Abstract: A device and a process for compressing video documents. The process includes decomposition of the video document into shots, extraction of images representative of the said shots, measurement of the distances between the said representative images, grouping of the images whose distance is less than a predetermined threshold into a group of images, calculation of the relative cost of coding of each image with respect to the other images of the group of images. The process further includes calculation of a minimum spanning tree for each group of images minimizing the cost of coding of each group of images and coding of each group of images by browsing the images in the order given by the said spanning tree.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of selecting sound contents transmitted by transmission channels and received by an audio or audiovisual receiver. A user first selects a received content and starts playback. Then, the receiver automatically searches among the contents transmitted by the transmission channels for a content whose audio parameters have values close to the values of a previously selected content and plays it back at the end of the current content. The operation is renewed each time the current content ends. According to a refinement, the receiver has a memory that makes it possible to offset the playback of the content in time and thus best synchronize the playback of the various selected contents. The invention also relates to an appliance capable of selecting audio contents originating from several channels and having similar audio characteristics, and playing them back automatically.

Abstract: The invention relates to a speech recognition process implemented in at least one terminal (114), the speech recognition process using a language model (311), comprising the following steps: detection (502) of at least one unrecognized expression in one of the terminals; recording (503) in the terminal of data representative of the unrecognized expression (309); transmission (603) by the terminal of the recorded data to a remote server (116); analysis, (803) at the level of the remote server, of the data and generation (805) of information for correcting the said language model taking account of at least one part of the unrecognized expression; and transmission (806) from the server to at least one terminal (114, 117, 118) of the correcting information, so as to allow future recognition of at least certain of the unrecognized expressions. The invention also relates to corresponding modules, devices (102) and a remote server (116).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of selecting sound contents transmitted by transmission channels and received by an audio or audiovisual receiver. A user first selects a received content and starts playback. Then, the receiver automatically searches among the contents transmitted by the transmission channels for a content whose audio parameters have values close to the values of a previously selected content and plays it back at the end of the current content. The operation is renewed each time the current content ends. According to a refinement, the receiver has a memory that makes it possible to offset the playback of the content in time and thus best synchronize the playback of the various selected contents. The invention also relates to an appliance capable of selecting audio contents originating from several channels and having similar audio characteristics, and playing them back automatically.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system are provided for creating an Edit Manipulation List for selectively manipulating (e.g., playing back) portions of previously recorded media content. In one embodiment of the present invention, the creation of an Edit Playback List for selectively playing back portions of previously recorded media content includes delimiting key events in said previously recorded media content by identifying media segments within the previously recorded media content that are capable and desirable of being selectively played back and enabling a selective playback of the identified media segments. In an embodiment of the present invention, a user interface is provided for enabling a user to select which ones of the identified media segments are to be played back, thus creating an Edit Playback List.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for transmitting service information in a television system. The invention relates more particularly to the providing of an upgradeable summary tied to the broadcasting of an event. Versions of the summary are transmitted at certain moments in the service information. These versions are concatenated in the receiver so that the result of the concatenation constitutes a summary of that part of the event which has already been broadcast. The invention also relates to a receiver for receiving service information in such a television system, to the process for processing this service information at the level of this receiver and to the transmitter implementing the transmission process according to the invention.

Abstract: A method for creating a menu for audio content, e.g. music tracks, uses means for classifying the audio content into clusters of similar tracks, the similarity referring to physical, perceptual and psychological features of the tracks. The method comprises a means for automatic representative selection for clusters, and a means for generating thumbnail representations of audio tracks. Said audio thumbnails are associated to the menu. Advantageously, no graphical or textual display is required for navigation, since the user may listen to an audio thumbnail and then enter a command, e.g. by pressing an appropriate button, for either listening to the related track or a similar track belonging to the same cluster, or listening to another type of music by selecting another thumbnail representing another cluster.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for displaying an object that features in a panorama moving on a screen. The method includes a step for positioning a target zone of the panorama surrounding the object in a predetermined window of the screen, and a step for replacing the said target zone of the panorama by a video sequence that includes the object, the positioning and replacement steps being activated in response to an activation control. Among other aspects, with this method, the visual discontinuities between the panorama and the video sequence can be reduced. The invention also relates to a receiver of audiovisual transmissions, which receiver includes means for implementing the above method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a process for compressing video documents. The process comprises the steps of: decomposition of the video document into shots, extraction of images representative of the said shots, measurement of the distances between the said representative images, grouping of the images whose distance is less than a predetermined threshold into a group of images, calculation of the relative cost of coding of each image with respect to the other images of the group of images, according to the invention, the process furthermore comprises the steps of calculation of a minimum spanning tree for each group of images minimizing the cost of coding of each group of images coding of each group of images by browsing the images in the order given by the said spanning tree. Application to video archiving.

Abstract: The invention concerns a voice recognition method implemented in at least a terminal, the voice recognition method using a language model, comprising the following steps: detecting at least a non-recognised expression in one of the terminals; recording in the terminal data representing the non-recognised expression; transmission by the terminal of the recorded data to a remote server; analysis, at the remote server, of said data and generation of data for correcting said language model taking into account at least part of the non-recognised expressions; and transmitting from the server to at least a terminal correction data, so as to enable subsequent recognition of at least some of the non-recognised expressions. The invention also concerns corresponding modules, devices and remote server.

Abstract: Method for processing document description data in a receiver device comprising the step of receiving document description data of documents from a plurality of sources.

Abstract: The system includes a remote controlled apparatus furnished with a display device or adapted to be linked to such a device; a remote control device comprising a microphone; voice recognition circuit adapted to receive the signal emanating from the microphone and to generate a signal for controlling a functional feature of the apparatus corresponding to the word or group of words picked up by the microphone. The system comprises means for displaying on the said screen a list of the words or groups of words corresponding to the functional features of the apparatus which can be accessed by voice control in a window of the screen so as to enable the user to ascertain the key words which he has to utter in order to trigger these functional features.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for displaying an object (OB) that features in a panorama (P) moving on a screen. The method includes a step for positioning a target zone (Z) of the panorama surrounding the object in a predetermined window of the screen, and a step for replacing the said target zone (Z) of the panorama by a video sequence that includes the object, the positioning and replacement steps being activated in response to an activation control. Among other aspects, with this method, the visual discontinuities between the panorama and the video sequence can be reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a voice recognition device (1) comprising an audio processor (2) for the acquisition of an audio signal and a linguistic decoder (6) for determining a sequence of words corresponding to the audio signal.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is a process for voice recognition comprising a step of acquiring an acoustic signal, a step of acoustic-phonetic decoding and a step of linguistic decoding.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a process for dynamic navigation with the help of a user interface. Navigation is performed within a tree structure composed of several levels, each level representing categories of multimedia documents.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and a circuit for storage of digital tuning data and parameters for a number of television channels in a rewritable memory. The channel search is initialized by pressing a single button to initialize a scan of the reception frequency band. The scanning of the frequency range is interrupted for a preset time-out period .DELTA.t each time a stop-scan signal is generated and resumes automatically until the entire range has been scanned. After each stop-scan pulse, if the single button is pressed during a time-out period, At, the system begins toggling through the possible values of each parameter relating to the station, the current value of the parameter being memorized when the single button is pressed again. The invention also includes a television and video cassette recorder implementing the above method.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of reception of signals from at least two transmitters (RCi), wherein for each transmitter the data ("0", "1") are represented by the time interval (T0i, T1i) between two consecutive pulses transmitted by this transmitter, said time intervals and the pulse widths (Tpi) being characteristic of each transmitter, and wherein said method includes the following steps: reception of a resultant signal that is the sum of the signals from by said transmitters; determination of the parameters of said resultant signal, these parameters including the width and spacing of the pulses; analysis of said parameters and assignment of a data item to one of said transmitters. The invention also concerns a receiver device, a remote controller, and a system of reception. The invention is applicable notably in the field of television and video.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for selecting programs in a digital video reception system adapted to receive digital data streams. The method comprises the steps of receiving information corresponding to program identification elements; displaying the identification elements in the form of a mosaic of elements (10) on a screen of the reception system, where the arranging of identification elements (10) in the mosaic is performed before transmission; receiving information describing the location of each program thus identified in a data stream broadcast by a transmitter (15); and selecting one of the programs by selecting at least one identifier clement. A device for selecting programs in a digital video reception system is also disclosed.

Abstract: Program related data contained in the broadcast signal of an advertisement for a future television show are evaluated and compared with the current TV set tuning when a LEARN button on a remote control is pressed. A VCR tunes to the present TV channel and stores the program related data for the future television show. The apparatus also ensures that a program to be recorded will start and end at the right time and that broadcast advertisements will be skipped during recording, are disclosed.