Systems and methods for identifying a black/non-black frame attribute

• US 9,756,283 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hundemer, Hank J., Lasher, Dana A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulaney, Kathleen Y
• Application Number:
  US14/584,975
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 348473, 348700, 386248, 382325
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/46 Extracting features or characteristics from the video content, e.g. video fingerprints, representative shots or key frames
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/57 for processing of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/93 Discriminating between voiced and unvoiced parts of speech signals G10L25/90 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/607 for more than one sound signal, e.g. stereo, multilanguages H04N5/602 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0125 one of the standards being a high definition standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308

Abstract

Presently described are systems and methods for identifying a black/non-black attribute of a current frame. One example embodiment takes the form of a method including the steps of (i) receiving the current frame, (ii) defining a region of the current frame, the region having a plurality of lumas, (iii) calculating a non-black luma percentage of the region based on the lumas, (iv) calculating a white luma percentage of the region based on the lumas, (v) calculating an average luma of the region based on the lumas, and (vi) identifying the current frame as having a black attribute responsive to three conditions being satisfied: the average luma being less than a max-black luma threshold, the non-black luma percentage being less than a non-black luma percentage threshold, and the white luma percentage being less than a white luma percentage threshold.

Claims

1. A frame-processing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause a set of steps to be carried out, the set of steps comprising:

receiving a frame of video from a video source device;

defining a region of the received frame, wherein the region is associated with a plurality of pixels of the received frame;

using a plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as a basis to identify the received frame as having a particular black/non-black attribute, wherein each of the plurality of luma values is within a defined luma range, and wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute comprises (i) using the plurality of luma values to calculate a non-black luma value percentage of the defined region, wherein the calculated non-black luma value percentage of the defined region represents luma values of the plurality of luma values that exceed a max-black luma threshold, wherein the max-black luma threshold is within a lower percentile of the defined luma range and an upper percentile of the defined luma range, and wherein the lower percentile is 10.5 percent of the defined luma range and the upper percentile is 14.5 percent of the defined luma range, and (ii) using the calculated non-black luma value percentage of the defined region as a basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute; and

storing in a memory an indication that the received frame has the identified particular black/non-black attribute.

2. The frame-processing device of claim 1, wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute further comprises:

identifying the received frame as having a black attribute responsive to every condition in a condition set being satisfied, wherein the condition set comprises a first condition being that the calculated non-black luma value percentage is less than a non-black luma value percentage threshold.

3. The frame-processing device of claim 2, wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute further comprises:

calculating an average luma value of the defined region based on the plurality of luma values, wherein the condition set further comprises a second condition being that the average luma value is less than the max-black luma value threshold; and

calculating a white luma value percentage of the defined region based on the plurality of luma values, wherein the condition set further comprises a third condition being that the calculated white luma value percentage is less than a white luma value percentage threshold.

4. The frame-processing device of claim 1, wherein the defined luma range is a range of 0-255, and wherein the lower percentile of the defined luma range corresponds to a luma value of 27 and the upper percentile of the defined luma range corresponds to a luma value of 37.

5. The frame-processing device of claim 1, further comprising a video input connection, wherein receiving the frame of video from the video source device comprises receiving, via the video input connection, the frame of video from the video source device.

6. The frame-processing device of claim 1, wherein the region is defined by a left-bound column, a right-bound column, a top-bound row, and a bottom-bound row.

7. The frame-processing device of claim 6, wherein the received frame has a row count of 1080 and a column count of 1920, both defining a resolution of the received frame, and wherein the left-bound column is a value in a range of 8-30, the right-bound column is a value in a range of 1890-1912, the top-bound row is a value in a range of 0-30, and the bottom-bound row is a value in a range of 1050-1080.

8. The frame-processing device of claim 1, wherein each luma value of the plurality of luma values is in a range of 0-255.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined luma range is a range of 0-255, and wherein the max-black luma threshold is a luma value of 32.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of a set of steps comprising:

receiving a frame of video from a video source device;

defining a region of the received frame, wherein the region is associated with a plurality of pixels of the received frame;

using a plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as a basis to identify the received frame as having a particular black/non-black attribute, wherein each of the plurality of luma values is within a defined luma range, and wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute comprises (i) using the plurality of luma values to calculate a non-black luma value percentage of the defined region, wherein the calculated non-black luma value percentage of the defined region represents luma values of the plurality of luma values that exceed a max-black luma threshold, wherein the max-black luma threshold is within a lower percentile of the defined luma range and an upper percentile of the defined luma range, and wherein the lower percentile is 10.5 percent of the defined luma range and the upper percentile is 14.5 percent of the defined luma range, and (ii) using the calculated non-black luma value percentage of the defined region as a basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute; and

storing in a memory an indication that the received frame has the identified particular black/non-black attribute.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the region is defined by a left-bound column, a right-bound column, a top-bound row, and a bottom-bound row.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the received frame has a row count of 1080 and a column count of 1920, both defining a resolution of the received frame, and wherein the left-bound column is a value in a range of 8-30, the right-bound column is a value in a range of 1890-1912, the top-bound row is a value in a range of 0-30, and the bottom-bound row is a value in a range of 1050-1080.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the defined luma range is a range of 0-255, and wherein the lower percentile of the defined luma range corresponds to a luma value of 27 and the upper percentile of the defined luma range corresponds to a luma value of 37.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a frame of video from a video source device;

defining a region of the received frame, wherein the region is associated with a plurality of pixels of the received frame;

using a plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as a basis to identify the received frame as having a particular black/non-black attribute, wherein each of the plurality of luma values is within a defined luma range, and wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute comprises (i) using the plurality of luma values to calculate a non-black luma value percentage of the defined region, wherein the calculated non-black luma value percentage of the defined region represents luma values of the plurality of luma values that exceed a max-black luma threshold, wherein the max-black luma threshold is within a lower percentile of the defined luma range and an upper percentile of the defined luma range, and wherein the lower percentile is 10.5 percent of the defined luma range and the upper percentile is 14.5 percent of the defined luma range, and (ii) using the calculated non-black luma value percentage of the defined region as a basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute; and

storing in a memory an indication that the received frame has the identified particular black/non-black attribute.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute further comprises:

identifying the received frame as having a black attribute responsive to every condition in a condition set being satisfied, wherein the condition set comprises a first condition being that the calculated non-black luma value percentage is less than a non-black luma value percentage threshold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute further comprises:

calculating an average luma value of the defined region based on the plurality of luma values, wherein the condition set further comprises a second condition being that the calculated average luma value is less than a max-black luma value threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein using the plurality of luma values associated with the plurality of pixels as the basis to identify the received frame as having the particular black/non-black attribute further comprises:

calculating a white luma value percentage of the defined region based on the plurality of luma values, wherein the condition set further comprises a third condition being that the calculated white luma value percentage is less than a white luma value percentage threshold.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the region is defined by a left-bound column, a right-bound column, a top-bound row, and a bottom-bound row.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the received frame has a row count of 1080 and a column count of 1920, both defining a resolution of the received frame, and wherein the left-bound column is a value in a range of 8-30, the right-bound column is a value in a range of 1890-1912, the top-bound row is a value in a range of 0-30, and the bottom-bound row is a value in a range of 1050-1080.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the defined luma range is a range of 0-255, and wherein the lower percentile of the defined luma range corresponds to a luma value of 27 and the upper percentile of the defined luma range corresponds to a luma value of 37.