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BEIJING, China, May 31, 2007 - HP today announced it has formed a Joint Lab, Tsinghua-HP Multimedia Research Center, collaborating with Tsinghua University Information Science and Technology Institute in Beijing. Based on the innovated technology from HP and Tsinghua University, the Joint Lab has world-class research and development capability. HP contributes its leading technologies, innovative concepts and advanced research and development management processes. Tsinghua University has a world-class research and technology team. In the next few years, the Joint Lab will focus on researching and developing the advanced multimedia technology of graphics, images, audio and video.

May 31, HP Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Technology Officer (CTO) Shane Robinson and Mr. Kang Kejun, vice president of Tsinghua University, will meet and sign the collaboration contract. It will be the second time for Shane Robison visiting Beijing after his first visit to China last June. Shane Robison will reconfirm HP's confidence of R&D investment in China.

China, the strategic location of HP global R&D

In recent years, HP has set up several R&D institutes in China, including Hewlett-Packard Laboratories (HP Labs China), HP Global Delivery China Center (GDCC), China Design Center (CDC), and Printing and Imaging research and development Institute. Those research and development institutes have involved in the lab-level R&D, products development just for China market, and software and solutions development oriented global market. China has become strategic location of HP global R&D.

HP Labs China, established in November 2005, is the sixth HP global laboratory. After more than one year, HP Labs China collaborated with high-level China universities and research institutes, created an innovative R & D model -- Joint research and development. Considering the features of China market, large user base, demand complicated, results-oriented, HP Labs China uses Advanced Information Management to integrate the local resources to carry out research and development project studies. In the process of joint research and development, HP brings Chinese universities and scientific research organizations the world's leading technology, capital and successful management experience. Chinese universities and scientific research institutes also quickly set up a set of updated management model for high-level research and development, enhance the training for local R&D people. Those make the Chinese local capability of research and development growth rapidly.

"Joint research and development is an innovative model globally. This co-operation model could allow more local high-quality research and development staff has the opportunity to participate in international research projects. Fundamentally it will improve the power of local research and development, meanwhile the cooperation should benefit both by sharing the R&D results "Shane Robinson said, "HP wants to cooperate with Chinese local research and development organizations, which have world-class capability. It shows HP open, innovative development spirit in China, and it promised that HP will have long-term investment in China "

HP and Tsinghua University set up new innovative model for collaborative R&D

HP and Tsinghua University has a long history of cooperation previously. HP has been jointly worked with Tsinghua University for ChinaGrid Monitoring System, Hydroinformatic Data Management, Digital Image Management and Organizations research project, etc. Those collaborations have proved that the joint developed innovative mode of HP and Tsinghua University is successful.

Tsinghua-HP Multimedia Research Center focuses on multimedia technology research, which is a worldwide hot topic. Tsinghua University and HP both recognize the multimedia application increase explosively worldwide, and China could contribute to the research works. "With the explosion of both amateur and professional multimedia on the Internet, we need increasingly sophisticated tools to identify, sort and process the millions of images and sounds that have been collected," said Patrick Scaglia, chief technology officer, Imaging and Printing Systems. "Traditional text analysis is limited and we have to rely on multimedia tools to analyze multimedia data. We're delighted to partner with Tsinghua University, which has world-class skills in this area."

The research would rely mainly on image recognition - instead of traditional text identification - for the visual applications. The music research would be based on sound.

The agreement is for a long term. During the collaboration, Tsinghua University researchers are expected to spend time both at HP Labs China, in Beijing, as well as with members of the Imaging Technology Department in HP Labs in Palo Alto. HP researchers will also go to China and work at the university. Tsinghua-HP Multimedia Research Center will keep innovative research ways, and transfer its research results to business application to serve China and World.

The Joint Lab focuses on updated multimedia technology

The research of Tsinghua-HP Multimedia Research Center will focus on six key areas:

• Automatic classification of digital photos: Based just on visual analysis, photos in a collection can be sorted into categories such as portraits, group photos, babies, sports, etc. This capability could prove extremely helpful to people or organizations who store thousands of photos -- either online or on a PC -- without having to label every picture.
• Improved face identification: "Show me all the photos of my grandmother." A user could use a computer query to find all the photos of a certain individual and the system would assemble them - even if the individual was in photos with other people or if his or her face were partially covered. The technology is also being extended to include video.
• Video-based audience analysis: Owners of digital signage could use vision technologies to identify how many people stopped by their display, how long they stayed and what their facial expressions revealed --- pleased, upset, surprised, bored, etc.
• Video digital warehouse: Videos could by analyzed, sorted, stored and retrieved based on graphic features such as frame, shots and scenes, as well as by content. Researchers will explore the use of very large parallel database technology as an enabler for multimedia data warehouses.
• Video search and recommendation for internet-based video communities: With the proliferation of videos posted on-line, an algorithm is being developed that would identify similar subject matter to recommend to viewers within a given user community. For example, someone who watched a certain sports video might be offered other, similar clips.
• Music analysis and retrieval: A user could ask "find me more music like this" and play a sample. The system would provide recommendations, based on rhythm, melodies, vocals, instruments or other audio factors.

"We are looking forward to partnering with HP, the world's most advanced imaging and printing company, and particularly in collaborating with HP Labs, which is exploring very advanced multimedia management technologies which we believe will have a major impact in the future," said KangKeJun, vice president, Tsinghua University.

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