Ati International Srl

Other

Innovation Management Sciences

Richard W Webb

Chad Edward Fogg

Simon Wolfenden Butler

Diego Garrido

Haitao Guo

Michael L Lightstone

Stefan Eckart

Xiaohua Yang

Fabio Ingrao

James Battle

Avery L Wang

Michael J Lightstone

A method of enhancing picture quality of a video signal is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of generating a interpolated base frame image; receiving a first previously decoded difference picture; receiving a second previously decoded difference picture; generating a combined motion compensated difference surface; and generating a temporally interpolated enhanced picture based upon the interpolated base frame image and the combined motion compensated difference surface. A circuit for enhancing picture quality of a video signal is also disclosed. The circuit comprising a base decoder generating a base image of a standard definition picture; a temporal predictive interpolator coupled to the base decoder and generating an interpolated block; and a summing circuit coupled to the temporal predictive interpolated. The summing circuit preferably adds the interpolated block and a difference block.

Predictive interpolation of a video signal

A method of enhancing picture quality of a video signal is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of receiving base layer images of standard definition pictures from a base layer decoder; defining image areas of the standard definition pictures; classifying image areas into image types by assigning a class number; and generating enhanced pictures based upon the standard definition pictures and the classification of the image areas. A circuit for enhancing picture quality of a video signal is also disclosed. The circuit comprising a base layer decoder; a classifier coupled to the base layer decoder, the classifier generating a class number for image areas of a standard definition picture; a summing circuit coupled to the classifier; an exchange stream decoder coupled to the summing circuit, the exchange stream decoder generating an index; and a codebook table coupled to the summing circuit. The codebook table preferably stores a plurality of codevectors based upon the class number and the index.

Classifying image areas of a video signal

A method of enhancing picture quality of a video signal is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of generating an interpolated base frame image; receiving a first previously decoded difference picture; receiving a second previously decoded difference picture; generating a combined motion compensated difference surface; and generating a temporally interpolated enhanced picture based upon the interpolated base frame image and the combined motion compensated difference surface. A circuit for enhancing picture quality of a video signal is also disclosed. The circuit comprising a base decoder generating a base image of a standard definition picture; a temporal predictive interpolator coupled to the base decoder and generating an interpolated block; and a summing circuit coupled to the temporal predictive interpolator. The summing circuit preferably adds the interpolated block and a difference block.

Video interpolation coding

A method of enhancing picture quality of a video signal is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of receiving an encoded video signal having a plurality of headers; maintaining a plurality of codebooks based upon the differences between a standard definition picture and a high definition picture; and providing a pointer to a particular codebook of the plurality of codebooks when decoding a frame of the video signal.

Maintaining a plurality of codebooks related to a video signal

A method and apparatus for reducing noise in an image sequence is provided. Images in the image sequence are recursively filtered on an area-by-area or, for example, pixel-by-pixel, basis. A pixel from an image is compared to a similarly located pixel from a previous image. A difference between one or more parameters of the pixels is determined. One or, preferably, two thresholds are used to classify three types of differences. Depending on the classification, the two pixels are blended together according to their parameters in varying amounts. Relatively small differences indicate a large fraction of the previous pixel to be combined with a small fraction of the current pixel. This substantially reduces the effects of random noise, which tends to cause relatively small, transient variations in the pixels of each image of the image sequence. Relatively large differences indicate the use of 100% of the current pixel without combining any of the previous pixel. Intermediate differences indicate smoothly transitioning from combining a large fraction of the previous pixel to combining none of the previous pixel depending on the differences relative to the thresholds.

Method and apparatus for reducing noise in an image sequence

A method and apparatus for loading data from memory to a cache is provided. The method and apparatus provide substantially improved performance, especially in conjunction with large data arrays for which each element of data is processed completely at once and need not be later accessed. A technique is provided to allow a data element to be loaded directly to a cache location corresponding to the local variable used to process that data element, thereby avoiding copying of the data element to multiple cache locations. In conjunction with the use of non-caching stores of processed results back into main memory, this technique completely avoids cache thrashing within the framework of a conventional microprocessor architecture. This technique is ideally suited for high-performance processing of streaming multimedia data including video processing.

Method and apparatus for loading data from memory to a cache

A method and apparatus for storing multimedia data for use in a digital VCR includes processing that begins by maintaining a first link list of a plurality of memory sections, where the first link list links the plurality of memory sections as a circular buffer. The processing then continues by receiving a stream of multimedia data. The processing then continues by storing the stream of multimedia data in at least some of the memory sections of the plurality of memory sections. The processing then continues by receiving a request for independent storage of a selected portion of the stream of multimedia data, e.g., the user desires to have a permanent copy of a particular program. The processing further continues by generating a second link list for a set of memory sections of the at least some of the memory sections. The set of memory sections stores the selected portion of the stream of multimedia data. The processing continues by updating the linking of the plurality of memory sections within the first link list without the set of memory section.

Method and apparatus for storing multi-media data

A method and apparatus for indexing and locating key frames in streaming frame data and variable-frame-length data is described. Fast and efficient location of desired key frames in both directions (e.g., forward/backward, future/past) is provided. An estimate of the distance to the desired key frame is made and a seek performed according to that distance. At the location specified by the seek, key frame seek assist data are obtained. The desired key frame is located or a new seek is performed, depending on the key frame seek assist data obtained. By placing the key frame seek assist data at readily identifiable locations, efficient location of key frames is provided. The key frame seek assist data may be tailored to optimize efficiency for seeking in a particular direction, for example, backwards. The seek process is correspondingly configured to favor seeking in the more efficient direction.

Method and apparatus for indexing and locating key frames in streaming and variable-frame-length data

A method and apparatus for motion estimation for encoding sequential frames is described. One embodiment of the invention provides efficiency by checking only four points surrounding a given point. Scores may be calculated corresponding to a level of difference between the given point in a reference frame and the points in a candidate frame. The efficiency may be further enhanced by storing scores of previously examined points for later use. The scores may be stored in a table. The table may be initialized to have invalid scores or scores corresponding to a great difference along search window boundaries to prevent searching outside of the search window boundaries. One embodiment of the invention implements a sliding window technique for efficient computation.

Method and apparatus for motion estimation for encoding sequential frames

A computer system that performs motion compensation pixels, the computer system includes a storage device; a memory unit that loads at least one error correction value and at least one reference component into the storage device; and a calculation unit coupled to receive the at least one reference component and the at least one error correction value from the storage device. The calculation unit determines multiple predicted components in parallel and stores the multiple predicted components into the storage device. The arrangement, i.e., field or frame type, of the at least one reference component can differ from the arrangement of the stored multiple predicted components.

Motion compensation device

A method and apparatus that reduce the complexity of motion estimation while providing better quality for a particular level of reduced resolution than previously available are described. The method and apparatus involve motion estimation quantization dithering to avoid quantization error effects when reducing the resolution, for example, from eight-bit pixel intensity values to two-bit pixel intensity values. Consequently, an embodiment of the invention provides efficient motion estimation using statistically accurate reduced resolution representations.

Method and apparatus for motion estimation quantization dithering

The present invention provides a method for improving playback consistency of an encoded video stream. The method of the present invention first determines whether a series of values of the progressive_frame flag of consecutive frames of the encoded video stream are arranged in a predetermined pattern. If the values are arranged in the predetermined pattern, an image of at least one of the frames is displayed progressively regardless of the value of the progressive_frame flag of that frame. As a result, the video stream is played back as if the movie had been consistently encoded in the first place.

Method for optimizing MPEG-2 video playback consistency

An improved deinterlacing technique is provided. In one embodiment, a method for deinterlacing includes receiving an interlaced frame of data, the frame including a primary field and a secondary field, and deinterlacing the frame, the deinterlacing including computing an output pixel, PIXOUT, of the secondary field based on an input pixel, PIXIN, of the secondary field, a bottom pixel, BOTTOM, of the primary field, and a top pixel, TOP, of the primary field, in which PIXOUT is computed according to an input/output curve that converges to an average of BOTTOM and TOP. The deinterlacing technique in accordance with this embodiment minimizes spatial artifacts and efficiently generates each output pixel value from only three input pixels.

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Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Richard W Webb