Ati Technologies Inc.

Ati International Srl

Ati Technologies Ulc

Antonio A Rinaldi

Edward George Callway

Philip L Swan

Stephen J Orr

Raymond M Li

Oleg Drapkin

Grigori Temkine

Allen J Porter

Michael Foxcroft

Ionut Alexandru Mirel

Collis Quinn Carter

Mikhall Rodionov

A method and apparatus for detecting copy protection included in an input video signal is described. Two types of copy protection are particularly addressed, including techniques that imbed copy protection pulses and copy protection phase flips in the video signal. A method for preserving copy protection is also presented, where the input video signal is first examined to determine if copy protection has been included in the input video signal. The input video signal then converted to component video data, which removes any copy protection present. An output video signal is then generated from the component video data, and when it was determined that the input video signal includes copy protection, the copy protection is recreated in the output video signal.

Method and apparatus for copy protection detection in a video signal

Methods and apparatus are described for measuring noise in video image processing. The described methods use horizontal and vertical variances of pixels of an image to extract noise information from the image. Silent regions in an image are considered to determine amplitude variations in the image. A smallest silent region in the image is searched by performing measurements over various block sizes. A least sum of absolute differences approach is used on both horizontal and vertical directions for finding the minimum energy of a received image signal. Using the disclosed method and processor, with a Gaussian distribution for the measured channel noise, both silent image regions, as well as edges, are equally covered.

Noise measurement in video images

A digitally programmable gain control circuit and method of operating the same is disclosed. The gain control circuit includes a programmable gain amplifier having an amplifier structure represented by a plurality of overlapping discrete monotonic transfer function segments, wherein at least one point of non-monotonicity occurs among one or more of the plurality of overlapping discrete monotonic transfer function segments, and a gain segment translator circuit operative to translate a monotonic gain value to a segment code to match the non-monotonic characteristics of the programmable gain amplifier. The programmability of the gain amplifier is provided by a coarse gain control circuit and a fine gain control circuit.

Digitally programmable gain control circuit

Method of providing closed captioned data to a television viewer comprised of detecting closed captioned data signals transmitted in conjunction with a television signal, decoding the data signals to caption display signals, and displaying the caption display signals on an auxiliary screen separate from a screen displaying the television signals.

Closed caption support with timewarp

A method and apparatus for customized editing and/or censoring of video and/or audio signals begins when a signal and a plurality of editing parameters are received. The signal includes an audio and/or video signal, where each of the editing parameters corresponds to separate portions of the signal. The editing parameters may be embedded within the signal or provided in simulcast with the signal. While the signal is being processed, a selective editing circuit is monitoring the editing parameters. When an editing parameter indicates that the corresponding portion of the signal is to be edited, the selective editing circuit edits the corresponding portion based on the editing parameter, which may be provided by the content provider or the user. In addition, the editing parameter may indicate various levels of editing the signal. For example, the editing parameter may indicate that the portion of the audio and/or video signal is to be completely blanked, skipped, faded, distorted, or is to be replaced with a substitute audio and/or video signal.

Method and apparatus for customized editing of video and/or audio signals

A method and apparatus for processing video signals to a plurality of video outputs may be done within a video system that includes a video decoder, a digital-to-analog module, and an output control module. In such a video system, the video decoder includes an analog-to-digital conversion module for converting an input video signal(s) into a digital video signal(s). The video decoder further includes a comb filter that is operably coupled to receive the digital video signal and to produce therefrom a Y component digital signal and a C component digital signal. The output control module is operably coupled to receive the Y and C component digital signals and also to receive an output command. If the output command dictates, the output control module provides the Y and C component digital signals to the digital-to-analog module. In response, the digital-to-analog module produces a composite video output and an S video output.

Method and apparatus for video signal processing in a video system

The invention features furnishing a representation of the quadrature amplitude modulation of two input signals (e.g., U and V video signals) based on the phase of a reference signal (e.g., a color burst reference signal). The two input signals are scaled based on the phase of the reference signal, and the scaling is synchronized to the phase of the reference signal.

Method and apparatus for encoding video color information

A system and method for compensating against false color from composite video source information detects when there is a diagonal luminance transition (or a cross pattern) and attenuates combed chrominance information to facilitate a reduction in a false coloring effect. A programmable threshold diagonal transition detector generates a multi-level compensation control signal, such as the amount of chrominance reduction or attenuation (in dB) to effectively notch combed chrominance data, based on a detection of a diagonal transition of luminance data among lines of video data. The multi-level compensation control signal is used by a multi-level compensator to attenuate the combed chrominance information from the 2-D adaptive comb filter.

System and method for compensating against false color from composite

A method and system to automatically align overlaying video data on a computer screen based on input information of R or G or B data, horizontal synchronization signal data (Hsync) and vertical synchronization signal data (Vsync) automatically reconstructs a pixel clock time base of an offboard underlying graphics source for use in aligning overlaid video using a generated vertical pixel pattern. The system and method also automatically detects a size of an active computer screen region and position of a top left hand corner and a bottom right hand corner of the active computer screen region to align overlaying video using the reconstructed pixel clock time base and a single color block pattern.

Automatic video overlay alignment method and apparatus

The invention features the generation of timing signals for use in the generation of a video signal. Vertical timing codes and horizontal timing codes are stored in a memory. The horizontal timing codes define regions of at least two types of horizontal timing signals of the video signal, and the vertical timing codes define the timing of the horizontal timing signals. The vertical and horizontal timing codes are stepped through to generate at least one signal indicative of the timing of the horizontal timing signals.

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Maple, Canada

Antonio A Rinaldi