Abstract: An audio/video broadcast system, a method for operating the same and a user device for operation in the interactive broadcast system. The broadcast system comprises an capture unit, an editing unit and a user device. A plurality of video streams is captured by the capture unit, a main signal A is broadcast via a broadcast channel to the plurality of user devices. A user request S is transmitted from the user device to the editing unit and is indicative to information about a topic for an edited replay clip. After processing of content at the editing unit so as to generate the edited replay clip in response to the user request, said reply clip is broadcast using free bandwidth of the broadcast channel. A copy of the replay clip is cached at the user device and reproduced upon reception of a user command.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for improving a main image by fusing the richer information contained in a secondary image are described. A 3D structure of objects contained in the secondary image is retrieved and a parallax-corrected version of the secondary image is generated using the 3D structure. For this purpose a camera pose for which a projection of the 3D structure of the objects contained in the secondary image best resembles the perspective in the main image is determined and the parallax-corrected version of the secondary image is synthesized based on the determined camera pose. The parallax-corrected version of the secondary image is then fused with the main image.

Abstract: A method for performing super-resolution comprises steps of generating the high-resolution, low-frequency spatial and temporal bands of the input video sequence by interpolation, synthesizing the high-resolution, high-frequency spatial band by cross-frame spatial high-frequency extrapolation, and fusing these two bands to generate the spatio-temporally super-resolved video sequence A corresponding system for performing super-resolution comprises a stage where the high-resolution, low-frequency spatial and temporal bands of the input video sequence is generated by interpolation, a stage where the high-resolution, high-frequency spatial band is synthesized by cross-frame spatial high-frequency extrapolation, and a stage where these two bands are fused to generate the spatio-temporally super-resolved video sequence.

Abstract: The invention relates to the improvement of the resolution of regularly sampled multi-dimensional signals, where a single low-resolution signal is available. These methods are generically referred to as example-based super-resolution or single-image super-resolution. The method for super-resolving a single image comprises three stages. First, an interpolation-based up-scaling of the input image is performed, followed by an equivalent low-pass filtering operation on the low-resolution image. The second stage comprises a search for low-frequency matches between an inspected patch in the high-resolution image and patches in a local neighborhood in the low-resolution low-frequency image, including partly overlapping patches, and accumulating the high-frequency contribution obtained from the low-resolution image. The third stage comprises adding the contributions of the low-frequency band of the high-resolution image and the extrapolated high-frequency band.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for deblurring an image from a sequence of images are described. The image comprises pixels. A motion estimation stage estimates motion of the pixels of the image. A point spread function modeling stage models point spread functions for the pixels of the image using the motion estimates. A deconvolution stage determines a deblurred estimate of the image using the modeled point spread functions. A feedback loop allows iteratively improving the motion estimates for the pixels until the modeled point spread functions converge.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improved robustness in upscaling the resolution of regularly sampled multi-dimensional signals, where a single low-resolution signal is available. These methods are referred to as example-based super-resolution or single-image super-resolution. A method for super-resolving a single image comprises three stages. First, an interpolation-based up-scaling of the input image is performed, followed by a Local De-noising step in contour regions. The second stage comprises extrapolation through cross-scale block matching, wherein an extrapolated high-frequency band is obtained that is de-noised through regularization in the same contour regions. The third stage comprises adding the contributions of the low-frequency band of the high-resolution image and the extrapolated high-frequency band.

Abstract: It is desired to link photo data and video data taken by a digital camcorder. Therefore, there is provided a device and method for linking multimedia data, wherein linking information is formed on the basis of first and/or second multimedia data. The linking information is stored on a recording medium together with the first multimedia data. The second multimedia data may be stored together with respective linking information to the first multimedia data on a second recording medium. Thus, a camera-man while recording is able to set up logo or index pictures for a video film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a redundancy protected mass storage system with increased performance, and more specifically to a mass storage system with multiple storage units. According to the invention, the resources that are essentially provided for compensating the damage of one or more storage units are also used to enhance the system performance. For this purpose during reading or writing the storage system just waits for the responses of a minimum number of required storage units to start reading or writing, respectively.

Abstract: A method and an input-output device are proposed for rendering content. Further, a servicing device is proposed for delivering pre-rendered content. For rendering, a portion of processing or memorizing resources of said input-output device is allocated such that remaining resources of said input-output device are sufficient for maintaining the input-output capability of the device. Then, it is determined that an amount of resources required for rendering exceeds the allocated resources and a corresponding degree of pre-rendering is determined, too. On the serving device, pre-rendering of the content according to the determined degree is performed and the pre-rendered content is delivered from the serving device to the input-output device. Since server-side rendering is limited to a required degree, bandwidth constraints can be met more easily. Furthermore, rendering occurs more distributed and can be adjusted dynamically, thus, response time can be reduced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement for adaptive bit recovery, and to an apparatus for reading from and/or writing to recording media using such arrangement. According to the invention, an arrangement for adaptive bit recovery including an adaptive equalizer and an adaptive partial response maximum likelihood detector further includes an overflow control block for the adaptive equalizer for monitoring one or more of the adaptation coefficients and/or a state violation checker for monitoring the allowed states and indicating state violations as well as and a noise detector for detecting larger deviations of the target values.

Abstract: In a storage medium, an address space is defined which is divided into a first area and a second area. According to the invention, at least one file is stored on the medium which is split into small data packets and large data packets. All small data packets are stored on said first area, and all large data packets are stored on said second area. A single file allocation table (FAT) is used and is small by having one entry per data packet.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hand-held device comprising connection means for supporting an internet data transmission link between the hand-held device and the internet; browser means for fetching internet data from the internet; input means for receiving a user input; and generating means for generating a command script in response to said user input, where said command script is related to said searched internet data; where said command script, when the hand-held device is connected to a multimedia home device, can be processed to initiate a transmission of at least part of said searched internet data and/or other internet data to said multimedia home device.

Abstract: Networks may be implemented using peer-to-peer technology. A plurality of peers may form a peer-group, having a unique group label. To relieve the user from administrative tasks, some configuration routines for such networks may be automated. A peer-group may select one of its peers as negotiation peer, having the task to communicate with other peers, e.g. negotiation peers from other peer-groups. When merging or splitting peer-groups, the group label is usually modified. But it may be advantageous to keep the group label. If a new peer-group in a peer-to-peer network is created by merging or splitting of peer-groups, a method for selecting a group label for the new peer-group comprises determining a negotiation peer, exchanging information between the negotiation peers in the case of merging, comparing features of the two peer-groups and assigning the label of one of the peer-groups to the new peer-group.

Abstract: It is desired to link photo data and video data taken by a digital camcorder. Therefore, there is provided a device and method for linking multimedia data, wherein linking information is formed on the basis of first and/or second multimedia data. The linking information is stored on a recording medium together with the first multimedia data. The second multimedia data may be stored together with respective linking information to the first multimedia data on a second recording medium. Thus, a camera-man while recording is able to set up logo or index pictures for a video film.

Abstract: A method enables and controls automatic propagation of metadata items to a recording media or to devices for reading from or writing to recording media. The metadata items are provided with a propagation property, which defines to which recording media or to which devices the metadata items shall propagate, and on which recording media or in which devices the metadata items shall be stored. At least when a recording medium is inserted into or removed from a device, or when the device is powered up or down, the metadata items are automatically propagated and stored in accordance with the propagation property.

Abstract: Subtitling aims at the presentation of text information and graphical data, encoded as pixel bitmaps. The size of subtitle bitmaps may exceed video frame dimensions, so that only portions are displayed at a time. The bitmaps are a separate layer lying above the video, e.g. for synchronized video subtitles, animations and navigation menus, and therefore contain many transparent pixels. An advanced adaptation for bitmap encoding for HDTV, e.g. 1920.times.1280 pixels per frame as defined for the Blu-ray Disc Prerecorded format, providing optimized compression results for such subtitling bitmaps, is achieved by a four-stage run length encoding. Shorter or longer sequences of pixels of a preferred color, e.g. transparent, are encoded using the second or third shortest code words, while single pixels of different color are encoded using the shortest code words, and sequences of pixels of equal color use the third or fourth shortest code words.

Abstract: Subtitling aims at the presentation of text information and graphical data, encoded as pixel bitmaps. The size of subtitle bitmaps may exceed video frame dimensions, so that only portions are displayed at a time. The bitmaps are a separate layer lying above the video, e.g. for synchronized video subtitles, animations and navigation menus, and therefore contain many transparent pixels. An advanced adaptation for bitmap encoding for HDTV, e.g. 1920.times.1280 pixels per frame as defined for the Blu-ray Disc Prerecorded format, providing optimized compression results for such subtitling bitmaps, is achieved by a four-stage run length encoding. Shorter or longer sequences of pixels of a preferred color, e.g. transparent, are encoded using the second or third shortest code words, while single pixels of different color are encoded using the shortest code words, and sequences of pixels of equal color use the third or fourth shortest code words.

Abstract: Subtitling aims at the presentation of text information and graphical data, encoded as pixel bitmaps. The size of subtitle bitmaps may exceed video frame dimensions, so that only portions are displayed at a time. The bitmaps are a separate layer lying above the video, e.g. for synchronized video subtitles, animations and navigation menus, and therefore contain many transparent pixels. An advanced adaptation for bitmap encoding for HDTV, e.g. 1920.times.1280 pixels per frame as defined for the Blu-ray Disc Prerecorded format, providing optimized compression results for such subtitling bitmaps, is achieved by a four-stage run length encoding. Shorter or longer sequences of pixels of a preferred color, e.g. transparent, are encoded using the second or third shortest code words, while single pixels of different color are encoded using the shortest code words, and sequences of pixels of equal color use the third or fourth shortest code words.

Abstract: Subtitling aims at the presentation of text information and graphical data, encoded as pixel bitmaps. The size of subtitle bitmaps may exceed video frame dimensions, so that only portions are displayed at a time. The bitmaps are a separate layer lying above the video, e.g. for synchronized video subtitles, animations and navigation menus, and therefore contain many transparent pixels. An advanced adaptation for bitmap encoding for HDTV, e.g. 1920.times.1280 pixels per frame as defined for the Blu-ray Disc Prerecorded format, providing optimized compression results for such subtitling bitmaps, is achieved by a four-stage run length encoding. Shorter or longer sequences of pixels of a preferred color, e.g. transparent, are encoded using the second or third shortest code words, while single pixels of different color are encoded using the shortest code words, and sequences of pixels of equal color use the third or fourth shortest code words.

Abstract: Subtitling aims at the presentation of text information and graphical data, encoded as pixel bitmaps. The size of subtitle bitmaps may exceed video frame dimensions, so that only portions are displayed at a time. The bitmaps are a separate layer lying above the video, e.g. for synchronized video subtitles, animations and navigation menus, and therefore contain many transparent pixels. An advanced adaptation for bitmap encoding for HDTV, e.g. 1920.times.1280 pixels per frame as defined for the Blu-ray Disc Prerecorded format, providing optimized compression results for such subtitling bitmaps, is achieved by a four-stage run length encoding. Shorter or longer sequences of pixels of a preferred color, e.g. transparent, are encoded using the second or third shortest code words, while single pixels of different color are encoded using the shortest code words, and sequences of pixels of equal color use the third or fourth shortest code words.