Abstract: Metadata is associated with media elements in a content store during automatic composition of media articles. The metadata includes relationship data indicating how what is portrayed by that media element relates to what is portrayed by one or more other media elements. Because relationship metadata is included media articles can be generated automatically with the need for the production of a detailed framework describing that media article.

Abstract: Global motion between frames of a motion-compensated inter-frame encoded video sequence is estimated directly from the motion vectors encoded within the frames. For any particular frame, the motion vectors are first decoded, and a finite number of sets of vectors are selected. An affine or other geometrical transform is then used to generate a motion estimation for each set, and then the least median squared error present in each motion estimation is calculated for each estimation. The motion estimation with the smallest least median squared error is then selected as being representative of the global motion in the image of the frame. A panoramic image generating method and system makes uses of the global motion estimations thus obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to estimating the global motion between frames of a motion-compensated inter-frame encoded video sequence, directly from the motion vectors encoded within the frames. For any particular frame, a motion estimation is determined from motion vectors direct from the frame's anchor frame to the frame in question. This motion estimation is then checked against pre-determined criteria, and where the criteria are not met, re-estimation along a different route is performed, using the bi-directional motion vectors contained within B-frames. A panoramic image generating method and system which makes uses of the global motion estimations thus obtained is also described.

Abstract: A computer apparatus which uses a database (22) to offer persistent storage of metadata (36) describing the content of media files (32). Metadata is used to create a personalized media article (48) from those media files. That metadata also indicates relationships between those media files. In order to accelerate the creation of the personalized media article (48), media element metadata items are stored in a cache. The usefulness of this cache is improved further by reading related media elements data from retrieved metadata items (36), and then pre-fetching those items and placing them in the cache. Because the relatedness of the data items means that the related data item is more likely to be required in the near future, the caching method is more useful than known caching methods. Furthermore, the improved usefulness of the cache is achieved without placing constraints on where the data items are placed in the persistent storage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting the likelihood of an avatar under the control of a user in a virtual environment moving with a predetermined range of a boundary as disclosed in which the movement of the avatar in the virtual environment is monitored for a period of time, a model of avatar movement is determined using the monitor movement, and the likelihood of the avatar movement within the predetermined of a boundary is predicted using the model.

Abstract: The invention relates to estimating the global motion between frames of a motion-compensated inter-frame encoded video sequence, directly from the motion vectors encoded within the frames. For any particular frame, the motion vectors are first decoded, and a finite number of sets of vectors are selected. An affine or other geometrical transform is then used to generate a motion estimation for each set, and then the least median squared error present in each motion estimation is calculated for each estimation. The motion estimation with the smallest least median squared error is then selected as being representative of the global motion in the image of the frame.

Abstract: The invention relates to generating panoramic images of foreground and background panorama. Within mosaiced panoramic images there will often be more than one pixel value available for each pixel position. In the invention pixel values for a foreground panoramic image are selected by taking the most extraordinary pixel as foreground, and pixel values for a background image are selected by taking a median pixel value. We have found that such pixel selection gives improved results with respect to the prior art.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the automatic composition of media articles is disclosed. Previous attempts to do this have involved the manual production of a detailed framework listing the types of media elements that might be inserted into the slots specified in that framework and the subsequent selection of media elements for those slots. The present invention improves upon this by associating metadata (51) with the media elements in a content store, which metadata includes relationship data indicating how what is portrayed by that media element relates to what is portrayed by one or more other media elements. Because relationship metadata is included media articles can be generated automatically with the need for the production of a detailed framework describing that media article.

Abstract: Each terminal of a computer network can monitor the activities of the other terminals or associated equipment such as a telephone and display these activities in visual and/or audible form. The display may be represented as a “virtual world”, and/or a generative music system such as “Koan”. The nature of the activities performed by the terminal itself also control the display, for example giving greatest prominence to those terminals engaged in similar or related activities. A terminal may be configured to act as a specified user's “base” terminal, to display the activity of the specified user, by identifying whether the specified user's identity is being used on another terminal. The activity of this terminal can then be displayed on the “base” terminal. The base terminal can therefore indicate the absent user's availability, level of activity, etc. to colleagues working nearby.

Abstract: A distributed virtual environment includes one or more entities represented in the virtual environment by at least a conceptual entity-model, a dynamic entity-model and a visual entity-model each of the entity models being mutually independent. A server provides a conceptual-model manager, arranged to provide conceptual entity-models, one or more dynamic-model managers arranged to provide dynamic entity-models, and one or more client apparatuses arranged to provide a visual-model manager arranged to provide visual entity-models. Communications is arranged to allow transmission of messages between the conceptual-model manager, one or more dynamic-model managers and one or more visual-model managers.