Abstract: A video signal processing apparatus and a video signal processing method are capable of outputting a display having a high picture quality by effectively utilizing an output resolution. A microcomputer controls a shrinkage filter, a memory and an enlargement filter to carry out a resolution conversion process of converting the signal format of a video signal into a selected output signal format depending on the output format setting of a D terminal of the video processing apparatus, and outputs the video signal.

Abstract: A system for performing signal processing includes a system input, wherein a first signal having a first format, and supplied on a first system input is selected by a user for format conversion. A switching circuit having plural switching circuit inputs and plural switching circuit outputs is provided for routing the first signal, received via a first switching circuit input, to a first switching circuit output. A processor is connected with the switching circuit for converting the first signal received via the first switching circuit output into a second signal having a second format, wherein the second signal is supplied to a second switching circuit input, and output to a first system output via a second switching circuit output.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling a video signal processing apparatus having a browser feature to protect a display device associated with the apparatus against the premature aging effects of screen burn due to an idle display when the browser feature is activated. The method includes the steps of detecting a first user input to a video apparatus, determining whether the first user input activates a browser feature of the video apparatus, and controlling the operation of the apparatus to reduce the screen burn. The operation can include setting a display parameter for the video apparatus to a first predetermined level responsive to determining that the first user input activates the browser feature, or determining an idle time and inactivating the browser feature if the idle time exceeds a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A method of deinterlacing includes generating a deinterlaced display frame including a reference field of lines of display pixels of a first parity and a generated field of lines of display pixels of a second parity. A frame motion map is generated which includes bits representing a presence of motion or an absence of motion at the display pixels of the reference and generated fields. Testing is performed for the presence of motion or the absence of motion at a selected display pixel of the reference field utilizing the frame motion map. In response to detecting a presence of motion at the selected display pixel of the referenced field, replacing a pixel value corresponding to the selected display pixel with a pixel value generated by interpolating between display pixel values corresponding to neighboring display pixels in the generated field.

Abstract: A measuring instrument is fed with a video output signal, and performs RGB processing on the video output signal to generate graphic data. A video signal level in the graphic data is measured and video signal level data is generated. Display data including the graphic data and the video signal level data is generated. A display device receives display data from the measuring instrument. The display data is visualized and an image and a video signal level are displayed.

Abstract: A clock generation apparatus is provided with a frequency phase error calculation circuit 120, whereby a clock synchronized with burst lock and a line lock clock can be simultaneously generated by a DTO 121 on the basis of frequency information of a DTO 10 and phase error information from a phase comparator 7 and a digital LPF 8. Therefore, the clock generation apparatus can cope with a system that required plural clocks, and frequency spread is easily carried out by generating spread information by a frequency spread information generation circuit 90, and adding it in the DTO 121. As a result, interference to a video terminal from the clock can be reduced, and performance of a video terminal such as a television receiver can be exploited.

Abstract: A system and method that determine a portion of video data with relevant information about that video to be used in statistical calculations associated with the video. The method may comprise determining the starting line and ending line of the portion of video data with the relevant information. The remaining portion of the video data may comprise information that may contain no statistical information. The remaining portion may be a vertical blanking interval.

Abstract: Disclosed is a television tuner which receives television signals using a smart antenna. It includes an auto-scan unit which makes a channel storing section store receiving channel numbers and receiving directions for a plurality of receiving channels automatically. It also has a channel change unit whereby a receiving direction in which the state of a signal from a tuner section becomes a predetermined one is not stored. When a command to change channels is given, the smart antenna directivity is changed while the signal state is detected, and when the signal state becomes a predetermined one, the smart antenna directivity is retained. This increases the auto-scan processing speed.

Abstract: We describe a weighted absolute difference based deinterlace method and apparatus. The deinterlace method and apparatus uses weighted absolute differences along different directions as means for interpolating pixel data using edge orientation detection. The apparatus includes a memory adapted to store a current and previous fields and predetermined portions of a future field of an input signal. A motion detector is adapted to detect motion between the future and previous fields. An interpolating circuit is adapted to generate a plurality of output pixels using a corresponding plurality of methodologies. And a switch is adapted to select between the plurality of output pixels responsive to the motion detector.

Abstract: Methods of noise reduction and edge enhancement in image processing. An exemplary method comprises extracting a plurality of pixels from the video signal, evaluating measures of edge existence in a plurality of directions within the extracted pixels, determining a level of variation from the measures of edge existence, mapping the level of variation to a first and second control signal in accordance with a predetermined function, performing noise reduction on the extracted pixels according to the first control signal, and performing edge enhancement on the extracted pixels according to the second control signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for correcting distortion of characters included in an auxiliary data signal received with a video signal. The distortion is corrected by generating a signal representing a background and foreground of both a first character and a second subsequent character. The background and foreground of the first and subsequent adjacent character are then rendered. It is then determined whether the first character is rendered in italics. If so, a foreground color of the first character is re-rendered. Additionally, where a replacement character is received for the first character, it is determined whether the first character is rendered in italics. If so, the foreground and background color of at least a portion of the second subsequent character is re-rendered. A signal representing a background and foreground of a replacement character is generated. The foreground color and the background color of a replacement character superimposing the first character is then rendered.

Abstract: A media processing system for limiting ringing in a filter output. A detection filter receives a media signal and generates a detection signal. The detection signal has a constant value over sections of the media signal having a consistent DC bias. The value of the detection signal changes when the DC bias of the media signal changes. The control module receives the detection signal and determines if the media signal may result in ringing based on the detection signal. If it is determined the media signal may result in ringing, a smoothing filter is applied to the media signal.

Abstract: A method for presenting closed captioning text on device display screens, the method includes: receiving a continuous flow of audio video (A/V) content information; separating closed captioning information from video content contained in the A/V content information flow; accumulating the closed captioning information in a first memory buffer; displaying the video content without the closed captioning information to form a first video snippet; determining one of the following video mode conditions: whether a first time limit for viewing the video snippet been exceeded, whether the capacity of the first memory buffer for the closed captioning been exceeded, and whether a closed caption command to display the accumulated closed captioning been received; wherein in the event one or more of the video mode conditions occurs: retrieving the accumulated closed captioning from the first memory buffer; and displaying the accumulated closed caption information without the video content.

Abstract: This invention discloses an arrangement allowing connection of various kinds of image displays to one supply source in an image display control system having a supply source for transmitting a signal including at least a video signal, and an image display for receiving the signal and displaying a corresponding image. The supply source acquires characteristic data of the image display when it is powered on, determines a signal communication specification with the image display based on the acquired characteristic data, and communicates a signal including the video signal with the determined communication specification. The image display transmits characteristic data for specifying the characteristics of the image display to the supply source, and communicates the signal including the video signal in accordance with the determined communication specification. This invention also discloses an arrangement permitting changing the specifications and version of the control program of the image display.

Abstract: The design of a video processing core designed for processing video signals of a specific video format requires a high expense. It is therefore desirable to be able to use such a video processing core for other video formats as well.

Abstract: A method, system, and device for generating a clean clipping signal ? for a chromakey function or a video composition, including identifying background colors formed by a solid color background, shadows cast by still and moving subjects, a non-uniform reflection caused by spot lighting and non-flat backdrop or flaw wall, and translucent foreground objects, with a 3D volume in a 3D color space; determining parameters defining same by using a dirty alpha ?; generating a clean clipping signal ?shd background colors, and a clean clipping signal ?tsl for translucency colors; identifying foreground colors formed by the still and moving subjects with a 3D volume in a 3D color space; classifying colors into transition colors; and generating an area map for mapping each pixel into background, shadow, translucent, foreground, and transition areas.

Abstract: Picture quality characteristic amounts are extracted with a picture quality characteristic amount extractor and are transmitted to a central monitoring room to monitor a transmitted-picture quality. The picture quality characteristic amount extractor includes a pixel-position interchanger, an orthogonal transformer and a coefficient extractor. The picture quality characteristic amount extrator may further include a PN-series multiplier.

Abstract: A control device for a television receiver having a user-controlled restore function. The control device has a user-programmable switch for enabling the user to store user-selected data in a memory, including TV input data and channel data. A restore switch is provided for enabling a microprocessor to transmit digital data corresponding to the user-selected data. Actuation of the restore switch will restore the television receiver to a state of operation responsive to the user-selected stored data based on the user's settings of the user-programmable switch.

Abstract: An antenna direction allocation screen is displayed on a television connected to a broadcasting receiver. On this screen, a user allocates direction numbers “0 to 15” indicating each directivity direction of a smart antenna that is assumed in a broadcasting receiver to each direction number “(0) to (15)” that the user itself can identity a direction. Then, the broadcasting receiver records a correspondence between two direction numbers. Next, the broadcasting receiver reads the direction number “(0) to (15)” corresponding to the direction number “0 to 15” indicating the directivity direction that the smart antenna actually faces, and displays its direction number on a television.

Abstract: A signal selector selects one of a ground wave digital signal and a digital cable television signal in accordance with program selection information and transmits the selected signal to a shared tuner circuit. The shared tuner circuit selects only a signal of a desired channel from a signal output from the signal selector and converts the selected signal to an IF signal. An 8VSB and QAM demodulation circuit receives the IF signal from the shared tuner circuit and demodulate the signal in an 8VSB or QAM system to generate a transport stream. Thus a tuner for ground wave digital broadcasting and that for digital CATV broadcasting can be implemented as a shared tuner circuit surrounded by a single casing.