Abstract: A method for edge correction of images of a three-dimensional video content, the video content including at least one original view image and at least one depth or disparity map, the method including the following steps: detecting edges in at least one original view image for obtaining original edges; warping the original edges according to the depth or disparity map; detecting a set of warped edges altered by the warping process; and correcting the altered edges for obtaining corrected edges.

Abstract: A method is described for generating a video stream by starting from a plurality of sequences of 2D and/or 3D video frames, wherein a video stream generator composes into a container video frame video frames coming from N different sources (S1, S2, S3, SN) and generates a single output video stream of container video frames which is coded by an encoder, wherein said encoder enters into the output video stream a signalling adapted to indicate the structure of the container video frames. A corresponding method for regenerating the video stream is also described.

Abstract: A method for generating a stereoscopic video stream (101) having composite images (C) that include information about a right image (R) and a left image (L), as well as at least one depth map includes pixels from the right image (R) and from the left image (L), and then entering the selected pixels into a composite image (C) of the stereoscopic video stream. The method also provides for entering all the pixels of the right image (R) and all the pixels of the left image (L) into the composite image (C) by leaving one of said two images unchanged and breaking up the other one into regions (R1, R2, R3) having a plurality of pixels. The pixels of the depth map(s) are then entered into that region of the composite image which is not occupied by pixels of the right and left images.

Abstract: A method for processing a video stream of digital images includes: receiving the video stream which includes at least one composite frame containing a pair of stereoscopic digital images according to a predetermined packing format; receiving metadata which describes the format of the composite frame; generating an output video stream which can be reproduced on a visualization device, wherein the method further includes the steps of determining the area in the composite frame which is occupied by one image of the stereoscopic pair within the composite frame based on the metadata; extracting the image contained in the area from the composite frame, and generating an output frame containing the extracted image.

Abstract: A method for generating a stereoscopic video stream includes composite images having pixels related to a right and a left image of a tridimensional video content; the pixels of the right and left images are inserted into a composite image of the stereoscopic video stream, all the pixels of the right and left images are inserted in the composite image by leaving one of said two images unaltered and breaking up the other one into regions including a plurality of pixels and entering the regions into the composite image; the composite image has larger dimensions than those necessary to allow the insertion of all pixels of the left and right images, and in the pixels of the composite image left after such insertion a depth map is inserted, whose elements correspond to the pixel depth of the tridimensional content.

Abstract: A method for superimposing images on three-dimensional content, wherein a video stream is received which includes the three-dimensional content and a depth map for superimposing images on the three-dimensional content. Once the video stream has been received, images are superimposed on the three-dimensional content in a position in depth dependent on the superimposition depth map (DM). The superimposition depth map contains information about the depth of the three-dimensional content and is inserted as an image contained in a frame (C) of the video stream. The depth map has a smaller number of pixels than that of a two-dimensional image associated with the three-dimensional content. The invention also relates to devices enabling the implementation of the methods.

Abstract: A method for generating a digital stereoscopic video stream (101) includes container frames (C), having information about a right image (R) and a left image (L), wherein, when coding the digital stereoscopic video stream (101), at least one metadatum (M) is entered which is adapted to identify a region of a container frame (C) containing only one of the two images (L,R).

Abstract: A method for automatically programming a receiver adapted to receive radio-television signals belonging to a plurality of radio-television networks in at least two different formats includes the steps of: storing into a first table a first plurality of programs of the plurality of radio-television networks receivable by the receiver in a first signal format, associable with a first sorting criterion of the first programs; storing into a second table a second plurality of programs of the plurality of radio-television networks receivable by the receiver in a second signal format, associable with a second sorting criterion of the second programs, including a step of storing into a third table programs stored in the first and second tables based on existing matches between the first and the second sorting criteria.

Abstract: A method for generating a composite image of a stereoscopic video stream includes a pair of a right image and a left image of a scene, the right image and the left image being such that, when viewed by a spectator's right eye and left eye, respectively, they cause the spectator to perceive the scene as being three-dimensional, the method includes the steps of: generating a composite image including all the pixels of the pair of right and left images, defining a grid of macroblocks of the composite image, each macroblock of the grid including a plurality of adjacent pixels, decomposing one image of the pair of right and left images into a plurality of component regions including a plurality of contiguous pixels, processing the component regions in a manner such as to generate corresponding derived regions, the derived regions including at least all the pixels of a corresponding component region and being such that they can be decomposed into an integer number of macroblocks, arranging the non-decomposed image

Abstract: A method is described for generating a video stream by starting from a plurality of sequences of 2D and/or 3D video frames, wherein a video stream generator composes into a container video frame video frames coming from N different sources (S1, S2, S3, SN) and generates a single output video stream of container video frames which is coded by an encoder, wherein said encoder enters into the output video stream a signalling adapted to indicate the structure of the container video frames. A corresponding method for regenerating the video stream is also described.

Abstract: A method for generating a stereoscopic video stream (101) having composite images (C) that include information about a right image (R) and a left image (L), as well as at least one depth map includes pixels from the right image (R) and from the left image (L), and then entering the selected pixels into a composite image (C) of the stereoscopic video stream. The method also provides for entering all the pixels of the right image (R) and all the pixels of the left image (L) into the composite image (C) by leaving one of said two images unchanged and breaking up the other one into regions (R1, R2, R3) having a plurality of pixels. The pixels of the depth map(s) are then entered into that region of the composite image which is not occupied by pixels of the right and left images.

Abstract: A method for edge correction of images of a three-dimensional video content, the video content including at least one original view image and at least one depth or disparity map, the method including the following steps: detecting edges in at least one original view image for obtaining original edges; warping the original edges according to the depth or disparity map; detecting a set of warped edges altered by the warping process; and correcting the altered edges for obtaining corrected edges.

Abstract: A method for generating a stereoscopic video stream (101) including composite images (C), the composite images (C) including information about a right image (R) and a left image (L), wherein pixels of the right image (R) and pixels of the left image (L) are selected, and the selected pixels are entered into a composite image (C) of the stereoscopic video stream. All the pixels of the right image (R) and all the pixels of the left image (L) are entered into different positions in the composite image (C), by leaving one of the two images unchanged and breaking up the other one into two regions (R1, R2) including a plurality of pixels and entering the regions into the composite image (C).

Abstract: A method for generating a composite image of a stereoscopic video stream includes a pair of a right image and a left image of a scene, the right image and the left image being such that, when viewed by a spectator's right eye and left eye, respectively, they cause the spectator to perceive the scene as being three-dimensional, the method includes the steps of: generating a composite image including all the pixels of the pair of right and left images, defining a grid of macroblocks of the composite image, each macroblock of the grid including a plurality of adjacent pixels, decomposing one image of the pair of right and left images into a plurality of component regions including a plurality of contiguous pixels, processing the component regions in a manner such as to generate corresponding derived regions, the derived regions including at least all the pixels of a corresponding component region and being such that they can be decomposed into an integer number of macroblocks, arranging the non-decomposed image

Abstract: A method for referencing and interconnecting contents, applications and metadata to an audiovisual content is described, especially for iTV of for distribution on DVD, which comprises the step of inserting a digital watermark into the audiovisual content during an audiovisual content encoding step, the digital watermark being possibly used for allowing a user to reproduce or exploit additional contents supplementing those provided by the audiovisual content, wherein the digital watermark is inserted into the audiovisual content as data frame with header and body by subdividing it into a plurality of consecutive ‘I’ frames and forcing the parity of LSBs of mid-frequency providing an auxiliary watermark channel, e.g. in an MPEG2 transport stream.

Abstract: A method for generating a stereoscopic video stream includes composite images having pixels related to a right and a left image of a tridimensional video content; the pixels of the right and left images are inserted into a composite image of the stereoscopic video stream, all the pixels of the right and left images are inserted in the composite image by leaving one of said two images unaltered and breaking up the other one into regions including a plurality of pixels and entering the regions into the composite image; the composite image has larger dimensions than those necessary to allow the insertion of all pixels of the left and right images, and in the pixels of the composite image left after such insertion a depth map is inserted, whose elements correspond to the pixel depth of the tridimensional content.

Abstract: A method for generating a digital stereoscopic video stream (101) includes container frames (C), having information about a right image (R) and a left image (L), wherein, when coding the digital stereoscopic video stream (101), at least one metadatum (M) is entered which is adapted to identify a region of a container frame (C) containing only one of the two images (L,R).

Abstract: A method for superimposing images on three-dimensional content, wherein a video stream is received which includes the three-dimensional content and a depth map for superimposing images on the three-dimensional content. Once the video stream has been received, images are superimposed on the three-dimensional content in a position in depth dependent on the superimposition depth map (DM). The superimposition depth map contains information about the depth of the three-dimensional content and is inserted as an image contained in a frame (C) of the video stream. The depth map has a smaller number of pixels than that of a two-dimensional image associated with the three-dimensional content. The invention also relates to devices enabling the implementation of the methods.

Abstract: A method for processing a video stream of digital images includes: receiving the video stream which includes at least one composite frame containing a pair of stereoscopic digital images according to a predetermined packing format; receiving metadata which describes the format of the composite frame; generating an output video stream which can be reproduced on a visualization device, wherein the method further includes the steps of determining the area in the composite frame which is occupied by one image of the stereoscopic pair within the composite frame based on the metadata; extracting the image contained in the area from the composite frame, and generating an output frame containing the extracted image.

Abstract: A method is described for generating a video stream by starting from a plurality of sequences of 2D and/or 3D video frames, wherein a video stream generator composes into a container video frame video frames coming from N different sources (S1, S2, S3, SN) and generates a single output video stream of container video frames which is coded by an encoder, wherein said encoder enters into the output video stream a signalling adapted to indicate the structure of the container video frames. A corresponding method for regenerating the video stream is also described.