Media Streams: An Iconic Visual Language for Video Representation
In order to enable the search and retrieval of video from large archives, we need a representation language for video content. Although some aspects of video can be automatically parsed, a sufficient representation requires that video be annotated. We discuss the design of a video representation language with special attention to the issue of creating a global, reusable video archive. Our prototype system, Media Streams, enables users to create multi-layered, iconic annotations of streams of video data. Within Media Streams, the organization and categories of the Icon Space allow users to browse and compound over 3500 iconic primitives by means of a cascading hierarchical structure that supports compounding icons across branches of the hierarchy. A Media Time Line enables users to visualize, browse, annotate, and retrieve video content. The challenges of creating a representation of human action in video are discussed in detail, with focus on the effect of the syntax of video sequences on the semantics of video shots
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