Abstract: A method for selecting digital files and an apparatus thereof are disclosed. In the present invention, a selection path is constructed by a user, and all digital files are selected according to the selection path. The construction of the selection path is achieved by using only one input interface, thus the convenience in digital file selection is greatly improved. Besides, all digital files corresponding to the selection path are selected at one time, thus, the purpose of speeding up the selection is also achieved.

Abstract: A method for displaying icons of digital items is provided. In the present invention, a stacking manner is used for displaying all icons of the digital items in a visible region of a window. As a result, no matter how many digital items stored in the corresponding window, a user can traverse all the digital items without dragging a scrollbar, and thus the convenience of traversing digital items can be improved. Furthermore, the present invention provides the ability for user to customize a layout of the window by adjusting the overlapping degree and stacking manner of the icons, thereby making the way of displaying the icons of the digital items more flexible.

Abstract: A slideshow editing system for editing images into slideshow comprises an input device for sending a control signal to a host. The host receives the control signal and executes application programs to preview and edit image files with real time feedback, and interactively edit the slideshow and display the slideshow on a display device. Thus, the user may gain the advantage of not editing images and slideshows on the video timeline.

Abstract: A method for opening/closing a disk tray of a disk drive. The method includes the steps of when a first event occurs, sending a load/unload command to the disk drive, to which the disk drive responds with a second or third event, and resends the load/unload command to the disk drive when the disk drive responds to the previous load/unload command with the second event.

Abstract: An encoder encodes the captured real-time data into a program stream. A disk authoring transforms the program stream into a disk file format. A disk writer records the disk file format on an optical disk, wherein the disk writer further includes at least two recording speeds. A buffer temporarily stores the program stream or the disk file format during the disk writer stopping the recording action. A sending-path controller notified by the disk writer to switch the data flow between the disk authoring or the disk writer and the buffer, wherein the sending-path controller also can notify the disk writer to switch the recording speeds.

Abstract: A method of representing a tree database in a display menu. First, a tree database with a database name is provided. The provided tree database possess first level data nodes. The first level data nodes have a null set or second level data nodes. The first and the second data node have data node names. Next, one of the first level data nodes is selected as a working data node. The node name thereof is then titled the working menu. The second level data nodes possessed by the working data node are listed in the working menu. The non-selected first level data nodes are listed as a switching menu. Finally, the working menu, the switching menu, and the database name are combined into a display menu.

Abstract: A method for two-pass video encoding using sliding windows. The method receives a video sequence (VS), selects a portion of frames in the VS from the beginning as an analysis window, encodes each frame in the analysis window to acquire multiple statistical features, such as a bitrate to each frame in the analysis window, the quantization scale or complexity of the frame, redistributes the bitrate to each frame in the analysis window according to the statistical features, encodes the frames in the analysis window occurring between the beginning and an out point according to the redistributed bitrates, and selects a portion of frames in the VS from the next frame of the out point as a new analysis window if the VS is not completely encoded.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a writable storage medium with backup module contained therein to backup important data. With this writable storage medium, the user could automatically duplicate the data in the computer or the peripheral devices coupled thereto into the writable storage medium. All the user has to do is designating the target data to be duplicated, and the backup module will finish the rest. No installation of software is required. The user may recover any part of the target from the writable storage medium if the computer is crash or some important files are deleted accidentally. Hence, a simple and direct way for data backup is provided by the present invention.

Abstract: A method of button routing editing for a storage medium menu containing at least one button is provided. The method includes steps of (a) displaying a routing reminder on a button with an incorrect routing status; (b) selecting at least one button; (c) displaying a routing controller on the selected button, wherein the routing controller comprises a first control button, a second control button, a third control button and a fourth control button; and (d) selecting one of the above-mentioned control buttons, and then selecting a target button to set a routing direction target for the selected control button to the target button, wherein after the steps (b)-(d) are performed, if there exists any button with an incorrect routing status, the routing reminder is displayed thereon, and if there exists any button with a correct routing status, no routing reminder is displayed thereon.

Abstract: A method for music analysis. The method includes the steps of acquiring a music soundtrack, re-sampling an audio stream of the music soundtrack so that the re-sampled audio stream is composed of blocks, applying FFT to each block, deriving a vector from each transformed block, wherein the vector components are energy summations of the block within different sub-bands, applying auto-correlation to each sequence composed of the vector components of all the blocks in the same sub-band using different tempo values, wherein, for each sequence, a largest correlation result is identified as a confidence value and the tempo value generating the largest correlation result is identified as an estimated tempo, and comparing the confidence values of all the sequences to identify the estimated tempo having the largest confidence value as a final estimated tempo.

Abstract: An apparatus for displaying video output with dynamically adjustable drop rate to control playback quality. The inventive apparatus includes a playback engine, a pre-fetch engine, a rendering engine, and a drawing engine. The playback engine sends a pre-fetch requirement and a playback requirement. The pre-fetch engine receives the pre-fetch requirement, obtains frame data according to the pre-fetch requirement, and stores it in a pre-fetch buffer. The pre-fetch engine also adjusts the drop rate of related conditions of the frame data. The rendering engine obtains frame data, decodes, and filters the frame data. The drawing engine outputs the frame data.

Abstract: With the method for generating a slide show in harmony with music, the user is able to compose an attractive and interesting slide show by a convenient and simple method. The steps of the method comprises: analyzing audio data to obtain reference points, wherein the reference points include at least one beat point of said audio data; obtaining image effects for images; selecting at least one first level point and at least one second level point from the reference points; and composing a slide show of the images with the image effects in association with the audio data, wherein the image effects are controlled according to the first level point and the displaying of the images is controlled according to the second level point.

Abstract: A method of digital creation of a multivision filter effect. The method includes the steps of initializing a plurality of layers and masks corresponding to the layers, wherein the layers and masks have the same dimensions as a picture, and each of the layers has pixel information of the picture, translating the layers and masks to positions determined according to user input, determining pixel values of each of the masks according to the positions thereof, and merging the layers to which the corresponding masks are applied.

Abstract: In the present invention, a method of generating a summary menu for a storage medium having a plurality of folders for storing a plurality of multimedia data is provided. The method includes steps of (a) reading the storage medium, (b) generating a plurality of menu buttons by searching the folders when the storage medium is first read, (c) generating a summary menu having the menu buttons and storing the menu buttons in a record file, (d) reading the record file when the storage medium has been read, and (e) displaying the summary menu.

Abstract: A system and method for creating a three-dimensional graphic object is disclosed.

Abstract: In the present invention, a medium content protection method for protecting a content of a first storage medium having a first manufacture information is provided. The method includes steps of pre-recording a first identification datum into the first manufacture information, providing a second storage medium having a second manufacture information, reading a second identification datum from the second manufacture information and comparing the second identification datum with the first identification datum, determining the second storage medium as being illegally reproduced when the second identification datum is different from the first identification datum, and determining the second storage medium as the first storage medium and performing a specific step when the second identification datum is identical to the first identification datum.

Abstract: A method of rendering a 2-D graphic object having a plurality of pixels to a 3-D graphic object is disclosed. At first, a directional relation corresponding to the pixels is determined to define relations between the pixels and edges of the 2-D graphic object. Then, z-axis parameters corresponding to the pixels are generated in response to the directional relation with an effect function, wherein the effect function renders the z-axis parameters responsive to a relation limit varied with directions of the directinoal relation or a mapping table defining offset values of the z-axis parameters, or both. Finally, the 3-D graphic object is rendered in response to the 2-D graphic object and the z-axis parameters.

Abstract: A method for smooth transition between pre-rendered mode and real-time mode. First, a plurality of precast pictures having a set order are provided, each including an object and an object-position corresponding to the object. Then, a former position and a current position of a pointer are recorded in real-time mode. If real-time mode switches to pre-rendered mode, the precast picture whose object-position is closest to the current position is selected as a starting picture. Then, a played direction according to the former position and the current position is obtained. Finally, the precast pictures from the starting picture according to the played direction and the set order are played.

Abstract: A method for integration of a source object into a base image. The method comprises the steps of identifying similar border pixels, calculating characteristic values of the similar border pixels in the source object and the base image, creating a tonal map using the characteristic values, segmentation filtering the source object and the overlapped area into regions, identifying similar regions in the source object, each of which, in the characteristic values, has a difference smaller than a second threshold from the similar border pixels in the source object and smaller than a third threshold from one region in the overlapped area having an average difference smaller than a fourth threshold from the similar border pixels in the overlapped area, and applying the tonal map to the similar regions.

Abstract: A method of correcting an image with perspective distortion and creating an artificial image with perspective distortion is disclosed. First, image data including a distorted object image are received. Next, the user inputs an operational instruction for setting a plurality of distortion parameters pertaining to the image data, which include a distorted side of the distorted object image, a central line and a distortion ratio. Thus, a plurality of coordinates of corners of the distorted object image are calculated according to these distortion parameters and a transformation matrix is determined according to the calculated coordinates of the corners of the distorted object image. Finally, the distorted object image is transformed to a corrected object image according to the transformation matrix.