Abstract: There are provided computerized systems and methods for video quality assessment, the system including a server including a database configured to store pointers to a plurality of video clip pairs and a processor operatively connected thereto, configured to store pointers to a plurality of video clip pairs to be used in one or more test sessions performed by one or more users. The processor is configured to create, for each test session performed by a respective user: a test set, a display order and display positions of the each video in each video clip pairs in the set, and is further configured to send the one or more test sets to the one or more users for assessing quality and to receive feedback regarding the assessed quality, wherein the feedback is usable for providing subjective quality evaluation of the plurality of video clip pairs.

Abstract: A video processor includes a memory and a processor. The processor is coupled to memory and is configured to store in the memory (i) multiple raw frames belonging to a Group of Pictures (GOP) to be processed, and (ii) one or more reference frames. The processor is further configured to select for multiple target blocks having a same block-location in respective raw frames associated with a common reference frame, a common search region in the common reference frame, and before selecting another search region, to apply at least two motion estimation operations using at least two of the target blocks and the common search region, to estimate respective at least two Motion Vectors (MVs).

Abstract: There are provided computerized systems and methods of pre-processing video information for optimized video encoding. In various aspects, the pre-processing can be performed in different ways. By way of example, this can be performed by aligning a plurality of consecutive frames in the sequence of video frames. By way of another example, this can be performed by conducting adaptive pre-filtering of the video information. By way of yet another example, this can be performed by filtering the video information in order to remove grain content thereof.

Abstract: There is provided a computerized method and system of optimized video encoding of an input video sequence corresponding to a plurality of input frames, the method comprising: obtaining an input frame; performing a first encoding of the input frame using a first encoding parameter determined in accordance with a target bit-rate, giving rise to a first encoded frame; performing a second encoding of the input frame using an iterative quality-driven encoding scheme initialized with an initial second encoding parameter, the initial second encoding parameter determined based on the first encoding parameter, the second encoding performed in an attempt to seek a second encoded frame having a lower bit-rate than the first encoded frame and meeting a quality criterion relative to the first encoded frame; and in case of the second encoded frame being found, providing the second encoded frame as an output frame corresponding to the input frame.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a second reduced size digital image from a first digital image, the method including iteratively compressing the first digital image to an extent determined by a quality measure comprising at least a blockiness measure quantifying added artifactual edges along coding block bom1daries of the second image and/or use of a quantization matrix generated by computing a weighted average of the quantization matrix of the first digital image and a scaled second quantization matrix.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a second reduced size digital image from a first digital image, the method including iteratively compressing the first digital image to an extent determined by a quality measure comprising at least a blockiness measure quantifying added artifactual edges along coding block bomldaries of the second image and/or use of a quantization matrix generated by computing a weighted average of the quantization matrix of the first digital image and a scaled second quantization matrix.

Abstract: According to examples of the presently disclosed subject matter, a method of controlling a video content system can include: obtaining a current input frame and a preceding input frame from an input video sequence and obtaining a current degraded frame and a preceding degraded frame from a degraded video sequence corresponding to the input video sequence; computing a first differences value from the current input and the preceding input frames and a second differences value from the current degraded frame and the preceding degraded frame, comparing the first and second differences values, giving rise to an inter-frame quality score; computing an intra-frame quality score using an intra-frame quality measure that is applied in the pixel-domain of the current degraded frame and the current input frame and providing a configuration instruction to the video content system based on a quality criterion related to the inter-frame and the intra-frame quality scores.

Abstract: There is provided a computerized method and system of controlling a quality measure in a compression quality evaluation system, the method comprising: calculating a value indicative of a characteristic of an input image; and configuring the quality measure upon a criterion being met by the value, the quality measure being indicative of perceptual quality of a compressed image compressed from the input image. The value can be a smoothness value indicative of an extent of smoothness of an input image, and the configuration of the quality measure can be performed upon a smoothness criterion being met by the smoothness value. Alternatively, the value can be a gradient value indicative of an extent of gradual spatial changes of an input image, and the configuration of the quality measure can be performed upon a gradient criterion being met by the gradient value.

Abstract: By one approach a control circuit receives video information to be encoded, uses a particular rounding control value when processing the video information, and detects when color banding occurs when processing the video information using the particular rounding control value and responsively reprocesses the video information using a different rounding control value. By another approach, the control circuit has a plurality of different intra prediction types, including a planar intra prediction type, available to use when encoding the video information and wherein the control circuit determines when the planar intra prediction type can be employed without testing use of all of the plurality of different intra prediction types. By yet another approach, the control circuit selects block coding parameters, at least in part, by comparing corresponding mode costs, detects a smooth area in the video information, and then modifies mode costs as a function of having detected the smooth area.

Abstract: There is provided a computerized method and system of controlling a quality measure in a compression quality evaluation system, the method comprising: calculating a grain value indicative of an extent of grain present in an input image, the grain value being calculated based on one or more features characterizing a base image related to the input image; and configuring the quality measure upon a criterion being met by the value, the quality measure being indicative of perceptual quality of a compressed image compressed from the input image. The calculated grain value may be dependent also on further characteristics of the input image, or in the case of a sequence of images, dependent also on the relation between the image and the preceding image.

Abstract: A method including obtaining a first plurality of decode-independent segments corresponding to an original video bit-stream, re-encoding each one of the first plurality of decode-independent segments according to a quality criterion, giving rise to a second plurality of decode-independent segments; and generating an output video bitstream including a third plurality of decode-independent segments, wherein each segment in the third plurality of decode-independent segments is selected from either the first plurality of decode-independent segments or from the second plurality of decode-independent segments using a selection criterion that is related at least to a segment's bit-rate.

Abstract: A computerized method and system of segment-based video encoding optimization, the method comprising obtaining a set of input segments constituting an input video stream; selecting one or more input segments in accordance with a selection criterion to be one or more representative segments; determining an encoding instruction and obtaining one or more encoded representative segments encoded from the representative segments in accordance with the encoding instruction and using a quality-driven video encoding scheme; determining, based on the encoded representative segments, an encoding configuration, and obtaining one or more encoded input segments encoded from at least a sub-set of the input segments using the encoding configuration; determining an evaluation instruction used to evaluate quality for each encoded input segment; and generating an output video stream, by selecting, for each input segment, a corresponding output segment from a group comprising at least one of the following candidate segments: the

Abstract: A system and method for generating a second reduced size digital image from a first digital image, the method including iteratively compressing the first digital image to an extent determined by a quality measure comprising at least a blockiness measure quantifying added artifactual edges along coding block boundaries of the second image and/or use of a quantization matrix generated by computing a weighted average of the quantization matrix of the first digital image and a scaled second quantization matrix.

Abstract: According to examples of the presently disclosed subject matter, a method of controlling a video content system can include: obtaining a current input frame and a preceding input frame from an input video sequence and obtaining a current degraded frame and a preceding degraded frame from a degraded video sequence corresponding to the input video sequence; computing a first differences value from the current input and the preceding input frames and a second differences value from the current degraded frame and the preceding degraded frame, comparing the first and second differences values, giving rise to an inter-frame quality score; computing an intra-frame quality score using an intra-frame quality measure that is applied in the pixel-domain of the current degraded frame and the current input frame and providing a configuration instruction to the video content system based on a quality criterion related to the inter-frame and the intra-frame quality scores.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a second reduced size digital image from a first digital image, the method including iteratively compressing the first digital image to an extent determined by a quality measure comprising at least a blockiness measure quantifying added artifactual edges along coding block boundaries of the second image and/or use of a quantization matrix generated by computing a weighted average of the quantization matrix of the first digital image and a scaled second quantization matrix.

Abstract: According to examples of the presently disclosed subject matter, a method of controlling a video content system can include: obtaining a current input frame and a preceding input frame from an input video sequence and obtaining a current degraded frame and a preceding degraded frame from a degraded video sequence corresponding to the input video sequence; computing a first differences value from the current input and the preceding input frames and a second differences value from the current degraded frame and the preceding degraded frame, comparing the first and second differences values, giving rise to an inter-frame quality score; computing an intra-frame quality score using an intra-frame quality measure that is applied in the pixel-domain of the current degraded frame and the current input frame and providing a configuration instruction to the video content system based on a quality criterion related to the inter-frame and the intra-frame quality scores.

Abstract: A method of controlling a compression of an image according to a degree of photo-realism in the image, comprising computing a value indicating a degree of photo-realism for an input image based on a distribution of pixel luminance values within the image, calculating a configuration parameter based on the photo-realism value for the image, and configuring an encoder to compress the image according to the configuration parameter.

Abstract: There is provided a system, a computer program product, program storage device readable by machine, and a method of downsizing an input disjoint block level encoded image. According to examples of the presently disclosed subject matter, the method can include calculating a DCT downsize ratio for downsizing the input image in a DCT domain according to a target downsize ratio and according to a size of a DCT transform length associated with the input image; adapting an I-DCT according to the DCT domain downsize ratios; performing the adapted I-DCT; providing an intermediate image as output of a DCT domain process; and applying a pixel domain interpolation to the intermediate image according to dimensions of the intermediate image and according to dimensions of the target image.