Image formats for video capture, processing and display

• US 7,639,265 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Estrop, Stephen J., Evans, Glenn F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMIN, JWALANT B
• Application Number:
  US11/851,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20070296732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

Techniques and tools for representing pixel data in a video processing or capture system are described. Described techniques and tools provide efficient color representation for video processing and capture, and provide flexibility for representing colors using different bit precisions and memory layouts. Described techniques and tools include video formats that can be used, for example, in hardware or software for capture, processing, and display purposes. In one aspect, chroma and luma information for a pixel in a video image is represented in a 16-bit fixed-point block of data having an integer and fractional components. Data can be easily converted from one representation to another (e.g., between 16-bit and 10-bit representations). In other aspects, formats for representing 8-, 10- and 16-bit video image data (e.g., packed and hybrid planar formats), and codes for indicating the formats, are described.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a video image by a video processing system having a processor and a display, the method comprising:

the processor processing video data to produce the video image, the video data having a packed format representation, the video data consisting of color channel data and alpha channel data for each of plural pixels in the video image, the packed format representation having the color channel data and alpha channel data of each pixel arranged in a single bit array per group of at least one pixel, the packed format representation further having a color channel bit precision of greater than eight bits per color channel, and the packed format representation being represented by a total number of bits of the single bit array which is aligned with an integer multiple of an 8-bit byte but is not equal to an integer multiple of the color channel bit precision; and

displaying the video image on the display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the color channel data has a bit precision of 10 bits per channel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the alpha channel data consists of 2 bits per pixel.

4. The method of claim 1 where the video data is in a 4:

2;

2 sub-sampling format.

5. The method of claim 1 where the video data is in a 4:

4;

4 sub-sampling format.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the color channel data is in a YUV color space.

7. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon executable by a computer system having a processor and a display for performing a method of displaying a video image, the method comprising:

the processor processing video data to produce the video image, the video data having a packed format representation, the video data consisting of color channel data and alpha channel data for each of plural pixels in the video image, the packed format representation having the color channel data and alpha channel data arranged in a single bit array per group of at least one pixel, the packed format representation further having a color channel bit precision of greater than eight bits per color channel, and the packed format representation being represented by a total number of bits of the single bit array which is aligned with an integer multiple of an 8-bit byte but is not equal to an integer multiple of the color channel bit precision; and

displaying the video image on the display.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the color channel data has a bit precision of 10 bits per channel.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the alpha channel data consists of 2 bits per pixel.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 where the video data is in a 4:

2;

2 sub-sampling format.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 where the video data is in a 4:

4;

4 sub-sampling format.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the color channel data is in a YUV color space.