Sony United Kingdom Limited

James Hendrie McIntyre

Ian McLean

Clive Henry Gillard

Jonathan Mark Greenwood

Andrew Garrett

An image processing apparatus operates to process signal samples in a form of color reference signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples representing a legal color version of the image. The apparatus comprises a color conversion processor arranged to receive the input signal samples and which operates to convert the color reference signal samples from a unipolar form, to bipolar form on a scale between two maxima having opposite polarity, an adjustment factor generator, which operates to generate a plurality of adjustment factors which when combined with the input signal samples have an effect of converting illegal color pixels of the color image into legal color pixels, and a color legalizer coupled to the adjustment factor generator, which operates to combine the adjustment factors with the input signal samples to produce the legalized color signal samples.

Method of processing signals and apparatus for signal processing

An image processing apparatus operates to process input signal samples representative of at least part of a colour video image to produce legal colour signal samples representative of a legal colour version of the image. The apparatus comprises an adjustment factor generator, which operates to generate a plurality of adjustment factors which when combined with the input signal samples have an effect of converting illegal colour pixels of the colour image into legal colour pixels, an adjustment factor softener, which operates to soften the adjustment factors whereby distortion in the legal colour video image produced when the adjustment factors are combined with the input signal samples is substantially reduced, and a colour legaliser coupled to the softener, which operates to combine the softened adjustment factors with the input signal samples to produce the legalised colour signal samples. The image processing apparatus may operate with input signal samples in the form having red, green or blue components, or in a form having luminance and chrominance components, or indeed in other forms.

An image processing apparatus operates to process signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples representative of a legal color version of the image. The apparatus comprises an over sampling processor which operates to generate an over sampled version of the input signal samples by generating at least one extra signal sample for each base input signal sample, an adjustment factor generator, which operates to generate a plurality of adjustment factors which when combined with the input signal samples have an effect of converting illegal color pixels of the color image into legal color pixels, a color legalizer coupled to the adjustment factor generator, which operates to combine the adjustment factors with the input signal samples to produce the legalized color signal samples in an over sampled form, an anti-aliasing processor coupled to the color legalizer, which operates to filter selectively the over sampled version of the legalized color signal samples with an anti-aliasing filter in dependence upon whether the legalized color signal samples have changed with respect to the input signal samples and if the legalized color signal samples have not changed, bypassing the filter, and a decimating processor coupled to the color legalizer which operates to decimate the filtered legalised color signal samples to produce legalized signal samples having a sampling rate corresponding to that of the base input signal samples. The anti-aliasing processor filters the legalised color signal samples by selecting the base legalized color signal samples corresponding to the base input signal sample, where neither the base or the associated extra color signal samples have changed with respect to the input signal samples.

Processing signal samples of color video image to produce legalized color version of the image

An image processing apparatus operates to process input signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples representative of a legal color version of the image. The apparatus comprises an over sampling processor which operates to generate an over sampled version of the input signal samples by generating at least one extra signal sample for each base input signal sample, an adjustment factor generator, which operates to generate a plurality of adjustment factors which when combined with the input signal samples have an effect of converting illegal color pixels of the color image into legal color pixels, a color legalizer coupled to the adjustment factor generator, which operates to combine the adjustment factors with the input signal samples to produce the legalized color signal samples, a decimating processor coupled to the color legalizer which operates to decimate the legalized color signal samples to produce legalized signal samples having a sampling rate corresponding to that of the base input signal samples, a further adjustment factor generator, and a further color legalizer each of which is coupled to the output of the decimating processor, the further adjustment factor generator operating to generate further adjustment factors, and the further color legalizer operating to combine the further adjustment factors with the decimated legalized color signal samples. The image processing apparatus may operate with input signal samples in the form having red, green or blue components, or in a form having luminance and chrominance components, or indeed in other forms.

An image processing apparatus operates to process input signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples representative of a legal color version of the image. The apparatus comprises an adjustment factor generator, which operates to generate a plurality of adjustment factors which when combined with the input signal samples have an effect of converting illegal color pixels of the color image into legal color pixels, an adjustment factor biasing processor coupled to the adjustment factor generator, which operates to change the adjustment factors by combining each of the adjustment factors with a biasing constant, and a color legalizer coupled to the biasing processor, which operates to combine the biased adjustment factors with the input signal samples to produce the legalized color signal samples. This has an effect of increasing or decreasing the effect of the adjustment factors to increase or decrease a possibility of illegal pixels remaining in the legalized color image. The image processing apparatus may operate with input signal samples in the form having red, green or blue components, or in a form having luminance and chrominance components, or indeed in other forms.

An image processing apparatus processes input signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples. An over sampled version of the input signal samples is produced. A plurality of adjustment factors are generated which, when combined with the input signal samples, have the effect of converting illegal color pixels of the color image into legal color pixels. The over sampled legalized color signal samples are decimated, resulting in a sampling rate corresponding to that of the base input signal samples, by selecting signal samples from the over sampled version of the legalized color signal samples which have not changed with respect to the corresponding input signal samples. If the signal samples have changed, a plurality of the over sampled legalized color signal samples are combined to produce the decimated legalized signal samples; and if neither the base nor the associated extra color signal samples have changed, base legalized color signal samples are selected.

A system for generating a variety of solid signals and key signals. The system includes a multiple of solid generators, a multiple of key signal generators and a cross-point switch. Each of the solid generators includes a multiple of solid mixers, and each of the key signal generators includes a multiple of key signal mixers. The cross-point switch is arranged to connect any of the solid generators and key signal generators to any of the switch's main outputs, and to connect any of the solid generators to any of the key generators. The system provides for selection of preset delays to compensate for different signal routings. A timing control controls routing and delay selection.

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Basingstoke, United Kingdom

James Hendrie McIntyre