A multi-layer video browsing system

The paper proposes an effective and efficient browsing system which is capable of representing the contents of a video sequence in a multi-layer manner. In this system, users can rapidly preview some preprocessed video shots, based on some simple scene change detection algorithm, to find out the particular video segments which are of interest. Because users just preview some video shots instead of examining all the video frames, this shot-based browsing method is superior to the conventional frame-based browsing one from the view points of the network bandwidth, user friendliness, and/or browsing efficiency. Based on the proposed browsing tool, a video-on-demand (VOD) prototype system has been implemented in the Communication and Multimedia Laboratory of National Taiwan University in an Ethernet LAN environment.<>