Abstract: A method is provided for transcoding between video signals in two standards, DV and MPEG-2, each standard including discrete cosine transform (DCT) compressed signals. The each of the signals have macroblocks containing a plurality of DCT blocks. The DCT blocks are quantized according to respective quantization methods defined by the standards. The coefficients in each block are zigzag scanned, run-length coded and variable-length coded. The process variable-length decodes the coefficients and translates the quantized coefficients in the DV standard into quantized coefficients in the MPEG standard without fully dequantizing at least some of the DV coefficients and without performing an inverse DCT operation on any of the DCT coefficients. DV blocks that are encoded in a 248 format are translated into an 88 format before they are converted to MPEG-2 blocks. A method for transcoding from MPEG-2 to DV is also described.

Abstract: A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form, using timing information to identify the frame with which the information is associated. The system comprising a video source and an encoder that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source, an annotation source, a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the encoder, and a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and the data packet stream generator. The encoder provides timestamp information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timestamp information.

Abstract: When the bit rate of an input transport stream is reduced to a lower bit rate S by reencoding, the bit rate Ro of streams other than video is set to be the same as the bit rate of the streams other than video in the input transport stream. Then, the value obtained by subtracting Ro from S (S?Ro) is set as the bit rate for the video stream to be reencoded.

Abstract: There is provided a method of detecting dissolve/fade in an MPEG-compressed video environment, which includes the steps of: detecting a candidate sequence that is presumed to use a dissolve/fade editing effect according to shot transition detection in a video sequence; finding if spatio-temporal macro block type distribution that characteristically appears in a dissolve/fade sequence arises in the dissolve/fade candidate sequence, to judge if a scene transition by dissolve/fade was used in the detected dissolve/fade candidate sequence; and when the spatio-temporal macro block type distribution in the dissolve/fade sequence continuously appears in the dissolve/fade candidate sequence, comparing the length of the candidate sequence with a predetermined critical value and finally judging that the candidate sequence is a dissolve/fade sequence when its length is longer than the threshold.

Abstract: Described herein is a cable length compensator for inclusion in video imaging systems such as X-ray video imaging systems. When such systems are installed at sites of use, cables must generally be installed in the signal path, and the lengths of these cables—which can affect signal resolution—generally cannot be predicted prior to the time of installation. The cable compensator may be situated in the signal path along with the cable to compensate the signal for the effects of the cable so that the desired gain is provided across the desired range of signal frequencies. The compensator includes a low frequency compensation path and a high frequency compensation path, wherein the low frequency compensation path provides a simple gain adjustment to low frequency signals and the high frequency path provides gain adjustment dependent on both signal frequency and cable length.

Abstract: A method of interfacing non-integrated media processing system elements is presented, the method comprising identifying one or more characteristics of one or more media processing system elements, and dynamically negotiating which system elements will perform certain media processing tasks based, at least in part, on the identified one or more characteristics of the system elements.

Abstract: Digital video data streams that conform to standards such as the ITU-T H.263 and MPEG-4 ISO/IEC standards are compressed to reduce the amount of memory needed to store these streams. Information for a sequence of frames is compressed by rounding and truncating luminance values, and by encoding chrominance values using a radix tree and a palette. Each entry in the palette stores information representing a color that actually occurs at least once in the sequence of frames. The radix tree provides an efficient way to generate compressed representations for colors that are stored in the palette, and also provides a way to identify the color in the palette that is the closest match to other colors in the data stream that are not stored in the palette.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope selector that is used in an electronic endoscope system which shares peripheral devices, such as a TV monitor, VCR etc., among a plurality of electronic endoscopes. The electronic endoscope selector comprises switching circuits for switching and selecting video signals and synchronization signals fed from one of the plurality of electronic endoscopes. The selector also comprises amplifiers, gamma correction circuits, a system control circuit and memory. The amplifiers and gamma correction circuits are for adjusting gains and gamma correction of RGB video signals fed from the selected electronic endoscope. Parameters for appropriate gains and gamma correction corresponding to each endoscope are stored in the memory. The system control circuit controls the amplifiers and gamma correction circuits in accordance with the parameters that correspond to the selected electronic endoscope.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope displays the date so as to enable the year, month, and day to be differentiated on a screen when displaying a date together with the object image. The electronic endoscope is provided with, in a processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a real time clock (RTC), a cathode ray tube controller (CRTC) and a character generator read only memory (CG-RORM) and, on the outside, a keyboard and monitor. A date is read from the RTC and a character code corresponding to the year, month, and day to be displayed on the screen of the monitor is read from the CG-ROM at the CRTC. The character code is transmitted as a character signal to the monitor, and the date is displayed on the screen along with the object image, the month being displayed by a green color and the year and day by a white color at this time.

Abstract: An object-region-data describing method for describing object region data relating to a time-series variation of an object region in video data including a plurality of frames, the method comprising obtaining a conversion parameter representing conversion from a reference object region into a target object, approximating a time-series variation of the conversion parameter by an approximate function, and describing the object region data using an approximate function parameter identifying the approximate function and information on the reference object region. Thus, it is possible to describe a region of the desired object in video data by a small quantity of data and facilitate generating the object regions and handling data on the object region.

Abstract: To provide a coding device which does not generate a video packet having only a stuffing but can insert a minimum stuffing to prevent an underflow of a buffer in the case in which a video packet has a length limit. A minimum code volume (Tmin) is set for each VOP and a break of a video packet and an insertion of a stuffing are determined such that a code volume (Sc) of the VOP is not smaller than the minimum code volume (Tmin).

Abstract: An encoding apparatus and method prevents image deterioration generated by repeatedly performing encoding and decoding by using a quantization matrix for quantization which is different from a quantization matrix for inverse quantization. In the encoding apparatus, a matrix selector selects a first quantization matrix in accordance with the complexity of an encoded picture pattern, and supplies a quantizer with information on the selected first quantization matrix. A matrix unit rewrites, by information on a second quantization matrix, the information described in an encoded stream output from a variable length code unit so that a quantization matrix to be used for inverse quantization is a second quantization matrix different from the first quantization matrix.

Abstract: A method and processor architecture that implements the delivery of compressed digital video and audio content over a broadband network is disclosed.

Abstract: A method and structure for performing a sequence of integer divides without propagation of truncation error. During encoding and decoding of video signals, a buffer is dynamically filled with binary bits of encoded video data at a variable rate, and the data is subsequently removed from the buffer at a constant rate. Calculating the number of bits removed from the buffer as each video frame is processed requires integer divides with consequent truncation of the quotient. An accumulator is utilized for each integer divide to cumulatively store remainders generated by successive integer divides. If the accumulator accumulates to a value (A) that is no less than the divisor (D) of the associated integer divide, then the quotient is effectively increased by 1, and A is decremented by D, which compensates for the prior truncations and avoids a buffer overflow violation that may otherwise occur.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing an audio stream with a variable bit rate video stream is performed by sampling a plurality of markers in the video stream to obtain and store a time stamp and a memory stamp for each marker. A user enters a selected time position for the video stream, and a video byte location is found by reviewing the stored values of the time stamps and the memory stamps. An audio byte location is calculated using the selected time position, the total file size of the audio stream, and the total amount of time required to play the audio stream. To play the audio and video streams synchronously, the audio stream is started from the audio byte location, while the video stream is concurrently started from the video byte location.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic digital door opener, comprising a digitilisation, recording and control block (2) that is connected between the street plate (1) and the interior plates (3, 3?, 3?). Said block (2) has sound recording, playback and processing means, video and data sequencing, in addition to means for controlling functions of the door opener. Each interior plate (3?, 3?) can be complemented with a remote control (4) to enable audio and data communication with the street plate (1). Audiovisual and data communication with said plate (1) can be enabled by means of a television set (60). A portable, mobile unit (4?) with television function enables audiovisual and data communication with the street plate (1) either directly or by means of a television set (60).

Abstract: A variable length coding method and apparatus is provided. The variable length coding method includes the steps of (a) selecting predetermined macroblocks from among the previous macroblocks of a macroblock to be coded in a current frame, (b) analyzing the occurrence statistics of symbols with respect to the selected macroblocks, (c) resetting a mapping relationship based on the analyzed occurrence statistics of symbols, and (d) variable length coding a current macroblock based on the reset mapping relationship. The variable length coding method dynamically varies the mapping relationship between symbols and bit patterns based on the occurrence statistics of the symbols, thereby reducing the amount of bits generated when coding images of the same picture quality.

Abstract: An object-region-data describing method for describing object region data relating to a time-series variation of an object region in video data including a plurality of frames, the method comprising obtaining a conversion parameter representing conversion from a reference object region into a target object, approximating a time-series variation of the conversion parameter by an approximate function, and describing the object region data using an approximate function parameter identifying the approximate function and information on the reference object region. Thus, it is possible to describe a region of the desired object in video data by a small quantity of data and facilitate generating the object regions and handling data on the object region.

Abstract: Device and method for decoding a plurality of video bitstreams on the same time by using one decoder by making time multiplexing decoding of bitstreams in different frame rates and film modes in frames, which facilitates simultaneous processing of multiple video bitstreams for PIP, POP, multi-channel broadcasting, and the like by using, not numerous video decoder, but only one HD class video decoded, a required memory size can be reduced significantly, and an IC size can be reduced further if the present invention is applied to an ASIC, that enhances competitiveness.

Abstract: A frequency domain data management technique for producing pseudo-constant bits per picture compressed video bit-streams in a low delay digital encoding environment is presented. This technique forms a hierarchy among the localized samples of the picture in terms of frequency importance and the picture difficulty after a shot-change is detected. After a shot change, the data management technique implements a series of tasks composed of picture difficulty evaluation, frequency classification, frequency constraining, and zero bytes generation to achieve a pre-determined average picture bits. Further, the low delay encoder uses a unique updating mechanism to encode certain regions of the pictures in intra mode and ensures that the whole picture is updated after a pre-selected number of pictures.