The Grass Valley Group, Inc.

Other

Scitex Digital Video, Inc.

Richard A Jackson

John Abt

Ronnie D Barnett

Richard S Bannister

Kevin D Windrem

Richard A Frasier

James E Blecksmith

David E Lake, Jr

Neil R Olmstead

Peter D Symes

Thomas A Grancey

James E Chargin, Jr

Kevin D Contestabile

Rachel Rutherford

Bill Hensler

A method and apparatus for video editing and realtime processing which generates clips. Each clip includes data identifying a scene of a video or audio program, and data identifying processing operations to be applied to the scene. In preferred embodiments, control signals generated from the clips are supplied to a storage subsystem and a processing subsystem. In response, the storage and processing subsystems assemble and process, in realtime, an edited video or audio program from raw scene data stored in the storage subsystem. Typically, each clip contains content data determining the content of a scene (e.g., 'begin' and 'end' frames of a stored segment of video data) and also processing data (for use by the processing subsystem) identifying processing operations to be performed on a particular scene (or portion thereof) when assembling an edited program from stored scenes. In preferred embodiments, the system of the invention includes an edit controller programmed with software for generating and modifying the clips, and storage and realtime processing subsystems operating under control of the edit controller. The edit controller supplies control signals generated from a sequence of the clips to the storage subsystem and processing subsystem. The processing subsystem preferably includes dedicated hardware for processing scenes of video data (read out from the storage subsystem in response to the control signals from the edit controller) in realtime (while the video data is read out from the storage subsystem) in accordance with the processing data determined by the control signals from the edit controller.

Method and apparatus for video editing and realtime processing

A compact billiard accessory has a generally cylindrical first and second housing which are selectively connectable. The first housing includes a first concave, abrasive surface located adjacent to a first annular end surface of the housing for scraping a cue stick tip, and a second concave, abrasive surface located adjacent to an opposed annular end surface of the housing for shaping the tip. The first housing has scoring marks on its surface and includes two rotatable scoring wheels for tallying game scores. The second housing has a cap with a hole in its surface at one end of the housing that can be rotated to align the hole with a hole in the second end surface of the housing for forming a channel to a refillable talc chamber in the housing. A cue chalk holder fits in the first end of the second housing. When not in use, the first and second housings can be connected to form a compact billiard accessory for clean and convenient storage.

Billiard accessory

Video effects apparatus comprises a wipe generator for generating a wipe signal and a matte generator for generating a matte signal. The matte generator receives the wipe signal and the color represented by the matte signal is dependent on the wipe signal. First and second control signals are provided in response to the wipe signal. A first video mixer has signal input terminals connected to receive a first video signal and the matte signal respectively and a mix control input terminal connected to receive the first control signal as a mix control signal, and a second video mixer has signal input terminals connected to receive respectively a second video signal and the output signal of the first video mixer. The second mixer has a mix control input terminal connected to receive the second control signal as a mix control signal.

Apparatus for generating a video signal representing a field of

A digital input signal having a sampling frequency f is interpolated by a factor N, where N is a positive integer, whereby a first digital signal having a sampling frequency Nf is generated. A non-linear operation is carried out on the first digital signal having the sampling frequency Nf and a second digital signal having the sampling frequency Nf is provided. The second digital signal is decimated by the factor N and thereby provides a digital output signal having the sampling frequency f.

Method and apparatus for carrying out a non-linear operation on a

An improved luminance video self keyer extracts a key signal from an unshaped input video signal as a function of a low and a high clip level. The input video signal is subsequently 'shaped' as a function of the key signal and the low clip level. The result is a shaped video signal and an associated key signal that are combined with a secondary video signal without resorting to double multiplication of the input video signal by its associated key signal to produce a desired combination of the two video signals.

Video luminance self keyer

Belt mounted clip board holder

A video signal representing a scene is processed by combining it with a second signal having a value which depends on the depth of the scene as a function of position.

Perspective processing of a video signal

A digital video effects apparatus comprises an input for receiving a digital input video signal representing the distribution of optical information over a video field, and a key signal generator for providing a digital key signal that defines an area of the video field. A mask signal generator provides a digital mask signal that defines at least a portion of said area of the video field. The digital mask signal is combined with the digital key signal to provide a modified digital key signal, and the input video signal is acted on in accordance with the modified key signal to provide an output video signal.

Digital video effects apparatus

Video signal processing apparatus comprises at least first and second source selectors each having a plurality of input terminals, for receiving a plurality of video signals respectively, and at least two output terminals. A set of video processors each have an input terminal and an output terminal. A processor selector is provided for connecting each source selector output terminal selectively to each video processor input terminal. First and second output devices each have a plurality of input terminals connected to the output terminals of the video processors respectively and also have an output terminal. Operator interfaces are connected to the processor selector for defining a first subset of video processors having their input terminals connected to the output terminals of the first source selector and a second subset of video processors having their input terminals connected to the output terminals of the second source selector. The operator interfaces are also connected to the first output device for selecting the output terminals of the first subset of video processors and to the second output device for selecting the output terminals of the second subset of video processors.

Video switcher system with modular architecture

A video switcher comprises a source selector having a plurality of input terminals for connection to a plurality of video sources respectively, and at least two output terminals. At least two processing channels each have an input terminal connected to an output terminal of the source selector and also have an output terminal. A video combiner has video input terminals connected to the output terminals of the processing channels and is operative to combine the output signals provided by the processing channels in dependence upon priority signals.

Video switcher with independent processing of selected video signals

A first shaped video signal V.sub.1 K.sub.1 and a second shaped video signal V.sub.2 V.sub.2, are combined so as to generate a third shaped video signal V.sub.3 ' given by

Apparatus for combining video signals

Video mixer with multicolor boarder

A diagnostic system for a digital signal processor, having an input module, an output module and a plurality of successive processing modules defining a signal processing path, monitors various internal test points within each module. Any one of the test points may be connected to a diagnostic bus. The output of the diagnostic bus may be appropriately modified and input to the output module in lieu of the digital signal from the last processing module to provide a diagnostic display.

Diagnostic system for a digital signal processor

A digital clip and gain circuit compares an input waveform with a clip level to produce a difference waveform. The difference waveform is shifted by an exponent representing a power of two portion of a gain value, and is then multiplied by a mantissa representing a fractional portion of the gain value. The resulting product is input to a lookup table which provides level shifting and limiting to output a control waveform. A parallel overflow logic circuit processes the difference waveform and the exponent portion of the gain value to determine if the resulting product is out of range. If the resulting product is out of range, the lookup table outputs either a maximum or a minimum value for the control waveform according to the sign of the difference waveform.

Digital clip and gain circuit

A picture transformation memory has three field stores which rotatively store a next field of video data, output a prior field of video data and output a current field of video data to provide a full frame output for each field input period. Each field store has four planes which contain identical fields of data and are read from sequentially pixel by pixel. Each plane has four banks with the field data being read into the banks sequentially pixel by pixel such that when one pixel is addressed, a local address generator addresses the neighboring pixels as well to produce a multi-pixel output to an interpolator. Four half bandwidth data the first and third planes contain identical data and the second and fourth planes contain identical data in the same address locations as the corresponding data in planes one and three. The planes are independently addressable as are the pixels in each plane so that the pixels can be read from the picture transformation memory in a random sequence to accommodate any desired picture transformation.

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Nevada City, CA, United States of America

Richard A Jackson