Strategies for Processing Image Information Using a Color Information Data Structure

• US 20110170006A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Estrop, Stephen J., Evans, Glenn F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/571
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0229 De-interlacing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0435 Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/125 using unified memory architecture [UMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/012 Conversion between an interlaced and a progressive signal for graphics images G09G2310/0229
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/642 Multi-standard receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/67 for matrixing camera processing pipelines for matrixing of colour signals H04N23/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/69 for modifying the colour signals by gamma correction controlling camera response for colour signals H04N23/83

Abstract

Strategies are described for processing image information using a data structure which conveys color information. The color information describes color-related formatting applied to the image information. The data structure can be passed down a video processing pipeline, which includes a video mixing renderer module, a device driver, and a graphics module. Each functional component in the pipeline can draw color information from the data structure to improve the accuracy of its processing.

Claims

1. A method for processing image information, comprising:

converting input image information in a luma-related color space into linear image information within an RGB-related color space;

performing, by a graphics processing unit, processing on the linear image information in the RGB-related color space to produce processed information; and

converting the processed information into nonlinear image information within a luma-related color space.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the converting also involves transforming the input image information from an interlaced format into a progressive format prior to the processing operation, and, after processing, transforming the processed information from a progressive format into an interlaced format.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising supplying a color information data structure, and using color information specified in the color information data structure to govern at least one of the converting of the input information, the processing, or the converting of the processed information.

4. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising processor-executable instructions for implementing the method of claim 1.

5. An apparatus including a graphics processing unit and graphics processing logic configured to perform the converting of input information, the processing, and the converting of processed information of claim 1.

6. A system comprising:

one or more graphics processing units;

a video mixing renderer (VMR) module that receives a color information data structure associated with input image information and interacts with a display driver to coordinate processing of the input image information in accordance with color information specified in the color information data structure; and

the display driver that configures a graphics module to perform, using the one or more graphics processing units, one or more processing functions on the input image information using the color information specified in the color information data structure.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein one of the one or more processing functions includes color space conversion of the input image information from a luma-related color space into linear image information within an RGB-related color space.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein one of the one or more processing functions includes transforming the input image information from an interlaced format into a progressive format.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein one of the one or more processing functions includes rate conversion that modifies a frame rate of a sequence of frames for the input image information.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein one of the one or more processing functions includes image information sub-stream compositing.

11. The system according to claim 6, further comprising an image decoder that receives the input image information as compressed image information and converts the compressed image information from a first format to a second format.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the image decoder outputs a principal image stream to be rendered on a display device and an image sub-stream to be rendered on the display device.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the image sub-stream constitutes supplemental information including closed-captioning information and graphical overlay information.

14. The system according to claim 6, wherein the VMR module is configured to query the display driver and the graphics module with regard to what processing modes are supported.

15. The system according to claim 6, wherein the VMR module is configured to open an image stream object so that the input image information and control information can be forwarded to the display driver and the graphics module.

16. The system according to claim 6, wherein the VMR module and the display driver supplement the color information in the color information data structure as it is passed from one processing component to another.

17. A device comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage media, coupled to the processor, storing program modules executable by the processor, the program modules comprising;

a video mixing renderer (VMR) module configured to send a query to a graphics device driver and an associated graphics module, the query being directed to image processing operations that the graphics device driver and the associated graphics module are capable of providing; and

the graphics device driver configured to provide to the VMR module, a reply to the query that indicates at least one image processing operation that the graphics device driver and the associated graphics module are capable of providing, the at least one image processing operation including one of deinterlacing, compositing, and/or color space conversion.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the VMR module passes a color information data structure to the graphics device driver for use in processing image information.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the at least one image processing operation includes color space conversion of the image information from a luma-related color space into linear image information within an RGB-related color space.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein the at least one image processing operation includes transforming the image information from an interlaced format into a progressive format.