Abstract: There is provided a preview distribution technique capable of realizing a flexible preview distribution between a distribution side and a user side. According to the technique, preview meta data describing reference destination information to the preview-constituting data of a plurality of types constituting the content preview is transmitted to a reception terminal. The reception terminal acquires the preview-constituting data by using the reference destination information described in the preview meta data and generates/reproduces the preview. Thus, when modifying the preview, the reception terminal can reproduce the preview after the modification, by acquiring only the data constituting the preview of the modified part, thereby easily modifying the data constituting the preview. That is, it is possible to perform a flexible preview distribution.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image recognition apparatus with enhanced performance and robustness. In an image recognition apparatus 1, an image classification information accumulating unit 20 stores therein feature information defining visual features of various objects obtained through a learning process. For classification of input images, an image feature obtaining unit 18 extracts descriptors indicating features from each input image, image vocabularies corresponding to the descriptors are voted, and a classifying unit 19 calculates existence probabilities of one or more candidate objects, based on the result of the voting. According to the existence probabilities, objects contained in the image is identified. Through the calculation, the existence probabilities are adjusted by an exclusive classifier, based on exclusive relationship information defining exclusive object sets each containing different objects (object labels) predicted not to coexist in a same image.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: An image decoding method is provided which includes a time information determination step of determining time information of a current picture, a first reference picture referred to by the current picture and a second reference picture referred to by the current picture; a scaling parameter calculation step of calculating a scaling parameter based on a time distance between the first reference picture and a second reference picture; a weighting coefficient determination step of determining two weighting coefficients based on the scaling parameter; a predictive pixel value generation step of generating a predictive pixel value of the current picture by scaling a pixel value of the first reference picture and a pixel value of the second reference picture using the two weighting coefficients determined in the weighting coefficient determination step; and a decoding step of decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value.

Abstract: An image decoding method is provided for generating a predictive pixel value of a current picture to be decoded, and decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value. The method includes a first parameter calculation step of calculating a first parameter corresponding to a distance between the current picture and a first reference picture; a second parameter calculation step of calculating a second parameter corresponding to a distance between the first reference picture and a second reference picture; a judgment step of judging whether or not a value of a third parameter calculated using a value obtained by dividing the first parameter by the second parameter is a value which is represented by a plurality of bits; a predictive pixel value generation step of generating a predictive pixel value of the current picture; and a decoding step of decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for motion blur and ghosting prevention in imaging system is presented. A residue image is computed by performing spatial-temporal filter with a set of absolute image difference of image pairs from input images. A noise adaptive pixel threshold is computed for every pixel based on noise statistics of image sensor. The residue image and the noise adaptive pixel threshold are used to create a motion masking map. The motion masking map is used to represent motion and non-motion pixels in pixels merging. The pixels merging step is performed to generate an output image by considering the motion pixels where the motion pixels are performed separately. The resulting output image having no or less motion blur and ghosting artifacts can be obtained, even the input images having different degree of motion blur between each of the image, while the complexity is low. It is preferred that the current invention is applied in the Bayer raw domain.

Abstract: A semiconductor for decoding coded image and audio data, which includes an audio processor that decodes coded audio data, and an image decoder that decodes image data. The image decoder removes coding distortion in pixels of two adjacent transform blocks which are motion-compensated, having a coded motion compensation error equal to zero, and are located inside a same macroblock. The image decoder includes a motion compensation block boundary detector that determines whether the motion compensation error of the two adjacent transform blocks located inside the macroblock is zero, and determines whether a boundary of two adjacent transform block is also a boundary of two adjacent motion-compensation blocks. The image decoder also includes a filter that removes coding distortion in pixels of the two adjacent transform blocks, and a selector that selects whether or not the filter removes the coding distortion based on the determination of the motion compensation block boundary detector.

Abstract: An image generation apparatus includes: a pixel-shifted image generation unit which generates a first pixel-shifted image resulting from a process of shifting, based on an input image and a depth map, a pixel in the input image by a shift amount corresponding to the new viewpoint, and a second pixel-shifted image resulting from a process of shifting, by the same shift amount as for the first pixel-shifted image, a pixel in a background edge image included in the input image and containing a pixel located in a background region around an edge of a foreground object; an image fusion unit which fuses the second pixel-shifted image and the first pixel-shifted image to include a background region in the second pixel-shifted image into a hole; and a hole filling unit which fills the hole with pixel information based on the fused pixel-shifted image.

Abstract: A motion estimation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a motion estimation apparatus for estimating, using a set of multi-focus images which correspond to a single scene and have different focuses, motion for each of the first regions included in the scene, including: a cost value computing unit configured to compute, using the set of multi-focus images, for each of the first regions, a cost value indicating a difference between a blur amount of the first region and a standard blur amount determined for each of distances in a depth direction; and a motion estimation unit configured to estimate, using the cost value, the motion of the first region corresponding to the cost value.

Abstract: A semiconductor for decoding coded image and audio data, which includes an audio processor that decodes coded audio data, and an image decoder that decodes image data. The image decoder removes coding distortion in pixels of two adjacent transform blocks which are motion-compensated, having a coded motion compensation error equal to zero, and are located inside a same macroblock. The image decoder includes a motion compensation block boundary detector that determines whether the motion compensation error of the two adjacent transform blocks located inside the macroblock is zero, and determines whether a boundary of two adjacent transform block is also a boundary of two adjacent motion-compensation blocks. The image decoder also includes a filter that removes coding distortion in pixels of the two adjacent transform blocks, and a selector that selects whether or not the filter removes the coding distortion based on the determination of the motion compensation block boundary detector.

Abstract: Mosaic-shaped block noise occurs when a compressed video signal is reproduced. This block noise is removed, but removing block noise from every block using a deblocking filter imposes a significant load on the deblocking filter. This load is therefore reduced by determining whether coding distortion removal (deblocking) is necessary, and applying a deblocking filter only when needed.

Abstract: To enhance the accuracy of image alignment performed to reduce a vertical disparity between a first image and a second image that are images of the same object captured from different viewpoints, an image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a division unit which divides each of the first image and the second image into a plurality of sub-regions; and an extraction unit which performs feature point extraction on each of the sub-regions, wherein the extraction unit performs the feature point extraction in such a manner that a value indicating a degree of variation among the sub-regions in total number of extracted feature points is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

Abstract: A method for coding a picture segmented into a plurality of blocks. The method decodes the coded blocks to produce a reproduced image. A filter selection parameter determines a threshold value for each quantization parameter, so as to change between a mode to effect coding distortion removal by a filter and a mode not to effect the coding distortion removal. The determined filter selection parameter is coded. A difference between pixel values of pixels in the adjacent blocks on both sides of a boundary between adjacent blocks forming the reproduced image is compared with the determined threshold value determined by the filter selection parameter, and the coding distortion is removed using the filter when the difference is smaller than the threshold value, and not removed when the difference is larger than the threshold value.

Abstract: An image decoding method is provided for generating a predictive pixel value of a current picture to be decoded, and decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value. The method includes a first parameter calculation step of calculating a first parameter corresponding to a distance between the current picture and a first reference picture; a second parameter calculation step of calculating a second parameter corresponding to a distance between the first reference picture and a second reference picture; a judgment step of judging whether or not a value of a third parameter calculated using a value obtained by dividing the first parameter by the second parameter is a value which is represented by a plurality of bits; a predictive pixel value generation step of generating a predictive pixel value of the current picture; and a decoding step of decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value.

Abstract: An image capturing device includes: a pre-capturing module which captures an imaging target at each of different focus positions in a predetermined focus range and outputs, as a capturing result, a plurality of pre-captured images lower in resolution than the output image; an object sharpness evaluating module which computes a sharpness level of each of the pre-captured images captured by the pre-capturing module; a focus varying range determining module which determines a focus position varying range within the predetermined focus range based on sharpness levels computed by the object sharpness evaluating module, such that a signal-to-noise ratio of the output image is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; and an image capturing module which captures the imaging target while varying the focus position according to the focus position varying range determined by the focus varying range determining module, and outputs the output image as a capturing result.

Abstract: A device which transmits an ISMA media stream subjected to MPEG-4 IPMP extension. An ISMA media stream having an ISMA header and including contents as a payload is constituted, an IPMP tool list descriptor representing, as a tool required for processing of the contents, at least one tool selected from a group including an IPMP tool, an ISMA Cryp decryption tool, and a key management system (KMS) tool is buried in the media stream, and the ISMA media stream is transmitted.