Patents Assigned to Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6580463
    Abstract: A television line doubler (interlaced to progressive scan converter) incorporating the following aspects—an improved field motion detector which does not treat low frequency vertical transitions as motion; a frame motion detector having an improved ability to differentiate motion from subcarrier signal components; a sawtooth artifact detector; a sawtooth artifact detector in combination with a film pattern detector, such that the artifact detector can take the film pattern detector out of film mode earlier than it would if it only were responsive to a break in the film pattern; tandem field motion detectors; an improved field based film detector; film pattern detectors and motion detectors used therewith which operate by performing end-of-field calculations; the combination of a field motion detector and a frame motion detector such that the frame motion detector provides a motion signal used as a verification by the field motion detector; an improved NTSC film detector requiring a minimum number of NTS
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter D. Swartz
  • Patent number: 6201577
    Abstract: A television line doubler (interlaced to progressive scan converter) incorporating the following aspects—an improved field motion detector which does not treat low frequency vertical transitions as motion; a frame motion detector having an improved ability to differentiate motion from subcarrier signal components; a sawtooth artifact detector; a sawtooth artifact detector in combination with a film pattern detector, such that the artifact detector can take the film pattern detector out of film mode earlier than it would if it only were responsive to a break in the film pattern; tandem field motion detectors; an improved field based film detector; film pattern detectors and motion detectors used therewith which operate by performing end-of-field calculations; the combination of a field motion detector and a frame motion detector such that the frame motion detector provides a motion signal used as a verification by the field motion detector; an improved NTSC film detector requiring a minimum number of NTS
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter D. Swartz
  • Patent number: 6133957
    Abstract: A method or device for increasing the resolution of an image generates additional pixels in the image using interpolation. Various tests are performed for each additional pixel to determine whether conditions render the interpolation direction ambiguous or uncertain. In a television image, for example, an interpolation direction is derived for each additional pixel from a weighted combination of a vertical direction and a best-choice diagonal direction. If a potential interpolation condition cannot be determined with a high level of confidence, the weighted combination favors the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2000
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Jack J. Campbell
  • Patent number: 6111610
    Abstract: In arrangements for the frame rate upconversion of motion-picture-source video, a 60 Hz (interlaced field rate or progressive scan frame rate) television signal is converted to a form suitable for display on a variable-frame-rate high-resolution progressively-scanned monitor of the type typically associated with a computer or with a television set employing an increased frame rate. The inherent 3-2 motion picture film pulldown pattern in the source signal is changed to an equal time frame pattern, such as 3-3, 4-4, or 5-5, when the source signal is converted to a higher frame rate. This may be accomplished when the increased progressively-scanned video display frame rate is an integral multiple of the motion picture frame rate, namely 72 Hz, 96 Hz and 120 Hz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Yves C. Faroudja
  • Patent number: 6108041
    Abstract: Video sources from a progressively scanned camera are processed so as to simulate a video source derived from motion picture film. The simulated film source video creates a distinctive "pseudo-film pattern," in which at least some of every SDTV video field has no motion or low motion with respect to corresponding picture areas of the SDTV video field paired with it (occasional rare camera-originated scenes result in a field in which the entire picture has high motion, breaking the pseudo-film pattern). Corresponding picture areas within the pairs of fields having no motion or low motion are merged, in the manner in which interlaced fields derived from the same motion picture frame are merged. Corresponding picture areas within the pairs of fields having high motion are subject to interlace-to-progressive scan conversion processing which is not purely a merger of fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Yves C. Faroudja, Peter D. Swartz, Jack J. Campbell
  • Patent number: 6014182
    Abstract: A television line doubler (interlaced to progressive scan converter) incorporating the following aspects--an improved field motion detector which does not treat low frequency vertical transitions as motion; a frame motion detector having an improved ability to differentiate motion from subcarrier signal components; a sawtooth artifact detector; a sawtooth artifact detector in combination with a film pattern detector, such that the artifact detector can take the film pattern detector out of film mode earlier than it would if it only were responsive to a break in the film pattern; tandem field motion detectors; an improved field based film detector; film pattern detectors and motion detectors used therewith which operate by performing end-of-field calculations; the combination of a field motion detector and a frame motion detector such that the frame motion detector provides a motion signal used as a verification by the field motion detector; an improved NTSC film detector requiring a minimum number of NTSC fil
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter D. Swartz
  • Patent number: 4864389
    Abstract: An improved comb filter extracts at least one of chroma and luminance from a quadrature modulated subcarrier color television input signal. The described method implemented by the described apparatus includes the steps of delaying the input signal through a plurality of predetermined delay periods wherein the duration of each delay period is related to line scan period or picture frame period, filtering the undelayed and delayed signals so that energy components of the input signal lying in the vicinity of the chroma subcarrier frequency are passed, thereby providing bandpass filtered undelayed and delayed signals, detecting amplitude and sense of periodic transitions lying in the chroma energy passband, multiplying two of the undelayed and delayed signals by the continuously variable coefficients to produce an error correction signal corresponding substantially to the following approximation:e=1/4(V1-V3)(.vertline.V3+V2-V1+V2.vertline.)wherein .vertline. .vertline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1989
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Yves C. Faroudja, Jack J. Campbell
  • Patent number: 4706112
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for reducing cross-color artifacts occuring at a diagonal luminance transition in a quadrature modulated color television signal in which a chrominance component carried on a color subcarrier has been separated from the signal by comb filter processing. The steps of the method are detecting the occurrence of a diagonal luminance transition in the signal; developing a control signal from the detected luminance transition; and, processing the chrominance component under the control of the control signal to reduce the cross-color artifact in the chrominance at the instance of the detected luminance transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1987
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Yves C. Faroudja, Jack J. Campbell
  • Patent number: 4672429
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for chroma noise reduction in a quadrature modulated color television signal path carries out the steps of detecting a chroma signal noise component in the path; detecting predetermined signal characteristics in the path; generating a control signal as a function of the detected signal characteristics wherein the signal characteristics include at least one of: luminance component amplitude, luminance component level transition, and a combination of simultaneously occurring conditions in luminance and chrominance signal components in the path; applying the control signal to separate chroma signal component noise from the predetermined signal characteristics; and subtracting the separated chroma noise in time coincidence with the color television signal in the path, whereby chroma noise is reduced from the signal path without bandwidth reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1987
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Yves C. Faroudja, Jack J. Campbell
  • Patent number: 4670775
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling operation of a time domain noise reduction system in a color television picture signal path by: detecting spatial picture characteristics in the path and detecting occurrence of temporal picture changes on a field by field basis, generating a control signal in relation to the detected spatial and temporal picture characteristics and applying the control signal to control time domain operation of the noise reduction system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1987
    Assignee: Faroudja Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Yves C. Faroudja, Jack J. Campbell