Efficient scene segmentation for content-based indexing in the compressed domain

Content-based indexing and retrieval of video are important in many applications, and scene-change detection plays an essential role in these tasks. We introduce a faster than real-time algorithm for sudden and gradual scene change detection in MPEG video. For sudden scene change detection, we use an adaptive threshold that is applied to the number of bi-directional predicted macroblocks within a B-frame. To direct gradual scene changes such as dissolves and fades, we divide a selected frame into sub-macroblock images, and perform an analysis of the motion vectors within this image. To refine the gradual scene change, a camera motion analysis technique is performed. Experimental results show that this algorithm is fast and robust for the detection of most abrupt and gradual scene changes in the compressed domain