Sony United Kingdom Limited

Sony Corporation

Sony Europe Limited

Sony Broadcast & Communications Limited

Other

Sony Broadcast & Communication Limited

Jonathan James Stone

Clive Henry Gillard

Michael John Ludgate

Terence R Hurley

James Hedley Wilkinson

Jason Charles Pelly

Stephen Mark Keating

Morgan William Amos David

Jonathan M Soloff

Robert Mark Stefan Porter

Daniel Warren Tapson

Andrew Collins

Jian-Rong Chen

Nicholas Ian Saunders

John W Richards

Simon Dominic Haynes

David Berry

Antony James Gould

Rajan Bhandari

Richard Daniel Foster

Paul Gugenheim

Isabel DeLacour

Anthony Howard Phillips

Alan Hogg Turner

Andrew Robert Taylor

Ahmad Sadjadian

Carl W Walters

Mukesh Chouhan

Peter Kavanagh

A packet-based video network including: two or more video data sources, each configured to launch video data packets onto the network as multicast data packets each associated with a multicast group identifier corresponding to that video data source; and a video data destination configured to receive and process video data from a video data source by joining a multicast group corresponding to that video data source, and execute a switching operation to switch from receiving video data from a first video data source to receiving video data from a second video data source by leaving a multicast group of the first video data source and joining a multicast group of the second video data source. The video data destination is configured to process video data corresponding to a video frame which, at end of a frame period, represents a most recently received video frame from the first video data source.

Seamless switching between multicast video streams

An image processing device, including an image receiver operable to receive a first image; an image converter operable to convert the first image to a second image, the second image being a smaller-sized representation of the first image; an image pre-processor operable to perform an imaging effect on the second image to form a third image, the imaging effect being defined by an imaging effect parameter; a first output device operable to output the third image for display; and a second output device operable to output the first image and the imaging effect parameter.

Method, apparatus and system for image processing

A system generates automatically a highlight summary of a performance, from signals representing a captured version of the performance. The system includes a user operated event logging processor and an ingestion processor. The user operated event logging processor is operable to log event codes, each of which is selected by the user from a set of event codes. Each of the event codes in the set of event codes represents a predetermined event which may occur in the performance, the event codes being selected by the user when an event corresponding to the event code occurs during an observed performance. The ingestion processor is operable to receive the event codes and to receive signals produced by capturing a representation of the performance.

Media generation system

A method and a system for generating image content. The method and system allow segments of a panoramic scene, to be generated with reduced distortion. The method and system reduce the amount of distortion by mapping pixel data onto a pseudo camera focal plane which is provided substantially perpendicularly to the focal location of the camera that captured the image. A camera arrangement can implement the method and system.

Method and an apparatus for generating image content

An image processing apparatus and a method for generating a three dimensional representation of a scene, which includes a plurality of objects disposed on a plane, is disclosed. The three dimensional representation is generated from one or more video images of the scene, which include the objects on the plane produced from a view of the scene by a video camera. The method includes processing the captured video images to extract image features from each object, comparing image features with sample image features from a predetermined set of possible example objects, and identifying the objects from the comparison of the image features with the sample image features. The method also includes generating object path data, which includes object identification data for each object which identifies the respective object; and provides a position of the object on the plane in the video images with respect to time.

Image processing apparatus and method

The bitstream includes digital codes representing an information signal. At least one digital code is selected. The code occupies a part of the bitstream which is to contain at least one watermark code which represents a watermark perceptible in the information signal. The selected digital code(s) are removed from the said part of the bitstream. The watermark code(s) are put in the said part of the bitstream in place of the selected code(s). The number of bits of the selected code(s) removed from the said part of the bitstream is greater than or equal to the number of bits of the said watermark code(s) put in the said part. The removed selected code(s) are appended to an end of the bitstream and/or placed in watermark user data fields created in the bitstream.

Modifying bitstreams

A client device for use in a system having a server, the client device including: a receiving device configured to receive information material from the server, the information material containing a reversible modification providing a visually perceptible disturbing effect having been applied to the information material by using an invertible algorithm which uses values generated from one or more keys, and to receive identifying information that distinguishes the information material from other information material available from the server and condition information which defines a predetermined condition that should be met in order for the reversible modification to be reversed.

Watermarking and transferring material

A material (e.g. video, audio or data) processing system () processes material including a watermark. The system comprises a remover () for removing the watermark, a processor () for processing the material from which the watermark has been removed, and an inserter () for inserting a watermark into the processed material.

Watermarked material processing

A method of identifying material which includes the step of inserting an identifying code into a signal as a watermark, and deriving a signature from the material. The code and signature are stored in a database. The watermarked signal may be distributed and/or transmitted through a network. The signal may be processed in the network. A monitor derives from the received signal, the signature and the code. The derived signature and the derived code are compared with the stored signature and code to check the provenance of the material. The watermark contains an authorization code allowing duplication of the material.

Identifying material stored using a signature as a retrieval index

A method of identifying material comprises the step of inserting an identifying code into a signal as a watermark, and deriving a signature from the material. The code and signature are stored in a database. The watermarked signal may be distributed and/or transmitted through a network. The signal may be processed in the network. A monitor derives from the received signal, the signature and the code. They are compared with the stored signature and code to check the provenance of the material.

Identifying material using a watermark and a signature

A material distribution apparatus, comprising a material server including a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into material to be distributed with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in the material, and a material impairment processor operable to introduce a reversible impairment into the material. A communications network distributes the impaired material to at least one client processor which includes an impairment reversing processor operable to reverse the impairment of the material to produce client restored material.

Material distribution apparatus

A system for watermarking and transferring watermarked material comprises a transaction server, first and second clients, first apparatus for applying a perceptible watermark to the material and second apparatus for removing the watermark. The server, clients and first and second apparatus are linked by one or more communications networks. The system is arranged to implement the steps of:

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Reading, United Kingdom

Jonathan James Stone