Abstract: A system and a method for inserting content into a video. A portion of the video is received from a content provider, and data identifying insertion locations in the video is stored. Information describing the video and the insertion locations is received from the content provider. An interface is provided to allow users to view at least a portion of the received information or a portion of the video. A plurality of bids is receiving from the users. Each of the bids relates to insertion of a piece of content into one of the insertion locations. A winning bid is selected from the plurality of bids, and information associated with the winning bid is communicated to the content provider.

Abstract: Video enhancement enable visually-apparent improvements to image frames of a video sequence. In an example implementation, stabilized or other image frames include missing image areas that are filled using a video completion technique. The missing image areas are filled in using a video completion technique that involves motion inpainting. Local motion data of a motion map from known image areas is propagated into the missing image areas to produce an extended motion map. Pixels of the missing image areas are then filled in by warping pixels from neighboring image frames into the missing image areas responsive to the extended motion map. In another example implementation, video deblurring reduces the blurriness of a current image frame. Sharper image pixels from neighboring image frames are transferred so as to replace blurry pixels of the current image frame. In yet another example implementation, video completion with motion inpainting enables amelioration of visual artifacts.

Abstract: Surfaces can be decorated with texture tiling and/or texture painting using one or more sample textures, such as BTFs. In a described implementation of texture tiling, a patch-based BTF synthesis algorithm is utilized. In an example embodiment, a mesh of a target surface is re-sampled to produce a dense mesh such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between vertices of the dense mesh and pixels of an image. Patch matching is then employed with a working image that corresponds to a working patch. In an example embodiment, the patch matching is effectuated using translations and rotations of the sample texture. In a described implementation of texture painting, irregular feature(s) of a sample texture are synthesized onto a target surface. In an example embodiment, user-specified constraints as to a desired foreground feature of a sample texture and an intended foreground region of a targeted surface are factored into a graphcut operation.

Abstract: An optical disk recording/reproduction apparatus includes a semiconductor laser, an objective lens provided opposite an optical disk, an optical system for supplying a laser beam from the semiconductor laser to the objective lens, an aperture for not intercepting the laser beam in reproducing from a digital video disk and intercepting an outermost portion of the laser beam in reproducing from a compact disk, and a tracking servo mechanism for moving the objective lens in a tracking direction orthogonal to the running direction of a track of the optical disk. The aperture has an oblong opening that is longer in the tracking direction than in the track running direction.

Abstract: An optical disk recording/reproduction apparatus includes a semiconductor laser, an objective lens provided opposite an optical disk, an optical system for supplying a laser beam from the semiconductor laser to the objective lens, an aperture for not intercepting the laser beam in reproducing from a digital video disk and intercepting an outermost portion of the laser beam in reproducing from a compact disk, and a tracking servo mechanism for moving the objective lens in a tracking direction orthogonal to the running direction of a track of the optical disk. The aperture has an oblong opening that is longer in the tracking direction than in the track running direction.