Abstract: A method and system processes a compressed input video. The compressed input video is processed to produce an interlaced picture, and macroblock coding information of the input video. The interlaced picture has a first spatial resolution, and a top-field and a bottom-field. The top-field and the bottom-field of the interlaced picture are filtered adaptively according to the macroblock coding information to produce a progressive picture with a second spatial resolution less than the first spatial resolution.

Abstract: A method filters pixels in an image, by first partitioning the image into blocks. Edge block are identified. A variance of an intensity for each pixel in each edge block is determined. Then, each pixel in each edge block is filtered with a filter that is dependant on the variance of the pixel.

Abstract: A method conceals errors in an infra-frame of compressed video. The intra-frame is decoded to multiple macroblocks. Each macroblock including pixels arranged in a rectangular array. A lost macroblock is identified during the decoding. Pixels along an outer boundary of the lost macroblock are concealed from nearest candidate pixels along outer boundaries of macroblocks immediately adjacent to the lost macroblock. All other pixels in the lost macroblock are concealed from nearest candidate pixels selected from previously concealed pixels in the lost macroblock.

Abstract: A method transcodes a compressed multi-layer video bitstream that includes a base layer bitstream and an enhancement layer bitstream. The base and enhancement layers are first partially decoded, and then the partially decoded signals are combined with a motion compensated signal yielding a combined signal. The combined signal is quantized into an output signal according to a quantization parameter, and the output signal is variable length encoded as a single layer bitstream. In a preprocessing step, the enhancement layer can be truncated according to rate control constraint, and the same constraints can also be used during the quantization.

Abstract: A method for generating a representation of multimedia content by first segmenting the multimedia content spatially and temporally to extract objects. Feature extraction is applied to the objects to produce semantic and syntactic attributes, relations, and a containment set of content entities. The content entities are coded to produce directed acyclic graphs of the content entities, where each directed acyclic graph represents a particular interpretation of the multimedia content. Attributes of each content entity are measured and the measured attributes are assigned to each corresponding content entity in the directed acyclic graphs to rank order the multimedia content.

Abstract: A model stored in a memory accessible by a video transcoder includes a first rate-distortion function modeling a requantization of an input video. A second-rate distortion function models a resynchronization marker insertion rate for the transcoded video, and a third rate-distortion function models an intra-block insertion rate for the transcoded video.

Abstract: A method classifies pixels in an image by first partitioning the image into blocks. A variance of an intensity is determined for each pixel, and for each block the pixel with the maximum variance is identified. Then, the blocks are classified into classes according to the maximum variance.

Abstract: A method acquires a plurality of input videos. The frames of each input video are acquired at a fixed sampling rate. Joint analysis is applied concurrently and in parallel to the input videos to determine a variable and non-uniform temporal sampling rate for each input video so that a combined distortion is minimized and a combined frame rate constraint is satisfied. Each input video is then sampled at the associated variable and non-uniform temporal sampling rate to produce output videos having variable temporal resolutions.

Abstract: A method encodes an inter-frame of a compressed video, the inter-frame including multiple macroblocks in a predetermined order. Each macroblock has an associated motion vector. For each current macroblock in the predetermined order, a set of near macroblocks are identified. An index is assigned to each near macroblock. A difference between the motion vector of the current macroblock and the motion vector of each near macroblocks is determined. The indices of the near macroblocks are then sorted in order of the differences and appended to the inter-frame.

Abstract: A method encodes a video by first measuring a variance of pixel intensities in a current frame. A number of bits to encode the current frame is assigned according to rate and buffer fullness constraints. A multiplier value is determined directly as a function of only the variance and the number of bits assigned to the current frame. Motion vectors between a reference frame and the current frame are estimated, and a sum of absolute difference (SAD) is based on a motion compensated residual between the reference frame and the current frame. An encoding mode is determined for each macro block in the current frame based on the sum of absolute difference, the motion vectors and the multiplier value. Then, the motion compensated residual is encoded based on the encoding mode, multiplier value and the number of allocated bits.

Abstract: A method randomly accesses multiview videos. Multiview videos are acquired of a scene with corresponding cameras arranged at poses, such that there is view overlap between any pair of cameras. V-frames are generated from the multiview videos. The V-frames are encoded using only spatial prediction. Then, the V-frames are inserted periodically in an encoded bit stream to provide random temporal access to the multiview videos. Additional view dependency information enables the decoding of a reduced number of frames prior to accessing randomly a target frame for a specified view and time, and decoding the target frame.

Abstract: A method encodes a video as video objects. For each candidate object, a quantizer parameter and a skip parameter that jointly minimizes an average total distortion in the video are determined while satisfying predetermined constraints. The average total distortion includes spatial distortion of coded objects and spatial and temporal distortion of uncoded objects. Then, the candidate objects is encoded as the coded objects with the quantizer parameter and the skip parameter, and the candidate objects is skipped as the uncoded objects with the skip parameter.

Abstract: A method and system reduces the spatial resolution of a compressed bitstream of a sequence of frames of a video signal by first decoding the frames, and storing the decoded frames in a first frame buffer. While performing the decoding, motion compensating is performed with full resolution motion vectors of the stored decoded frames. The decoded frames are then down-sampled to a reduced resolution, and stored in a second frame buffer. The reduced resolution frames are partially encoded to produce a reduced resolution compressed bitstream of the video. While performing the partial encoding, motion compensation is performed with reduced resolution motion vectors of the stored reduced resolution frames.

Abstract: A method and system transcodes an input video to a lower spatial resolution. The input video is first decoded into pictures. Each picture includes a set of macroblocks. Each picture sub-sampled to a downscaled picture having a lower spatial resolution. A quantization scale is selected for each macroblock in the downscaled picture. A set of motion vectors is generated for each macroblock in the downscaled picture. A multiplier value based on the quantization scale is determined for each macroblock in the downscaled picture. One of a plurality of encoding modes is selected for each macroblock in the downscaled picture according to the quantization scale, the motion vectors, and the multiplier value. Then, each macroblock in each downscaled picture is encoded according to the quantization scale, the selected encoding mode, and the set of motion vectors to produce an output video having a lower spatial resolution that the input video.

Abstract: A method segments a video into objects, without user assistance. An MPEG compressed video is converted to a structure called a pseudo spatial/temporal data using DCT coefficients and motion vectors. The compressed video is first parsed and the pseudo spatial/temporal data are formed. Seeds macro-blocks are identified using, e.g., the DCT coefficients and changes in the motion vector of macro-blocks. A video volume is “grown” around each seed macro-block using the DCT coefficients and motion distance criteria. Self-descriptors are assigned to the volume, and mutual descriptors are assigned to pairs of similar volumes. These descriptors capture motion and spatial information of the volumes. Similarity scores are determined for each possible pair-wise combination of volumes. The pair of volumes that gives the largest score is combined iteratively. In the combining stage, volumes are classified and represented in a multi-resolution coarse-to-fine hierarchy of video objects.

Abstract: A method adaptively encodes a video including a sequence of images, where each image is a picture of two fields. Each image is first separated into a top-field and a bottom-field. Motion activity is extracted from the top-field and the bottom-field, and each image is encoded using either frame encoding or field encoding depending on the extracted motion activity.

Abstract: A method compensates for drift in macroblocks of a partially decoded input bitstream. The macroblocks include intra-mode and inter-mode macroblocks, and each macroblock includes DCT coefficients, and at least one motion vector. An estimate of drift is measured in the partially decoded input bitstream. The estimated drift is translated into an intra refresh rate. The modes of inter-mode macroblock are mapped to intra-mode macroblock according to the refresh rate. The DCT coefficients and the motion vector for each changed macroblock are modified in accordance with the mapping for each changed macroblock.

Abstract: A method randomly accesses multiview videos. Multiview videos are acquired of a scene with corresponding cameras arranged at poses, such that there is view overlap between any pair of cameras. V-frames are generated from the multiview videos. The V-frames are encoded using only spatial prediction. Then, the V-frames are inserted periodically in an encoded bitstream to provide random temporal access to the multiview videos.

Abstract: A system and method manages multiview videos. A reference picture list is maintained for each current frame of multiple multiview videos. The reference picture list indexes temporal reference pictures, spatial reference pictures and synthesized reference pictures of the multiview videos. Then, each current frame of the multiview videos is predicted according to reference pictures indexed by the associated reference picture list during encoding and decoding.

Abstract: A system and method synthesizes multiview videos. Multiview videos are acquired of a scene with corresponding cameras arranged at a poses such that there is view overlap between any pair of cameras. A synthesized multiview video is generated from the acquired multiview videos for a virtual camera. A reference picture list is maintained for each current frame of each of the multiview videos and the synthesized video. The reference picture list indexes temporal reference pictures and spatial reference pictures of the acquired multiview videos and the synthesized reference pictures of the synthesized multiview video. Then, each current frame of the multiview videos is predicted according to reference pictures indexed by the associated reference picture list during encoding and decoding.