Abstract: Controlling trick plays, such as play, pause, fast forward, and rewind, of a plurality of content items includes respectively assigning, via a remote-control device, a plurality of trick-play bars to the plurality of content items. The plurality of trick-play bars is operative on the remote-control device. The controlling further includes directing, via the remote-control device, a plurality of media devices to respectively play the plurality of content items. The controlling further includes displaying, on the remote-control device, the plurality of trick-play bars based on the assigning of the plurality of trick-play bars to the plurality of content items, and controlling an operation, via the remote-control device, of a trick play of one of the plurality of content items, respectively, via an input respectively received by one of the plurality of trick-play bars.

Abstract: A method for presenting information associated with a contact for video calling is disclosed. The method comprises storing a list of favorite contacts of a user. In an electronic program guide (EPG) user interface, a plurality of contact identifiers corresponding to the list of favorite contacts is displayed together with program information. An input from the user is received to highlight a selected one of the contact identifiers. In the EPG user interface, a status video associated with a contact associated with the selected one of the contact identifiers is displayed.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing distance-based distortion in a camera image of an object, where the distanced-based distortion is due to differences in distance from the camera to different parts of the object. In one approach, the distortion is reduced by estimating distances to different parts of the object and then generating a reprojected image of the object dependent upon the estimated distances and upon a virtual viewpoint that is more distant than the camera from the object. In a further approach, the image is warped such that points in the image match corresponding points in one or more stored templates. In a still further approach, if excessive distortion is present in the image, the camera zoom is increased and a magnified image is displayed, prompting a person to move farther from the camera thereby reducing the distortion.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing distance-based distortion in a camera image of an object, where the distanced-based distortion is due to differences in distance from the camera to different parts of the object. In one approach, the distortion is reduced by estimating distances to different parts of the object and then generating a reprojected image of the object dependent upon the estimated distances and upon a virtual viewpoint that is more distant than the camera from the object. In a further approach, the image is warped such that points in the image match corresponding points in one or more stored templates. In a still further approach, if excessive distortion is present in the image, the camera zoom is increased and a magnified image is displayed, prompting a person to move farther from the camera thereby reducing the distortion.

Abstract: A compressed digital representation of an original image, or sequence of images, that includes compressed model parameters and a compressed digital representation of a difference image. The model parameters describe the image with reference to a model. The difference image is formed as a difference between the original image and a synthetic image rendered from the model parameters. The compressed digital representation may be generated by an encoder and the original image or sequence of images may be recovered by a decoder.