Abstract: A method for constructing an epitome from an image divided into non overlapping blocks is disclosed. The method comprises: determining, for each block, similar patches in the image, a similar patch being a patch with similar content; constructing at least one epitome chart for the picture from the similar patches; wherein determining, for each block, similar patches in the image comprises: a) determining, for each current block, similar blocks in the image, a similar block being a block with content similar to the content of the current block; b) determining, for one current block and for the similar blocks determined for the current block, similar patches in the image, a similar patch being a patch with content similar to the content of the current block; c) repeating step b) for a next current block for which no similar patch is determined until at least one similar patch is determined for each block in the image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for compressing a source image by means of a base layer, coding a base image, and of an enhancement layer, coding a residual existing between the source image and the base image, the source image and the base image being structured as blocks of pixels. According to the invention, such a device is characterized in that it comprises means for generating the enhancement layer of a block as a function of the quality of restitution of this block, determined by comparing the coding of this block in the source image with the coding of this block in the base image, and/or as a function of information coded by this block of pixels.

Abstract: A method and device for eye gaze estimation with regard to a sequence of images. The method comprises receiving a sequence of first video images and a corresponding sequence of first eye images of a user watching at the first video images; determining first saliency maps associated with at least a part of the first video images; estimating associated first gaze points from the first saliency maps associated with the video images associated with the first eye images; storing of pairs of first eye images/first gaze points in a database; for a new eye image, called second eye image, estimating an associated second gaze point from the estimated first gaze points and from a second saliency map associated with a second video image associated with the second eye image; storing the second eye image and its associated second gaze point in the database.

Abstract: Super-resolution refers to a process of recovering the missing high-frequency details of a given low-resolution image. Known single image SR algorithms are often computationally intractable or unusable for most of the practical applications. The invention relates to a method for performing hierarchical super-resolution based on self content neighboring patches information is based on pyramidal decomposition. The intrinsic geometric property of an input LR patch neighborhood is obtained from the input LR patch and its K nearest neighbors taken from different down-scaled versions of the LR image.

Abstract: In order to generate force feedback data for a haptic device for providing simulated six degrees of freedom movement, a three dimensional acceleration component corresponding to the movement to be simulated is determined, a three dimensional velocity component corresponding to the movement to be simulated is determined and control signals for controlling at least three force feedback devices are determined, wherein each of the three force feedback devices provides three dimensional force effects to a fixation point associated to each of it, the three force feedback devices being arranged at defined positions with regard to each other, and the three fixation points define a geometric plane.

Abstract: A device for providing the illusion of motion consists of at least two movable parts for stimulating the vestibular sense and the kinaesthetic sense of a user independently from each other. A moving headrest is provided for stimulating the vestibular sense of a user and a moving armrest is provided for stimulating the kinaesthetic sense of a user.

Abstract: The invention relates to image block encoding and decoding. More precisely, the invention relates to block prediction using reference blocks of the image. It is proposed a method which comprises using processing means for using at least the block for determining one reference block in an already encoded part of the image, encoding and reconstructing a part of the image, using at least the block for determining one reference block in the reconstructed part and a vector referencing the one reference block, using the one reference block for determining at least one further reference block in the reconstructed part and encoding the determined vector and a residual of the block with respect to a combination of the one and the at least one further reference block. Using the block for determination of the one reference block allows for selecting it such that it resembles the block and correlation with the block is maintained.

Abstract: For gaze-controlled text size control of a display, the invention proposes to probe, sample and record a user's horizontal gaze Signal; to subject the gaze Signal to a subband filterbank or wavelet transform; to detect line delimiters in the gaze Signal; to derive a reading speed; to determine, as a number of saccades per text line the number of locations where the gaze Signal has sudden high slope portions surrounded on both sides by portions of markedly smaller slope; to detect, based on the reading speed and the number of saccades, a too small font size Status or a too big font size Status; and to initiate a corresponding font size change. Parts of this method can be used for gaze-based measuring of text reading speed and for gaze-based measuring of number of saccades.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for predicting a pixel block of an image using a weighted sum of pixel blocks belonging to patches of a dictionary from a set of candidate patches, each patch being formed of a pixel block of an image and a causal neighborhood of this pixel block. The method is wherein a subset of candidate patches is obtained from the set of candidate patches and the dictionary is formed of a patch of the subset of candidate patches, called the first patch, and at least one other patch of said set of candidate patches, called the second patch.

Abstract: A method for compressing video operates by first deleting one or more video packets from binary train to provide a reduced binary train. Thereafter, error masking is performed on the reduced binary train to yield a corrected degraded local decoded image which is the image reconstructed on the basis of the reduced binary train and of the masking algorithm. The reduction in the binary train is validated as a function of the quality of the corrected degraded local decoded image. Lastly one of the reduced binary train or of the binary train, is selected depending on whether or not there is validation.

Abstract: Reframing is used to re-size an image or video content, e.g. for displaying video signals with a given aspect ratio on a display having a different aspect ratio. Window cropping parameters (position and size over time) are constrained in order to optimise the rate/distortion of the encoded output video signal. Initial reframing is improved by computing a saliency map representing a user attention map which considers the video coding context and by providing a macroblock coding efficiency cost map and then taking the saliency map or a combined saliency/coding cost map into account so that the coding cost for said reframed video signal is smaller than the coding cost for other candidate reframing windows' sizes and positions.

Abstract: A method of coding a sequence of images is disclosed. The method of coding comprises for a current image the steps of: creating a summary of said current image; encoding said summary into a first bitstream; reconstructing an intermediate image from said summary; and encoding, into a second bitstream, the current image using said intermediate image as reference image.

Abstract: The method comprises the following steps: calculation of the spatial activity of each macroblock and of the temporal activity between the macroblocks constituting a group of macroblocks in field mode, calculation of an activity index relating to the group that is an increasing function of the temporal activity and a decreasing function of the spatial activity of the group, comparison of the activity index relating to the group, to a predefined threshold, to define it as a group having activity, coding of the picture in field or frame mode according to the number of macroblock groups detected having activity with respect to the number of groups of macroblocks in the picture. The application relate to data compression, particularly the H 264 standard.

Abstract: A method and device for coding a video content a having sequence of pictures and at least one logo is provided. The method includes coding the sequence of pictures by a first coding method, where this step generates coded data relating to the sequence of pictures. The logo is coded by a second coding method and additional information relating to the logo, the additional information including at least information relating to the positioning of the logo in the pictures of the sequence, where this step generates coded data relating to the logo. A single data stream is generated and separately includes the coded data relating to the logo and the coded data relating to the sequence of pictures.

Abstract: The method, for the determination of the coding mode of a macroblock constituted of picture blocks, carries out a pre-selection of intra directional predictive coding modes of macroblock blocks according to the following steps: calculation of the activities gradient of a block in the prediction directions, pre-selection of intra directional coding modes of a block for which the directions correspond to the activity or activities gradient of minimum value.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of locally adjusting a quantization step for each region of an image in a sequence of n images. The method comprises the following steps; calculating, for each image of the sequence, a first difference of bits saved on the potential masking region when quantizing it with a first quantization step and a second difference of bits required by the region of interest when quantizing it with a second quantization step; and in each image of the sequence, assigning to the potential masking region the first quantization step and if the sum of the n first differences of bits is higher than the sum of the n second differences of bits assigning said second quantization step to said region of interest and otherwise assigning a third quantization step such that the sum of said n first differences of bits is distributed between the regions of interest according to a reconstruction quality criterion.

Abstract: Constant-bitrate rate control is very useful for real-time video transmission. However, it is difficult to realize a good CBR rate control in an MPEG4-AVC video codec. According to the invention, an adapted ?-domain rate control processing for real-time rate control is applied, whereby ? is the percentage of zero amplitude transform coefficients following quantization. A couple of tables are used for mapping between the quantization parameters and ?. A detailed analysis at transform level is carried out in order to get the slope of the relationship between the bitrate and ?. The slope of the linear model is constrained by a look-ahead procedure with respect to the neighbor frames or blocks.

Abstract: The method comprises the following steps: during the first pass, a memorization of the M best coding modes and their coding parameters per image macroblock, during the second pass, a calculation, according to the new quantization step determined by the regulating algorithm according to the parameters memorized, among the M coding modes memorized, of the coding mode minimising the bitrate-distortion criterion, to select it, a coding according to the selected coding mode. The applications relate to the compression of data.

Abstract: A device for helping the capture of images is disclosed that comprises: an analyzer suitable to calculate perceptual interest data for regions of an image having to be captured, a display suitable to overlay on the image at least one graphic indicator indicating the position of at least one region of interest in the image. An image capture device comprising the device for helping the capture of images is further disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and a process for adjusting the bit rate of a stream of contents as a function of processing capabilities of at least one receiver. These contents are transmitted by a sender to the receiver according to a communication protocol providing for a return transmission of reception data of the contents by the receiver to the sender, including at least one parameter relating to conditions of communication of these contents in the network. The device comprises a module for estimating a required level for the bit rate as a function of information relating to these capabilities and a writing module modifying this parameter, to transmit, in return, to the sender stream adjustment cues capable of bringing about a modification of the bit rate in relation to the required level. Application to streaming.