P2P aids audio-visual search

A team of researchers has turned to peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, in which data is distributed and shared directly between computers, to power potent yet data-intensive audio-visual search technology, reports Science Daily.

The technique, known as query by example, uses content, rather than text, to search for similar content, providing more accurate search results and reducing or even eliminating the need for pictures, videos and audio recordings to be laboriously annotated manually.

However, effectively implementing content-based search on a large scale requires a fundamentally different approach to the text-based search technology running on the centralised systems of the likes of Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Irish film, television and animation sectors remain vibrant despite recording a EUR30 million (R336 million) fall in production value, according the IBEC group that represents them, says RTE Business.

A review of film and television production, unveiled by the Audiovisual Federation, shows there has been a fall in total production value of the sectors, down from EUR246.8 million (R2.7billion) in 2008 to an estimated EUR217 million (R2.4 billion) for 2009.

However, animation bucked the trend, rising from EUR38.9 million (R436 million) in 2008 to EUR43 million (R482 million) this year.

The Williamson County Justice Centre judicial courts in the US will expand the use of digital evidence with the installation of more than $85 000 in audio-visual equipment, writes Community Impact.

The upgrade was made possible through a grant from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. In July, the department notified Williamson County that it was the recipient of a grant to expand technology use in six of its criminal trial courtrooms to help standardise the equipment, shorten trials and improve the presentation of information and evidence.

Equipment installation began this week and is not expected to interfere with the justice system.