This textbook covers the theoretical backgrounds and practical aspects of image, video and audio feature expression, e.g., color, texture, edge, shape, salient point and area, motion, 3D structure, audio/sound in time, frequency and cepstral domains, structure and melody. Up-to-date algorithms for estimation, search, classification and compact expression of feature data are described in detail. Concepts of signal decomposition (such as segmentation, source tracking and separation), as well as composition, mixing, effects, and rendering, are discussed. Numerous figures and examples help to illustrate the aspects covered. The book was developed on the basis of a graduate-level university course, and most chapters are supplemented by problem-solving exercises. The book is also a self-contained introduction both for researchers and developers of multimedia content analysis systems in industry.

Jens Rainer Ohm graduated in Electrical Engineering at TU Berlin. After his habilitations he became project coordinator at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin. Since 2000 Jens Ohm is Chair for Communications Engineering and Head of the Institute for Communications Engineering at Aachen University.

Introduction.- Preprocessing.- Signal and Parameter Estimation.- Features of Multimedia Signals.- Feature Transforms and Classification.- Signal Decomposition.- Signal Composition, Rendering and Presentation.