Abstract: Methods and systems for automatically creating a movie of computer selected video scenes accompanied by music are disclosed. Methods or systems consistent with the invention may synchronize the video scene changes with the onsets of beats in the music. Methods or systems consistent with the invention may also offer a user of the computer program product a choice of video styles by which the movie may be characterized when viewed by the user.

Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting a fundamental beat frequency in a predetermined time interval of a music signal are disclosed. The frequency may be detected by processing a music signal with the discrete wavelet transform to obtain a set of coefficients. A subset of the coefficients may be processed to obtain a plurality of candidate beat frequencies contained in the corresponding portion of the music signal. Harmonic relationships between the candidate beat frequencies may be determined, and the fundamental beat frequency may then be determined based upon the determined harmonic relationships.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer readable medium including instructions for processing single definition or high definition video data to produce an two dimensional and three dimensional effects to occur at a future time. The effects are created in a video processing system using multiple threads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for splicing programs in the MPEG domain, wherein program data is carried in MPEG transport streams (TS) of data packets. The data packets carry application data, e.g. video and audio data, and a header provided with control data. According to the invention control data objects are established for each data packet for storing time references and data packet status information. The control data objects are queued in different queues dependent on the data packet status or on the status of a group of data packets. Control data objects associated to data packets to be output in an output stream of data packets are selected from the queues, whereupon selected control objects are assembled to a program of associated data packets of different kinds of data. Finally, data packets associated to said selected and assembled control data objects are assembled to an output stream of data packets.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for local insertion of analog or digital material into a television broadcast signal. A central insertion control unit controls the insertion of additional material while a remote insertion control unit locally controls the insertion of the additional material. The central insertion control unit contains a processor, storage media, and an encoder for encoding control and information signals into a broadcast signal. The control signal contains a cue signal for information about play lists, and an action signal for triggering insertion of the additional material. The control signal is encoded into a line of the vertical blanking interval. Once the control is detected by the remote insertion control unit the additional material is played and broadcast.

Abstract: A method of reducing noise in a video signal which includes a plurality of video frames being composed of a plurality of pixels, the method comprising the steps of: comparing video information contained in a current video frame and a plurality of temporally adjacent video frames; selecting from the current video frame and the adjacent video frames the video information that according to a predetermined condition is likely to be correct for the current video frame; and finally assigning the selected video information to the current video frame to thereby produce a video frame wherein noise has been reduced.

Abstract: One embodiment uses a computer system to define areas with moving image information of interest in a sequence of digital moving image frames. The sequence of digital moving image frames has at least three frames, a first frame, a second frame and a third frame, in time sequence. A set of points identifies the areas with moving image information of interest on the first frame. In the third frame, the areas with moving image information of interest are identified with the set of points. Each point in the set of points has an explicitly defined location in the first frame and an explicitly defined location in the third frame. The location of each point in the first frame corresponds to the same areas with moving image information of interest as each point's location in the second and third frames. For example if one of the points is located at the tip of a runner's left toe in the first frame, then that point will be located at the tip of the runner's left toe in both the second and third frames.

Abstract: A digital video effects system for producing live-action video effects in real time includes an address generator having a pair of 2-D tables for providing x-coordinate and y-coordinate offset values. A third 2-D table contains warp activation factors (activators) which are scaled by a clip and gain processing technique to produce scaled activators. The scaled activators are used to scale the x- and y-offset values which are then combined with the original raster-order addresses to produce frame buffer readout addresses. An output video signal is produced by an inverse mapping of the input frame buffer to the output. The 2-D tables provide control of the image on a pixel-by-pixel basis. The degree of scaling by the clip and gain unit varies with time so that the resulting readout addresses also vary with time. A video effect, therefore, is produced simply by adjusting the scaling of the clip and gain unit. Moreover, a variety of effects can be achieved simply by changing the various 2-D tables.

Abstract: A process that allows precise control of the tape position in consumer videotape devices, such as camcorders, for the purpose of video editing. The process involves the use of a software algorithm within the central processing unit of a computer to locate a specific video frame with digitized video. The process first involves storing an initial set of calculated scene detection data, including luminance and change of luminance values for each video frame. Then, at the time of the video editing, a second set of scene detection data from the videotape is taken at a reference point, near the location of the desired frame. The second set of scene detection data is compared to the first set of scene detection data to determine whether there is any offset between the expected location of the frame, as shown in the first set of scene detection data, and the actual location of the desired frame, as shown in the second set of scene detection data.