Abstract: A method of substituting a primary content (110) being transmitted on a primary channel (100) with a secondary content (220) corresponding to a content being transmitted on a secondary channel (200), characterized by substituting the secondary content in response to a highlight occurring in the content transmitted on the secondary channel (210-3), said secondary content (220) being a summary of the content already transmitted on the secondary channel. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the program being transmitted on the secondary channel (200) corresponds to a live event.

Abstract: A security system provides a security score (125) that corresponds to a likelihood that received content material (101) is authorized to be rendered, and controls (250) the rendering of the material based on the security score (125). The security score (125) can be compared (240) to a security criteria (151) that is associated with the material being rendered, so that different material impose different constraints. The security score (125) may also control (320) a level of quality/fidelity of the rendering of the material, so that, for example, a high-fidelity copy of the material is only provided when a high degree of confidence is established that providing a copy is authorized.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of enabling to represent content items, the method comprising a step of obtaining a plurality of content item summary data of a respective one of the content items. The invention also relates to a device (210) for enabling to represent content items. The method comprises steps of—(HO) obtaining a plurality of content item summary data of a respective one of the content items, (130) determining a rating of each content item summary data, (140) selecting, from the plurality of the content item summary data, at least one further content item summary data on the basis of the respective rating, and—(150) enabling to generate meta summary data including the at least one further content item summary data.

Abstract: A portion 301-303 of a content stream 300 for a program is automatically summarized using a summarization function mapping the program to a new segment space and depending upon whether the content portion is a beginning, intermediate, or ending portion of the content stream 300. The summary generated also depends on the duration of the summarized segment, the selected length of the summary, program type (live broadcast or replay from storage), genre, and personalized user profile information. A full summary of the entire program, if available, may be employed in generating the content portion summary. Automatic video content analysis, together with analysis of subtitles or ancillary information sources, if either is available, may be employed to generate the summary.

Abstract: Method of updating an initial summary (110) of a content item (100) that comprises a plurality of segments (101a . . . 101l) each having a respective initial importance score. The initial summary (110) comprises a subset of the plurality of segments of the content item (100) that have been selected based on their respective importance scores.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of processing digital coded video data available in the form of a video stream consisting of consecutive frames divided into slices. The frames include at least I-frames, coded without any reference to other frames, P-frames, temporally disposed between said I-frames and predicted from at least a previous I- or P-frame, and B-frames, temporally disposed between an I-frame and a P-frame, or between two P-frames, and bidirectionally predicted from at least these two frames between which they are disposed.

Abstract: The present invention enables combining personal media content and additional content with the purpose of generating a more appealing and engaging experience to the user when being presented the personal media content. The invention therefore relates to a method and a device for generating a multimedia presentation, comprising obtaining a user selection of a first media file (step 202), obtaining a user selection of a media file source (step 208), matching content associated data of the first media file, with content associated data of at least one second media file from the media file source (step 214), generating at least one user inquiry related to the content associated data of at least the first media file (step 216), and creating the multimedia presentation, based on the first media file and the at least one second media file, said multimedia presentation comprising the at least one generated user inquiry (step 218).

Abstract: Method and device for providing a summary of a plurality of images, e.g. a video sequence. The method includes dividing the video sequence into a plurality of segments. The segments are analyzed with respect to content and a set of content descriptors are associated to the segments. Preferably, additional textual information about the segments, screenplay etc., is used to determine the content descriptors. A graph representing relations between the segments is constructed indicating relations between segments. Weights are associated to the relations so as to represent a measure of relation, e.g. a logical correlation, between segments. The weights are based on the calculated content descriptors. A relevance measure for a segment is determined based on all weights associated with relations to said segment. Finally, a summary is generated by selecting the most relevant segments.

Abstract: The invention relates to a coding method applied to digital video data available in the form of a video stream consisting of consecutive frames. These frames, divided into macroblocks, include at least I-frames, independently coded, or P-frames, temporally disposed between said I-frames and predicted from at least a previous I- or P-frame, or B-frames, temporally disposed between an I-frame and a P-frame, or between two P-frames, and bidirectionally predicted from at least these two frames between which they are disposed, said predictions of P- and B-frames being performed by means of a weighted prediction with unequal amount of prediction from the past and the future.

Abstract: The invention relates to a coding method applied to digital video data available in the form of a video stream consisting of consecutive frames divided into macroblocks. These frames are coded in the form of at least I-frames, coded independently, P-frames, predicted from at least a previous I- or P-frame, and B-frames, bidirectionally predicted from at least two frames between which they are disposed.

Abstract: An apparatus for content item signature matching comprises a database (103) which has signatures for a plurality of content items. A likelihood processor (105) determines a match likelihood indication for the content items where the match likelihood indication is indicative of a likelihood of a match between the content item and an unknown signature. An interface (111) receives a query signature associated with a content item and in response a search processor (113) searches the database (103) for a matching signature to the query signature. The search processor (113) is operable to search the database in response to the match likelihood indication of the plurality of content items. In particular the database (103) may be ordered in order of decreasing probability of a match and the search processor (113) may search the database in this order. Hence, the probability of an early match is increased and the average search time is reduced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the type of shot of an image is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of: assigning (203, 205) portions of the image to at least a first cluster or a second cluster, the clusters having different ranges of depth values associated therewith; and determining (207, 209) the shot type of the image on the basis of whether both the first and second clusters have been assigned at least one portion or whether there is a stepped or gradual change in the difference between the depth of the first and second clusters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are that restrict access to digital content to an authorized user on one or more systems using biometric watermarks. The disclosed biometric watermarking techniques allow an authorized user to be uniquely identified. Access to digital content is restricted to digital content in accordance with the present invention by embedding a biometric watermark, such as a biometric image, in the content. Thereafter, a user can only access the content if a biometric sample of the user matches the embedded biometric watermark. In one variation, the user can only access the content if the biometric sample is a live biometric sample. The embedded biometric watermark optionally includes information describing a system employed by the user to obtain the content. The user can optionally be permitted to access the content, without a biometric evaluation, if the content is on a system that has been previously authorized for the user using a biometric evaluation.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and computer system for automatic generation of trailers. More specifically it relates to a method for generating revenues from providers of content data. The method generally comprises the steps of finding product placement data in a super set of data. When these product placements have been found they are preferably matched with a user profile and segments, of the superset comprising these product placements with a positive match, are selected and merged into a subset of data. A counter may keep track of which product placement that has been chosen and how many times a product placement has been chosen and viewed. Based on the value of the counter an invoice is created.

Abstract: A method and system characterizes (220) individual news stories and identifies (230) a common news story among a variety of stories based on this characterization. A composite story is created (240-280) for the common news story, preferably using a structure that is based on a common structure of the different versions of the story. The selection of video segments (110) from the different versions of the story for inclusion in the composite story is based on determined rankings (260, 270) of the video and audio content of the video segments (110).

Abstract: Multiple biometric samples (180) of an authorized user are associated with protected material (170), and access (250) to protected material (170) is based on a comparison of a sample (210) of a biometric to these multiple protection-samples (180) of the biometric. The likelihood of wrongly-denying access to the material is controlled by the criteria used in the comparison (240) of the access-sample to each protection-sample. The likelihood of wrongly-allowing access to the material is controlled by the criteria used to grant access (370) based on the multiple comparisons. To further control the likelihood of wrongly-allowing access to the material, multiple biometric samples (210) are collected during the access-granting period, and these multiple access-samples (210) are compared to the multiple protection-samples (180).

Abstract: Summarization of audio and/or visual data based on clustering of object type features is disclosed. Summaries of video, audio and/or audiovisual data may be provided without any need of knowledge about the true identity of the objects that are present in the data. In one embodiment of the invention are video summaries of movies provided. The summarization comprising the steps of inputting audio and/or visual data, locating an object in a frame of the data, such as locating a face of an actor, extracting type features of the located object in the frame. The extraction of type features is done for a plurality of frames and similar type features are grouped together in individual clusters, each cluster being linked to an identity of the object. After the processing of the video content, the largest clusters correspond to the most important persons in the video.

Abstract: A system and method augments a recorded lecture (110) based on the importance of the material and/or based on a student's needs. The importance of each segment of the lecture material (110) is based at least in part on questions from prior exams (120), and the student's needs are based at least in part on the student's performance (130) on prior exams. The method (410-440) of presenting the augmented material to the student may also be customized based on the student's learning style.

Abstract: Estimating a signal power in a compressed audio signal [A] is provided, the audio signal comprising blocks of quantized samples, a given block being provided with a set of scale factors. The estimating is performed by extracting the set of scale factors from the compressed audio signal, and estimating the signal power in the given block based on a combination of the scale factors. Advantageously, the extracting step and estimating step are performed on only a sub-set of the set of scale factors. The signal power estimation may be used in a silence detector (11) for use in a receiver (1).

Abstract: System for the production of images the system comprising one or more cameras (2,3,4,2a,3a,4a) for providing overlapping images on a base (1), the system comprising a merger (5) for merging one or more overlapping images supplied by one or more of the cameras into a composite image (6). The merging process takes into account that the base is rotating with a rotational speed ?).