Methods and systems for providing a combination of media data and metadata

A system for providing a combination of video data and metadata, comprising:

• at least an interface to a camera for capturing a sequence of images, the sequence of images including subject images of at least one subject;
• video data processing system, configured to:
• apply at least one video compression technique on image data of images from the sequence to obtain compressed video data,
• extract at least one signal from at least part of the sequence of images representing the subject images, each of the at least one extracted signal characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of light captured from the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images;
• and
• generate metadata (i) based on the at least one extracted signal that characterizes local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, (ii) for characterizing at least one biometric process in the at least one subject represented in at least part of the images, wherein the biometric process causes the local temporal variations in at least one of color and intensity of light captured from the at least one subject,
• wherein the at least one extracted signal is extracted from images in a state prior to the application of the at least one compression technique to image data from those images;
• and
• an output interface for providing the compressed video data with the generated metadata.

A method of processing a signal comprising the acts of:

• obtaining a signal that comprises a combination of compressed video and generated metadata, wherein the compressed video is obtainable by applying at least one video compression technique on image data of images from a sequence of images, the sequence of images including subject images of at least one subject, and wherein the generated metadata includes at least one signal characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of light captured from the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the generated metadata is based on at least one signal extracted from at least part of the sequence of images, prior to application of the at least one video compression technique on the image data of images from the sequence of images, that characterizes the local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images;
• and
• calculating at least one value of a parameter characterizing at least one biometric process in the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the biometric process causes the local temporal variations in at least one of color and intensity of light captured from the at least one subject, using as input at least one of the signals of the generated metadata characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color in the sequence of images.

A system for processing a signal that includes a combination of compressed video and metadata, comprising:

• an interface for obtaining a signal that comprises a combination of compressed video and generated metadata, wherein the compressed video is obtainable by applying at least one video compression technique on image data of images from a sequence of images, the sequence of images including subject images of at least one subject, and wherein the generated metadata includes at least one signal characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of light captured from the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the generated metadata is based on at least one signal extracted from at least part of the sequence of images, prior to application of the at least one video compression technique on the image data of images from the sequence of images, that characterizes local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images;
• and
• a data processing system for calculating at least one value of a parameter characterizing at least one biometric process in the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the process causes the local temporal variations in at least one of color and intensity of light captured from the at least one subject, using as input at least one of the signals of the generated metadata characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color in the sequence of images.

A non-transitory computer readable medium embodied with a computer program including a set of instructions, executable by a processor for causing the processor to perform act of:

• obtaining a sequence of images captured by a video camera, the sequence of images including subject images of at least one subject;
• extracting at least one signal from at least part of the sequence of images representing the subject images,
• wherein each of the at least one extracted signal characterizes local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of light captured from the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images;
• generating metadata (i) based on the at least one extracted signal that characterizes local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, (ii) for characterizing at least one biometric process in the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the biometric process causes the local temporal variations in at least one of color and intensity of light captured from the at least one subject;
• applying at least one video compression technique on image data of images from the sequence to obtain compressed video data,
• wherein the at least one extracted signal is extracted from images in a state prior to the application of the at least one compression technique to image data from those images;
• and
• providing the compressed video data with the generated metadata.

A device comprising:

• at least an interface to a camera for capturing a sequence of images, the sequence of images including subject images of at least one subject;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• apply at least one video compression technique on image data of images from the sequence to obtain compressed video data,
• extract at least one signal from at least part of the sequence of images representing the subject images, each of the at least one extracted signal characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of light captured from the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images;
• and
• generate metadata (i) based on the at least one extracted signal that characterizes local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, (ii) for characterizing at least one biometric process in the at least one subject represented in at least part of the images, wherein the biometric process causes the local temporal variations in at least one of color and intensity of light captured from the at least one subject,
• wherein the at least one extracted signal is extracted from images in a state prior to the application of the at least one compression technique to image data from those images;
• and
• an output interface for providing the compressed video data with the generated metadata.

A device comprising:

• an interface for obtaining a signal that comprises a combination of compressed video and generated metadata, wherein the compressed video is obtainable by applying at least one video compression technique on image data of images from a sequence of images, the sequence of images including subject images of at least one subject, and wherein the generated metadata includes at least one signal characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of light captured from the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the generated metadata is based on at least one signal extracted from at least part of the sequence of images, prior to application of the at least one video compression technique on the image data of images from the sequence of images, that characterizes local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color of the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images;
• and
• a processor configured to calculate at least one value of a parameter characterizing at least one biometric process in the at least one subject represented in the at least part of the sequence of images, wherein the process causes the local temporal variations in at least one of color and intensity of light captured from the at least one subject, using as input at least one of the signals of the generated metadata characterizing local temporal variations in at least one of light intensity and color in the sequence of images.