Abstract: A computer-animated image of a video model is stored for synchronized outputting with an audio wave. When receiving the audio wave representation, the model is dynamically varied under control of the audio wave, and outputted together with the audio wave. In particular, an image parameter is associated to the model. By measuring an actual audio wave amplitude, and mapping the amplitude in a multivalued or analog manner on the image parameter the outputting is synchronized.

Abstract: The invention relates to a phase-locked loop, comprising: an oscillator OSC intended to produce an output signal Vlo, a frequency divider DIV intended to receive the output signal Vlo from the oscillator OSC, and a phase/frequency detector PD intended to compare the frequency FDIV of the output signal Vdiv of the divider DIV with the frequency of a comparison signal Vcomp, and to supply a tuning signal Vtun to the oscillator, which tuning signal defines the oscillation frequency of the oscillator, A phase-locked loop in accordance with the invention is provided with correction means PMOD intended to detect a parasitic phase modulation applied to the output signal Vlo of the oscillator OSC, and to apply a phase modulation, which is similar to said parasitic phase modulation, to the comparison signal Vcomp.

Abstract: A method for determining a best match between a first pixel array in a picture currently being encoded and a plurality of second pixel arrays in a search region of a reference picture, wherein each of the first and second pixel arrays includes a plurality R of rows and a plurality C of columns of individual pixel values.

Abstract: In a method of transforming an input data block (IDB) comprising frequency coefficients (CF) into an output data block (ODB) comprising spatial coefficients, the following steps are carried out. For each frequency coefficient (CF) which is not zero, an individual block of spatial coefficients (IB) is established on the basis of pre-stored data (PSD). The pre-stored data (PSD) pertains to a spatial pattern associated to the frequency coefficient (CF). The thus obtained individual blocks of spatial coefficients (IB) are accumulated to obtain the output data block (ODB). The method allows a transformation of the inverse-fourier type, such as an inverse discrete-cosine transformation for example, to be carried out with relatively little computational effort. The method is particularly suitable for use in video decoding applications.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of switching from a first to a second coded video sequence when the bitrate of the second one is higher than the bitrate of the first one, and to a corresponding device. If the addition of the bits respectively associated to the last transmitted picture (02) of the first sequence and to the first transmitted picture (N1) of the second sequence gives at the decoding time of (02) a number greater than the size of the decoder's buffer, then the bitrate of the second sequence is increased with respect to the higher bitrate.

Abstract: There is disclosed a digital filter cell capable of processing in a first mode a first signal having real data components only and processing in a second mode a second signal having real data components and imaginary data components. The digital filter cell comprises: 1) a plurality of serially coupled coefficient registers for receiving a sequence of coefficients; 2) a plurality of serially coupled data registers for receiving a sequence of digital data samples, each register having a tap output; 3) a data multiplexer having a plurality of input channels for receiving the tap outputs from the plurality of serially coupled data registers; and 4) a product summation circuit having a first input coupled to an output of the data multiplexer and a second input coupled to an output of a selected one of the plurality of serially coupled coefficient registers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of switching from a first to a second video sequence, in which it is provided, in order to avoid the creation of special access points such as splicing points defined in MPEG standard, to insert at the switching point, between the two sequences, an additional sequence of k pictures. These pictures, said minimal in that sense that they are coded with a reduced number of bits, may be for instance uniform colour pictures or the repetition of a single previous I or P picture.

Abstract: A system for interpolating half-pels from a pixel array stores pixel data for each pixel in one of a plurality of different memory areas based on a location of the pixel within the pixel array, and determines a specific address in each one of the plurality of memory areas based on a target pixel in the pixel array. The system determines each specific address based on a location of the target pixel in the pixel array. The system also reads, from each the plurality of memory areas, pixel data from determined specific addresses and determines a value of at least one half-pel for the target pixel based on the read pixel data.

Abstract: An audio and/or video information stream organized as a sequence of pictures is encoded through an at least partly software-based procedure. The sequence includes Intrapictures, Predictive pictures, and Bidirectional predictive pictures. In particular, for a substantial and predictively located selection (77) among said Bidirectional predictive pictures only one prediction direction is used (76). For any remaining Bidirectional predictive picture both prediction directions are maintained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for encoding a sequence of frames by means of a three-dimensional (3D) subband decomposition involving a spatial and temporal filtering step. The decomposition is applied to successive groups of frames only after the implementation, on the frames, of motion estimation and compensation operations in the low temporal subbands at each level of the temporal decomposition. A motion compensated temporal filtering step between a previous reference frame A and a current frame B comprises in a first time a computation sub-step of the high frequency subband, followed by a computation sub-step of the low frequency subband.

Abstract: A device for simultaneously transmitting a plurality of television signals comprises an adjusting circuit (5) for adjusting the bitrate for each television signal in dependence upon the complexity of this signal with respect to the joint complexity of the plurality of television signals. The device provides improvement of quality in Digital Video Broadcast systems. It has also been found to be possible to transmit extra signals through a given channel while maintaining the picture quality. Use of the device in optical recording provides the possibility of a longer playing time.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with an epitaxial semiconductor zone, whereby a first layer of insulating material, a first layer of non-monocrystalline silicon, and a second layer of insulating material are provided in that order on a surface of a silicon wafer, a window with a steep wall is etched through the second layer of insulating material and the first layer of non-monocrystalline silicon, the wall of the window is provided with a protective layer, the first insulating layer is selectively etched away within the window and below an edge of the first layer of non-monocrystalline silicon adjoining the window such that both the edge of the first layer of non-monocrystalline silicon itself and the surface of the wafer become exposed within the window and below said edge, semiconductor material is selectively deposited such that the epitaxial semiconductor zone is formed on the exposed surface of the wafer, and an edge of polycrystalline semiconductor material connected to the epitaxi

Abstract: In coding a sequence of pictures (P), a motion vector (MV) is established for a block of pixels (B(*,*;n)) in a current picture (P(n)) to be coded. The motion vector (MV) indicates a block of pixels (B(*,*;n−1)) in a previous picture (P(n−1)) which is similar to the block of pixels (B(*,*;n)) in the current picture (P(n)) to be coded. Data (D) relating to the block of pixels (B(*,*;n)) in the current picture (P(n)), is compressed (CMP). The extent to which the data (D) is compressed depends on a compression parameter (CP). The compression parameter (CP) is controlled on the basis of the motion vector (MV). Accordingly, data relating to a block of pixels representing a moving object can be compressed to a relatively small extent, whereas data relating to a block of pixels representing a stationary object can be compressed to a relatively large extent. This allows a relatively good picture quality at a decoding end.

Abstract: A RAM-based search engine for updating a horizontal sum representing the sum of the values of N pixels contained in a horizontal row of a reference pixel array during a motion estimation search during which the reference pixel array is displaced by one pixel in a horizontal search direction during each of a plurality of iterations of the motion estimation search.

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: The invention relates, in a video decoder, to a method of switching from a first to a second coded video sequence when the second bit rate is lower than the first one. If the time spent in the decoders buffer by the first bit of the first transmitted picture of the second sequence that has to be decoded, also called vbv_delay, is greater -and therefore not compatible with—than the similar period for the first bit of the first replaced picture of the first sequence, it is then reduced by giving to the bitrate of said first transmitted picture an increased value, in order to obtain the compatibility of the vbv_delays. In case of a limited bandwidth for the bit rates, this reduction operation is successively repeated for as many following pictures as necessary.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of estimation of the motion parameters of a camera. It is applied to a sequence of successive video frames subdivided into blocks and includes the following steps of extracting from the sequence vectors corresponding to the motion between two frames, motion vectors forming the camera velocity field, preprocessing the camera velocity field thus obtained, in order to reduce the amount of data and the heterogeneousness of the extracted motion vectors, estimating for each pair of frames, from the preprocessed field, camera features between the two considered frames, and undertaking, on the basis of said estimation, a long term motion analysis to obtain motion descriptors corresponding to the estimated camera motion parameters.

Abstract: A method and arrangement is disclosed for creating a high-resolution still picture. A sequence of lower-resolution pictures is subjected to motion-compensated predictive encoding, preferably by an MPEG encoder producing an IPPP. sequence of encoded pictures. The relatively small differences between successive pictures, which are due to motion of the image sensor or motion in the scene, become manifest in motion vectors with sub-pixel accuracy. The high-resolution picture is then created from the decoded pictures and the motion vectors generated by the encoder. The invention is particularly applicable in electronic still picture cameras with a storage medium. The MPEG encoder takes care of data compression, and the decoder also allows playback of the original moving video sequence.

Abstract: For the recognition of spoken text it is necessary that the words to be recognized are available in acoustically modeled form, i.e. in the form of a sequence of reference values. These reference values are determined from a known, spoken text during a training phase, in that from this text there are derived characteristic values at regular intervals, as during the recognition, which characteristic values are arranged according to triphones so as to form groups or so-called clusters. These groups constitute the basis for the reference values. In the case of a recognition system involving a very large vocabulary, however, not all triphones will occur during the training phase, unless the text is prohibitively long. In order to enable the reference values to be determined also for words containing triphones which have not occurred, such a triphone must be associated with an available group.

Abstract: Data (D), which has been coded by a coder (COD) so as to obtain coded data (CD), is modified. The data (D) may be, for example, a sequence of pictures which has been coded in accordance with an MPEG standard. The data (D), which is available in a coded form, is modified in the following manner. A partial decoder (PDEC) partially decodes the coded data (CD). That is, of a series of decoding steps (Sd(1) . . . Sd(N)) which need to be carried out in order to decode the coded data (CD), the partial decoder (PDEC) carries out only a first few decoding steps (Sd(1) . . . Sd(K)), with K and N being integers and K being smaller than N. Accordingly, partially decoded data (PDD) is obtained. A data-modifier (MOD) modifies the partially decoded data (PDD). Accordingly, modified partially decoded data (MPDD) is obtained. A complementary coder (CCOD) complementary codes the modified partially decoded data (MPDD). That is, the complementary coder (CCOD) carries out one or more coding steps (Sc(K) . . .