Multiscale video applied to surveillance and video conferencing systems

In the following study is presented two research works: the first is concerned with the elaboration of an intelligent meeting room while the second is about the development of a real time high definition video server capable of advanced accessibility options. The innovations developed in the presented meeting room are multiples. The primary objective consists in the construction of a demonstration system able to automatically structure, browse and query events happened during an archived meeting. This a very new approach that has for objective to enhance meeting efficiency. Important key events is automatically tracked and a software allowing easy browsing of the meeting has been developed. For the realization of the project, a dedicated meeting room has been equipped with multimedia sensors like video and microphone. The cost of such a setup has been decreased thanks to the complete development of an intelligent mobile video camera. This camera is able to replace multiple fixed video cameras. The second part of the study introduces a new concept of high definition video server. This server authorizes, through a single video stream data, the access of different video qualities to multiple clients. For example, a low quality video stream is better adapted to a client with a slow network connection. However, this client could request for a high quality region of interest of the same video stream. Of course, requesting the full quality of the entire video stream data is possible too, just as modifying his choice at any time by notifying the server. In order to save bandwidth allocation, the video stream data is encoded into JPEG2000 and takes advantage of the multi scalar properties of this codec. A real time demonstrator using a hardware based solution as compression process has been developed and validates the concept. Video surveillance is an obvious application field. For example, a client connected to the server from a mobile phone could receive a thumbnail global view of a scene and could then ask at any time for a detailed view of a region of interest. Another field of application could be video conferencing room. The system, associated to a full 360° panoramic high definition video camera set in the middle of the conferencing table, could grab the whole activity in a single shot while allowing an easy navigation on a focused participant.