Expressive Speech Recognition and Synthesis as Enabling Technologies for Affective Robot-Child Communication -- Embodied Conversational Agents: Computing and Rendering Realistic Gaze Patterns -- DBN Based Models for Audio-Visual Speech Analysis and Recognition -- An Extensive Method to Detect the Image Digital Watermarking Based on the Known Template -- Fast Mode Decision Algorithm in H.263+/H.264 Intra Transcoder -- Binary Erasure Codes for Packet Transmission Subject to Correlated Erasures -- Image Desynchronization for Secure Collusion-Resilient Fingerprint in Compression Domain -- A Format-Compliant Encryption Framework for JPEG2000 Image Code-Streams in Broadcasting Applications -- Euclidean Distance Transform of Digital Images in Arbitrary Dimensions -- JPEG2000 Steganography Possibly Secure Against Histogram-Based Attack -- Perceptual Depth Estimation from a Single 2D Image Based on Visual Perception Theory -- A System for Generating Personalized Virtual News -- Image Fingerprinting Scheme for Print-and-Capture Model -- 16×16 Integer Cosine Transform for HD Video Coding -- Heegard-Berger Video Coding Using LMMSE Estimator -- Real-Time BSD-Driven Adaptation Along the Temporal Axis of H.264/AVC Bitstreams -- Optimal Image Watermark Decoding -- Diagonal Discrete Cosine Transforms for Image Coding -- Synthesizing Variational Direction and Scale Texture on Planar Region -- Fast Content-Based Image Retrieval Based on Equal-Average K-Nearest-Neighbor Search Schemes -- Characterizing User Behavior to Improve Quality of Streaming Service over P2P Networks -- Interacting Activity Recognition Using Hierarchical Durational-State Dynamic Bayesian Network -- Improving the Image Retrieval Results Via Topic Coverage Graph -- Relevance Feedback for Sketch Retrieval Based on Linear ProgrammingClassification -- Hierarchical Motion-Compensated Frame Interpolation Based on the Pyramid Structure -- Varying Microphone Patterns for Meeting Speech Segmentation Using Spatial Audio Cues -- Region-Based Sub-pixel Motion Estimation from Noisy, Blurred, and Down-Sampled Sequences -- Differential Operation Based Palmprint Authentication for Multimedia Security -- A Broadcast Model for Web Image Annotation -- An Approach to the Compression of Residual Data with GPCA in Video Coding -- A Robust Approach for Object Recognition -- A Novel Method for Spoken Text Feature Extraction in Semantic Video Retrieval -- A Semantic Image Category for Structuring TV Broadcast Video Streams -- Markov Chain Monte Carlo Super-Resolution Image Reconstruction with Simultaneous Adaptation of the Prior Image Model -- Text Detection in Images Using Texture Feature from Strokes -- Robust Mandarin Speech Recognition for Car Navigation Interface -- GKDA: A Group-Based Key Distribution Algorithm for WiMAX MBS Security -- A Watermarking Algorithm for JPEG File -- SNR Scalability in H.264/AVC Using Data Partitioning -- A Real-Time XML-Based Adaptation System for Scalable Video Formats -- Generic, Scalable Multimedia Streaming and Delivery with Example Application for H.264/AVC -- Shape-Based Image Retrieval in Botanical Collections -- Macroblock Mode Decision Scheme for Fast Encoding in H.264/AVC -- A Mathematical Model for Interaction Analysis Between Multiview Video System and User -- Motion Composition of 3D Video -- EKM: An Efficient Key Management Scheme for Large-Scale Peer-to-Peer Media Streaming -- Using Earth Mover's Distance for Audio Clip Retrieval -- Streaming-Mode MB-Based Integral Image Techniques for Fast Multi-view Video Illumination Compensation -- A Motion Vector Predictor Architecture for AVS and MPEG-2HDTV Decoder -- Inter-camera Coding of Multi-view Video Using Layered Depth Image Representation -- Optimal Priority Packetization with Multi-layer UEP for Video Streaming over Wireless Network -- A Multi-channel MAC Protocol with Dynamic Channel Allocation in CDMA Ad Hoc Networks -- Fuzzy Particle Swarm Optimization Clustering and Its Application to Image Clustering -- A New Fast Motion Estimation for H.264 Based on Motion Continuity Hypothesis -- Statistical Robustness in Multiplicative Watermark Detection -- Adaptive Visual Regions Categorization with Sets of Points of Interest -- A Publishing Framework for Digitally Augmented Paper Documents: Towards Cross-Media Information Integration -- Web-Based Semantic Analysis of Chinese News Video -- A Quality-Controllable Encryption for H.264/AVC Video Coding -- Texture Synthesis Based on Minimum Energy Cut and Its Applications -- Unifying Keywords and Visual Features Within One-Step Search for Web Image Retrieval -- Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation for Stored Video Under Renegotiation Frequency Constraint -- Online Selection of Discriminative Features Using Bayes Error Rate for Visual Tracking -- Interactive Knowledge Integration in 3D Cloth Animation with Intelligent Learning System -- Multi-view Video Coding with Flexible View-Temporal Prediction Structure for Fast Random Access -- Squeezing the Auditory Space: A New Approach to Multi-channel Audio Coding -- Video Coding by Texture Analysis and Synthesis Using Graph Cut -- Multiple Description Coding Using Adaptive Error Recovery for Real-Time Video Transmission -- An Improved Motion Vector Prediction Scheme for Video Coding -- Classifying Motion Time Series Using Neural Networks -- Estimating Intervals of Interest During TV Viewing for Automatic Personal Preference Acquisition -- Image Annotations Based on Semi-supervised Clustering with Semantic Soft Constraints -- Photo Retrieval from Personal Memories Using Generic Concepts -- PanoWalk: A Remote Image-Based Rendering System for Mobile Devices -- A High Quality Robust Watermarking Scheme -- An Association Rule Mining Approach for Satellite Cloud Images and Rainfall -- AVAS: An Audio-Visual Attendance System -- Improved POCS-Based Deblocking Technique Using Wavelet Transform in Block Coded Image -- Sketch Case Based Spatial Topological Data Retrieval -- Providing Consistent Service for Structured P2P Streaming System -- Adaptive Search Range Scaling for B Pictures Coding -- Video QoS Monitoring and Control Framework over Mobile and IP Networks -- Extracting Moving / Static Objects of Interest in Video -- Building a Personalized Music Emotion Prediction System -- Video Segmentation Using Joint Space-Time-Range Adaptive Mean Shift -- EagleRank: A Novel Ranking Model for Web Image Search Engine -- Color Image Enhancement Using the Laplacian Pyramid -- 3D Mesh Construction from Depth Images with Occlusion -- An Eigenbackground Subtraction Method Using Recursive Error Compensation -- Attention Information Based Spatial Adaptation Framework for Browsing Videos Via Mobile Devices -- Style Strokes Extraction Based on Color and Shape Information -- Requantization Transcoding of H.264/AVC Bitstreams for Intra 4×4 Prediction Modes -- Prediction Algorithms in Large Scale VOD Services on Grid Infrastructure -- A Hierarchical Framework for Fast Macroblock Prediction Mode Decision in H.264 -- Compact Representation for Large-Scale Clustering and Similarity Search -- Robust Recognition of Noisy and Partially Occluded Faces Using Iteratively Reweighted Fitting of Eigenfaces -- Pitching Shot Detection Based on Multiple Feature Analysis and FuzzyClassification -- Color Changing and Fading Simulation for Frescoes Based on Empirical Knowledge from Artists -- A Novel Spatial-Temporal Position Prediction Motion-Compensated Interpolation for Frame Rate Up-Conversion -- Web Image Clustering with Reduced Keywords and Weighted Bipartite Spectral Graph Partitioning -- An Architecture to Connect Disjoint Multimedia Networks Based on Node's Capacity -- Quantitative Measure of Inlier Distributions and Contour Matching for Omnidirectional Camera Calibration -- High-Speed All-in-Focus Image Reconstruction by Merging Multiple Differently Focused Images -- A Real-Time Video Deinterlacing Scheme for MPEG-2 to AVS Transcoding -- Persian Text Watermarking -- Three Dimensional Reconstruction of Structured Scenes Based on Vanishing Points -- Parallel Processing for Reducing the Bottleneck in Realtime Graphics Rendering -- Distributed Data Visualization Tools for Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Aero-crafts -- An Efficient Clustering and Indexing Approach over Large Video Sequences -- An Initial Study on Progressive Filtering Based on Dynamic Programming for Query-by-Singing/Humming -- Measuring Multi-modality Similarities Via Subspace Learning for

Cross-Media Retrieval -- SNR-Based Bit Allocation in Video Quality Smoothing -- Shadow Removal in Sole Outdoor Image -- 3D Head Model Classification Using KCDA -- Framework for Pervasive Web Content Delivery -- Region-Based Semantic Similarity Propagation for Image Retrieval.

Welcome to the proceedings of the 7th Paci?c-Rim Conference on Multimedia (PCM2006)heldatZhejiang University,Hangzhou,China,November2-4,2006. Following the success of the previous conferences, PCM 2000 in Sydney, PCM 2001 in Beijing, PCM 2002 in Hsinchu, PCM 2003 in Singapore, PCM 2004 in Tokyo, and PCM 2005 in Jeju, PCM 2006 again brought together researchers, developers, practitioners, and educators in the ?eld of multimedia from around the world. Both theoretical breakthroughs and practical systems were presented at the conference. There were sessions from multimedia retrieval to multimedia coding to multimedia security,coveringa wide spectrum of multimedia research. PCM2006featuredacomprehensiveprogramincludingkeynotetalks,regular paper presentations, and special sessions. We received 755 submissions and the number was the largest among all the PCMs. From such a large number of submissions,weacceptedonly116oralpresentations.Wekindlyacknowledgethe great support provided by the Program Committee members in the reviewing of submissions, as well as the additional reviewers who generously spent many hours. The many useful comments provided by the reviewing process are very useful to authors' current and future research.