The Consumer Digital Video Library

Video is a booming industry: content is embedded on many Web sites, delivered over the Internet, and streamed to mobile devices. Content providers own vast quantities of studio-quality video (i.e., produced to the quality standards of a television studio), but legal contracts between actors, producers, and owners limit how and where others can use such video.

As a result, finding and getting rights to use relevant video remains an obstacle to addressing relevant research problems. The Consumer Digital Video Library (CDVL) Web site (http//:www.cdvl.org) attempts to address this obstacle. The CDVL makes high-quality, uncompressed video clips available for free download. Content owners have granted permission for use, and a use agreement protects owners’ rights. The clips are ideal for use by the education, research, and product development communities. Developing objective video quality models and testing emergency telemedicine systems are two applications enabled by CDVL content.

To learn more about the CDVL, please read the Best of The Web column article in the July issue of IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.