Demultiplexing for stereoplexed film and video applications

• US 9,191,647 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Inventors: Lipton, Lenny, Akka, Robert, Cowan, Matt, Greer, Josh
• Primary Examiner(s): HALLENBECK-HUBER, JEREMIAH CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US14/300,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20150009287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 348/43, 348/47, 348/49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

A method for demultiplexing frames of compressed image data is provided. The image data includes a series of left compressed images and a series of right compressed images, the right compressed images and left compressed images compressed using a compression function. The method includes receiving the frames of compressed image data via a medium configured to transmit images in single frame format, and performing an expansion function on frames of compressed image data, the expansion function configured to select pixels from the series of left compressed images and series of right compressed images to produce replacement pixels to form a substantially decompressed set of stereo image pairs. Additionally, a system for receiving stereo pairs, multiplexing the stereo pairs for transmission across a medium including single frame formatting, and demultiplexing received data into altered stereo pairs is provided.

Claims

1. A method for multiplexing comprising:

generating a first scaled image from a first original image, the first scaled image having a central portion and an edge portion, the central and edge portions of the first scaled image having been downscaled by first and second scaling factors, respectively, wherein the first and second scaling factors are different and both less than one;

creating a multiplexed single frame divided into portions, the multiplexed single frame comprising the first scaled image in a first portion and a second image in a second portion; and

wherein an aspect ratio of the first original image and an aspect ratio of the multiplexed single frame are substantially the same.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second image in the multiplexed single frame is a second scaled image that was scaled from a second original image, the second scaled image having a central portion and an edge portion, the central and edge portions of the second scaled image having been scaled by a third scaling factor and a fourth scaling factor, respectively, the third and fourth scaling factors being different.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and third scaling factors are substantially the same.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second and fourth scaling factors are substantially the same.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scaled image further comprises an intermediate portion between the central and edge portions, the intermediate portion of the first scaled image having been scaled by at least an intermediate portion scaling factor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the scaling factor is fixed across the intermediate portion and is different from the first and second scaling factors.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the scaling factor is continuously variable across the intermediate portion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first scaled image comprises computing a plurality of output pixels in the first scaled image based on a plurality of source pixels in the first original image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein computing comprises employing a series of weighting factors based on positions of the plurality of source pixels, the series of weighting factors comprising at least two different weighting factors.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein computing comprises selecting the plurality of source pixels aligned along one axis of the scaled image and calculating the plurality of output pixels aligned orthogonally to the one axis.

11. A system configured to provide a multiplexed single frame divided into portions, the system comprising:

a multiplexer configured to;

generate a first scaled image from a first original image, the first scaled image having a central portion and an edge portion, the central and edge portions of the first scaled image having been downscaled by first and second scaling factors, respectively, wherein the first and second scaling factors are different and both less than one;

create a multiplexed single frame divided into portions, the multiplexed single frame comprising the first scaled image in a first portion and a second image in a second portion; and

wherein an aspect ratio of the first original image and an aspect ratio of the multiplexed single frame are substantially the same; and

an interface configured to provide the multiplexed single frame comprising the first scaled image.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second image in the multiplexed single frame is a second scaled image that was scaled from a second original image, the second scaled image having a central portion and an edge portion, the central and edge portions of the second scaled image having been scaled by a third scaling factor and a fourth scaling factor, respectively, the third and fourth scaling factors being different.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first and third scaling factors are substantially the same.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second and fourth scaling factors are substantially the same.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first scaled image further comprises an intermediate portion between the central and edge portions, the intermediate portion of the first scaled image having been scaled by at least an intermediate scaling factor.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the intermediate scaling factor is fixed across the intermediate portion and is different from the first and second scaling factors.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the intermediate scaling factor is continuously variable across the intermediate portion.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the multiplexer is configured to generate the first scale image by computing a plurality of output pixels in the first scaled image based on a plurality of source pixels in the first original image.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the multiplexer is configured to compute the output pixels by employing a series of weighting factors based on positions of the plurality of source pixels, the series of weighting factors comprising at least two different weighting factors.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the multiplexer is configured to compute the output pixels by selecting the plurality of source pixels aligned along one axis of the scaled image and calculating the plurality of output pixels aligned orthogonally to the one axis.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to provide the multiplexed single frame over a medium formatted to transmit single frames of image data.