Pulldown field detector

• US 20040227852A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kochubievski, Vadim, Rio, Joseph Del, MacInnis, Alexander G., Neuman, Darren, Posniewski, Shannon, Zinkievich, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 7,595,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/448
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0112 one of the standards corresponding to a cinematograph film standard

Abstract

A system and method for detecting the presence and location of pull-down fields in a video field stream. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise method steps and circuit structure for generating an array of variance indications, each of which represents a degree of variance between two video fields in the video field stream. Various aspects may comprise comparing the array of variance indications to a pattern to detect a pull-down field in the video field stream. Various aspects may comprise comparing corresponding portions of video fields and generating a histogram of differences between the corresponding portions. Various aspects may comprise generating an indication of variance of the histogram and analyzing the indication of variance. Various aspects may comprise analyzing an array of such indications of variance and may comprise comparing the array of such indications to a pattern or plurality of patterns.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a pull-down field in a stream of video fields, the method comprising:

generating an array of variance indications, each of the variance indications representing a degree of variance between two video fields in the stream of video fields; and

comparing the array of variance indications to a predetermined pattern to detect a pull-down video field in the stream of video fields.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an array of variance indications comprises generating a first variance indication, and generating the first variance indication comprises:

determining levels of difference between a plurality of portions of a first video field in the stream of video fields and corresponding portions of a second video field in the stream of video fields; and

determining the first variance indication as an indication of variance of the levels of difference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an array of variance indications comprises generating a first variance indication, and generating the first variance indication comprises:

determining pixel difference values between a plurality of pixel values of a first video field in the stream of video fields and corresponding pixel values of a second video field in the stream of video fields; and

determining the first variance indication as an indication of variance of the pixel difference values.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the first variance indication as an indication of variance of the pixel difference values comprises:

generating a histogram of the pixel difference values;

determining the variance of the histogram; and

determining the first variance indication based on the variance of the histogram.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the array of variance indications to a predetermined pattern comprises calculating the correlation between the array of variance indications and the predetermined pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern is characterized by the general pattern of 3:

2 pull-down fields in a stream of video fields.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the array of variance indications to at least one predetermined pattern to ascertain the periodic location of a pull-down video field in the stream of video fields.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating respective correlations between the array of variance indications and each of a plurality of predetermined patterns to ascertain the periodic location of a pull-down field in the stream of video fields.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of predetermined patterns are characterized by shifted versions of a single predetermined base pattern.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising maintaining respective indications of the frequency at which each of the predetermined patterns correlates to the array of variance indications.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the corresponding portions of the first video field and the third video field are pixels.

11. A method for detecting a pull-down field in a stream of video fields, the stream of video fields having, sequentially, a first video field, a second video field, a third video field, and a fourth video field, the method comprising:

comparing corresponding portions of the first video field and the third video field;

generating a first histogram of differences of the compared portions of the first video field and the third video field;

generating a first indication of variance of the first histogram; and

determining whether the third video field is a pull-down field by comparing the first indication of variance to a first value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

comparing corresponding portions of the second video field and the fourth video field;

generating a second histogram of differences of the compared portions of the second video field and the fourth video field; and

generating a second indication of variance of the second histogram, wherein determining whether the third video field is a pull-down field further comprises comparing the second indication of variance to a second value.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first value is a value in an array of values corresponding to a pull-down field pattern.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second values are values in an array of values corresponding to a pull-down field pattern.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising incrementing a counter when the third video field is determined to be a pull-down field.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising decrementing the counter when the third video field is determined not to be a pull-down field.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising analyzing the state of the counter using hysteresis to determine whether the video field stream contains pull-down fields.

19. A system for detecting pull-down fields in a video field stream, the system comprising:

a first logic circuit that compares two video fields and outputs difference values resulting from the comparison;

a second logic circuit coupled to the first logic circuit that receives the difference values from the first logic circuit and outputs an indication of variance of the difference values;

a third logic circuit coupled to the second logic circuit that receives the indication of variance from the second logic circuit and outputs the indication of variance in an array of variance indications; and

a fourth logic circuit coupled to the third logic circuit that receives the array of variance indications, compares the array of variance indications to a predetermined pattern, and outputs an indication of whether the array of variance indications and the predetermined pattern correspond.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second logic circuit comprises:

a first logic sub-circuit that receives the difference values as input and outputs a histogram; and

a second logic sub-circuit that calculates an indication of variance of the histogram.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the predetermined pattern corresponds to a pull-down field pattern.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first logic circuit compares the two video fields by comparing corresponding portions of the two video fields.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first logic circuit compares the two video fields by comparing corresponding pixel values of the two video fields.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the fourth logic circuit includes a logic sub-circuit that compares the array of variance indications to the predetermined pattern by calculating an indication of correlation between the array of variance indications and the predetermined pattern.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a counter circuit coupled to the fourth logic circuit.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a counter circuit coupled to the fourth logic circuit that increments when the fourth logic circuit outputs an indication that the array of variance indications and the predetermined pattern correspond and decrements when the fourth logic circuit outputs an indication that the array of variance indications and the predetermined pattern do not correspond.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a hysteresis circuit coupled to the counter circuit that processes the state of the counter circuit using hysteresis to determine if the video field stream contains pull-down fields.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the fourth logic circuit includes a logic sub-circuit that compares the array of variance indications to the predetermined pattern by calculating the covariance between the array of variance indications and the predetermined pattern.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the fourth logic circuit compares the array of variance indications to a plurality of predetermined patterns.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising a fifth logic circuit having counter circuits that indicate the frequency at which each of the plurality of predetermined patterns correspond to the array.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the first logic circuit further compares two other video fields and outputs other difference values resulting from the further comparison;

the second logic circuit further outputs an other indication of variance of the other difference values; and

the third logic circuit further receives the other indication of variance from the second logic circuit and includes the other indication of variance in the array of variance indications.