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 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.

Abstract: A method for motion estimation. The method includes a) dividing a search area into sub-areas with different densities, b) deriving distortions of a currently selected macro-block and its neighbors determined by the density of the current sub-area, c) if one of the distortions of the neighbors is smallest, identifying the neighbor as the current macro-block, d) repeating steps b) and c) until the current macro-block has the smallest distortion, e) if the current macro-block having the smallest distortion is not located in the sub-area having the largest density, re-defining the search area according to the density of the current sub-area, and f) repeating steps a), b), c), d) and e) until the current macro-block having the smallest distortion is located in the sub-area having the largest density, identified as the reference macro-block.

Abstract: An image enhancement method. In the first stage, an image described in first image format is received. Then, each pixel is assessed with respect to its location on the edge of the image, and the value of the pixel in second image format is assessed with respect to its falling within the range of skin tones. A first smooth filter mask is dynamically generated if the pixel is not on the edge and the value does not fall into the range of skin tones, and a smooth process is performed on the pixel according to the first smooth filter mask. In the second stage, a second smooth filter mask is dynamically generated for each pixel in the image, and a general smooth process is performed on the pixel according to the second smooth filter mask.

Abstract: A method is for producing the bump mapping effect for a 3D object in a computer graphic. First, a shading vector is produced at one point of the surface of the 3D object. A shift coordinate with respect to this point is determined, according to the shading vector. According to the shift coordinate, a rotational calculation matrix is set up. Then, a diffuse color value with respect to this point is computed, which is equal to the difference between an adjacent rotation color value to this point and an averaged color value, wherein the averaged color value is defined as the sum and average of the color channels for R, G, and B with respect to this point, and the adjacent rotation color value is defined as a sum of the averaged color value with respect to a number of the adjacent points and the coefficient product with respect to the adjacent points in the rotational calculation matrix. Then, the emboss image value at this point is computed.

Abstract: A method of performing a lens effect to determine a realistic pixel content of a realistic pixel transformed by a virtual lens from a plurality of image pixels is disclosed. First, an offset mask having an offset value corresponding to a pixel point in the virtual lens is provided, and a plurality of weight masks respectively corresponding to the image pixels are also provided, each of the weight masks having a weight value corresponding to the pixel point. Then, a reference pixel position is calculated by adding a realistic pixel position to the offset value, and one of the image pixels with a position equal to the reference pixel position is selected as a reference pixel. Finally, a weighted process is performed on the addition of an adjacent pixel content and a reference pixel content according to the weight value in a first weight mask of the weight masks, thereby the realistic pixel content of the realistic pixel is acquired.