Sony United Kingdom Limited

Timothy Stuart Roberts

Jonathan Richard Thorpe

Michael John Williams

Andrew David Kydd

Barney Govan

Nicholas Ian Saunders

Mark John McGrath

James Edward Burns

Matthew Brian Spencer

Alexander John James Miller

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 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

Video data compression apparatus for compressing images of an input video signal on a block-by-block basis comprises a block analyser for analysing each block of an image to be compressed to detect a degree of difference between pixels within that block; a data quantity allocator for allocating target output data quantities for the compression of each block, the target data quantities being dependent on the detected degrees of pixel difference of the blocks; and a data compression encoder for compressing each block in accordance with the target output data quantity associated with that block.

Video data compression

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Hook, United Kingdom

Timothy Stuart Roberts