Enhancement of decompressed video

• US 20090161754A1
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Somle Development LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Sheraizin, Vitaly S., Sheraizin, Semion M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20182 Noise reduction or smoothing in the temporal domain; Spatio-temporal filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/117 Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing sub-band filter banks H04N19/635
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/86 involving reduction of coding artifacts, e.g. of blockiness

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enhancing video quality by adaptively removing distortions and ringing effects embedded in decompressed video signals. The apparatus can operate in conjunction with decoder devices installed in set-top boxes, satellite receivers, TV broadcast channel servers, digital still cameras, DVD players and recorders, large screen TV sets, media players, and the like.

Claims

1-60. -60. (canceled)

61. An apparatus comprising:

an estimation unit configured to generate, from decompressed video frames, visual quality parameters that describe the decompressed video frames; and

a decompressed video enhancer configured to improve a visual quality of at least one of the decompressed video frames using one or more of the visual quality parameters.

62. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the visual quality is defined by one or both of an extent of distortions or an extent of ringing effects.

63. The apparatus of claim 61, embodied in a media playing device.

64. The apparatus of claim 61, embodied in at least one of:

a set-top box;

a satellite receiver;

a television (TV) broadcast channel server;

a TV set;

a digital still camera;

a digital videodisc (DVD) recorder;

or

a DVD player.

65. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the decompressed video frames are decompressed from a signal encoded according to at least one of the following:

a joint photographic expert group (JPEG) technique;

a moving picture expert group (MPEG) technique;

an H-compression technique;

or

a Windows Media (WM) technique.

66. A method comprising:

estimating, based on decompressed video frames, visual quality parameters that indicate a visual quality of the decompressed video frames; and

improving the visual quality of the decompressed video frames using one or more of the visual quality parameters.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the visual quality is defined by one or both of an extent of distortions or an extent of ringing effects.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the acts of estimating and improving are performed by an apparatus embodied in a media playing device.

69. The method of claim 66, wherein the acts of estimating and improving are performed by an apparatus embodied in at least one of:

a set-top box;

a satellite receiver;

a television (TV) broadcast channel server;

a TV set;

a digital still camera;

a digital videodisc (DVD) recorder;

or

a DVD player.

70. The method of claim 66, further comprising decompressing a video signal to provide the decompressed video frames, wherein the video signal is encoded according to at least one of the following:

a joint photographic expert group (JPEG) technique;

a moving picture expert group (MPEG) technique;

an H-compression technique;

or

a Windows Media (WM) technique.

71. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying computer-readable instructions which, when executed, are configured to:

estimate, based on decompressed video frames, visual quality parameters that indicate a visual quality of the decompressed video frames; and

improve the visual quality of the decompressed video frames using one or more of the visual quality parameters.

72. The computer-readable storage media of claim 71, wherein the visual quality is defined by one or both of an extent of distortions or an extent of ringing effects.

73. The computer-readable storage media of claim 71, wherein the instructions are executable by a media playing device.

74. The computer-readable storage media of claim 71, wherein the instructions are executable by an apparatus embodied in at least one of:

a set-top box;

a satellite receiver;

a television (TV) broadcast channel server;

a TV set;

a digital still camera;

a digital videodisc (DVD) recorder;

or

a DVD player.

75. The computer-readable storage media of claim 71, wherein the instructions are further configured to decompress a video signal to provide the decompressed video frames, wherein the signal is encoded according to at least one of the following:

a joint photographic expert group (JPEG) technique;

a moving picture expert group (MPEG) technique;

an H-compression technique;

or

a Windows Media (WM) technique.

76. A system comprising:

means for decompressing video frames of a video signal;

means for generating, from decompressed video frames, visual quality parameters that describe the decompressed video frames; and

means for improving a visual quality of the decompressed video frames using on one or more of the visual quality parameters.

77. The system of claim 76, wherein the video signal is encoded according to at least one of the following:

a joint photographic expert group (JPEG) technique;

a moving picture expert group (MPEG) technique;

an H-compression technique;

or

a Windows Media (WM) technique.

78. The system of claim 76, wherein the visual quality is defined by one or both of an extent of distortions or an extent of ringing effects.

79. The system of claim 76 embodied in a media playing device.

80. The system of claim 76 embodied in at least one of:

a set-top box;

a satellite receiver;

a television (TV) broadcast channel server;

a TV set;

a digital still camera;

a digital videodisc (DVD) recorder;

or

a DVD player.

81. An apparatus comprising

an estimation unit configured to generate, from decompressed video frames, visual quality parameters describing the decompressed video frames, the estimation unit comprising:

a distortion estimator configured to estimate on one or more video frame distortion levels;

a parameter estimator configured to estimate one or more image complexity values and one or more a per-pixel intensity changes; and

an analyzer configured to estimate one or more video frame high contrast small details levels.

82. The apparatus of claim 81, wherein the video signal is encoded according to at least one of the following:

a joint photographic expert group (JPEG) technique;

a moving picture expert group (MPEG) technique;

an H-compression technique;

or

a Windows Media (WM) technique.

83. The apparatus of claim 81, further comprising:

a controller unit configured to convert the visual quality parameters to control parameters for controlling processing of the decompressed video frames; and

an enhancer unit configured to improve a visual quality of the decompressed video frames by processing the decompressed video frames, wherein processing is controlled at least in part by the control parameters.

84. The apparatus of claim 83, wherein the visual quality is defined by one or both of an extent of distortions or ringing effects.

85. The apparatus of claim 83, wherein the enhancer unit comprises an adaptive temporal processor configured to process the decompressed video frames to provide adaptive temporal processor output.

86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the enhancer unit further comprises an adaptive spatial processor configured to process the adaptive temporal processor output to provide adaptive spatial processor output.

87. The apparatus of claim 81 embodied in a media playing device.

88. The apparatus of claim 81 embodied in at least one of:

a set-top box;

a satellite receiver;

a television (TV) broadcast channel server;

a TV set;

a digital still camera;

a digital videodisc (DVD) recorder;

or

a DVD player.