Texas Instruments Corporation

Other

Vishal Markandey

Robert J Gove

Todd Alan Clatanoff

Kazuhiro Ohara

Gregory Scott Pettitt

Donald B Doherty

Stephen Wesley Marshall

Jeffrey Brian Sampsell

Gregory James Hewlett

Bruce E Flinchbaugh

Richard O Gale, Jr

Gerhard P Deffner

Paul M Urbanus

Richard C Meyer

Scott D Heimbuch

Venkat V Easwar

Daniel Jay Morgan

Anthony Reid

Mark L Burton

Roy I Edenson

John R Reder

Alan T Wetzel

Akira Takeda

Floyd H Hollister

Fred J Shipley

William E Cammack

Ryan Middleton

Dennis J Tobin

Methods of reducing contouring in images display by a linear display device, such as a spatial light modulator. The methods operate on a high resolution signal, which represents a stream of pixel values. The per pixel resolution of this signal is greater than the per pixel display resolution, and its less significant bits are treated as an error component. Random values are added to the error component either in conjunction with error diffusion values (FIG. ) or to provide a dither that is directly proportional to the error (FIG. ), or to provide a dither that has both spatial and temporal contributions (FIG. ).

Contouring reduction in SLM-based display

A method of communicating from a transmitter to a receiver over a communication medium. For the transmitter, the method includes the step of formatting data into a data stream to be communicated across the communications medium. This data stream comprises a plurality of headers (PACK HEADER). Moreover, for each of the plurality of headers, the method performs two steps. First, the method modifies information encoded by the header by performing a bitwise logical operation between selected bits of the header (B) with a predetermined bit pattern (A). Second, the method transmits the plurality of headers on to the communications medium. For the receiver, the method includes the step of receiving the plurality of headers from the communications medium. Additionally, for each of the received headers, the receiver recovers the information encoded by the header.

Data protection system

A method and system for processing video signal. The method and system provide for automatically detecting letterboxing in an input video signal, and scaling a desired portion of the video signal to match a given display device, as well as detecting subtitles in the input video signal and selectively including the subtitles in the desired portion of the video signal. A signal processor ( ) receives video image data, calculates image data statistics for each line of the video image, locates at least one desired portion of the video image, scales the desired portion of the video image for display on a display device ( ) having a pre-determined aspect ratio.

Automatic detection of letterbox and subtitles in video

A television system (,) with interlaced to progressive scan conversion. The system receives interlaced television signals then converts them to progressively scanned data using either field differencing, enhanced field differencing, frame differencing or other temporal processing depending upon which implementation is used. The implementations used depend upon which configuration of the system (,) was purchased, and can be changed with an upgrade to the more expensive implementations.

Low cost progressive scan television with special features

An SLM-based video receiver (,) receives a video input of some standardized format at a signal interface unit (,) and passes the input to a processor (,). The processor (,) performs analog-to-digital conversion if the pixel data is analog and also performs other enhancements to prepare the pixel data for loading into a video memory (,). The pixel data from the processor (,), representing a field of pixel data, is stored into the memory (,) for loading into rows of pixel elements of a spatial light modulator (,). The spatial light modulator (,) receives the pixel data in rows and each individual pixel element responds accordingly. The pixel elements of the spatial light modulator (,) emit light or reflect light from a source (,) and generate a video frame for display on a screen (,). By exploiting the addressing functions of the spatial light modulator (,), the SLM-based video receiver (,) displays a video frame using a field of pixel data.

Displaying video data on a spatial light modulator

A method for scaling graphics image data. The method operates on data that is in red-green-blue format. Each component is filtered to extract high pass information and then that information is scaled in amplitude. Finally, the amplitude scaled information is recombined with the original components of the image data. The filtering and amplitude scaling sharpen the scaled image, producing a clearer picture.

Digital processing for resized graphics images

A method and device for producing an accurate approximation of a digital input word translated by a monotonic transfer function. The digital word is translated into a non-monotonic output word comprised of a closest-approximation component and an error component. The error component is zero for regions in which each consecutive input word produces a unique closest-approximation component. In regions in which each consecutive input word produces the same closest-approximation component, the error signal represents the number of consecutive input words which produce the same closest-approximation component, and the position within that run of consecutive input words occupied by the present input word.

Non-monotonic contour diffusion and algorithm

A method of forming an image scaling filter for converting a first number of input lines to a second number of output lines comprises the steps of determining an optimal frequency response without sharp cutoffs for a given scaling factor and for a determined number of taps per line 102. Filter coefficients are provided based on the determined filter taps per line and the determined optimal frequency response 103. The coefficients are grouped into sets 104 corresponding to the taps per output line and the coefficients are rescaled so the sum of the set equals one 105. The input lines are multiplied by the rescaled coefficients and summed 106 to achieve the output line values.

Method and apparatus for forming image scaling filters

A method and structure for producing a noise reduced video signal. The data corresponding to a pixel in a first frame is differenced with signal corresponding to that pixel in a second frame. The difference signal is then recursively noise filtered, clipped and a non-linear function is applied. The filtered and clipped difference signal is then multiplied by the difference signal and added back into the original data. The resulting data is motion adapted and noise reduced, and is used in converting from interlace to progressive scan. The method can be integrated with scaling processes as well.

Recursive noise reduction for progressive scan displays

A method of increasing the brightness of a pulse width modulation display system. Image bits are displayed during display periods having a non-binary relationship. The display period of an object bit 902 is set equal to a minimum data load time, and the display periods of all other bits are initially set to have a binary relationship with the object bit. The display periods of at least one non-object bit 904, 906, 908 are then reduced in order to reduce the total frame time to no more than the available useable frame time 910. Preferably, only the display periods of bit of significance greater than the object bit are reduced. The reduction of display periods is guided by Weber's law, in order to prevent the non-binary steps from being noticeable or objectionable to the viewer.

Non-binary pulse-width modulation for improved brightness

A method and device for producing an accurate approximation of a digital input word translated by a monotonic transfer function. The digital word is translated into a non-monotonic output word comprised of a closest-approximation component and an error component. The error component is zero for regions in which each consecutive input word produces a unique closest-approximation component. In regions in which each consecutive input word produces the same closest-approximation component the error signal represents the number of consecutive input words which produce the same closest-approximation component, and the position within that run of consecutive input words occupied by the present input word.

A method and system for reducing the effects of false contouring and reducing color shading artifacts. An image signal 102 is dithered by the addition of a small noise signal from a noise generator 500. The added noise signal breaks up the edges of homogenous blocks of pixels, causing the created image to appear to have a smooth transition from one region to the next. The image dithering is especially useful in digital color image displays where processing performed on the chrominance portion of the image signal often causes quantization errors which lead to sharp transitions between similar shades when the input image included a smooth transition.

Low intensity contouring and color shift reduction using dither

A method of evaluating pulse width modulation patterns for a spatial light modulator display device. The method makes use of a light difference series function. This series function is obtained by representing on or off times of a display element as a light function. (FIG. 3). Two such light functions can be subtracted to compare two different patterns on the same display element (interframe) or to compare the same pattern on different display elements (intraframe). (FIG. 4). The result of the subtraction is a light difference function (FIG. 5), which can be expressed as a series function. Mathematical expressions using the series function correlate to various optical characteristics.

Determining optimal pulse width modulation patterns for spatial light

Methods of reducing artifacts in SLM-based display systems (10, 20), whose images are based on data displayed by bit-weight for pulse-width modulated intensity levels. A first method is suitable for systems (20) that use multiple SLMs (14) to concurrently display images of different colors, which are combined at the image plane. The data for each color are staggered in time (FIG. 4). A second method is suitable for either multiple SLM systems (20) or for systems (10) that use a single SLM (14) and a color wheel (17) to display differently colored images sequentially. The data for each color is arranged in a different data sequence (FIG. 5). In either method, the intensity transitions do not occur at the same time.

Color display system with spatial light modulator(s) having

An improved processing system (10) for video signal processing. The system uses only one newer version scan-line video processor (12) at nearly maximum efficiency, with a digital input that is at a common rate. The processor performs motion detection, motion adaptive scan conversion, horizontal and vertical scaling and applies sharpness control within a limited amount of instruction space, and applies these functions to four different video formats.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Vishal Markandey