Abstract: A night vision system and method for imaging an object at or near room temperature and in the wavelength region up to 2.5 microns is described. The includes a photodetector having a cut-off wavelength of 2.5 microns under the room temperature, an optical system configured for collecting light and focusing the collected light onto the photodetector, and a spectral filter located in an optical path of light propagating toward the photodetector. The spectral filter is configured and operable to selectively filter out light of wavelength shorter than a predetermined value, thereby gradually shifting operation of the night vision system from mostly reflection mode to a combined reflection and thermal mode, to allow the night vision system to detect light reflected from and emitted by the object being imaged.

Abstract: A method and a system for a sign language translation and descriptive video service are disclosed. The method and system enables an easy preparation of video including a descriptive screen and a sign language so that a hearing-impaired person and a visually impaired person can receive a help for using a video media. The method includes extracting a character string in a text form from a caption of an original video; translating the character string in the text form extracted from the caption of the original video to a machine language; matching the character string translated to the machine language with a sign language video in a database; synchronizing the original video with the sign language video, and mixing the original video and the synchronized sign language video; and editing the sign language video with a sign language video editing tool.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for tracking presentation of content. In one aspect, a method includes segmenting a video into two or more segments. Each segment of the video can be a variably selected disjoint subset of the video. A client-side video player determines that playback of the video has reached the end of one of the segments. A presentation type for the video is determined, where the presentation type being one of an advertisement presentation or a non-advertisement presentation. The playback data is provided to a server-side data processing apparatus that stores the playback data in a data store. The playback data indicate the presentation type for the video and that playback of the video reached the end of the one of the segments.

Abstract: A recording apparatus including: a recording unit configured to record on a recording medium a file that includes sequentially obtained data; a repair unit configured to repair a predetermined file that needs to be repaired out of files recorded on the recording medium; and a control unit configured to control the recording unit so that recording of data is stopped in response to a drop of a free capacity of the recording medium to a predetermined capacity during recording of the data, the control unit being configured to determine the predetermined capacity based on a data amount necessary to repair the predetermined file that is recorded on the recording medium, to thereby control the recording unit so that the recording of the data is stopped in response to a drop of the free capacity of the recording medium to the predetermined capacity during the recording of the data.

Abstract: A multimedia gift system including: a user-facing camera; a touchscreen display; a wireless communication subsystem; and a controller configured to: display a user interface that receives user inputs, receive a multimedia gift message, initiate a video recording from the user-facing camera, display the multimedia gift message obscured by a wrapping image, in response to receiving a user touch input at a position on the touchscreen display: record the position and a timestamp associating the touch input to the recording; and remove an area of the wrapping image around the position to reveal a portion of the multimedia gift message, transmit, via the wireless communication subsystem, a recording including the video recording and a touch record including the position and timestamp of the user touch inputs.

Abstract: A wearable electronic ornament has a manually-changeable skin and an electronic screen exhibiting a visual. When a user replaces the skin, the visual automatically changes to match the skin. Visuals are received from a store on the skin, a mobile device of the user, or a remote server, or can be generated by a camera of the mobile device.

Abstract: A vision display system for a vehicle includes a rear backup camera disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle and having a field of view rearward of the vehicle. A display device includes a video display screen disposed in the interior cabin of the vehicle and viewable by a driver of the vehicle. When the vehicle is at a traffic stop and the engine is turned off under “stop and go” operation, the video display screen displays video images derived from image data captured by the rear backup camera within two seconds of shifting of a vehicle transmission of the vehicle into reverse gear. After the engine of the vehicle restarts under “stop and go” operation, the video display screen displays video images derived from image data captured by the rear backup camera within two seconds of shifting of the vehicle transmission of the vehicle into reverse gear.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for capturing, transcoding, and caching off-air programming at a location local to the consumer. According to certain embodiments, a device is provided that receives off-air (e.g., broadcast) and/or cable (e.g. ClearQAM) programming via one or more antennas and caches the programming in various streams having various bit rates for later viewing using, for example, Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming. Such a device can be incorporated in a larger system that can stream content via a data communication network (e.g., the Internet) and the device in a seamless manner. The device also can be controlled by a remote system via the data communication network, and further can be configured to stream content to a remote device via the data communication network.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a computerized method for reporting events from a television that supports transmission and playback of digital content in accordance with an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard. The method comprises downloading a triggered declarative object (TDO), which includes a reporting script, for storage within a digital receiver of the television. Thereafter, information associated with one or more detected events that occur during playback of the digital content is recorded and subsequently, upon execution of the reporting script, is output over a communication path separate from a communication path of the received digital content.

Abstract: Embodiments for a depth sensing camera with a wide field of view are disclosed. In one example, a depth sensing camera comprises an illumination light projection subsystem, an image detection subsystem configured to acquire image data having a wide angle field of view, a logic subsystem configured to execute instructions, and a data-holding subsystem comprising stored instructions executable by the logic subsystem to control projection of illumination light and to determine depth values from image data acquired via the image sensor. The image detection subsystem comprises an image sensor and one or more lenses.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for streaming content corresponding to a 360 degree field of view are described. The methods and apparatus of the present invention are well suited for use with 3D immersion systems and/or head mounted display which allow a user to turn his or her head and see a corresponding scene portion. The methods and apparatus can support real or near real time streaming of 3D image content corresponding to a 360 degree field of view.

Abstract: The present invention discloses methods and devices for distributed audio/video (A/V) synchronization and playback. Methods include the steps of: enabling identification of an A/V orchestrator by at least one external A/V system using a data-exchange protocol system; enabling configuration information to be available to at least one external A/V system; identifying A/V data from an A/V source to at least one external A/V system; repetitively synchronizing at least one respective system clock with an orchestra timing on the A/V orchestrator; and repetitively sending at least one synchronization notification to at least one external A/V system, wherein at least one synchronization notification is configured to: indicate a given timing in the orchestra timing during A/V playback, indicate a given position in the A/V data during A/V playback; and instruct at least one external A/V system to move to a currently-playing A/V segment in the A/V data for A/V playback.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for editing a media record in a terminal device of a cellular network, which editing means removing at least one portion of the original contents of the media record. The state of the editing is shown on the display of the terminal device with a pointer arrangement according to the invention. The invention also relates to a cellular network terminal device in which the method is utilized. In the terminal device the media record editing is controlled with a program application according to the invention.

Abstract: A content playback device includes: a video playback unit which plays content having plural scenes; an object appearance information acquisition unit which acquires, for each of the plural scenes, object appearance information of each of one or more objects which appear in the content by analyzing metadata which includes appearance scene data for identifying the one or more objects appearing in at least one of the scenes, the object appearance information indicating whether the object appears at least in or after the scene; and a display unit which presents the object appearance information acquired for a scene being played, when the video playback unit is playing the content.

Abstract: Forward oblique blind spots of a vehicle, generated by the vehicle's front windshield pillars, are eliminated by provision of a panoramic windshield viewer system, thus allowing the driver to operate the vehicle without having his view impaired by visual obstructions that would otherwise be caused by the windshield pillars.

Abstract: A device receives a recording schedule for programs to record at a future time and causes, based on the recording schedule, at least some of the programs to be recorded in the device memory to create recorded content. The device detects use of the device, by a user, to initiate obtaining content that creates a conflict with the recording schedule. The device identifies alternate content, from the recorded content, that is related to the content that creates the conflict with the recording schedule. The device presents, to the user, a notification of the conflict. The notification includes a list of at least some of the alternate content from the recorded content such that the user can select alternate recorded content from the notification menu without disrupting the recording schedule.

Abstract: A television receiver may detect at least one gap in content within an instance of recorded programming. The television receiver may send to a computer system a request to repair the at least one gap in content within the instance of recorded programming. The television receiver may receive one of content associated with the at least one gap in content, and a notification that indicates unavailability of content associated with the at least one gap in content. The television receiver may edit the instance of recorded programming to include content associated with the at least one gap in content when content associated with the at least one gap in content is received.

Abstract: A system is presented that comprises a third-party ad provider that serves advertisements to different websites being viewed at a plurality of display devices. The advertisements may be from different advertisers, and may include advertisements from a content service provider. The advertisements from the service provider may include a promotion for a video program presented by the service provider and may provide a selectable option for a viewer of the website to have that viewer's DVR service automatically programmed to record the promoted video program. The selectable option may be selected with a single action by the viewer, and all communications, associations between the display device and the DVR service, and programming of the DVR service may occur automatically without intervention by the viewer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for representing allocation of capacity of a storage unit within an audio/video (AV) recording device is described. In one example, a quantity of AV program data stored on the storage unit is determined. A storage schedule for new AV program data that is defined over a predetermined time period is obtained. A deletion schedule for old AV program data that is defined over the predetermined time period is obtained. Temporally dynamic indicia is produced that is representative of allocation of the capacity of the storage unit over the predetermined time period in response to the quantity of stored AV program data, the storage schedule, and the deletion schedule. A pictorial representation of the temporally dynamic indicia may then be displayed on a display coupled to the AV recording device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a computing apparatus and to a method for providing a user application to be executed in a media playback apparatus. According to the present invention, the computing apparatus executes a developer application, and tests a user application in the media playback apparatus which is connected to the computer apparatus through a network. Thus, applications stored in a plurality of computing apparatuses can be tested using a single media playback apparatus.