SYNTAX-AWARE MANIPULATION OF MEDIA FILES IN A CONTAINER FORMAT

• US 20140304303A1
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dalal, Firoz, Wu, Yongjun
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/797
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

A container format processing tool performs syntax-aware manipulation of hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to a container format in a media file. For example, a container format verifier checks conformance of a media file to a container format, which can help ensure interoperability between diverse sources of media content and playback equipment. Conformance verification can include verification of individual syntax elements, cross-verification, verification that any mandatory syntax elements are present and/or verification of synchronization. Or, a container format “fuzzer” simulates corruption of a media file, which can help test the resilience of playback equipment to errors in the media files. The container format fuzzer can simulate random bit flipping errors, an audio recording failure or incorrect termination of recording. Or, a container format editor can otherwise edit the media file in the container format.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computing system programmed thereby to perform a method comprising:

receiving a media file in a container format for a presentation that includes one or more of audio content, image content and video content, wherein the container format is tree-structured such that the media file includes hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format; and

performing syntax-aware manipulation of at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format in the media file.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the performing syntax-aware manipulation includes verifying conformance of the media file to the container format.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2 wherein the verifying includes single-element verification for the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, including, for a given syntax element of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, checking that the value of the given syntax element satisfies one or more constraints for the given syntax element.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2 wherein the verifying includes cross-verification for the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, including, for a given syntax element of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, checking that the value of the given syntax element is consistent with values of one or more other syntax elements of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2 wherein the verifying includes checking synchronization between audio samples and video samples in the presentation, including checking that a timestamp for one of the audio samples is sufficiently close to a timestamp for a corresponding one of the video samples.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2 wherein the verifying includes checking for presence of any mandatory syntax elements among the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the performing syntax-aware manipulation includes simulating corruption of the media file in the container format.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7 wherein the simulating corruption includes replacing valid values with other values for one or more of the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, while preserving file format structure for the media file in the container format.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7 wherein the simulating corruption includes, for a given syntax element of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, simulating a random bit flip by altering value of the given syntax element.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7 wherein the simulating corruption includes simulating an audio recording failure by removing audio data from an audio track of the media file in the container format.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7 wherein the simulating corruption includes simulating incorrect termination of recording by adding extraneous syntax elements defined according to the container format to an object of the media file in the container format.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the performing syntax-aware manipulation includes:

detecting one or more corrupted values among the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format; and

correcting the one or more corrupted values.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the performing syntax-aware manipulation includes inserting new hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format into the media file in the container format to model a problem with another media file in the container format.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 wherein the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format are objects and attributes of objects that are nested in a hierarchy according to the container format.

15. A computing system comprising:

a buffer for storing a media file in a container format for a presentation that includes one or more of audio content, image content and video content, wherein the container format is tree-structured such that the media file includes hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format; and

a syntax manipulation tool adapted to perform syntax-aware manipulation of at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format in the media file.

16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the syntax manipulation tool is adapted to verify conformance of the media file to the container format by performing one or more of:

checking for presence of any mandatory syntax elements among the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format;

performing single-element verification for each of the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format;

performing cross-verification for some of the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format; and

checking synchronization between audio samples and video samples in the presentation.

17. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the syntax manipulation tool is adapted to simulate corruption of the media file in the container format by performing one or more of:

replacing valid values with other values for one or more of the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, while preserving file format structure for the media file in the container format;

for a given syntax element of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, simulating a random bit flip by altering value of the given syntax element;

simulating an audio recording failure by removing audio data from an audio track of the media file in the container format; and

simulating incorrect termination of recording by adding extraneous syntax elements defined according to the container format to an object of the media file in the container format.

18. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the syntax manipulation tool is adapted to detect one or more corrupted values among the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format, and correct the one or more corrupted values.

19. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the syntax manipulation tool is adapted to insert new hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format into the media file in the container format to model a problem with another media file in the container format.

20. In a computing system, a method comprising:

receiving a media file in a container format for a presentation that includes one or more of audio content, image content and video content, wherein the container format is tree-structured such that the media file includes hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format; and

performing syntax-aware manipulation of at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format in the media file, wherein the syntax-aware manipulation includes verifying conformance of the media file to the container format by;

checking for presence of any mandatory syntax elements among the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format;

performing single-element verification for each of the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format; and

performing cross-verification for some of the at least some of the hierarchically organized syntax elements defined according to the container format.