Abstract: Method, apparatus and computer readable media for receiving a multiprogram program transport service that includes one or more compressed video services and one or more 3D-2D conversion options, generating an uncompressed video signal by performing a decoding portion of a transcoding operation for one of the one or more of the video services, determining from the 3D-2D conversion option whether a 3D-2D conversion is to be performed, performing a scale conversion on the uncompressed video according to a specified type of 3D-2D conversion, generating a compressed video service by performing an encoding portion of a transcoding operation on the uncompressed video that has been scale converted, and generating a second multiprogram program transport service that includes the compressed video signal that has been 3D-2D converted.

Abstract: A heat pump system includes a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first heat exchanger, a scroll compressor in fluid communication with each of the first and second heat exchangers, and a flash tank in fluid communication with each of the first and second heat exchangers and the scroll compressor. A first capillary tube is disposed between the first heat exchanger and an inlet of the flash tank and a first valve is disposed between the first heat exchanger and the first capillary tube to control refrigerant to the first capillary tube.

Abstract: A detector for determining an audio data bit rate of a pre-compressed audio elementary stream (AES), in which the pre-compressed AES includes a plurality of preamble length fields is provided. The detector includes an analyzer module configured to determine one or more candidate audio data bit rates of the AES from the plurality of preamble length fields, a detector module configured to determine whether one or more of the candidate audio data bit rates are correct, and a selector module configured to select one of the one or more candidate audio data bit rates determined to be correct as the audio data bit rate of the pre-compressed AES.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating in a communication network, comprising presenting a communication comprising data over a communications network to a router, said router being adapted to route the communication to one of a plurality of available network destinations; automatically executing a communication targeting algorithm in the router, based at least in part on the data, wherein the communication targeting algorithm operates to contextually jointly analyze a plurality of parameters extracted from the data and a plurality of contextual parameters, to determine an optimum target for the communication, wherein the optimum target varies in dependence on both the data and the context of the communication; and routing the communication in dependence on the algorithm execution.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention relates to statistically multiplexing first services and second services in a group. A measure of required bandwidth for the first services is obtained, where the first services comprise pre-encoded services. An available encoding bandwidth for the second services is determined from a group bandwidth for the first and second services using the measure of required bandwidth. An encoding bit rate is allocated to each of the second services based on the available encoding bandwidth. Each of the second services is encoded in accordance with the encoding bit rate thereof. One or more services of the first services and the second services are transcoded and a multiplex is formed. Since the available encoding bandwidth for the second services is determined using the measure of required bandwidth for the first services, transcoding of the second services is minimized, and video quality is maximized.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for avoiding underflow of a caption buffer in a digital video encoding device. The method receives a sequence of digital video frames, and captions that correspond to the digital video frames in the sequence. The method receives first captions in a first caption carriage, and encodes the first captions, and the corresponding digital video frames, in a compressed video format. The method detects a switch from the first caption carriage to a second caption carriage, and stores second captions in the capture buffer, where each second caption is received in the second caption carriage and corresponds to one of the digital video frames in the sequence. The method examines the capture buffer and the second captions to determine whether underflow of the capture buffer is present or absent. When underflow is absent, the method encodes the second captions, and the corresponding digital video frames, in the compressed video format.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a bitstream in a digital video transcoder is described. In one example, an adjustment factor is determined that relates a number of bits representing a selected frame defined by the bitstream to a target number of bits for the selected frame. An average spatial activity value among sets of video data is associated with the selected frame. A spatial activity value for a selected set of the sets of video data is determined. A normalized spatial, activity value for the selected set of frequency video data is then computed in response to the average spatial activity value, the spatial activity value, and a function of the adjustment factor. Target bit reduction for each of the sets of video data may be computed using a function of the normalized spatial activity value and the adjustment factor.

Abstract: A communications management system comprising an input for receiving a communications classification; a database of skill weights with respect to the communications classification; a database of agent skill scores; and a processor, for computing, with respect to the received communication classification, an optimum agent selection, the processor directly controlling a routing of the information representing the received call.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and method for adaptive adjustment of bit budget that favors the allocation of bits to intra coding frames (I frames). Namely, an encoder is able to dynamically adjust the bit budget for each picture type in an image sequence, thereby effecting proper usage of the available transmission bandwidth and improving the picture quality. In one embodiment, the present invention will allocate more encoding bandwidth to a current Intra coding frame when the average quantization level of inter coding frames (e.g., P and B frames) of a previous group of pictures is relatively high.

Abstract: A method and encoding system for reducing artifacts in a digital video sequence of image frames. The method acquires a current frame of the digital video sequence, and retrieves a previous frame of the digital video sequence from a frame delay. The method applies a recursive temporal filter to the current frame and the previous frame to generate a filtered frame. The method then applies a mixer to the current frame and the filtered frame to generate an output frame. The method stores the output frame in the frame delay.

Abstract: A compressor system includes a compressor having an inlet, a first conduit fluidly coupled to the inlet, an accumulator fluidly coupled to the inlet by a second conduit, and a first valve disposed in the second conduit that prevents fluid communication between the accumulator and the inlet in a closed state and permits fluid communication between the accumulator and the inlet in an open state.

Abstract: A system and method for processing a plurality of channels, for example audio channels, in parallel is provided. For example, a plurality of telephony channels are processed in order to detect and respond to call progress tones. The channels may be processed according to a common transform algorithm. Advantageously, a massively parallel architecture is employed, in which operations on many channels are synchronized, to achieve a high efficiency parallel processing environment. The parallel processor may be situated on a data bus, separate from a main general purpose processor, or integrated with the processor in a common board or integrated device. All, or a portion of a speech processing algorithm may also be performed in a massively parallel manner.

Abstract: A statistical multiplexer includes a plurality of primary encoders 120 and at least one backup encoder 130 which is activated a primary encoder fails. The statistical multiplexer also includes at least two multiplexers 140,160 such that at any given time one of the multiplexers 140,160 is in an active state and the other is in a backup state. The encoders 120, 130, the multiplexers 140, 160, and a rate processor 150 employ a dynamic identity allocation arrangement for identifying a source of the messages such that messages originating from the encoders 120, 130 indicate whether the source is a primary 120 or backup encoder 130 and messages originating from the multiplexers 140, 160 include a character selected from among a predetermined sequence of characters that is incremented to the next character in the sequence each time one of the multiplexers 140, 160 transitions between an active and a backup state.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for allocating bandwidth among members of two statistical multiplexing groups having overlapping members. At least two groups of such services having overlapping members are defined. The members of a first one of the groups consume a first bandwidth and the members of a second one of the groups consume a second bandwidth. A total bandwidth of all the members of the groups together is restricted to be no more than a total available bandwidth. In order to accomplish this, the members of the first and second groups are statistically multiplexed based on bandwidth requirements of members common to both said first and second groups.

Abstract: A statistical multiplexer for coding and multiplexing multiple channels of digital television data, or multiple panels of HDTV digital television data. A bit rate need parameter is determined for each encoder in a stat mux group, and an encoding bit rate is allocated to each channel based on its need parameter. A transmission bit rate is allocated to each channel as a time-lagged version of its need parameter to minimize a rate mismatch between the output and the input of a decoder buffer. A packet processor checks for impending decoder buffer overflow or underflow events to set minimum and maximum limits on the transmission bit rate. Moreover, these limits are set based on whether a new transmission bit rate can be implemented before the decoding time stamp (DTS) of the current or next frame.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention relates to statistically multiplexing first services and second services in a group. A measure of required bandwidth for the first services is obtained, where the first services comprise pre-encoded services. An available encoding bandwidth for the second services is determined from a group bandwidth for the first and second services using the measure of required bandwidth. An encoding bit rate is allocated to each of the second services based on the available encoding bandwidth. Each of the second services is encoded in accordance with the encoding bit rate thereof. One or more services of the first services and the second services are transcoded and a multiplex is formed. Since the available encoding bandwidth for the second services is determined using the measure of required bandwidth for the first services, transcoding of the second services is minimized, and video quality is maximized.

Abstract: A communications system and method, for analyzing at least two characteristics for each of at least a portion of a plurality of communications, selected from the group comprising artificial neural network parameters, stochastic parameters, cost parameters, and utility parameters, and determining in dependence thereon an optimum routing of the plurality of communications, based on the at least two characteristics for each of the at least a portion of the communications.

Abstract: A heat pump includes a first and second heat exchanger, a scroll compressor and a flash tank in fluid communication. The flash tank includes an inlet fluidly coupled to the heat exchangers to receive liquid refrigerant. Furthermore, the flash tank includes a first outlet fluidly coupled to the first and second heat exchangers and a second outlet fluidly coupled to the scroll compressor. The first outlet is operable to deliver sub-cooled-liquid refrigerant to the heat exchangers while the second outlet is operable to deliver vaporized refrigerant to the scroll compressor. An expansion valve is further provided and is operable to selectively open and close the inlet by a float device. The float device is operable to control an amount of liquid refrigerant disposed within the flash tank by regulating an amount of liquid refrigerant entering the flash tank via the inlet.

Abstract: A heat pump system includes a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first heat exchanger, a scroll compressor in fluid communication with each of the first and second heat exchangers, and a flash tank in fluid communication with each of the first and second heat exchangers and the scroll compressor. The flash tank includes an inlet fluidly coupled to the first and second heat exchangers and receives liquid refrigerant from the first and second heat exchangers. The flash tank also includes a first outlet fluidly coupled to the first and second heat exchangers that delivers sub-cooled-liquid refrigerant to the second heat exchanger and a second outlet fluidly coupled to the scroll compressor that delivers vaporized refrigerant to the scroll compressor in a heating mode.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for improving video quality in statistical multiplexing. For each encoding channel in a statistical multiplexer, a respective bit rate need parameter is calculated for encoding of a current frame in that encoding channel. A video buffering verifier level (VBV_Fullness) available to each encoding channel is also calculated. It is then determined whether the VBV_Fullness available to each encoding channel is sufficient for encoding the current frame of that encoding channel based on an initial complexity estimate for that current frame. In the event that the VBV_Fullness is determined to be sufficient, the current frame is encoded using the need parameter. In the event that the VBV_Fullness is determined to be insufficient, the need parameter is scaled by an adaptive panic multiplier and the current frame is encoded using the scaled need parameter.