Compression Labs, Inc.

Andrew G Tescher

Wen-hsiung Chen

Stanley C Fralick

Robert D Widergren

Video type information signals are compressed for transmission and reproduction by comparing corresponding blocks of time domain information signals from successive fields, converting a block of the time domain information signals to a transform domain signal represented by discrete cosine transform coefficients when the difference between the corresponding blocks exceeds a block difference threshold, and encoding the transform domain coefficients for transmission to a decoding site. Corresponding blocks of time domain information signals from successive fields are compared by storing the successive fields in memory on a pixel by pixel basis, retrieving each block on a pixel by pixel basis, forming the difference between corresponding pixels from the successive blocks, squaring the resulting difference signal, summing the squares and dividing by the number of pixels per block. Successive fields are merged by weighted summing of corresponding pixels.

Video bandwidth reduction system employing interframe block differencing

A digital video compression and expansion system and its methods for compressing and expanding digitalized video signals in real time at rates up to NTSC color broadcast rates are disclosed. The system compressor receives digitalized video frames divided into subframes, performs in a single pass a spatial domain to transform domain transformation in two dimensions of the picture elements of each subframe, normalizes the resultant coefficients by a normalization factor having a predetermined compression ratio component and an adaptive rate buffer capacity control feedback component, to provide compression, encodes the coefficients with a minimum redundancy coding scheme and stores them in a first rate buffer memory asynchronously at a high data transfer rate from which they are put out at a slower, synchronous rate. The compressor adaptively determines the rate buffer capacity control feedback component in relation to instantaneous data content of the rate buffer memory in relation to its capacity, and it controls the absolute quantity of data resulting from the normalization step so that the buffer memory is never completely emptied and never completely filled. In expansion, the system essentially mirrors in reverse the steps performed during compression. An efficient, high speed decoder forms an important aspect of the present invention. The compression system forms an important element of a disclosed color broadcast compression system.

Digital video compression system and methods utilizing scene adaptive

An improved method and apparatus for calculating discrete cosine transform coefficients from a plurality of digitalized data is disclosed. The pipelined processor utilizes two basic types of circuits arranged in five computational stages. Shuffle and add circuits operate upon prearranged data components at the first, second and fourth stages, while shuffle, add and multiply circuits are used at the third and fifth stages.

Discrete cosine transformer

A digital video compression system and its methods for compressing digitalized video signals in real time at rates up to NTSC color broadcast rates are disclosed. The system compressor receives digitalized video frames divided into subframes, performs in a single pass a spatial domain to transform domain transformation in two dimensions of the picture elements of each subframe, normalizes the resultant coefficients by a normalization factor having a predetermined compression ratio component and an adaptive rate buffer capacity control feedback component, to provide compression, encodes the coefficients and stores them in a first rate buffer memory asynchronously at a high data transfer rate from which they are put out at a slower, synchronous rate. The compressor adaptively determines the rate buffer capacity control feedback component in relation to instantaneous data content of the rate buffer memory in relation to its capacity, and it controls the absolute quantity of data resulting from the normalization step so that the buffer memory is never completely emptied and never completely filled. In expansion, the system essentially mirrors the steps performed during compression. An efficient, high speed decoder forms an important aspect of the present invention. The compression system forms an important element of a disclosed color broadcast compression system.

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Claremont, CA, United States of America

Andrew G Tescher