Abstract: A character is represented in a character generator as a set of polygons. The character may be manipulated using three-dimensional animation techniques. A code for a character may be used to access a set of curves defining the outline of the character. This set of curves is transformed into a set of polygons. The set of polygons may be rendered as a three-dimensional object. The set of polygons may be created by converting the curves into sets of connected line segments and then tessellating the polygon defined by the line segments. Animation properties are represented using a normalized scale along a path or over time. Animation may be provided in a manner that is independent of the spatial and temporal resolution of the video to which it is applied. Such animation may be applied to characters defined by a set of polygons. Various three-dimensional spatial transformations, lighting effects and other colorizations may be provided.

Abstract: A system, method and product are provided for resolution-independent image translation. Such system, method and product convey, through the use of a resolution-independent coordinate system, a description of location, shape, color, spline, and other distinguishing characteristics of images, including edited effects, rendered on a low-resolution image. The low-resolution images upon which the effects are imposed may be user-selected without converting high-resolution, non-digital, images into high-resolution, digital, images. Such resolution-independent information based on low-resolution images may be applied automatically, i.e., without human intervention, to reproduce the special effects on a corresponding high-resolution image. In a typical application, the user-selected, low-resolution, images upon which the effects are imposed are analog or digital video images. Also typically, the corresponding high-resolution images upon which the effects are automatically reproduced are film images.

Abstract: Media composer for editing source material. The media composer includes apparatus for receiving digitizing, storing and editing video and audio source material. Computing apparatus manipulates the stored source material and output apparatus communicates with the computing apparatus to display the manipulated material and control information. The computing apparatus includes JPEG compression techniques and is programmed to provide enhanced editing features.

Abstract: An ellipsoid chroma region of a chroma plane may be defined to specify a range of chromas for which a secondary chroma modification is to be applied, and to determine an output chroma for each chroma of the chroma plane based on the ellipsoid chroma region. Further, two or more different-shaped chroma regions of a chroma plane may be defined and manipulated, each chroma region specifying a range of chroma for which a secondary chroma modification is to be applied, and to determine an output chroma for each chroma of the chroma plane based on the two or more different-shaped chroma regions. Also, chroma-matching techniques may be used to define and manipulate the chroma region of a chroma plane that specifies a range of chroma for which a secondary chroma modification is to be applied, and an output chroma may be determined for each chroma of the chroma plane based on the chroma region.

Abstract: A method and system for comparing a comparison source image to an active project in a viewer, particularly for editing the active project. The comparison source is stored or routed to a comparison buffer, and displayed within a comparison view in the viewer. The comparison view can be sized and positioned as desired to effect the desired editing function.

Abstract: A graphical user interface for a computer-assisted motion video editing system directs a user through the process of editing a video program. The graphical user interface may also enables a user to plan a video program. Alternatively selectable interfaces within a single window interface, each of which provide a group of planning, capturing, editing, and recording functions can provide such an interface for producing a video program. Other simplifications to the user interface can be provided to assist in editing, such as by maintaining a video display window for displaying the edited video program at a fixed position for all available editing operations. Additionally, video information can be captured directly into a timeline representation of a video program, rather than a bin. Using a storyboard tied to the capturing process, a user is directed through the process of collecting and capturing the video clips to be used in the video program.

Abstract: A method and system for editing function curves in a computer-based editing or animation environment. The method consists of defining a region having two dimensions. The region contains a number of selected keys associated with one or more function curves. Resizing or moving the region causes the selected keys to be resized or moved accordingly.

Abstract: The present invention advantageously provides for a method and system that is operable on a computer system, for selectively determining parameters values or keys to be made available to graphical imaging system to drive a animation application. The method includes receiving a Parameter Set (PSet) having a plurality of parameters corresponding to the animation application, assigning one or more of said parameters a value; marking a subset of said parameters, modifying the keys of only marked parameters according to the parameter's value, and running the animation application in response to the keys after marking.

Abstract: Real time effects are provided by using tracking information to define values for parameters of an effect. The tracking information also may be combined with parameters for various effects that operate on the position, rotation, scale, skew and perspective of objects in an image. The values defined for the parameters of an effect may be represented in a transformation matrix used in a real time digital video effects processor.

Abstract: Multiple applications request data from multiple storage units over a computer network. The data is divided into segments and each segment is distributed randomly on one of several storage units, independent of the storage units on which other segments of the media data are stored. Redundancy information corresponding to each segment also is distributed randomly over the storage units. The redundancy information for a segment may be a copy of the segment, such that each segment is stored on at least two storage units. The redundancy information also may be based on two or more segments. This random distribution of segments of data and corresponding redundancy information improves both scalability and reliability. When a storage unit fails, its load is distributed evenly over to remaining storage units and its lost data may be recovered because of the redundancy information.

Abstract: An editing system and delivery system synchronizes the transmission of interactive elements with a video signal, such that the interactive components may supplement information provided in the video signal at predefined periods. The interactive elements are transmitted in relation to the video such that the interactive elements will arrive in time to display the components concurrently with a portion of the video presentation. The interactive elements may be transmitted within a video signal to a viewer. The viewer is configured to display the interactive elements in response to a signal from the delivery system. An editing system is disclosed that may define a programming track for interactive elements that may be associated with one or more audio and video tracks. The editing system schedules transmission and appearance of the elements.

Abstract: A color modification system and method for reducing the number of computations performed on a pixel color. This reduction in computations increases the rate at which color modification may be performed and decreases the effects of rounding errors. Decreasing the effects of rounding errors produces a more accurate color modification, thereby reducing the likelihood of artifacts. The system and method performs color modification on a pixel color, where the color includes a first, second, and third component and each component defines a value of the color. The system includes a chroma lookup table having a plurality of entries. Each entry corresponds to a luma value and contains chroma coefficients. The chroma coefficients define color modifications to be applied to the components of the color. If a luma value is received, the chroma lookup table generates output chroma coefficients at an output.

Abstract: Multiple applications request data from multiple storage units over a computer network. The data is divided into segments and each segment is distributed randomly on one of several storage units, independent of the storage units on which other segments of the media data are stored. At least one additional copy of each segment also is distributed randomly over the storage units, such that each segment is stored on at least two storage units. This random distribution of multiple copies of segments of data improves both scalability and reliability. When an application requests a selected segment of data, the request is processed by the storage unit with the shortest queue of requests. Random fluctuations in the load applied by multiple applications on multiple storage units are balanced nearly equally over all of the storage units.

Abstract: Film frames, or other images in which fields are captured at the same point in time, may be processed as a sequence of temporally coherent image fields or as progressive images. Such images may be obtained, for example, by digitizing signals from a telecine and dropping redundant fields inserted by the telecine. These fields may be stored in a buffer. Two fields of a given frame are read from the buffer by a resizer in accordance with read instructions, which may be determined according to any specified pulldown sequence, an output image size, and resize instructions, such as pan and scan or letterbox instructions. The resizer also may be informed of the input image size if it is not presumed. Thus, the full input image from which an output image may be generated is used by the resizer to generate output image. The resizer uses data in the input image received at one rate to generate one output image at the output rate.

Abstract: A character is represented in a character generator as a set of polygons. The character may be manipulated using three-dimensional animation techniques. A code for a character may be used to access a set of curves defining the outline of the character. This set of curves is transformed into a set of polygons. The set of polygons may be rendered as a three-dimensional object. The set of polygons may be created by converting the curves into sets of connected line segments and then tessellating the polygon defined by the line segments. Animation properties are represented using a normalized scale over time. Animation may be provided in a manner that is independent of the spatial and temporal resolution of the video to which it is applied. Such animation may be applied to characters defined by a set of polygons. A user interface for editing a character string may provide two alternate displays. A first display allows a user to input and view any desired portion of the character string for the purpose of editing.

Abstract: The invention overcomes the need to adjust the video level settings of different video capture devices for each source by saving each setting as a difference between the actual setting and a default setting when digitizing source material. These saved differences are called differential settings. An actual setting for another capture device that provides consistent video levels when digitizing the same source may be derived from both the differential setting obtained when digitizing using the first capture device and the default setting of the other capture device. As a result, source material is mapped to consistent internal digital levels when used on the different devices. Accordingly, video characteristics such as gain, black, saturation and hue can be maintained correctly regardless of the unique settings due to manufacturing and calibration tolerances of the different video capture devices.

Abstract: A method and system for constructing a skeleton for use in animation models allows definition of a skeleton with non-articulated chain elements. These non-chain elements can be 3D objects, which can be rendered and visible in final images and animations, or null models which are not visible in final images or animations. All of the elements of the skeleton, including non-chain elements, are arranged into a skeleton hierarchy. The skeleton hierarchy can include articulated chain elements, articulated chain elements combined with non-chain elements, or solely non-chain elements. Relational information and/or mathematical relationships can be defined for the elements of the skeleton to define ranges of motion, elements which move with other elements and/or translation, rotation, scaling and/or animation of elements.

Abstract: An audio-visual editing system includes a universal slave driver (USD) coupled between a timecode-producing device, such as a video tape deck, and a digital audio workstation (DAW). The USD includes a sample counter for counting the audio samples for each timecode frame, and a timecode reader to interpret the tape's location. An audio board of the digital audio workstation includes an identical sample counter. Both counters are driven from a common clock. A serial interface connection couples the digital audio workstation to the universal slave driver. One of the handshaking pins of the serial interface connection is used as a dedicated reset pin. When the dedicated reset pin is pulsed, the running sample counters in both the USD and DAW are set to a common value, typically zero. Resetting the sample counters at precisely the same time ensures that the DAW and the USD are operating in synchronization.

Abstract: A non-linear video editing system includes a graphical user interface to facilitate editing of video clips in a composition. The system includes the ability to display and edit a video frame on a field-by-field basis. Each field can be edited separately from the other field of the same frame. Additionally, inter-field jitter, present when fields are displayed individually, is removed by determining which field includes the top-most line of the frame and adjusting accordingly.

Abstract: Multiple applications request data from multiple storage units over a computer network. The data is divided into segments and each segment is distributed randomly on one of several storage units, independent of the storage units on which other segments of the media data are stored. Redundancy information corresponding to each segment also is distributed randomly over the storage units. The redundancy information for a segment may be a copy of the segment, such that each segment is stored on at least two storage units. The redundancy information also may be based on two or more segments. This random distribution of segments of data and corresponding redundancy information improves both scalability and reliability. When a storage unit fails, its load is distributed evenly over to remaining storage units and its lost data may be recovered because of the redundancy information.