Video interpolation coding

• US 7,656,950 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Video 264 Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovation Management Sciences, LLC
• Inventors: Fogg, Chad, Butler, Simon, Webb, Richard, Garrido, Diego
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tung
• Application Number:
  US10/447,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.11, 375/240.13, 375/240.15, 375/240.23, 375/240.03, 375/240.1, 375/240.26, 375/240.29, 375/240.12, 348/384.1, 348/415.1
• US Class Current: 375/240.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/117 Filters, e.g. for pre-processing or post-processing sub-band filter banks H04N19/635
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/126 Details of normalisation or weighting functions, e.g. normalisation matrices or variable uniform quantisers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/149 by estimating the code amount by means of a model, e.g. mathematical model or statistical model
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/15 by monitoring actual compressed data size at the memory before deciding storage at the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/177 the unit being a group of pictures [GOP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/527 Global motion vector estimation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/80 Details of filtering operations specially adapted for video compression, e.g. for pixel interpolation H04N19/635, H04N19/86 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/82 involving filtering within a prediction loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/86 involving reduction of coding artifacts, e.g. of blockiness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/94 : Vector quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0125 : one of the standards being a high definition standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0137 : dependent on presence/absence of motion, e.g. of motion zones H04N7/014 takes precedence; movement detection in television signals H04N5/144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/014 : involving the use of motion vectors motion estimation and compensation in video coding H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0145 : the interpolation being class adaptive, i.e. it uses the information of class which is determined for a pixel based upon certain characteristics of the neighbouring pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A method of enhancing picture quality of a video signal is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of generating an interpolated base frame image; receiving a first previously decoded difference picture; receiving a second previously decoded difference picture; generating a combined motion compensated difference surface; and generating a temporally interpolated enhanced picture based upon the interpolated base frame image and the combined motion compensated difference surface. A circuit for enhancing picture quality of a video signal is also disclosed. The circuit comprising a base decoder generating a base image of a standard definition picture; a temporal predictive interpolator coupled to the base decoder and generating an interpolated block; and a summing circuit coupled to the temporal predictive interpolator. The summing circuit preferably adds the interpolated block and a difference block.

Claims

1. An encoder for or creating an encoded stream vector for provision to a decoder for producing an enhanced video signal, comprising:

a decoder simulator comprising;

an interpolator for generating an interpolated image of discrete region of interest of a base layer image;

a classifier for determining a class, and an index value within the determined class, for a difference image based on a selected set of parameters, each index mapped to a unique parameter set;

a summer for creating said difference image representing the difference between said discrete region of interest of said interpolated image and a discrete region of interest of a secondary image associated with said base layer image;

memory configured for storing a created codebook comprising each unique parameter set mapped to those index values, and only those index values, determined for said discrete regions of interest;

a summer for combining said index values, without identification of the class of those index values, determined for said discrete regions of interest with said codebook; and

an encoder for encoding said combined index values and codebook into an encoded signal for provision to a decoder.

2. The encoder of claim 1, wherein said base layer image is a standard definition image, said secondary image is a high definition image version of said standard definition image, and said interpolated image is an approximation of said high definition image.

3. The encoder of claim 2, wherein said base layer image is a standard definition image having a pixel resolution selected from the group consisting of:

720×

480;

704×

480;

704×

576; and

720×

576.

4. The encoder of claim 3, wherein said interpolated image approximates a high definition image having a pixel resolution selected from the group consisting of:

1920×

1080;

1440×

960;

1440×

1152; and

1929×

1152.

5. The encoder of claim 1, wherein said secondary image is a high definition image, said standard definition image is a down-sampled version of said secondary image, and said interpolated image is an approximation of said high definition image.

6. The encoder of claim 5, wherein said base layer image is a standard definition image having a pixel resolution selected from the group consisting of:

720×

480;

704×

480;

704×

576; and

720×

576.

7. The encoder of claim 6, wherein said interpolated image approximates a high definition image having a pixel resolution selected from the group consisting of:

1920×

1080;

1440×

960;

1440×

1152; and

1929×

1152.

8. The encoder of claim 1, wherein said parameters comprise energy/variance of the discrete regions of interest.

9. The encoder of claim 1, further comprising memory configured for associating the location of each discrete region of interest within a frame with the index value determined for said discrete region of interest, and wherein said summer combines said locations with said index values and said codebook, and said encoder encodes said combined locations, index values, and codebook into an encoded signal for provision to the decoder.

10. The encoder of claim 1, wherein a classifier is used to determine said class and index value, and said summer combines said classifier with said index values and said codebook, and said encoder encodes said combined classifier, index values, and codebook into an encoded signal for provision to the decoder.

11. The encoder of claim 1, wherein each said discrete region of interest is a 4×

4 block of bits, each bit having pixel data associated therewith.