Sarnoff Corporation

David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc.

Michael Henry Brill

Jeffrey Lubin

Albert P Pica

Gary A Gendel

Harpreet Singh Sawhney

Rakesh Kumar

Michael Anthony Isnardi

James Russell Bergen

Peter Jeffrey Burt

Vincent Paragano

Gooitzen Siemen Van Der Wal

Shmuel Peleg

Douglas Fremont Dixon

Aalbert De Vries

Joshua Randy Herman, Deceased

Olga Finard

Roger L Crane

Walter B Paul

A method and apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between two input signal sequences, e.g., image sequences is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a perceptual metric generator having an input signal processing section, a luminance processing section, a chrominance processing section and a perceptual metric generating section. The luminance processing section simultaneously processes at least two image fields, so as to provide spatio-temporal channels whose calibration is independent of pure-spatial and pure-temporal channels.

Method and apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between two signal sequences

A channel is inserted into a sequence of frames for an image, by varying one or more display characteristics across a display in accordance with a spatio-temporal pattern applied to, for example, successive lines of each modified frame. The channel may be employed to watermark the image, and the watermark may be defined as W(x) and its complement &lsqb;1&minus;W(x)&rsqb; in counter-phase rotations of successive lines in pairs of frames. The watermark information is applied in relatively still portions of the image with sufficient lightness level. A receiver includes a watermark detector that has a priori information about the watermark. The watermark detector examines specific regions of the displayed image over time, and tests the regions for the watermark during time intervals when the image remains relatively still.

Spatio-temporal channel for images employing a watermark and its complement

A method and apparatus for performing image quality assessment that does not require the use or availability of a reference image. The apparatus comprises a vision pre-processor, a virtual reference generator, a virtual distortion generator, and a image quality metric generator. The vision preprocessor performs a vision-like transformation upon an input image sequence to produce a vision energy map. The virtual reference generator operates upon the vision energy map to produce a virtual reference while the virtual distortion generator produces distortion estimates that are used by the virtual reference generator to produce the virtual reference. The virtual distortion and virtual reference are used by the image quality metric generator to produce a image quality metric for the input video sequence without the use of a reference video sequence.

Method and apparatus for estimating digital video quality without using a reference video

A method and apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between two input signal sequences, e.g., image sequences is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a perceptual metric generator having an input signal processing section, a luminance processing section, a chrominance processing section and a perceptual metric generating section.

Method and apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between

A method of constructing an image mosaic comprising the steps of selecting source images, aligning the source images, selecting source segments, enhancing the images, and merging the images to form the image mosaic is disclosed. An apparatus for constructing an image mosaic comprising means for selecting source images, means for aligning the source images, means for selecting source image segments, means for enhancing the images, and means for merging the images to form the image mosaic is also disclosed. The process may be performed automatically by the system or may be guided interactively by a human operator. Applications include the construction of photographic quality prints form video and digital camera images.

Method and apparatus for mosaic image construction

A method and apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between two input image sequences. The apparatus comprises a visual discrimination measure having a retinal sampling section, a plurality of temporal filters and a spatial discrimination section. The retinal sampling section applies a plurality of transformations to the input image sequences for simulating the image-processing properties of human vision. The temporal filters separate the sequences of retinal images into two temporal channels producing a lowpass temporal response and a bandpass temporal response. The spatial discrimination section applies spatial processing to the temporal responses to produce an image metric which is used to assess the visibility of differences between the two input image sequences.

A method and apparatus for predicting how any given spatio-temporal light distribution would change an observer's pupil diameter. The method generates the instantaneous effect of luminance driving the pupil diameter, the cumulative driving function of the pupil diameter, and the evolving pupil diameter. Using the evolving pupil diameter together with the input luminance, the method computes the retinal illuminance distribution for the given input illuminance. The method is implemented as a software routine executed by a general purpose computer.

Method and apparatus for predicting retinal illuminance

An apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between two input image sequences. The apparatus comprises a pair of pre-filtered processors, a pair of pyramid constructors and a JND processor. Each pre-filter processor receives a separate input image sequence and performs temporal filtering to produce a low-pass temporal response and a bandpass temporal response. In turn, the pyramid constructors receive the temporal responses and generate contrast pyramids for the temporal responses. The JND processor evaluates the contrast pyramids to produce an image metric which is used to assess the visibility of differences between the two input image sequences.

Apparatus for assessing the visiblity of differences between two image

A method and apparatus for assessing the visibility of differences between two input image sequences for improving image fidelity and visual task applications. The apparatus comprises a visual discrimination measure having a retinal sampling section, a plurality of temporal filters and a spatial discrimination section. The retinal sampling section applies a plurality of transformations to the input image sequences for simulating the image-processing properties of human vision. The temporal filters separate the sequences of retinal images into two temporal channels producing a lowpass temporal response and a bandpass temporal response. The spatial discrimination section applies spatial processing to the temporal responses to produce an image metric which is used to assess the visibility of differences between the two input image sequences.

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Morrisville, PA, United States of America

Michael Henry Brill