to achieve the temporal enhancement for the base-layer (i.e., better motion), while an FGS layer is used to improve the quality SNR of the base-layer and/or the temporal-scalability enhancement layer.

Abstract: Audio-centered information is stored on a unitary storage medium through a Table-of-Contents (TOC) mechanism that specifies an actual configuration of various audio items. In particular, in addition to the TOC mechanism a file-based access mechanism is assigned to the audio-centered information by a higher level Audio file. At a next-lower level a mechanism is assigned separately as one or more track-wise organized files indicating exclusively audio items contained in the area, and separately therefrom a comprehensive file indicating audio tracks as well as interposed pause intervals.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamically setting a complexity level for a scalable module in a video decoder. The method comprises the steps of: decoding a first GOP using an initial threshold value; determining an adjusted threshold value for the first GOP; and decoding a second GOP using the adjusted threshold value calculated for the first GOP. A calculation system is similarly disclosed that determines a threshold value for a current GOP based on a previously decoded GOP by iteratively selecting different threshold values until a scaled complexity of the decoder system for a previous GOP substantially meets a required complexity of the video decoder system for the current GOP.

Abstract: A switching device SW allows to switch from a first compressed data input stream IS1 to a second compressed data input stream IS2, resulting in a compressed data output stream OS. This switching device comprises a buffer system BS intended to store the data contained in the first and second input streams, and control means CONT which controls the storage of the input streams in the buffer system in order to switch, at a switch request SWR, from the first input stream to the second input stream, using a commutation device COM. A transcoding system TS is intended to receive the data stream at the output of the commutation device and to provide the output stream in a seamless way. The use of a transcoding system allows to avoid an underflow or an overflow of the buffer of the decoder that will have to decode the output stream.

Abstract: A method and device for recording information signals on a partly recorded writable record carrier (11), e.g. an optical disc. An information signal represents at least one information unit. The record carrier has a recording track which comprises preformed track position information indicative of locations for recording the information units. From the information signal a modulated signal is generated having successive frames, each frame including a synchronizing signal. The modulated signal is recorded at a one of said locations, while maintaining a fixed relationship between the track position information and the synchronizing signals. In the event that the location is after and adjacent to an already recorded location, the recording is started at a link position (31) before the end of a last frame of the earlier recorded information signal at a predefined distance before a first synchronizing signal (30) of the modulated signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method intended to automatically create a description of a video sequence—i.e. its table of contents—, by means of an analysis of the sequence. The main steps of the method are a shot detection, a sub-division of these shots into sub-entities called micro-segments, and the creation of the final hierarchical structure of the processed sequence. According to the invention, the shot detection step computes the mean displaced frame difference curve, detects the highest peaks of said curve, removes, by filtering, some negative or positive peaks, extracts markers, and propagates them on the curve.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a system (100) for embedding extra information in an input signal (101). Groups of one or more candidate frames in the input signal (101) are associated with respective portions of the extra information. Each group is edited in dependence on its associated respective portion, for example by deleting it to represent a zero bit in the respective portion and duplicating it to represent a one. The invention further relates to a method and system (200) for decoding extra information embedded in an input signal (201) by comparing it with an original input signal (204) and decoding the differences into the extra information. For example, missing groups of candidate frames are decoded into a zero bit, and duplicated candidate frames are decoded into a one bit.

Abstract: Displacement of a first block of pixels from a first to a second image of a scene is determined for applications of automated distance computation. The selection of corresponding blocks in the two images is performed and verified as follows. A first block is taken from the first image. A first region is selected from a set of first regions in the second image, so that a difference between an image content of the first region and of the first block is minimal among the set of first regions. A second block is taken from the second image, the second block containing at least part of the selected first region. A second region is selected from a set of second regions in the first image, so that a difference between an image content of the second region and of the second block is minimal among the set of second regions. A first displacement between the first block and the selected first region is compared with a second displacement between the second block and the selecting second region.

Abstract: A method for compressing a set of images that includes the steps of grouping the images into at least two clusters based on color content similarity, identifying at least one representative image in each of the clusters, all other images within each of the clusters being identified as non-representative images, independently coding the representative image(s) from each of the clusters, e.g., using a lossy (e.g., JPEG) or lossless coding algorithm; and, predictively coding each of the non-representative images from each of the clusters using the representative image(s) from that cluster as a reference image(s).

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of video encoders and, more particularly, to an encoding method based on an adaptation of the matching pursuit method to an error texture coding process inside triangular meshes. Said process is restricted, at each iteration of the method, to a specific triangle selected according to a predefined criterion. An optimal strategy for atom positioning inside this triangle then consists either in arbitrarily selecting the geometrical barycenter of the selected triangle as the center of the atoms, or re-using the error energy information for atom center positioning, the Displaced Frame Difference (DFD) energy barycenter inside the selected triangle having the highest energy being in the second case arbitrarily chosen as the center of the atoms.

Abstract: A system and method for scaling an MPEG-2 video decoder subject to a resource constraint. A decoder system is provided for decoding compressed video data arranged in a group of pictures, wherein the group of pictures include I pictures, P pictures and B pictures. The system comprises a processing path for decoding an error residual associated with the group of pictures, and a filtering system for preventing the error residual associated with B pictures from being decoded by the processing path. The decoder system may further comprise a system for selectively enabling the filtering system for B pictures having a DC coefficient that is below a predetermined threshold.