Abstract: A system and method for the on-demand transcoding of media content from a source type to a destination type is provided, wherein the system includes a plurality of transcoders for transcoding from a plurality of source types to a plurality of destination types, and wherein the system receives a transcoding request for media content, fetches the media content in response to the transcoding request, sends the media content to one of the plurality of transcoders based on the source type and destination type, transcodes the media content from the source type to the destination type, thereby generating transcoded media content, and transmits the transcoded media content. The system fetches, sends, and transcodes the media content and transmits the transcoded media content in a pipelined fashion. The system also provides for the publication of media content as a file or stream of digital data, for the archiving of media content, and the caching of transcoded media content to improve system efficiency.

Abstract: A method of compressing data representing a plurality of pixels consecutively arranged along a line of an image to be displayed on a computer controlled display is described. The method includes the step of determining color of an initial pixel of the plurality of pixels. The value of a pixel count is then incremented. The value of the pixel count indicates the number of pixels in that color. The color of an adjacent pixel of the initial pixel is then determined. If the color of the adjacent pixel is identical to the color of the initial pixel, then the adjacent pixel is caused to be the initial pixel and the step of incrementing the value of the pixel count is performed. The method then moves to determine the color of the next pixel. If the color of the adjacent pixel is different from the color of the initial pixel, then a datum indicating the color of the initial pixel and the value of the pixel count is generated.

Abstract: A method for generating an image having anti-aliasing effect for display on a display system is described. An outline of the image is first generated. The outline includes a plurality of outline points defining a plurality of horizontal and vertical edges of the outline. The outline is then grid-fitted onto a target grid with each of the outline points located at the center of one of a plurality of grid boxes of the target grid such that each of the horizontal and vertical edges of the outline extends through some of the grid boxes of the target grid. The anti-aliasing effect is provided to the grid-fitted outline by determining gray scale of each grid box of the target grid through which one of the horizontal and vertical edges extends. The image has a sharp display image on the display system while having minimized aliasing. An apparatus is also described for generating an image having anti-aliasing effect for display on a computer controlled display system.