Abstract: A virtualized production switcher for media production is provided that includes a script database that stores predefined macros that each define a script for applying media production functions to media content, and a script optimizer that selects a subset of the predefined macros to be presented on a user interface as suggested scripts for each of a plurality of scenes of a media stream. Moreover, a program generator receives a user input via the user interface that selects one of the predefined macros and applies the corresponding script to a selected scene of the media stream for a media production by applying the at least one media production function to the selected scene based on an identified key-frame thereof. A script profiler identifies metadata related to the selected scene and updates the script database to store a correspondence between the selected scene and the selected predefined macro.

Abstract: A router fabric for switching real time broadcast video signals in a media processing network includes a logic device configured to route multiple channels of packetized video signals to another network device, a crossbar switch configured to be coupled to a plurality of input/output components and to switch video data of the multiple channels between the logic device and the plurality of input/output components in response to a control instruction, and a controller configured to map routing addresses for each video signal relative to the system clock, and to send the control instruction with the mapping to the crossbar switch and the logic device.

Abstract: A system is provided for capturing a key signal within video frames that includes a camera that captures a sequence of media content of a live scene that includes an electronic display having a higher frame rate than an output frame rate of the camera, and a key signal processor that convert all frames in the sequence of media content to the output frame rate of the camera, analyzes a sequence of frames to determine the key signal based on the electronic display outputting a sequence of frames including media content and at least one key frame included in the sequence, and combine remaining frames of the sequence of frames to create a live output signal. Moreover, the key signal processor determines, for each pixel in the frames, whether the pixel has a set chromaticity, and generates a key mask for each pixel in each frame.

Abstract: A media stream receiver is provided for scalable physical layer flow of packetized media streams. The media stream receiver replicates the processing block in time, rather than in hardware, through the use of a single shared memory and pointer alignment calculations, which combines multiple buffering stages as the single, shared memory buffer to offer redundancy and alignment, while acting as a receiver buffer to account for packet delay variations. By doing so the media stream receiver can perform a vertical interval switch between received media streams.

Abstract: A system is provided for distributing media content in a distributed network. The system includes a count sequence generator that generates a monotonic increasing count sequence, a signal processor that generates a correspondence between media content and the count sequence, such that the monotonic increasing counter sequence is configured for a media content request defined by the increasing count sequence; and a media content database configured to store the media content and corresponding count sequence. Moreover, the signal processor receives a media content request that includes media request parameters that define a portion of the media content based on the corresponding count sequence and at least one of content quality, cost of the requested media content and a delivery time for the requested media content. The signal processor also accesses the requested media content from the media content database and distributes the media content to the media processing node.

Abstract: A computing device and method for providing a user interface for summarizing and presenting information regarding dynamic provisioning and deployment of media processing resources, in a manner that is easy and intuitive and analogizes well to conventional physical media processing deployment. Users are not required to understand hypervisor configuration or virtual machine deployment, or switch through various layers and screens to find configuration information or controls, a process that may be particularly slow, complex, and difficult to learn, particularly for media and broadcast engineers unfamiliar with virtualization technologies. Instead, the present user interface improves efficiency of use of the computing environment for media processing, by providing deployment information in a format similar to physical processing deployment.

Abstract: A system is provided for displaying content streams on a multiviewer device and includes a GPU that resizes image data loaded therein for display in a multiviewer tile, and an image decimation controller that performs a decimation of a content stream by removing a predetermined number of lines from each frame of the content stream before loading the content stream to the internal memory of the GPU for resizing and display on the multiviewer tile. In this system, the content stream is loaded to a full resolution buffer in system memory if the content stream is not a proxy stream of the media content and the tile designated for the content stream is less the predetermined threshold, such that the image decimation controller performs the decimation to delete the predetermined number of lines before the content stream is loaded in the internal memory of the GPU as the image data.

Abstract: A system is provided for optimizing deployment of a processing function in a media production workflow. The system includes a media production workflow generator that builds the media production workflow that includes the processing function and determines deployment criteria that includes an input dataset for the processing function and an atomic compute function for executing the processing function. Moreover, a deployment topology generator generates a topologies of the resources available in a cloud computing network and based on the determined deployment criteria, with the generated topologies indicating different configurations of resources for executing the processing function and a processor for executing the atomic compute function of the processing function.

Abstract: A method and system for providing access to and control of parameters within a scenegraph includes redefining components or nodes' semantic within a scenegraph. The set of components or nodes (depending on the scenegraph structure) are required to enable access from the Application User Interface to selected scenegraph information. In one embodiment, a user interface is generated for controlling the scenegraph parameters. In addition, constraints can be implemented that allow or disallow access to certain scenegraph parameters and restrict their range of values.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for synchronizing media content in a media distribution network using timestamps. The system includes a decoder configured to parse a plurality of data packets of a media stream to determine a timestamp value for each video frame in the media stream; and a media content synchronizer. The media content synchronizer generates a media content timeline based on the determined timestamp value of each of video frame, generates the media content timeline based on a cadence having monotonic increasing count, determines whether each video frame of the media stream is a next frame in a video sequence of the media stream based on the timestamp value for the respective video frame, and repeats a previous frame in the video sequence to generate the media content timeline when a current frame in the video sequence was dropped based on the determined timestamp value.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for minimizing delay time for controlling media content capture during live video broadcast production. The system includes a video production receiver that receives media content streams from one or more cameras that includes live media content captured by the cameras and encoded in a first encoding format. Moreover, a multi-view interface displays the media content and a video production controller generates control instructions based on inputs to the interface to change operation of the cameras capturing the respective media content. A camera controller is included that transmits the generated control instructions to the cameras to change the operation for capturing the respective media content. Moreover, the video production controls production of a live video stream for video broadcast production using media content that is captured from the cameras and that is encoded in a second encoding format different than the first encoding format.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for generating a factory layout to dynamically optimize a media content production in a real-time environment. The system includes a media production optimizer with a widget controller that provides widgets that represent work packages as micro-services that perform functions of the media content production, respectively. A user interface controller receive inputs from a user interface to dynamically update the factory layout for the media content production. The media production optimizer then recompiles underlying code to update a model of the factory layout in response to the inputs from the operator of the system, and also migrates the updated factory layout to a cloud platform that includes a plurality of media production components including the plurality of micro-services for deployment thereon.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for timely and uniform real-time data packet transmission by a computing device. The system can include a shared packet memory buffer for storing data packets generated by a user application and a shared schedule memory buffer for storing packet identifiers and corresponding time slots for the data packets. Moreover, a kernel module is provided that operates in the kernel mode of the operating system directly above the network interface controller and can continuously poll the shared scheduled memory to access packet identifiers at corresponding time slots. Based on the packet identifiers in each time slot, the kernel module can pull the data packet having the packet identifier directly from the ring buffer and send each packet to the network interface controller for transmission as part of a media stream over a network to a media consuming device.

Abstract: The present aspects relate to techniques of timing synchronization of audio and video (AV) data in a network. In particular, the techniques for a AV master to distribute AV data encoded with one or more time markers to a plurality of processing nodes. The one or more time markers may be indexed to a precision time protocol (PTP) time stamp used as a time reference. In one technique, the nodes extract the time markers to determine an offset value that is applied to a PLL to synchronize AV data packets at a distribution node or a processing node. In another technique the distribution node or the processing node determines the worst case path, which corresponds to a system offset value. The distribution node then reports the system offset value to the AV master, which in turn adjusts the phase based on the report.

Abstract: A system is provided for streaming broadcast media content between peer devices in a media distribution network. The system includes a virtual router panel that includes a notification service controller that receives a data communication request from two or more peer devices and a data communication handshaking controller selects a delivery protocol between the two devices based on exchanging communication candidates that identify peer addresses. A media streaming tunnel generator establishes a streaming tunnel between the first device and the second device based on the respective delivery protocol selected by the data communication handshaking controller; and an encoder packetizes video, audio and ancillary grains directly as packets of the broadcast media content to be streamed directly from the first device to the second device via the established streaming tunnel without multiplexing.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for performing lossless switching in a redundant multicast network. An exemplary method includes receiving a primary media stream and a redundant media stream over different forwarding network paths by network ports of a receiver communicatively coupled to an A/V device. Furthermore, the receiver outputs media data of the media streams to the A/V device to be presented thereon. In response to a control signal to switch the receiver to a new primary media stream, the method disconnected either the primary ort the redundant media streams from the respective network port of the receiver receiving that stream. Furthermore, the method includes controlling the disconnected network port to receive the new primary media stream and then outputting media data of the new primary media stream to the A/V device to be presented thereon.

Abstract: A system is provided for partial matching of settings across cameras. The system includes a camera setting controller that controls control elements of a target camera for capturing video content of a scene. Moreover, a transfer module detects a request to transfer settings from a reference camera to the target camera and a look determiner determines a look of a scene of the video content being captured by the at least one target camera. The transfer module retrieves the control elements of the reference camera and related image capture control settings that correspond to the obtained image capture control settings of the at least one target camera. The transfer module then transfers the image capture control settings of the control elements from the reference camera to the target camera, such that the settings are applied to the target camera to modify the capturing of video content of the scene.

Abstract: An image capture control apparatus is provided for single-handed seamless camera control of a camera during capture of video content. The apparatus includes a stick extending from a base and operating bi-directionally to adjust a setting of the camera. Moreover, first, second and third continuous control elements are disposed around the base to control respective parameters of the camera for image content capture. Each of the first continuous control element, the second continuous control element and the third continuous control element are configured to be physically manipulated simultaneously by a hand of an operator of the single-handed seamless camera.

Abstract: A computing device and method for providing a user interface for summarizing and presenting information regarding dynamic provisioning and deployment of media processing resources, in a manner that is easy and intuitive and analogizes well to conventional physical media processing deployment. Users are not required to understand hypervisor configuration or virtual machine deployment, or switch through various layers and screens to find configuration information or controls, a process that may be particularly slow, complex, and difficult to learn, particularly for media and broadcast engineers unfamiliar with virtualization technologies. Instead, the present user interface improves efficiency of use of the computing environment for media processing, by providing deployment information in a format similar to physical processing deployment.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for performing high dynamic range digital double sampling. More particularly, a CMOS image sensor is provided that includes a pixel array with each pixel sampling both dark and bright values for digital double sampling. After the sampled signals are digitized, a mean dark value is determined and each dark value is further fed to a lookup table that generates an output value taking into account whether the pixel has been saturated. In over exposed conditions, the lookup table will generate a negative value output to eliminate image artifacts. All three values are fed to adder logic circuit that subtracts the mean dark value and the lookup table output from the bright value. This resulting output is fed to a video viewer.