Abstract: A method of detecting image quality in a wavelet transform-encoded image includes receiving wavelet transform-encoded image data partitioned into tiles, each tile partitioned into a number of subbands, evaluating a number of wavelets in fewer than the number of subbands, assigning a measure to each of the subbands evaluated for each tile, using the measures to determine a perceptual visual quality score for the image, and adjusting operation of the decoder based upon the perceptual visual quality score. A decoding system includes a memory to receive wavelet-transformed compressed image data having a predetermined number of subbands, and a decoder to determine a number of wavelet coefficients in a subset of the predetermined number of subbands, measure an amount of blur in the image data based upon the number of wavelet coefficients, and adjust a decoding process based upon the amount of blur.

Abstract: A method of detecting image quality in a wavelet transform-encoded image includes receiving wavelet transform-encoded image data partitioned into tiles, each tile partitioned into a number of subbands, evaluating a number of wavelets in fewer than the number of subbands, assigning a measure to each of the subbands evaluated for each tile, using the measures to determine a perceptual visual quality score for the image, and adjusting operation of the decoder based upon the perceptual visual quality score. A decoding system includes a memory to receive wavelet-transformed compressed image data having a predetermined number of subbands, and a decoder to determine a number of wavelet coefficients in a subset of the predetermined number of subbands, measure an amount of blur in the image data based upon the number of wavelet coefficients, and adjust a decoding process based upon the amount of blur.

Abstract: A video detector for detecting scene changes in a video according to embodiments includes an input for accepting the video, a difference metric calculator for computing a difference metric between two adjacent video frames, and an outlier detector to detect whether an output of the difference metric calculator contains measurements outside of a threshold level of standard deviations of a Gaussian distribution. Methods are also described.

Abstract: A video detector for detecting scene changes in a video according to embodiments includes an input for accepting the video, a difference metric calculator for computing a difference metric between two adjacent video frames, and an outlier detector to detect whether an output of the difference metric calculator contains measurements outside of a threshold level of standard deviations of a Gaussian distribution. Methods are also described.

Abstract: A read/write head is moved across a contact-start-stop (CSS) zone on a data storage disk during the spin-up and/or spin-down of the disk. Moving the head during spin-up and/or spin-down may reduce the concentration of wear along a surface of the CSS zone.

Abstract: A video detector for detecting dropped frames in a video according to embodiments of the invention may include a quality measurer structured to generate a quality measure of a transition between a current frame and a previous frame, a dynamic threshold generator structured to generate a threshold value based on a comparison of blocks within the current frame, and an identifier structured to indicate the video as having a dropped frame based on a comparison between the difference value and the threshold value. Methods of performing dropped frame detection in a video stream are also described.

Abstract: A read/write head is moved across a contact-start-stop (CSS) zone on a data storage disk during the spin-up and/or spin-down of the disk. Moving the head during spin-up and/or spin-down may reduce the concentration of wear along a surface of the CSS zone.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a thin film magnetic recording head which minimizes erase fringing and the process for manufacturing the thin film magnetic recording head. The head is used to record and read information made up of alternating magnetization patterns on a magnetic recording medium. Known recording heads cause erase fringing of the magnetic medium during the write operations. The structure of the recording head of the present invention has the ABS portion of one of two magnetic poles beveled away from ABS at the gap to zero throat, reduces erase fringing of the magnetic recording medium and is easily manufactured. By reducing erase fringing, the present invention enables an increase in disk density of information without risking loss of data integrity.

Abstract: A recording head having first and second poles with first and second pole tips separated by a gap, a cross-section of one of the pole tips including two regions, one larger than the other, one of the regions being adjacent to the gap. A cross-section of a second pole tip may include two regions, one larger than the other, one of the regions being adjacent to the gap. This pole tip design, where the width of the poles along their outer edges are considerably larger or considerably smaller compared to their width at the gap, leads to minimal undershoots in the readback pulses of thin film heads.