Abstract: System and method for increasing the blue component of white and near white pixels while avoiding hard transitions and without affecting flesh-tone colors. Pixels that are bright enough and fall within a detection area in the UV-plane have their blue components increased and their red components decreased. The detection area is limited to avoid application of blue stretch to flesh-tone colors. A transition boundary is provided around the detection area for gradually decreasing the amount of blue stretch as pixels move away from the boundary of the detection area, thereby avoiding hard transitions between areas that are blue stretched and areas that are not blue stretched.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for camera pan vector estimation, are disclosed. A camera model is provided for representing motion vectors based on a plurality of parameters. A distribution of the motion vectors is generated. A cluster in the distribution of motion vectors is identified. A center of mass of the identified cluster is determined. The camera pan vector is provided based upon the determined center of mass.

Abstract: A processor having a limited amount of local memory for storing code and/or data utilizes a program stored in external memory. The program stored in external memory is configured into blocks which can be loaded individually into the local memory for execution. Queuing the individual blocks of code allows the program to be executed by the processor and also facilitates loading of the subsequent code to the executed. A semaphore system can be utilized to indicate which blocks of local memory are available/unavailable. The system can support the interaction of multiple independent programs in external memory.

Abstract: According to some embodiments of the invention, a connector is provided for connecting any combination of an analog video source to either an analog display or a digital display or a digital video source to either an analog display or a digital display. Some preferred connectors have a serial differential digital interconnect that is pin/connector compatible with analog VGA or DB15. Some implementations of the invention provide a system and method for determining the inherent digital versus analog capability of a video source and a video display and configuring a connector according to the determination. Some implementations provide real-time display image quality assurance. Some embodiments provide a digital monitor with digital data streams having more than 8 bits per color, e.g., 10 bits or 12 bits per color.

Abstract: A multi-function display controller that includes a source detector unit for determining if the source of an input stream is either film originated source originated or video source originated. A source converter unit for converting the input image stream to a common signal processing format is coupled to the source detector unit. Once converted to the common signal processing format, a determination is made if the input image stream is interlaced or non-interlaced (progressive scan). If the input image stream is interlaced, a de-interlace unit converts the interlaced signal to progressive scan using either motion adaptive or motion compensated de-interlacing techniques. It should be noted that in the described embodiment, motion vectors generated for use by the motion compensated de-interlace can be optionally stored in a memory unit for use in subsequent operations, such as motion compensated frame rate conversion or noise reduction (if any).

Abstract: An over-sampled sequence detector operates on sampled data and tracks the detection reliability of the sampled data. The detector separately analyzes sample sequences for different sampling phases and then picks a sample sequence that allows for the most reliable detection. For the different sampling phases, the detector inspects some amount of look-behind and look-ahead information in order to improve upon simple symbol-by-symbol detection. The over-sampled information is used to further improve detection performance.

Abstract: In a digital display device, a packet based method of driving selected pixel elements by way of associated data latches included in a column driver is disclosed. For each frame lines in a video frame, a number of video data packets are provided directly to the column driver at a link rate and each of the number of data latches are populated with appropriate video data based upon video data packets within a line period ?. Selected pixel elements are driven based upon the video data.

Abstract: System and method for automatic fault-testing of a logic block and the interfaces of macros with logic gates inside a chip, using an at-speed logic-BIST internal to the chip. Following an initialization of internal storage elements, a set of test signals are generated and processed by the logic block. The output of the logic block is accumulated into a signature and compared to a reference signature to detect faults. Testing can be performed on an ATE (Automatic Test Equipment) using a simple test vector, or can be performed by a field engineer on the actual board comprising the chip.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing Hsync and Vsync signals in graphic controllers to avoid a false reading of pulses caused by glitches. The apparatus and method involve detecting when the synch signal crosses the threshold for the first time. When this occurs, the output of the detection circuit is held for the predetermined period of time, even if subsequent transitions across threshold occur during this period. After the predetermined period expires, the output is released and may assume the same state as the input sync signal at that time. In this manner, a misinterpretation of the resolution format caused by the reading of a “false” pulse caused by a glitch on a sync signal can be avoided.

Abstract: Determining a horizontal resolution and a phase of an analog video signal arranged to display a number of scan lines each formed of a number of pixels is described. A number of initialization values are set where at least one of the initialization values is a current horizontal resolution and then a difference value for each immediately adjacent ones of the pixels is determined. Next, an edge flag value based upon the difference value is stored in at least one of a number of accumulators such that when at least one of the accumulators has a stored edge flag value that is substantially greater than those stored edge flag values in the other accumulators, then the horizontal resolution is set to the current resolution.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating virtual stop-off points in a movie title, where the viewer can explore interesting content using zoom, pan and gamma controls are provided. Methods include creating an interest point from one or more digital video titles. Systems include a composer for creating interest points in a video and a viewer for manipulating and displaying the interest points.

Abstract: A method of overdriving LCD panels to improve LCD pixel response time is described that does not rely upon conventional use of overdrive look up tables. The method is based upon modeling the LCD pixels as linear second-order dynamical systems that leads to simple runtime calculations requiring but a small number of stored panel specific constants.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for reducing mosquito noise in an image frame of a video signal. A window of the image frame is provided. The window includes a plurality of pixel values. One of the pixel values is selected from the pixel values in the window to define a modified window of pixel value differences. A local mean (DC) value is computed based on the pixel value differences. A mosquito noise reduction value is also computed based on the pixel value differences. An artifact attenuation factor is computed as a function of a dynamic range measure of the pixel value differences. A weighted sum of the mosquito noise reduction value and the local mean value, applying the artifact attenuation factor, and the selected pixel value, is computed to generate a modified pixel value.

Abstract: A memory efficient providing LC overdrive for sticky pixels at a frame n?1 for a current frame n based upon sticky pixel data associated with a frame n?2.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for computing motion vectors in a digital video sequence are disclosed. A recursive hierarchical method is used to determine a motion vector by using multiple resolution levels of the image frames. A best motion vector is first determined for the lowest resolution level. The best motion vector is propagated to a higher resolution level, where some adjustments are made and a new best motion vector is determined. The new best motion vector is propagated to yet another higher resolution level, where more adjustments are made and another new best motion vector is determined. This process is repeated until the highest, original, resolution level has been reached and a best motion vector has been identified. The identified best motion vector at the original resolution level is used for performing motion compensation.

Abstract: An over-sampled sequence detector operates on sampled data and tracks the detection reliability of the sampled data. The detector separately analyzes sample sequences for different sampling phases and then picks a sample sequence that allows for the most reliable detection. For the different sampling phases, the detector inspects some amount of look-behind and look-ahead information in order to improve upon simple symbol-by-symbol detection. The over-sampled information is used to further improve detection performance.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel based display, a method of dynamically selecting either frame rate conversion (FRC) or pixel voltage overdrive is disclosed. The method is carried out by performing the following operations. A video vertical refresh rate of an incoming video data stream is determined and based upon the determining, only one video data stream conditioning protocol from a number of available video data stream conditioning protocols is selected. The selected video data stream condition protocol is then applied to the video data stream.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a video decoder configured to receive a composite video signal modulated on a sub-carrier signal and having a luma component and a chroma component, the video decoder configured to perform a motion detection operation on the luma component and the chroma component in a plurality of frequency regions respectively. The video decoder includes variable threshold logic, coupled to the video decoder, and configured to provide a unique threshold value to the video decoder for each of the plurality of frequency regions respectively. The apparatus also includes a sub-carrier detection logic, coupled to the variable threshold logic, and configured to detect the sub-carrier signal by checking both spatial and temporal characteristics of the sub-carrier detection logic.

Abstract: A packet based high bandwidth copy protection method is described that includes the following operations. Forming a number of data packets at a source device, encrypting selected ones of the data packets based upon a set of encryption values, transmitting the encrypted data packets from the source device to a sink device coupled thereto, decrypting the encrypted data packets based in part upon the encryption values, and accessing the decrypted data packets by the sink device.

Abstract: An interlaced television signal is derived from an interlaced 625 line, nominally 50 Hz field rate television signal, the derived television signal having perceived reduced line structure and reduce flicker. The field rate and the number of lines of the derived television signal are increased with respect to the field rate and the number of lines of the original television signal, such that perceived flicker and line structure in the derived television signal is reduced. The increase in the field rate and the increase in the number of lines in the derived television signal results in a horizontal scanning rate that does not substantially exceed twice the horizontal scanning rate of the original television signal while minimizing undesirable motion artifacts.