Sony United Kingdom Limited

Andrew David Kydd

Mark John McGrath

Jonathan Richard Thorpe

Michael John Williams

Morgan W David

Morgan William Amos David

Alan Hogg Turner

Vincent Carl Harradine

Timothy Stuart Roberts

Barney Govan

Simon Dominic Haynes

Mark Julian Russell

Matthew Brian Spencer

Alexander John James Miller

An image capture apparatus includes a first imaging device operable to capture an image feedback image. A generator generates a feedback image from a captured image for output to a display. A facial recognition unit operates to determine the position of a face within the feedback image. An image corruptor operates to corrupt the feedback image with respect to the position of a face within the feedback image as determined by the facial recognition unit. An image capture initiator operates to initiate the capture of an output image subsequent to corruption of the feedback image.

Apparatus and method of image capture for facial recognition

An audio/video reproducing apparatus is connectable to a communications network for selectively reproducing items of audio/video material from a recording medium in response to a request received via the communications network. The audio/video reproducing apparatus may comprise a control processor operable in use to receive data representing the request for the audio/video material item via the communications network. A reproducing processor is operable in response to signals identifying the audio/video material items from the control processor to reproduce the audio/video material items. The data identifying the audio/video material items includes meta data indicative of the audio/video material items. The meta data may be one of UMID, tape ID and time codes, and a Unique Material Identifier the material items. To facilitate the identification and selection of the audio and/or video material, an audio and/or video processing apparatus is provided for processing audio and/or video signals representing sound and/or images. The processing apparatus comprises an activity detector operable to generate an activity signal indicative of an amount of activity within the sound/images represented by the audio/video signal, and a meta data generator coupled to the activity detector which is operable to generate sample images at temporal positions within the audio/video signal, which temporal positions are determined from the activity signal. The processing apparatus thereby provides a facility for automatically generating meta data from received audio/video signals. The meta data can be used to select the audio/video material.

Audio/video reproducing apparatus and method

A data structure for representing metadata describes the content of at least one shot or sub-shot of information material. The data structure comprises a volume identification defining a data carrier on which the information material is contained, at least one shot identification defining the shot or sub-shot within the material, and at least one type of metadata associated with the content of the shot or sub-shot. The volume identification is arranged at a first hierarchical level and the shot identification is arranged at a lower hierarchical level and the metadata describing the shot is arranged with respect to the shot hierarchical level. The data structure provides an efficient facility for communicating metadata between metadata nodes including application programs which use the metadata. The metadata is identified on the basis of a shot and volume on which the information material which the metadata describes is contained. By arranging the volume identifier at a first hierarchical level, the shot identifier at a lower hierarchical level and the metadata related to the shot or sub-shot within the shot level, a systematic and compatible format for interrogating and retrieving metadata is provided.

Video metadata data structure

A video replay apparatus including a content storage device, a replay controller configured to control a replay of video material from the content storage device, the replay controller being configured to control the replay in accordance with metadata associated with the video material, the metadata defining an information content of the video material and defining an information event within the video material as a threshold change in the information content, and the replay controller is further configured to replay the video material with a pre-defined number of information events in a unit of time in a replayed sequence.

Replaying video information

A system for facilitating production of information material comprises a plurality of metadata nodes operable to process metadata describing the content of information material, and a data communications network for providing a facility for communicating the metadata between the metadata nodes. The metadata is represented as metadata strings describing the content or attributes associated with the information material. The metadata string includes a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) providing an address of a storage location of an associated metadata resource. The metadata string is communicable separately from the information material via the network and the associated metadata resource is accessible via the network using the resource identifier. The metadata string can be arranged to provide an indication of parameters describing the information material and identifiers such as UMIDs or the like which facilitate navigation of the information material. The associated metadata resource can be arranged to provide any further metadata having a substantial volume. By describing the associated metadata resource with a URI contained within the metadata string, the metadata resource is accessible from, for example a web browser. Accordingly the metadata resource does not need to be communicated with the metadata string, thereby substantially reducing a bandwidth requirement or data communications traffic required on the data communications network.

System for facilitating protection of information material and method for producing the information material

Editing apparatus for controlling editing of source audio and/or video material stored as one or more source files on a storage medium to generate an edited material series of clips from the source material arranged as one or more parallel sequences of temporally successive source material clips, at least some of the clips having one or more predefined time points within the clip comprises user-controllable means for adjusting the temporal position of a start point, an end point or both of clips in the edited material series, the adjusting means being operable to adjust the temporal position in steps so that at each step the temporal position is aligned with a predefined point of another clip in the same or another parallel sequence.

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Wokingham, United Kingdom

Andrew David Kydd