Patent ID: 6356664
Filing Date: 2002-03-12
Classification: G11B,H04N

Abstract:
Apparatus for reducing video data, to prepare said data for efficient storage and transmission over communication media, said data consisting of a series of picture frames captured at a predetermined frequency, which frames when replayed in succession at said predetermined frequency are useful to display motion pictures, said apparatus comprising:a frame buffer store for storing data representing said series of frames and images contained therein; editing apparatus for displaying said frames and images therein, and for enabling portions of said images therein to be marked with importance weighting indications; said weighting indications denoting at least a first level of primary importance and a second level of secondary importance less than said primary importance; apparatus for storing data representing said marked image portions in association with importance weights represented by respective markings; processing apparatus, coupled to said frame buffer and said data storing apparatus, for variably sampling said marked image portions to produce a series of modified frames corresponding to the frames stored in said frame buffer; said processing apparatus sampling said image portions marked as having primary importance at a first frequency and said image portions marked as having secondary importance at a second frequency lower than said first frequency, whereby said image portions having primary importance effectively appear in all of said modified frames and said portions having secondary importance effectively appear in some but not all of said modified frames.