Methods and apparatus for reducing blockiness in decoded video
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a video decoder, comprising the steps of:
- receiving encoded digital video data, the encoded video data representing blocky and non-blocky predictively coded video frames and including motion vectors required for the decoding of the encoded video data;
monitoring the received encoded digital bitstream to identify the motion vectors required for the decoding of the encoded video data;
identifying video data corresponding to blocky video frames bydetecting motion vectors, indicative of blocky video frames, that are larger than a preselected minimum size; and
decoding the received encoded video data using the motion vectors included in the received encoded video data, the decoding step including the step of performing a blockiness reduction operation on video frames which are decoded using detected motion vectors that are larger than the preselected minimum size.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus directed to reducing blockiness resulting from encoding digital video data using, e.g., DCTs are disclosed. An encoder which encodes video signals into a digital video bitstream including information identifying blocky video and instructions for processing the blocky video is also disclosed. A plurality of methods of identifying blocky video in an encoded bitstream by analyzing the encoded bitstream are also disclosed. In addition, various methods of filtering both non-blocky and blocky video, without adversely affecting the non-blocky video, are described.
128 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of operating a video decoder, comprising the steps of:
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receiving encoded digital video data, the encoded video data representing blocky and non-blocky predictively coded video frames and including motion vectors required for the decoding of the encoded video data; monitoring the received encoded digital bitstream to identify the motion vectors required for the decoding of the encoded video data; identifying video data corresponding to blocky video frames by detecting motion vectors, indicative of blocky video frames, that are larger than a preselected minimum size; and decoding the received encoded video data using the motion vectors included in the received encoded video data, the decoding step including the step of performing a blockiness reduction operation on video frames which are decoded using detected motion vectors that are larger than the preselected minimum size.
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2. A method of operating a video decoder, comprising the steps of:
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receiving an encoded digital bitstream including encoded digital video data corresponding to blocky and non-blocky video images, the encoded digital video data corresponding to blocky and B non-blocky predictively coded video frames, each predictively coded video frame including intra-coded blocks and predictively coded blocks required for the decoding of the encoded video data; monitoring the received encoded digital video data to identify the intra-coded blocks; and identifying video data corresponding to blocky video images by detecting video data corresponding to predictively coded video frames that include more than a preselected minimum percentage of intra-coded blocks. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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3. A method of operating a video decoder comprising the steps of:
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receiving encoded digital video data corresponding to blocky and non-blocky video images, the encoded video data including blocks of video data required for the decoding of the encoded video data, each block corresponding to an array of pixels; monitoring the received encoded digital video data to identify the blocks of video data required for the decoding of the encoded video data; identifying video data corresponding to blocky video images by using information included in the blocks of video data to calculate a blockiness cost function using pixel differences at block boundaries; and decoding the received encoded video data, the decoding step including the step of performing a blockiness reduction operation on the video data identified as corresponding to blocky video images. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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7. A method of operating a video decoder comprising the steps of:
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receiving an encoded digital bitstream including encoded digital video data corresponding to blocky and non-blocky video images, the encoded video data including information required for the decoding of the encoded video data; monitoring the received encoded digital bitstream to identify the information required for the decoding of the encoded video data; using the information required for the decoding of the encoded video data to identify video data corresponding to blocky video images; decoding the encoded digital video data to generate decoded video data including predictively coded blocks having blocking artifact boundaries located within the predictively coded blocks; and performing a blockiness reduction operation on at least a portion of the decoded video data by performing a low pass filter operation across the blocking artifact boundaries located within the predictively coded blocks.
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8. A method of operating a video decoder comprising the steps of:
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receiving an encoded digital bitstream including encoded digital video data corresponding to blocky and non-blocky video images, the encoded digital video data including blocks of video data, each block corresponding to an array of pixels; monitoring the received encoded digital bitstream to identify encoded digital video data corresponding to blocky video images, the monitoring step including the step of; calculating a blockiness cost function using pixel differences at block boundaries;
decoding the encoded digital video data to generate decoded video data, the decoding step includingthe step of performing an IDCT operation on a block represented by DCT coefficients; and processing the decoded video data generated by decoding the encoded digital video data identified as corresponding to blocky video images by performing a blockiness reduction operation thereon, the blockiness reduction operation including the steps of; altering at least one DCT coefficient of the block; and calculating the IDCT for the block. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A method of processing video data representing predictively coded images and bi-directionally coded images that were generated by performing motion compensation on a video signal, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying video data corresponding to blocky video images by detecting motion vectors having a value exceeding a preselected minimum motion vector value indicative of blocky video images; and performing a blockiness reduction operation on the identified blocky video data when the preselected minimum motion vector value is exceeded.
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11. A method of processing digital video data including predictively coded video frames represented by intra-coded and predictively coded blocks, the method comprising the steps of:
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monitoring the number of intra-coded blocks in the predictively coded video frames; identifying blocky predictively coded video frames by; i. monitoring the number of intra-coded blocks in the predictively coded video frames; and ii. detecting which ones of the predictively coded video frames include more than a preselected minimum number of intra-coded blocks, the detected predictively coded video frames; and
performing a blockiness reduction operation on the detected predictively coded video frames.
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12. A method of detecting and processing blocky video images in a series of encoded video images, the method comprising the steps of:
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examining video images in the series of encoded video images to identify fade or scene changes indicative of blocky video images; and performing a blockiness reduction on the video images in which fade or scene changes are identified.
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13. A method of performing a blockiness reduction operation on blocky decoded video data including predictively coded blocks having blocking artifact boundaries located within the predictively coded blocks, the method comprising the step of:
performing a filtering operation across the blocking artifact boundaries located within the predictively coded blocks of the blocky decoded video data. - View Dependent Claims (14)
Specification