A fuzzy video content representation for video summarization and content-based retrieval

In this paper, a fuzzy representation of visual content is proposed, which is useful for the new emerging multimedia applications, such as content-based image indexing and retrieval, video browsing and summarization. In particular, a multidimensional fuzzy histogram is constructed for each video frame based on a collection of appropriate features, extracted using video sequence analysis techniques. This approach is then applied both for video summarization, in the context of a content-based sampling algorithm, and for content-based indexing and retrieval. In the first case, video summarization is accomplished by discarding shots or frames of similar visual content so that only a small but meaningful amount of information is retained (key-frames). In the second case, a content-based retrieval scheme is investigated, so that the most similar images to a query are extracted. Experimental results and comparison with other known methods are presented to indicate the good performance of the proposed scheme on real-life video recordings. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.