Snell & Wilcox Limited

Other

Amberfin Limited

Bruce Fairbairn Devlin

Michael James Knee

Nicholas Dominic Wells

Roderick MacKenzie Thomson

Timothy Ian Shuttleworth

A video frame rate converter has a temporal synchronization analyzer for dividing the input video sequence into successive groups of frames each of Nconsecutive frames and a motion analyzer for analyzing motion over the frames of each group to provide a group motion measure. The inverter includes both an interpolator for performing interpolation on a group of Ninput frames to provide Noutput frames, where Nis different from N; and a synchronizer for deleting or repeating an identified frame from the group of Ninput frames to provide Noutput frames. A switcher then switches group-by-group in dependence upon the group motion measure between the interpolator and the synchronizer to form an output video sequence having an output frame rate different from the input frame rate.

Conversion of video frame rate

An MPEG-2 or other compressed video stream (CP) can be manipulated as separate information bus (IB) and coefficient (CP*) streams. The information bus stream (IB) contains motion vector information but also information derived from a previous decoding operation ( ) for use in a subsequent coding operation ( ). Processing in the coefficient domain enables bit rate conversion without decoding to the pixel level and also simplifies the combination of MPEG layers.

Video compression

An apparatus for testing a compression decoder, includes a compression encoder having a picture input for receiving picture material and a coding decision input for receiving coding decisions from a set of legal coding decisions, where the compression encoder is adapted to encode picture material utilising the received coding decisions, a generator for generating random coding decisions from the legal set, and a playback device for communicating encoded picture material from the encoder to a decoder under test.

Playback and monitoring of compressed bitstreams

An MPEG-2 or other compressed video stream (CP) can be manipulated as separate information bus (IB) and coefficient (CP*) streams. The information bus stream (IB) contains motion vector information but also information derived from a previous decoding operation (,) for use in a subsequent coding operation (,). Processing in the coefficient domain enables bit rate conversion without decoding to the pixel level and also simplifies the combination of MPEG layers.

In a signal transmission chain containing, for example MPEG2 coders (12, 20, 28) and decoders (24, 30), an information channel extends throughout the signal chain. Signal processing elements in the chain take advantage of information (VP) on the information channel and also add to it information (VP) concerning the process performed by that signal processing element. The information channel, towards the end of the signal transmission chain, therefore carries information (VP) relating to all or most of the various processes performed by in the chain.

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Chiddingford, United Kingdom

Bruce Fairbairn Devlin