Novatek Microelectronics Corp.

Hsiao-En Chang

I-Feng Lin

Cheng-Wei Chou

Yi-Hung Huang

Chih Chang

Chun Wang

Chun-Wei Chen

Tsui-Chin Chen

Jian-De Jiang

Jia-Lin Liao

An image processing method for a video processor, for generating an extrapolated frame according to a previous frame and a current frame, includes steps of: projecting a plurality of motion vectors (MVs) to the extrapolated frame subsequent to the current frame; determining whether a block of the extrapolated frame is projected by at least two of the MVs; selecting at least two candidate MVs from the MVs projected to the block when the block is projected by at least two of the MVs; calculating a blended MV which is a mixture of the at least two candidate MVs, and projecting the blended MV to the previous frame; obtaining a reference MV corresponding to position of the previous frame projected by the blended MV; and comparing the reference MV with the at least two candidate MVs, to select a final MV for the block from the at least two candidate MVs.

Image processing method and related video processor

A video processor is configured to perform the following steps: receiving a series of input frames; calculating a buffer stage value according to the series of input frames, wherein the buffer stage value corresponds to a status of the input frames stored in a frame buffer of the video processor; and selecting a frame set from the input frames stored in the frame buffer for generating an interpolated frame as an output frame to be output by the video processor according to the buffer stage value.

Video processor for handling irregular input

A method of motion estimation and motion compensation for a video processor includes steps of: detecting an input frame rate of a series of input frames; calculating a frame counting value, wherein the frame counting value represents the number of output frame periods between a current input frame and a previous input frame among the series of input frames; calculating a phase step, which is configured to generate a phase coefficient for generating an interpolated frame as an output frame of each of the output frame periods, according to the frame counting value; and generating the interpolated frame based on the current input frame and the previous input frame by using the phase coefficient. Wherein, the step of calculating the frame counting value, the step of calculating the phase step and the step of generating the interpolated frame are consistently performed until the input frame rate is successfully detected.

Method of MEMC and related video processor

A motion estimation method for a video processor includes steps of: calculating frame difference between a current input frame and a previous input frame; comparing the frame difference and a threshold to generate a comparison result; if the comparison result indicates the frame difference less than the threshold, determining whether a first block of the current input frame is a mixed block according to a block difference that indicates a difference between the first block and a block of the previous input frame at the same position; generating at least one temporal motion vector candidate for the first block; modifying the temporal motion vector candidate according to a current position difference value of video part in the current input frame when the first block is determined as the mixed block; and determining a motion vector for the first block from multiple motion vector candidates including the temporal motion vector candidate.

A frame rate up-conversion (FRC) apparatus and an operation method thereof are provided. A motion vector (MV) generation circuit provides an MV of a current pixel of an interpolation frame. According to the MV, a data fetch circuit fetches first original data of a first pixel in a first original frame and second original data of a second pixel in a second original frame. According to a position of the first pixel in the first original frame and a position of the second pixel in the second original frame, a boundary processing circuit processes the first original data and the second original data to generate first processed data and second processed data. An interpolation frame generating circuit generates pixel data of the current pixel of the interpolation frame according to the first processed data and the second processed data.

Frame rate up-conversion apparatus and operation method thereof

A motion estimation method for blocks of a periodic pattern is provided, which includes determining a global motion vector corresponding to a region according to motion vectors of periodic blocks in the region; generating candidate motion vectors of a target periodic block to be encoded in a second frame; for each candidate motion vector, determining a penalty value based on at least one difference between the candidate motion vector and at least one global motion vector corresponding to at least a relative region in the first frame; for each candidate motion vector, calculating a weighted similarity value based on an original similarity value between the target periodic block of the second frame and a reference block corresponding to the candidate motion vector of the first frame, and the penalty value; and determining a motion vector of the target periodic block according to weighted similarity values of the candidate motion vectors.

Motion estimation method and apparatus for periodic pattern

An frame rate up-conversion (FRC) apparatus and method are provided. The motion vector generating circuit compares a previous original frame with a current original frame to obtain the first motion vectors of the blocks of the current original frame, and compares the current original frame and a posterior original frame to obtain the second motion vectors of the blocks of the current original frame. The motion vector correction circuit checks whether the blocks of the second original frame are located in an occlusion area, and corrects the motion vectors of the blocks in the occlusion area based on the first motion vectors and the second motion vectors of the first original frame, the second original frame and the third original frame. The interpolation frame generating circuit creates at least one interpolation frame between the first original frame and the second original frame based on the corrected motion vectors.

Frame rate up-conversion apparatus and method

A multimedia device and a play mode determination method of the same are provided. The multimedia device includes a frame difference calculation unit, a global threshold determination unit and a play mode determination unit. The frame difference calculation unit calculates the frame difference between two continuous frames to obtain a global variation. The global threshold determination unit determines a film mode threshold corresponding to a film mode and a video mode threshold corresponding to a video mode according to a current frame of the two frames and a previous global variation, and selects a global threshold from the film mode threshold and the video mod threshold. The selected threshold is smaller than the film mode threshold. The play mode determination unit compares the global variation with the global threshold, and enables the multimedia device to enter one of the film mode and the video mode according to the comparison result.

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Hsinchu County, Taiwan

Hsiao-En Chang