Demultiplexing for stereoplexed film and video applications

• US 20090128620A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Inventors: Greer, Josh, Lipton, Lenny, Cowan, Matt, Akka, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,749,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

A method for demultiplexing frames of compressed image data is provided. The image data includes a series of left compressed images and a series of right compressed images, the right compressed images and left compressed images compressed using a compression function. The method includes receiving the frames of compressed image data via a medium configured to transmit images in single frame format, and performing an expansion function on frames of compressed image data, the expansion function configured to select pixels from the series of left compressed images and series of right compressed images to produce replacement pixels to form a substantially decompressed set of stereo image pairs. Additionally, a system for receiving stereo pairs, multiplexing the stereo pairs for transmission across a medium including single frame formatting, and demultiplexing received data into altered stereo pairs is provided.

Claims

1. A method for demultiplexing a stream of single frames divided into portions, each single frame representing a frame of one stereoscopic image and containing one right image in a first portion and one left image in a second portion, each portion having been compressed using a compression function, the method comprising:

receiving the stream of single frames divided into portions, each single frame representing a frame of one stereoscopic image; and

performing a reverse compression function on at least one of the portions, the reverse compression function substantially processing pixels in the at least one portion in a manner substantially the reverse of the compression function used to compress each portion;

wherein performing the reverse compression function substantially reverts the portion to a state similar to that prior to being compressed using the compression function, thus forming a part of a stereo pair configured for projection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the stream of single frames divided into portions over a medium formatted to transmit single frames of image data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said compression function comprises removing selected pixels from each portion and the reverse compression function comprises computing removed pixels based on pixels substantially adjacent to the removed pixels.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said computing comprises employing a series of weighting factors based on positions of substantially adjacent pixels relative to removed pixels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said compression function comprises combining aspects of adjacent pixels to form at least one combined pixel and removing at least one combined pixel subsequent to said combining and the reverse compression function comprises employing combined pixels to establish removed pixels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein combining comprises selecting a plurality of pixels aligned along one axis and combining selected pixels to form combined pixels aligned orthogonally to the one axis.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the reverse compression function comprises employing multiple input pixels from a portion for each output pixel associated with the portion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portions are included within each single frame, and wherein a left image is included in substantially one half of each single frame and a right image is included in substantially another half of each single frame.

9. A method for demultiplexing frames of compressed image data comprising a series of left compressed images and a series of right compressed images, the right compressed images and left compressed images compressed using a compression function, the method comprising:

receiving the frames of compressed image data via a medium configured to transmit images in single frame format; and

performing an expansion function on frames of compressed image data, the expansion function configured to select pixels from the series of left compressed images and series of right compressed images to produce replacement pixels to form a substantially decompressed set of stereo image pairs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the expansion function substantially reverts the series of left compressed images and series of right compressed images to a state similar to that prior to being compressed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said compression function comprises removing selected pixels from a series of left images and a series of right images and the expansion function comprises computing removed pixels based on pixels substantially adjacent to removed pixels.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said computing comprises employing a series of weighting factors based on positions of substantially adjacent pixels relative to the removed pixels.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said compression function comprises combining aspects of adjacent pixels to form at least one combined pixel and removing at least one combined pixel subsequent to said combining and the reverse compression function comprises employing combined pixels to establish removed pixels.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein combining comprises selecting a plurality of pixels aligned along one axis and combining selected pixels to form combined pixels aligned orthogonally to the one axis.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the expansion function comprises employing multiple input pixels from one compressed image for each output pixel associated with the compressed image.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein one right compressed image and one left compressed image are included within each single frame, and wherein one left compressed image is included in substantially one half of each single frame and one right compressed image is included in substantially another half of each single frame.

17. An system configured to provide stereoscopic images, comprising:

a multiplexer configured to receive a plurality of stereo pairs, compress said stereo pairs into compressed portions, and combine the compressed portions into a series of single frames representing the plurality of stereo pairs;

a transmission medium configured to transmit single frames of image data and configured to receive the series of single frames; and

a demultiplexer configured to receive the series of frames from the transmission medium and decompress the series of single frames into a reconstructed plurality of stereo pairs.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the demultiplexer decompressing the series of single frames substantially reverts the series of single frames to a state similar to that prior to receipt by the multiplexer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said multiplexer is configured to remove selected pixels from a series of left images and a series of right images and the demultiplexer computes removed pixels based on received pixels substantially adjacent to removed pixels.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the demultiplexer employs a series of weighting factors based on positions of substantially adjacent pixels relative to the removed pixels.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the multiplexer is configured to compress said stereo pairs into compressed portions by combining aspects of adjacent pixels to form at least one combined pixel and removing at least one combined pixel subsequent to said combining, and the demultiplexer is configured to employ combined pixels to establish removed pixels.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein combining comprises selecting a plurality of pixels aligned along one axis and combining selected pixels to form combined pixels aligned orthogonally to the one axis.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the demultiplexer is configured to employ multiple input pixels from one portion for each output pixel associated with the portion.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein a left image is included in substantially one half of each single frame and a right image is included in substantially another half of each single frame.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the multiplexer performs at least one form a group including a sharpening function and a variable scaling of compressed portions.

26. A method for providing an image, comprising:

identifying a two block by two block arrangement of pixels within the image, the two block by two block arrangement of pixels comprising;

a top row comprising a top left block of at least one pixel and a top right block of at least one pixel; and

a lower row comprising a lower left block of at least one pixel and a lower right block of at least one pixel;

rearranging the two block by two block arrangement of pixels such that at least one of the top left block of pixels and the top right block of pixels is relocated to the lower row, wherein said rearranging results in a revised two block by two block arrangement of pixels comprising two columns; and

performing component sampling, wherein component sampling removes pixels from at least one of the two columns from the revised two block by two block arrangement of pixels;

wherein said identifying, rearranging, and performing operates to shift horizontal resolution loss into a vertical dimension within the image.

27. A method for receiving and processing an image, comprising:

identifying a two block by two block arrangement of pixels within the image, the two block by two block arrangement of pixels comprising;

a left column comprising a top left block of at least one pixel and a bottom left block of at least one pixel; and

a right column comprising a top right block of at least one pixel and a lower right block of at least one pixel;

removing at least one block from one column, the one block removed comprising a removed block; and

replicating at least one block of at least one pixel, thereby forming a replicated block of at least one pixel, and placing the replicated block of at least one pixel in place of the removed block, thereby forming a revised two block by two block of pixels.