Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and a method for displaying images. To combat the copying of images by a camcorder in a cinema auditorium, modulating the luminance of the pixels of a pattern around the value to be displayed to a high frequency which makes the pattern invisible to the human eye but which generates artefacts on the sequence filmed by the camcorder is known. According to the invention, it is proposed to temporally modulate the pattern only in the fixed areas (background or indoor scenes) or, where appropriate, the areas with weak movements. Thus, rather than degrading the image in the areas with movement by applying to them the temporal modulation processing, a decision is taken not to temporally modulate the pattern in these critical areas.

Abstract: A method for image processing of digital image pixels. Pixels are preferably filtered spatially and dithered, and the value for at least one colour component is bit reduced. The space freed by the bit reduction is used to allocate a look-up table selection bit that indicates which look-up table (LUT), from a plurality of small LUTs partitioned from a bigger LUT, should be used for the colour transform. The transformed pixels are then selected according to the used LUT, format converted and output. The invention, which also covers an apparatus and a pre-processing module, enables an apparatus with a LUT to be used both as a single full-rate LUT apparatus and as a lower-rate n smaller LUT apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a television comprising means for receiving line by line a video input image, a circuit for processing said video input image able to apply at least one horizontal video processing and one vertical video processing to pixels of the video input image and means of vertical scanning for displaying the video image coming from the processing circuit column of pixels by column of pixels. The invention aims to reduce the number of memory of lines that are necessary for performing the vertical video processings. According to the invention, the vertical video processings are performed after an image rotation so as to perform them as horizontal video processings, that is to say without having to use line memories. Application to cathode-ray televisions.

Abstract: System comprising an illumination system for moving bands of different colored light over the light valve, means for identifying the illumination color of each row of pixels of this light valve, means of managing video data of said images to control the writing of the pixels, means of synchronizing the video data sent to each row of pixels according to the illumination color of said row, identified by the identification means. The identification means comprise, level with certain rows of pixels of the light valve, at least one photosensitive sensor incorporated in the substrate and designed to identify in real time the illumination color of each row.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for processing a mosaic of noisy source images exhibiting overlap zones where at least two of the source images are superimposed. According to the invention, the method comprises a step of generating a random noise (35) in the overlap zones so as to compensate at least partially for the deviation in noise between the overlap zones and the zones where the source images are not superimposed, called non-overlap zones.

Abstract: The invention concerns an image display system comprising: a light source emitting an illuminating laser beam, a spatial light modulator controlled by control video signals corresponding to a succession of image frames; a matrix filter consisting of an array of different elementary color filters, illuminated by said illuminating beam and transmitting a spatially color-filtered beam to the spatial light modulator, an image of said filter being produced on an input surface of the spatial light modulator; means for displacing the filter image on the input of the spatial light modulator; and a control device for controlling at least one sequence of displacements of the filter image upon each image frame display.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and a device for displaying images. It is known to inlay a pattern of watermark type into the sequence of images to be displayed so as to combat the copying of images by picture-taking. This inlaying consists in modulating the intensity of the pixels of the pattern about the value to be displayed at a high frequency which renders the pattern invisible to the human eye but which generates artefacts on the sequence filmed by the camcorder. This technique poses problems when the sequence of images to be displayed comprises scenes in motion. The pattern appears since the integration carried out by the eye at the moment of display of the images is not correct. According to the invention, it is proposed that the patterns to be inlayed be motion compensated.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and device intended to temporally modulate a sequence of source images with a modulation image comprising at least one anti-copy pattern. According to the invention, it is proposed that the modulation image be generated on the basis of the source image to be modulated in such a way as to place the patterns at locations of the image that may hinder the person watching an illicit copy of the video sequence (filmed for example by a camcorder). The modulation image is for example an image of the secondary contours of the image. The patterns are therefore placed in the low-gradient zones of the source image.

Abstract: A process for switching television programs is wherein it detects (8, 9) and then stores (10) the appended data of intra type of programs other than the selected program, selects (10) and decodes (12), upon a command (14) for the switching over to a new program, the stored appended data relating to this new program, and temporarily transmits (13), while awaiting the decoding and transmission of the current data of the new program, the decoded appended data. Applications relate for example to the perusing of programs.

Abstract: The method comprises the following steps: partitioning of the 2D image into 2D zones as a function of the depths assigned to the pixels, a zone being defined by a minimum and maximum depth, calculation of blur of a 2D zone by convolution for the pixels on either side of the boundary with another zone, the size of the convolution kernel being dependent on the depth of the pixels of the 2D zone processed. Applications are the creation of special effects for video games, film production.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for enhancing the contours in a video image. It applies more particularly to cathode-ray tube digital televisions. The method of the invention consists in detecting the contours of the images, in oversampling the image signal to be provided to the tube, in increasing the video level of at least one of the samples of the pixels corresponding to a contour while preserving the luminous energy of each of the pixels, then in converting the modified signal into an analogue signal intended for the cathode-ray tube. The contours then appear finer and more visible on the screen of the television. Preferably, the modification of the sampled signal consists in reducing the number of samples of the pixel corresponding to a contour and in redistributing the video level of the samples removed to the other samples of the pixel of the contour.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of processing video images which is intended to correct the distortions created by the instability of the high voltage circuit of the cathode ray tube display device during the displaying of the images. It is more particularly intended for correcting the global zoom and the local zoom affecting the images displayed by the cathode ray tube device.

Abstract: A method for addressing cells in devices via an I2C bus is suggested, in which the common addressing scheme is supplemented by a ‘Data Transfer Mode’ byte. The ‘Data Transfer Mode’ byte specifies the number of the address and data bytes to follow the device addressing and thereby allows for orthogonal and scalable addressing of cells inside a device connected to the bus. The method is fully compatible to the existing I2C standard for writing to the slave device. Setting up and terminating a connection between a master and a slave as well as acknowledging receipt of a byte follows the standard.

Abstract: The process for coding a scene composed of objects whose textures are defined on the basis of images or parts of images originating from various video sources is disclosed by spatially composing an image by dimensioning and positioning on the image, the other images or parts of images originating from various video sources, as to obtain a composed image, and, calculating and coding auxiliary data comprising information related to the composition of the composed image and information related to the textures of the objects.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a camera (1) for generating a cut key signal (K) for a subject moving in front of a background on the basis of invisible frequencies originating from the said background. The camera comprises an optical separator (3), a detector (7) and a processing circuit (9). The optical separator (3) makes it possible to separate the beam, representing the subject and the background, into four separate beams, including three colour beams (FR, FV, FB) and a fourth beam consisting of the invisible frequencies originating from the background. The detector (7) makes it possible to convert the energy contained in the fourth beam to an electrical signal (PIR), and the processing circuit (9) makes it possible to generate the key signal (k) from the electrical signal originating from the detection of the invisible frequency beam. The invention applies to the cutting of subjects moving in front of coloured backgrounds so as to place these subjects in front of new coloured backgrounds.

Abstract: The generation of images is done by the computation of the motion vectors representing the evolution from one image 2D to the other, directly from the co-ordinates and coefficients of geometrical transformation, of associated points in the 3D scene. The applications relate to the generation of monocular sequences by temporal interpolation and of stereoscopic sequences by extrapolation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for displaying a sequence of 3D images on the basis of a first sequence of source images corresponding to the left eye and of a second sequence of source images corresponding to the right eye of an observer, said source images being conveyed respectively by a video signal S.sub.1 and by a video signal S.sub.2 of respective luminous intensities E.sub.1 and E.sub.2. The device includes a first means of calculation (6) intended to generate from said video signals S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 a luminous signal S having an overall luminous intensity E calculated as a function of the luminous intensities E.sub.1 and E.sub.2, said means of calculation (6) co-operating with a second means of calculation (8) in such a way as to split, for each pixel, the overall luminous energy E in proportion to the luminous intensities E.sub.1 and E.sub.2.

Abstract: A method of generation of computer images of a three-dimensional scene constituted by a set of facets, viewed from a point of observation along a viewing axis. The facets are projected on the surface of a sphere whose center is the point of observation of the scene and wherein the surface of the sphere is divided in a special way into elementary surfaces, each corresponding to a pixel on the spherical surface, in such a manner that the orthogonal projections of the elementary surfaces on a reference plane passing through the point of observation and perpendicular to the viewing axis of the scene all have same value. An application is the generation of visibility or distance images. Another application is radiosity.