Sony Corporation

Sony Electronics Inc

Other

Sukendeep Samra

Mark A Van Den Bergen

Steven W Hall

Jason Peterson

Stephen Dyson

Makoto Kawamura

Shingo Kawabe

Kyoko Nakamura

Junichi Tsukamoto

Sidhartha Deb

Farhana Bandukwala

Bruno Sargeant

A state of an application program can be stored and transferred to a remote system. The remote system attempts to recreate the original state of the application program. If the remote system is unable to do so, an image of the state of the application program is obtained, instead. Assignment of control to various functions of an application program is achieved by associating a function (i.e., modifying a parameter) with a user control at a remote location.

Assignment of a local physical user interface control function to a remote physical user interface control for local control in a media production system

The system provides different ways for users to select an object and an action to be applied to the object in computer applications such as image processing or digital post-production. The user can select an object first and then an action, or vice versa. The user can also use gestural input to designate both an object and action virtually simultaneously. Multiple view, or windows, of an image can be independently sized, zoomed, panned, etc. Any effects performed on the image appear in all of the windows since each window shows (potentially) different portions of the same image content. A navigation window helps a user move within a large image or diagram that does not fit entirely on a single display screen. The navigation window includes an inner box that shows, in miniature, the principal objects in the screen display.

Digital video editing system including multiple viewing windows of a same image

Multiple views, or windows, of an image of flowgraph nodes can be modified to facilitate viewing the nodes. In one embodiment, each window includes at least one boundary that is shared with another window so that when a window is changed by moving a particular boundary it causes another window sharing the particular boundary to correspondingly change. Window subsections can be used for viewing a different portion of the image.

User interface for a digital production system including multiple window viewing of flowgraph nodes

A system providing a user interface to annotate different items in a media production system such as in a digital non-linear post production system. Parts of the production, such as clips, frames and layers, that have an associated annotation are provided with a visual annotation marker. The annotation marker can use shape, color or animation to convey source, urgency, status or other information. Annotations can be text, freehand drawing, audio, or other. Annotations can be automatically generated. Annotations can be compiled into records, searched and transferred. A state of an application program can be stored and transferred to a remote system. The remote system attempts to recreate the original state of the application program. If the remote system is unable to do so, an image of the state of the application program is obtained, instead. Assignment of control to various functions of an application program is achieved by associating a function (i.e., modifying a parameter) with a user control at a remote location.

Annotations for production parts in a media production system

Collaborative computer-based production system including annotation, versioning and remote interaction

Collaborative remote operation of computer programs

A system and method for automatically reading all images from all sequences of images from a specified location, automatically cropping each of the images to produce active region data for the current image, and automatically designating key frames in the sequences of images. In one embodiment, a stand-alone program that achieves these tasks produces an output file comprised of active region data for key frames of all sequences of images. In such an embodiment, the output file serves as a script or control file which a compositing program runs to initially process sequences of images. In another embodiment, these automatic tasks are achieved via a plug-in module to a compositing program such that the plug-in module is run before performing other tasks. The automation of these three formerly manual tasks increases the efficiency of compositing programs by providing automatically pre-processed sequences of images from which to start the compositing process. In addition, autocropping allows for better use of system resources and improves system performance by causing the system to only load smaller, autocropped images of key frames.

System and method for dynamic autocropping of images

A system providing a user interface to allow a user to easily modify parameters of media presentations such as images and audio. The user selects first and second reference instances, such as images. The images are described by parameters and parameter values. Differences between the images' parameter/value characteristics are identified. The first and second reference images are placed at different points on a display screen. By moving a pointer relative to the positions of the first and second reference images, a current image is generated that is a combination, or function, of the identified parameter/value characteristics. Thus, the user is able to quickly, and intuitively, achieve many desired modifications to the media. A feature of the invention allows image content to be modified in a similar manner. First and second computer model positions, animations, bitmap images, etc., can be used and the same technique employed to create many derivations from the selected reference images. Multiple parameters can be changed concurrently. A user can be presented with a list of parameters so that the user can selectively enable or disable parameters to be changed.

User interface for generating parameter values in media presentations based on selected presentation instances

A system for processing images, or clips, as, for example, in a movie or video post production system. The clips are associated with a flowgraph representation that visually depicts all of the operations used to generate the clips. Correspondence between the image and flowgraph representations is tightly maintained so that the user can conveniently switch between, and work among, the different representations. Efficient user interface mechanisms are provided to work with flowgraph items to construct nodes representing operations. Nodes can be joined in an automated, or assisted, manner. Flowgraphs can be automatically generated according to user inputs in other parts of the system. For example, layered effects can have flowgraphs that are automatically generated. A freehand drawing timing capture tool is provided. All operations that contribute to a single (or more) pixel's value can be listed and selectively activated or deactivated to detect a problem. Any input mechanism can be bookmarked with a labeled value so that the labeled value can be called up at a later time to restore a setting, or multiple settings. A method for using a trilinear look-up table to computer various functions where the table resolution can change is disclosed.

Media production system using flowgraph representation of operations

A system and method for optimizing the processing of a sequence of images represented as a directed acyclic graph. The method comprises receiving a selection of a view node at which point an output image is to be viewed. The cost to process each predecessor branch of nodes of a plurality of branches of nodes in the directed acyclic graph. The output image is rendered by processing the predecessor branches in order from most costly to least costly. In one embodiment, images may be represented as a directed acyclic graph. In one embodiment, the method also includes re-ordering the predecessor branches based on the cost to process the branches. The method may be implemented on a system such as a computer.

System and method for optimizing the processing of images

A system and method for increasing the performance of a compositing system when compositing images represented as a directed acyclic graph. The method comprises identifying at least one critical path, determining a set of input nodes to each critical path, and caching the images at each of the input nodes to each critical path. The critical paths may comprise all nodes between and including the edit nodes on one end and the view node at another end. The method may also include receiving a user designation of at least one view node and at least one edit node, receiving a request to view the video presentation at a view node, processing data at the view node responsive to the request, and displaying the video presentation at the view node. Caching may be implemented when processing nodes such that when processing a node, a determination is made whether the node is an input node to one of the critical paths. If a node is an input node to one of the critical paths, the cache memory is checked to determine if the node is already cached. If the node is cached, the node is retrieved from cache memory; if the node is not in the cache, the node is processed and the resulting data is cached.

Growing community of inventors

Venice, CA, United States of America

Sukendeep Samra