Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for estimating a depth of image objects for a two-dimensional (2D) view of a video presentation. For example, an initial indication of depth (e.g., an optical flow) may be determined for a 2D view. The initial indication of depth may be used to estimate global motion, e.g., motion of an observer (e.g., camera), of the 2D view. The initial indication of depth may be modified based on the estimation of global motion to create a global motion-adjusted indication of depth. The global motion-adjusted depth indication may be used to create a depth map for the 2D view, which may be used to generate an alternative view of the video presentation that may be used to display a three-dimensional (3D) video presentation.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a frame rate conversion unit synthesizing images captured at a second frame rate higher than a first frame rate to convert the images into a synthesized image having the first frame and a motion estimation unit performing motion estimation between consecutive frames of the images captured at the second frame. The imaging device also includes a motion vector synthesis unit synthesizing motion vectors having the second frame rate, to generate a synthesized motion vector of a target macroblock in the synthesized image, a motion blur amount determination unit counting, in an area surrounding the target macroblock, the number of macroblocks having the same synthesized motion vector as the target macroblock and comparing a value derived from the number of counted macroblocks with a threshold value, and a motion vector selection unit selecting the synthesized motion vector when the derived value determined to exceed the threshold value.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: an image pickup unit; a first connection unit that allows a stereoscopic shooting interchangeable lens and an ordinary shooting interchangeable lens to be selectively attached thereto so that an image of a subject can be formed on the image pickup unit; a second connection unit that allows a finder including two display units corresponding to a right eye and a left eye, the finder being capable of displaying a plurality of images, and a finder including a single display unit, the finder being capable of displaying a single image, to be selectively attached thereto; and a display control unit that controls display of an image picked up by the image pickup unit on the finder, based on at least one of information on the interchangeable lens connected to the first connection unit and information on the finder connected to the second connection unit.

Abstract: There is provided a method of adapting a Quantization parameter of digitally encoded video, comprising calculating spatial activity values of macroblocks in a picture of interest, creating a histogram of the spatial activity values, determining a change of quantization parameter value for a low activity category ?QPLA from a skewness parameter of the histogram. There is also provided an apparatus for carrying out the method, and a computer readable product carrying instructions which when executed carry out the method.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide devices, systems and methods that enable viewing of three-dimensional images on an autostereoscopic display using a barrier grid of dynamically configurable grid characteristics. The barrier grid is configurable to include alternating light-transmitting and light-blocking portions that may be characterized by and configured using a set of one or more grid indicia. The cooperative display of an image on an image display device and the dynamically configurable barrier grid enables autostereoscopic 3D and 4D viewing of images.

Abstract: A moving image is divided on the basis of a plurality of items of additional data which indicate states upon sensing the moving image. The additional data is added to the moving image and is able to be read out for each item from the moving image. An item group formed of one or a plurality of items selected from the plurality of items is defined, and division information corresponding to the item group is generated on the basis of the additional data of the items which belong to the item group. In a case that a plurality of division information are generated in correspondence with a plurality of item groups, the plurality of division information generated for each item group are hierarchized, and division positions are added. The division information is held in correspondence with the moving image data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for moving objects in a video using keyframes. An object may be added to a video and then defined to move in the video, for example, based on the movement of another video object for which movement is known or determinable. As an example, a video editing interface may receive a new object added at a position on a first frame of a video and a command to associate movement of the added object with the movement of a video object, such as a person that is shown walking in the video. In response, keyframe positions for the added object may be determined for subsequent frames preserving the added object's position relative to the person. The use of those keyframes is optimized. For example, the keyframes may be analyzed to eliminate intermediate keyframes with values that can be interpolated from other keyframes.

Abstract: A method, medium, and system encoding/decoding video data using a binary arithmetic coding adaptive to a compression bit rate of the video data. The system may include a bitrate adaptation unit determining a maximum length of a prefix using a compression bitrate of the video data, a binarization unit dividing the video data into a prefix and a suffix according to the determined maximum length of the prefix and binarizing the video data, and an arithmetic encoding unit performing an arithmetic encoding on the binarized video data. The video data may be encoded/decoded using binary arithmetic encoding/decoding by determining the maximum length of the prefix, an order of an exponential Golomb code, and the number of contexts based on the compression bitrate. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain high encoding efficiency regardless of a range of the desired compression bitrate.

Abstract: The method and apparatus for offline video coding, as described herein, calculates per-frame QP offset contribution from the amount of temporal masking effect at a frame, and then properly combines the calculated per-frame QP offset contribution with the original QP offset contribution from the frame type. The resulting frame-level QP offset accounts for both the frame type and temporal masking effect, and hence, is more comprehensive.

Abstract: Described is a stereoscopic display (telepresence) system that includes a depth cue adjustment mechanism for changing screen disparity to move a fixation distance of a viewer (subject) closer to a focus distance, thereby providing more desirable viewing conditions. In one aspect, the depth cue adjustment mechanism adjusts a depth cue by moving the fixation distance forward, and/or by moving the focus distance backward. Also described is detecting encroachment, where the object is perceived as being too close to the subject viewer for comfort, and adjusting one or more depth cues (e.g., object scale) to counteract the sensation of the encroachment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device and to a stereoscopic image display system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device in which a polarizing film and a panel contained in a display are not separated from each other so that the color and the view angle are prevented from degrading, and relates to a stereoscopic image display system which enables a user to observe both stereoscopic images and planar images at the same time with both eyes even when the user is wearing polarizing eyeglasses.

Abstract: A picture coding apparatus includes a motion vector estimation unit and a motion compensation unit. The motion vector estimation unit selects one method for deriving a motion vector of a block to be motion-compensated, depending on a motion vector of a block located in a corner of a decoded macroblock from among a group of blocks that compose the decoded macroblock corresponding to the current macroblock to be coded and determines the motion vector derived by the selected method for derivation to be a candidate of the motion vector of the current macroblock to be coded. The motion compensation unit generates a predictive image of the block to be motion-compensated based on the estimated motion vector.

Abstract: A video encoding method and apparatus and a video decoding method and apparatus. In the video encoding method, a first predicted coding unit of a current coding unit that is to be encoded is produced, a second predicted coding unit is produced by changing a value of each pixel of the first predicted coding unit by using each pixel of the first predicted coding unit and at least one neighboring pixel of each pixel, and the difference between the current coding unit and the second predicted coding unit is encoded, thereby improving video prediction efficiency.

Abstract: The method includes receiving a multi-view video stream including a random access picture, which includes a random access slice. The random access slice references only a slice corresponding to a same time and a different view of the random access picture. Type information indicating whether the random access slice is predicted from one or two reference pictures is obtained, and a reference picture list is initialized using view number information and view identification information included in obtained initialization information according to the type information. The initialization information is obtained based on a value indicating decoding order between the plurality of views. The initialized reference picture list is modified based on modification information representing how to assign an inter-view reference index in the initialized reference picture list.

Abstract: A method of revising depth of a three-dimensional (3D) image is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: firstly, at least one initial depth map associated with one image of the 3D image pair based on stereo matching technique is received, wherein the one image comprises a plurality of pixels, and the initial depth map carries an initial depth value of each pixel. Then, the inconsistence among the pixels of the one image of the 3D image pair is detected to estimate a reliable map. Finally, the initial depth value is interpolated according to the reliable map and the proximate pixels, so as to generate a revised depth map by revising the initial depth value.

Abstract: Provided are methods and apparatuses for encoding and decoding a motion vector. The method of encoding a motion vector includes: selecting a mode from among a first mode in which information indicating a motion vector predictor of at least one motion vector predictor is encoded and a second mode in which information indicating generation of a motion vector predictor based on pixels included in a previously encoded area adjacent to a current block is encoded; determining a motion vector predictor of the current block according to the selected mode and encoding information about the motion vector predictor of the current block; and encoding a difference vector between a motion vector of the current block and the motion vector predictor of the current block.

Abstract: The method includes the steps of obtaining initialization information of a reference picture list for a random access slice, the initialization information representing a reference relation between a plurality of views, initializing the reference picture list for inter-view prediction by appending an inter-view reference index to an initialized reference picture list for temporal prediction, the inter-view reference index being appended based on the view number information and the view identification information, obtaining modification information for the initialized reference picture list from a multi-view video stream, the modification information representing how to assign an inter-view reference index in the initialized reference picture list, modifying the initialized reference picture list for inter-view prediction using the modification information.

Abstract: The method includes receiving a multi-view video stream including a random access picture, which includes a random access slice. The random access slice references only a slice corresponding to a same time and a different view of the random access picture. Type information indicating whether the random access slice is predicted from one or two reference pictures is obtained, and a reference picture list is initialized using view number information and view identification information included in obtained initialization information according to the type information. The initialization information is obtained based on a value indicating decoding order between the plurality of views. The initialized reference picture list is modified based on modification information representing how to assign an inter-view reference index in the initialized reference picture list.

Abstract: A video encoding method and apparatus and a video decoding method and apparatus. In the video encoding method, a first predicted coding unit of a current coding unit that is to be encoded is produced, a second predicted coding unit is produced by changing a value of each pixel of the first predicted coding unit by using each pixel of the first predicted coding unit and at least one neighboring pixel of each pixel, and the difference between the current coding unit and the second predicted coding unit is encoded, thereby improving video prediction efficiency.

Abstract: A video decoding apparatus includes a bitstream parser, a calculator and a memory. The bitstream parser is provided to receive a video bitstream and extracting a set of constraints associated with the video bitstream, wherein the set of constraints has information associated with a direct_8×8_inference flag for a macroblock of a picture, wherein the macroblock has N sub-macroblock partitions. The calculator is provided to calculate first motion vector information associated with the macroblock and obtain second motion vector information associated with K of the N sub-macroblock partitions from the first motion vector information according to the information associated with the direct_8×8_inference flag, wherein K is less than N. The memory is provided to store the second motion vector information.