Abstract: Gaze tracking or other interest indications are used during a video conference to determine one or more audio sources that are of interest to one or more participants to the video conference, such as by determining a conversation from among multiple conversations that a subset of participants are participating in or listening to, for enhancing the audio experience of one or more of the participants.

Abstract: Described is a technology by which video, which may be relatively high-resolution video, is efficiently processed to determine whether the video contains a specified action. The video corresponds to a spatial-temporal volume. The volume is searched with a top-k search that finds a plurality of the most likely sub-volumes simultaneously in a single search round. The score volumes of larger spatial resolution videos may be down-sampled into lower-resolution score volumes prior to searching.

Abstract: A system that facilitates automatically determining an action of an animate object is described herein. The system includes a receiver component that receives video data that includes images of an animate object. The system additionally includes a determiner component that accesses a data store that includes an action graph and automatically determines an action undertaken by the animate object in the received video data based at least in part upon the action graph. The action graph comprises a plurality of nodes that are representative of multiple possible postures of the animate object. At least one node in the action graph is shared amongst multiple actions represented in the action graph.

Abstract: Techniques and technologies for tracking a face with a plurality of cameras wherein a geometry between the cameras is initially unknown. One disclosed method includes detecting a head with two of the cameras and registering a head model with the image of the head (as detected by one of the cameras). The method also includes back projecting the other detected face image to the head model and determining a head pose from the back-projected head image. Furthermore, the determined geometry is used to track the face with at least one of the cameras.

Abstract: A system facilitates managing one or more devices utilized for communicating data within a telepresence session. A telepresence session can be initiated within a communication framework that includes a first user and one or more second users. In response to determining a temporary absence of the first user from the telepresence session, a recordation of the telepresence session is initialized to enable a playback of a portion or a summary of the telepresence session that the first user has missed.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards an immersive conference, in which participants in separate locations are brought together into a common virtual environment (scene), such that they appear to each other to be in a common space, with geometry, appearance, and real-time natural interaction (e.g., gestures) preserved. In one aspect, depth data and video data are processed to place remote participants in the common scene from the first person point of view of a local participant. Sound data may be spatially controlled, and parallax computed to provide a realistic experience. The scene may be augmented with various data, videos and other effects/animations.

Abstract: Described herein is a method that includes receiving multiple requests for access to an exposed media object, wherein the exposed media object represents a live media stream that is being generated by a media source. The method also includes receiving data associated with each entity that provided a request, and determining, for each entity, whether the entities that provided the request are authorized to access the media stream based at least in part upon the received data and splitting the media stream into multiple media streams, wherein a number of media streams corresponds to a number of authorized entities. The method also includes automatically applying at least one policy to at least one of the split media streams based at least in part upon the received data.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates managing one or more devices utilized for communicating data within a telepresence session. A telepresence session can be initiated within a communication framework that includes two or more virtually represented users that communicate therein. A device can be utilized by at least one virtually represented user that enables communication within the telepresence session, the device includes at least one of an input to transmit a portion of a communication to the telepresence session or an output to receive a portion of a communication from the telepresence session. A detection component can adjust at least one of the input related to the device or the output related to the device based upon the identification of a cue, the cue is at least one of a movement detected, an event detected, or an ambient variation.

Abstract: A media recommendation and sharing technique that employs agents on media players/devices to expand the scope of media sharing scenarios. The technique assists a user in discovering media items, such as, for example, music, recordings, play lists, pictures, video games, on nearby media players or devices (devices which are capable of receiving, storing and playing media) which are interesting to the user. The collaborative media recommendation and sharing technique contemporaneously determines a user's media preferences based on media stored on a pair of media devices and recommends media for potential sharing based on these determined user preferences.

Abstract: A system that facilitates managing resources (e.g., functionality, services) based at least in part upon an established context. More particularly, a context determination component can be employed to establish a context by processing sensor inputs or learning/inferring a user action/preference. Once the context is established via context determination component, a power/mode management component can be employed to activate and/or mask resources in accordance with the established context. The power and mode management of the device can extend life of a power source (e.g., battery) and mask functionality in accordance with a user and/or device state.

Abstract: Image enhancement techniques are described to enhance an image in accordance with a set of training images. In an implementation, an image color tone map is generated for a facial region included in an image. The image color tone map may be normalized to a color tone map for a set of training images so that the image color tone map matches the map for the training images. The normalized color tone map may be applied to the image to enhance the in-question image. In further implementations, the procedure may be updated when the average color intensity in non-facial regions differs from an accumulated mean by a threshold amount.

Abstract: A system that facilitates blind source separation in a distributed microphone meeting environment for improved teleconferencing. Input sensor (e.g., microphone) signals are transformed to the frequency-domain and independent component analysis is applied to compute estimates of frequency-domain processing matrices. Modified permutations of the processing matrices are obtained based upon a maximum magnitude based de-permutation scheme. Estimates of the plurality of source signals are provided based upon the modified frequency-domain processing matrices and input sensor signals. Optionally, segments during which the set of active sources is a subset of the set of all sources can be exploited to compute more accurate estimates of frequency-domain mixing matrices. Source activity detection can be applied to determine which speaker(s), if any, are active.

Abstract: A virtual media device is described for processing one or more input signals from one or more physical media input devices, to thereby generate an output signal for use by a consuming application module. The consuming application module interacts with the virtual media device as if it were a physical media input device. The virtual media device thereby frees the application module and its user from the burden of having to take specific account of the physical media input devices that are connected to a computing environment. The virtual media device can be coupled to one or more microphone devices, one or more video input devices, or a combination of audio and video input devices, etc. The virtual media device can apply any number of processing modules to generate the output signal, each performing a different respective operation.

Abstract: Described is a technology by which video, which may be relatively high-resolution video, is efficiently processed to determine whether the video contains a specified action. The video corresponds to a spatial-temporal volume. The volume is searched with a top-k search that finds a plurality of the most likely sub-volumes simultaneously in a single search round. The score volumes of larger spatial resolution videos may be down-sampled into lower-resolution score volumes prior to searching.

Abstract: Described is a hierarchical filtered motion field technology such as for use in recognizing actions in videos with crowded backgrounds. Interest points are detected, e.g., as 2D Harris corners with recent motion, e.g. locations with high intensities in a motion history image (MHI). A global spatial motion smoothing filter is applied to the gradients of MHI to eliminate low intensity corners that are likely isolated, unreliable or noisy motions. At each remaining interest point, a local motion field filter is applied to the smoothed gradients by computing a structure proximity between sets of pixels in the local region and the interest point. The motion at a pixel/pixel set is enhanced or weakened based on its structure proximity with the interest point (nearer pixels are enhanced).

Abstract: Described is providing an action model (classifier) for automatically detecting actions in video clips, in which unlabeled data of a target dataset is used to adaptively train the action model based upon similar actions in a labeled source dataset. The target dataset comprising unlabeled video data is processed into a background model. The action model is generated from the background model using a source dataset comprising labeled data for an action of interest. The action model is iteratively refined, generally by fixing a current instance of the action model and using the current instance of the action model to search for a set of detected regions (subvolumes), and then fixing the set of subvolumes and updating the current instance of the action model based upon the set of subvolumes, and so on, for a plurality of iterations.

Abstract: A multimodal system that employs a plurality of sensing modalities which can be processed concurrently to increase confidence in connection with authentication. The multimodal system and/or set of various devices can provide several points of information entry in connection with authentication. Authentication can be improved, for example, by combining face recognition, biometrics, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, gait recognition, retina scan, thumb/hand prints, or subsets thereof. Additionally, portable multimodal devices (e.g., a smartphone) can be used as credit cards, and authentication in connection with such use can mitigate unauthorized transactions.

Abstract: A video noise reduction technique is presented. Generally, the technique involves first decomposing each frame of the video into low-pass and high-pass frequency components. Then, for each frame of the video after the first frame, an estimate of a noise variance in the high pass component is obtained. The noise in the high pass component of each pixel of each frame is reduced using the noise variance estimate obtained for the frame under consideration, whenever there has been no substantial motion exhibited by the pixel since the last previous frame. Evidence of motion is determined by analyzing the high and low pass components.

Abstract: A subregion-based image parameter recovery system and method for recovering image parameters from a single image containing a face taken under sub-optimal illumination conditions. The recovered image parameters (including albedo, illumination, and face geometry) can be used to generate face images under a new lighting environment. The method includes dividing the face in the image into numerous smaller regions, generating an albedo morphable model for each region, and using a Markov Random Fields (MRF)-based framework to model the spatial dependence between neighboring regions. Different types of regions are defined, including saturated, shadow, regular, and occluded regions. Each pixel in the image is classified and assigned to a region based on intensity, and then weighted based on its classification.

Abstract: Architecture that combines capture and translation of concepts, goals, needs, locations, objects, locations, and items (e.g., sign text) into complete conversational utterances that take a translation of the item, and morph it with fluidity into sets of sentences that can be echoed to a user, and that the user can select to communicate speech (or textual utterances). A plurality of modalities that process images, audio, video, searches and cultural context, for example, which are representative of at least context and/or content, and can be employed to glean additional information regarding a communications exchange to facilitate more accurate and efficient translation. Gesture recognition can be utilized to enhance input recognition, urgency, and/or emotional interaction, for example. Speech can be used for document annotation. Moreover, translation (e.g., speech to speech, text to speech, speech to text, handwriting to speech, text or audio, . . .