Abstract: This disclosure describes selection of reference video units to be used for interpolation or extrapolation of a video unit, such as a video frame. A decoder may apply a quality-focused mode to select a reference frame based on quality criteria. The quality criteria may indicate a level of quality likely to be produced by a reference frame. If no reference frames satisfy the quality criteria, interpolation or extrapolation may be disabled. Display of an interpolated or extrapolated frame may be selectively enabled based on a quality analysis. A decoder may apply a resource-focused frame interpolation mode to enable or disable frame interpolation or extrapolation for some frames based on power and quality considerations. In one mode, frame interpolation may be disabled to conserve power when reference frames are not likely to produce satisfactory quality. In another mode, the threshold may be adjustable as a function of power saving requirements.

Abstract: A decoder may apply a resource-focused interpolation mode to enable or disable interpolation or extrapolation of video units, such as frames, based on power and quality considerations. In one mode, interpolation may be disabled to conserve power when reference frames are not likely to produce satisfactory quality. In another mode, the threshold may be adjustable as a function of power saving requirements. This disclosure also describes selection of reference video frames to be used for interpolation or extrapolation of a video frame. A decoder may apply a quality-focused mode to select a reference frame based on quality criteria. The quality criteria may indicate a level of quality likely to be produced by a reference frame. If no reference frames satisfy the quality criteria, interpolation or extrapolation may be disabled. Display of an interpolated or extrapolated frame may be selectively enabled based on a quality analysis of the frame.

Abstract: Techniques are presented herein to provide tandem-free operation between two wireless terminals through two otherwise incompatible wireless networks. Specifically, embodiments provide tandem-free operation between a wireless terminal communicating through a continuous transmission (CTX) wireless channel to a wireless terminal communicating through a discontinuous transmission (DTX) wireless channel. In a first aspect, inactive speech frames are translated between DTX and CTX formats. In a second aspect, each wireless terminal includes an active speech decoder that is compatible with the active speech encoder on the opposite end of the mobile-to-mobile connection.

Abstract: A stereo 3D video frame includes left and right components that are combined to produce a stereo image. For a given amount of distortion, the left and right components may have different impacts on perceptual visual quality of the stereo image due to asymmetry in the distortion response of the human eye. A 3D video encoder adjusts an allocation of coding bits between left and right components of the 3D video based on a frame-level bit budget and a weighting between the left and right components. The video encoder may generate the bit allocation in the rho (?) domain. The weighted bit allocation may be derived based on a quality metric that indicates overall quality produced by the left and right components. The weighted bit allocation compensates for the asymmetric distortion response to reduce overall perceptual distortion in the stereo image and thereby enhance or maintain visual quality.

Abstract: Techniques are presented herein to provide tandem-free operation between two wireless terminals through two otherwise incompatible wireless networks. Specifically, embodiments provide tandem-free operation between a wireless terminal communicating through a continuous transmission (CTX) wireless channel to a wireless terminal communicating through a discontinuous transmission (DTX) wireless channel. In a first aspect, inactive speech frames are translated between DTX and CTX formats. In a second aspect, each wireless terminal includes an active speech decoder that is compatible with the active speech encoder on the opposite end of the mobile-to-mobile connection.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to decoder-side region-of-interest (ROI) video processing. A video decoder determines whether ROI assistance information is available. If not, the decoder defaults to decoder-side ROI processing. The decoder-side ROI processing may estimate the reliability of ROI extraction in the bitstream domain. If ROI reliability is favorable, the decoder applies bitstream domain ROI extraction. If ROI reliability is unfavorable, the decoder applies pixel domain ROI extraction. The decoder may apply different ROI extraction processes for intra-coded (I) and inter-coded (P or B) data. The decoder may use color-based ROI generation for intra-coded data, and coded block pattern (CBP)-based ROI generation for inter-coded data. ROI refinement may involve shape-based refinement for intra-coded data, and motion- and color-based refinement for inter-coded data.

Abstract: This disclosure describes adaptive spatial variant interpolation (SVI) techniques for image upscaling. In various embodiments, the interpolation techniques described in this disclosure may support low complexity upscaling of image while promoting high image quality, including enhanced sharpness, higher contrast and more accurate interpolation. The interpolation techniques may be applied using generalized finite impulse response (FIR) filters. In some embodiments, the interpolation techniques may be content-adaptive to provide more accurate interpolation while suppressing significant artifacts associated with sharp edges. In addition, the interpolation techniques may be readily applicable to upscaling of color imagery and video, e.g., in both YCbCr (luminance, blue chrominance, red chrominance) and RGB (red, green, blue) formats.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to techniques for selective video frame rate upconversion (FRUC) in a video decoder. A video decoder selectively enables or disables FRUC based on one or more adaptive criteria. The adaptive criteria may be selected to indicate whether FRUC is likely to introduce spatial artifacts. Adaptive criteria may include a motion activity threshold, a mode decision threshold, or both. The criteria are adaptive, rather than fixed. When the criteria indicate that a frame includes excessive motion or new content, the decoder disables FRUC.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to techniques for evaluating temporal quality of encoded video. Instead of estimating jerkiness based solely on frame rate or motion activity, the number of consecutive dropped frames forms a basic estimation unit. Several human visual system factors, such as sensitivity to temporal quality fluctuation and motion activity, have been taken into account to make the predicted jerkiness more consistent with the actual human visual response. The temporal quality metric can be used to estimate human perceived discomfort that is introduced by temporal discontinuity under various combinations of video shots, motion activity and local quality fluctuations. The techniques can be applied in two modes: (1) bitstream or (2) pixel mode. The quality metric can be used to evaluate temporal quality, or to control encoding or decoding characteristics to enhance temporal quality.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to techniques for region-of-interest (ROI) coding for video telephony (VT). The disclosed techniques also include techniques for allocation of bits to ROI and non-ROI areas using weighted bit allocation models at the macroblock (MB) level within the p domain.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented for supporting the transmission of variable-rate vocoder frames over non-compatible communication channels. Variable-rate vocoder frames are reformatted as cargo in multi-rate vocoder frames. At the receiver, a determination is made as to whether a received multi-rate vocoder frame carries a variable-rate vocoder frame cargo. If a variable-rate vocoder frame is cargo, then a determination of the frame type is made. Various embodiments for conveying cargo information are presented.

Abstract: Natural-quality synthetic noise will replace background acoustic noise during speech gaps and will achieve a better representation of the excitation signal in a noise-synthesis model by classifying the type of acoustic environment noise into one or more of a plurality of noise classes. The noise class information is used to synthesize background noise that sounds similar to the actual background noise during speech transmission. In some embodiments, the noise class information is derived by the transmitter and transmitted to the receiver which selects corresponding excitation vectors and filters them using a synthesis filter to construct the synthetic noise. In other embodiments, the receiver itself classifies the background noise present in hangover frames and uses the class information as before to generate the synthetic noise.

Abstract: Techniques are presented herein to provide tandem-free operation between two wireless terminals through two otherwise incompatible wireless networks. Specifically, embodiments provide tandem-free operation between a wireless terminal communicating through a continuous transmission (CTX) wireless channel to a wireless terminal communicating through a discontinuous transmission (DTX) wireless channel. In a first aspect, inactive speech frames are translated between DTX and CTX formats. In a second aspect, each wireless terminal includes an active speech decoder that is compatible with the active speech encoder on the opposite end of the mobile-to-mobile connection.

Abstract: Tandem-free vocoder operations (TFO) between non-compatible communication systems may be enabled through hardware modifications at communication elements within each system. In one aspect, each infrastructure entity in System 1 comprises an intra-system TFO Frame Generator G1, an intra-system TFO Frame Extractor E1, and a TFO Frame Extractor E2 of System 2, which is non-compatible to System 1. Each infrastructure entity in System 2 comprises an intra-system TFO Frame Generator G2, an intra-system TFO Frame Extractor E2, and a TFO Frame Extractor E1 of System 1.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented for supporting the transmission of variable-rate vocoder frames over non-compatible communication channels. Variable-rate vocoder frames are reformatted as cargo in multi-rate vocoder frames. At the receiver, a determination is made as to whether a received multi-rate vocoder frame carries a variable-rate vocoder frame cargo. If a variable-rate vocoder frame is cargo, then a determination of the frame type is made. Various embodiments for conveying cargo information are presented.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented for determining the type of acoustic signal and the type of frequency spectrum exhibited by the acoustic signal in order to selectively delete parameter information before vector quantization. The bits that would otherwise be allocated to the deleted parameters can then be re-allocated to the quantization of the remaining parameters, which results in an improvement of the perceptual quality of the synthesized acoustic signal. Alternatively, the bits that would have been allocated to the deleted parameters are dropped, resulting in an overall bit-rate reduction.