Abstract: A flexible and scalable software system architecture for implementing multimedia applications is disclosed. In one embodiment, the flexible and scalable software system architecture includes a platform abstraction layer (PAL), a device policy manager (DPM), a media engine, a library of commons (LoC) module, system management toolsets (SMT), one or more application services, an application control unit (ACU) and a user interface transaction layer (UITL). Further, the media engine is communicatively coupled between the PAL and the ACU, the LoC module is communicatively coupled to the ACU, the DPM, the media engine, the SMT, the PAL and the UITL, the DPM is communicatively coupled to the PAL, the ACU and the media engine, the ACU is coupled between media engine and the UITL, and the SMT is communicatively coupled to the ACU, the DPM, the media engine, the LoC module, the PAL and the UITL.

Abstract: A method for low complexity change detection in a sequence of images using configurable block sizes is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first change detection map is generated by performing change detection based on configurable block sizes between a current image and one of an estimated first background image and a previous image. The first change detection map classifies each block as changed or unchanged. The selection between the previous image and the estimated background image for use in change detection is done using a confidence estimate, which is updated both at the low level and at the end of a high-level change analysis. In another embodiment, an estimated second background image is used in addition to the estimate first background image to help quickly adapt when a stationary object starts moving or when a scene object becomes stationary.

Abstract: A system and method for virtualization of ambient environments in live video streaming are disclosed. In one embodiment, motion detection is performed to obtain motion information in a current frame in a live video stream. Further, a background model is computed using the motion information. Furthermore, background subtraction is performed using the background model to obtain foreground and background pixels for the current frame in the live video stream. In addition, the obtained foreground and background pixels are refined. Based on the obtained refined foreground and background pixels, a virtualized environment is generated for the current frame by substituting the background pixels. Moreover, the steps of pre-processing, performing, computing, refining, generating and encoding are repeated for a next frame in the live video stream.

Abstract: A system and method for low delay fast update, using multiple fast update pictures, for video streaming are disclosed. In one embodiment, a fast update request is received from a media client via a network by a media server to recover from packet losses. Further, one or more low delay fast update frames are generated based on packet loss statistics obtained during a steady state video streaming session by the media server. Furthermore, the generated one or more low delay fast update frames are sent to the media client to recover from the packet losses by the media server.

Abstract: A system and method for demultiplexing an MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS), is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of demultiplexing an MPEG-2 TS includes receiving the TS via a system interface, managing the TS via a TS manager, and managing parsing of the TS via a parser manager. Further, the method includes creating a media data stream by parsing the TS via one or more parsers within the parser subsystem, and creating a plurality of decodable units from the media data stream via a framer.

Abstract: A method and device for tracking error propagation and refreshing a video stream is provided. The proposed subject matter comprises of an error propagation tracking method that works in the sub-sampled domain to reduce computational cycles and memory bandwidth. Further, the tracking based update of the error propagation metric is done differently for static and non-static regions to avoid unnecessary refresh of static areas. Through suitable thresholding of the metric at a macroblock (MB) level, a set of refresh MBs are selected for each frame. These refresh MBs are coded either as an intra MB or as an inter MB that is predicted from one or more reliable reference frames (—frames that are known to be available at the decoder with negligible errors—). Such inter coding of refresh MBs improves the compression efficiency when compared to pure intra coding of refresh MBs.

Abstract: A system and method for authenticating an encoded multimedia stream are disclosed. In one embodiment, one or more digital signatures associated with one or more decodable units in the encoded multimedia stream are generated, in real-time. Further, the generated digital signatures are embedded into the encoded multimedia stream.

Abstract: A method for media rate control in a video encoding system disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical remaining one of the three parameter sets (Sk) is computed based on the provided user configuration inputs of two parameters sets (Si, Sj), wherein the user configuration inputs comprise two parameter sets (Si and Sj) out of three parameter sets (Si, Sj, and Sk), wherein the three parameter sets are latency parameter set, channel bandwidth parameter set, and video quality parameter set. The video encoding system is then configured based on the provided two parameter sets (Si, Sj) and the computed parameter set (Sk) to obtain a desired media rate control having optimal performance.

Abstract: A method and architecture for face detection under varying light conditions, tilt levels, different color characteristics of faces in a digital image are disclosed. In one embodiment, skin pixels in the digital image are selected. Any unselected pixels are then classified into bright pixels and dark pixels. Skin pixels are then selected from the bright pixels. Skin pixels are further selected from the dark pixels. All the skin pixels are then grouped into windows. Any window having skin pixels that is more than or equal to a predetermined number of skin pixels is then declared as a skin window. Candidate face regions are then formed by grouping the skin windows. Boundaries of candidate face regions are then determined. Eye regions are then determined in the boundaries of candidate face regions. Each candidate face region is then declared as a face, if the eye regions are determined in it.

Abstract: A method and a system for communication are presented. In one example embodiment, the method includes the step of receiving a first frame of a communication signal. The first frame includes a first plurality of constituents. One or more constituents of the first plurality of constituents of the first frame form a symbol of the first frame. The method includes the step obtaining a second frame. The second frame includes the first plurality of constituents. One or more constituents of the first plurality of constituents of the second frame form a symbol of the second frame. The symbols of the second frame are obtained by creating redundancies of the constituents of the first plurality of one or more symbols of the first frame. The first frame includes a second plurality of constituents. One or more constituents of the second plurality of the first frame form a preamble field of the first frame.

Abstract: A design for a unified session signaling system for use in multimedia communications is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes interfacing, via an application interface, with an associated application and a session, tracking, via a call state/session manager, a call state and session properties across multiple calls associated with the session, managing, via a server interoperation module, registration and proxying services associated with the session, managing, via a basic SIP services module using a third party SIP stack, a basic set of SIP services associated with the application and the session, and determining and advertising, via a media negotiator module, media capabilities of devices associated with the session. The method may also include managing, via an additional SIP services module using the third party SIP stack, a set of additional services associated with the session.

Abstract: A system and method for adaptive intra refresh rate setting for each video frame in a video encoder is disclosed. In one embodiment, a video encoding method includes computing channel induced distortion values at multiple intra refresh rates for a coded video frame as a function of channel loss and spatiotemporal content, computing source coding distortion values at the multiple intra refresh rates for the coded video frame as a function of the spatiotemporal content and an operating bit-rate, selecting an intra refresh rate value for one or more video frames subsequent to the encoded video frame as a function of the sum of the corresponding computed channel induced distortion values and the source coding distortion values, and encoding the one or more video frames using the selected intra refresh rate value.

Abstract: A method/system of transcoding an MPEG 2/4 bit stream into an H.264 format, handles an input MPEG 2/4 bit stream in a decoder, and identifies certain data in the input bit stream for reuse in the H.264 format; and, reuses the identified data in a re-encoder with assistance from a mapping module in transcoding by converting the input bit stream into an output H.264 format. The identified data includes information at a macrolevel and information at a picture level. The information at the macrolevel might comprise additional stages incorporated in the re-encoder module including a Mapping Process stage, a Sub Pixel Refinement stage, a Mode Selection stage to choose from Intra, Inter or Skip modes, followed by the standard H.264 encoding loop and the Entropy Coding Block. The information at the picture level might include; a) average quantizer of frame, and, b) total bits per frame.

Abstract: An architecture, system and method for an RTP streaming system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes developing multiple standalone modules, developing application programming interfaces associated with the standalone modules, and tying together the standalone modules to form a subsystem associated with a streaming application and with a network. The method further includes integrating standalone modules including an RTP module, an RTCP module and a payload interface, associated with any one of a server mode and a client mode. The method also includes managing a streaming session associated with media streams via an RTPSS manager, adding the media streams to a stream manager. For each media stream of the streaming session: the method includes performing packetization services in the server mode and de-packetization services in the client mode, and performing server-mode related services in the server mode and client-mode related services in the client mode.

Abstract: A linear full duplex system and method for acoustic echo cancellation is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes calculating a residual echo after subtraction of an echo estimate from a near end signal associated with a communication, refining a far end and a residual signal associated with the communication, updating, based on the far end signal, the echo estimate of an echo associated with the communication, subtracting the echo from the near end signal based on the echo estimate to cancel the echo associated with the communication, updating, based on the refined far end and refined residual signal, the adaptive filter module used for echo estimation, and detecting a steady state and, during the steady state, dynamically detecting internal substates and switching between the internal substates and detecting and managing double talk associated with the communication.

Abstract: The method and system of digital timing correction in a digital baseband communication system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving samples at a predetermined time interval based on a current clock signal of a receiver clock, reading in a prompt sample of the received samples and a successor sample of the received samples based on a control signal, interpolating a projected sample based on the prompt sample, the successor sample and a predetermined time offset, determining the time offset for interpolation, by accumulating sampling frequency offset between the receiver clock and a reference clock, relative to a sample timing of the prompt sample, resulting in an interpolated data sample rate reduced by an integer multiple factor compared to a received sample rate and receiving a next sample of the received samples based on the current clock signal of the receiver clock.

Abstract: A technique for an equal phase combining for a robust orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system under high delay spread channel is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving and synchronizing transmitted OFDM symbols having cyclic prefixes via a symbol synchronizer module, removing the cyclic prefixes from the OFDM symbols, via a cyclic prefix remover module, to form time domain symbols, converting the time domain symbols to frequency domain symbols via an FFT module, equalizing a received sub-carrier with complex conjugate of estimated channel coefficients in frequency domain at the same sub-carrier frequency via an equalizer, combining the frequency domain symbols spread over multiple sub-carriers during transmission via a combiner, and detecting phase information from the mapped combined PSK constellation symbol via a detector module.

Abstract: A method and device for adapting a signal is provided. The signal includes a number of recurring samples of data. In one example embodiment, the method receives recurring samples of data. Each of the samples of data includes a first number of elements. A second number of elements are selected from at least one of the recurring samples. The second number of elements is approximately less than the first number of elements. The selected second number of elements are substituted with respective phase altered elements. The subject matter also provides a method and device for identifying a signal property(ies) and a computer system for implementing these methods.

Abstract: A memory manager for a system, a system that includes the memory manager and a method of using thereof are provided. The memory manager manages memory allocations in at least a memory. The memory manger comprises, a first unit configured for receiving a plurality of requests from one or more components of one or more applications of a system. The memory manager also includes a second unit configured for optimizing memory allocations for the plurality of requests.

Abstract: A technique for computing perceptual noise in an audio signal that is computationally efficient. In one example embodiment, the technique includes computing perceptual noise in an input audio signal. The steps involve pre-computing NER (noise-to-excitation ratio) values associated with critical bands within a frame by zeroing out associated spectral coefficient values before the quantization loop, and also assuming bands with lower spectral energy than the band under consideration are zeroed out during quantization. When a critical band is zeroed out during quantization, the associated NER values which have been pre-computed are used in computing an overall perceptual distortion of the frame.