Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Other

Micorsoft Corpration

Ian Cameron Mercer

Kevin Leigh LaChapelle

Nobuyasu Takeguchi

Harutoshi Miyamoto

Chiyoko Matsumi

Yoshifumi Yanagawa

Yasuyuki Torii

Keisuke Matsuo

James Morris Alkove

Toshihiko Mizukami

Mei Ling Wilson

Brian D Crites

Brian James Walker

Richard William Saunders

Michael J Patten

Hiroshi Kase

Russell Scott Randall

Warren Lee Burch

Bret David Ahlstrom

Kevin Leigh La Chapelle

Toshihisa Nakano

Kaoru Murase

Shunji Harada

Clifford Paul Strom

Tomotaka Yagi

Gareth Alan Howell

Charles Finkelstein

Jeffrey Richard McKune

Kurt M Hunter

Sako Asayama

Michael Jay Parks

Randolph Bruce Oakley

Michael F Matsel

Kristen Miller

A software program for creating features for use with a plurality of media objects in a sequence. The program comprises a feature component specifying a feature having parameters affecting at least one variable aspect of the feature. An indicator component identifies a position of the specified feature relative to the media objects in the sequence. The program comprises a sequence generator for modifying the specified feature by varying its parameters of the specified feature as a function of the position of the specified feature relative to the media objects and/or relative to other features in the sequence. The sequence generator also modifies the specified feature by varying its parameters of the feature as a function of the content of the media objects around it or to which it has been applied. A rendering component renders the specified feature according to the varied parameters at the identified position.

Features such as titles, transitions, and/or effects which vary according to positions

Optimizing operation of a media player during rendering of media files. The invention includes authoring software to create a data structure and to populate the created data structure with obtained metadata. The invention also includes rendering software to retrieve the metadata from the data structure and to identify media files to render. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary format designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

Optimizing media player memory during rendering

Grouping media files via playlists on a computer-readable medium. One or more media files are selected according to a grouping criterion to define one or more playlists from the media files. A container group is associated with the playlists and stores values identifying each of the playlists associated with the container group along with references to each of the playlists.

Navigating media content by groups

Methods for streaming web content data via a computer-readable medium. The web content data comprises one or more media samples. The media samples are encoded in a streaming media format as a web component stream. The web component stream is combined with other component streams comprising additional data other than web content data into a presentation stream. The presentation stream is transmitted via a media server to a client. Rendering commands, which are included in one or more rendering samples encoded in the web component stream along with the media samples, coordinate synchronization between the media samples and the additional data when the client renders the presentation stream.

Media streaming of web content data

Grouping media files via playlists on a computer-readable medium. One or more media files are selected according to a grouping criterion to define one or more playlists from the media files. A folder is associated with the playlists and stores values identifying each of the playlists associated with the folder along with references to each of the playlists.

A method for analyzing data sequences, such as video and audio segments, and extracting metadata from the data sequences for providing information related to events of the data sequences. The metadata extracted is used for making editing decisions, such as for an audio-visual production comprised of a collection of video and audio segments. The metadata identifies events of importance in the video and audio segments, which may then be applied to the editing process. A user interface including the extracted metadata in a timeline format facilitates editing the audio-visual production.

Audio/visual editing tool

Enabling the automatic identification of participants to a common event to enable data sharing between the participants. An event identifier embedded in the content data associates the content data with an event. A content data service maintains a list of event identifiers and a list of participants associated with each event. Each of the participants communicates with the content data service to identify the other participants. The participants communicate with each other to share content data from the common event.

Medium and system for enabling content sharing among participants associated with an event

Automatic editing of video clips detected during the capture of a video data stream. A media editing application identifies video clips as a function of determined property values of each of a series of video frames included in the video. An edit component automatically edits video clips during the capture of the video data stream. A user interface allows the user to view individual video clips during the video capturing process and to define desired transition effects to apply between successive video clips and/or a desired special effect to apply to selected video clips.

Automatic capturing and editing of a video

Updating automatically generated playlists in response to media content being edited. Aspects of the invention associate a playlist type or other code with each playlist to define the structure of the playlist. When media content is added to or deleted from a collection of media files, one or more playlist types corresponding to the media content are identified. The playlists with the identified playlist types are updated to reflect the addition or deletion of the media content.

Creating standardized playlists and maintaining coherency

Enabling efficient navigation of a playlist of media files stored on a computer-readable medium. Aspects of the invention define a playlist structure to have one or more playlist units. Each playlist unit identifies one or more media files in the playlist and includes metadata for the media files. A consumer electronic device retrieves the playlist units and displays the metadata contained therein to a user to enable navigation of the playlist. Aspects of the invention reduce the memory requirements of the consumer electronic devices and reduce the quantity of disk seek operations needed for playlist navigation.

Playlist structure for large playlists

Growing community of inventors

Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Ian Cameron Mercer