Tektronix, Inc.

Kamalesh U Patel

Bozidar Janko

An apparatus and method for the detection of repeated and frozen frames in a video signal obtains the absolute differences between pixels in corresponding fields of consecutive frames and generates a logic bit-map based on a threshold that is related to a maximum absolute difference for the field. The logic &ldquo;1&rdquo;s in the logic bit-map are counted to determine a normalized distribution count for the field and to determine an actual count in each of a plurality of segments of the logic bit-map. The actual counts are compared with bounds generated from the normalized distribution count and, if all the actual counts for the field are within the bounds, a repeated frame is reported. Alternatively in the absence of noise the actual counts are compared with a minimum value and, if all of the actual counts are below the minimum value, a repeated frame is reported.

Detection of repeated and frozen frames in a video signal

An in-service, realtime picture quality analysis method determines the degradation of a test video signal at a test point with respect to a reference video signal by generating from the reference video signal a set of parameters that characterize the images represented by the reference video signal. The set of parameters are inserted into a transport stream that also has an encoded version of the reference video signal. At the test point the set of parameters is extracted from the transport stream, and the test video signal is decoded from the transport stream. A corresponding set of parameters is generated for the test video signal, and the two sets of parameters are compared by a picture quality analysis algorithm to produce a picture quality rating that represents the degradation of the test video signal.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Kamalesh U Patel