Abstract: A brightness control apparatus comprising a probability density function (PDF) calculator to calculate a PDF based on pixel values of respective pixels of an input image signal, a first setter to set an upper limit value and a lower limit value with respect to the pixel values that are equal to or smaller than a predetermined level in the PDF, and a brightness value controller to calculate a cumulative distribution function for the PDF controlled by the upper and lower limit values set by the first setter, and calculating brightness levels corresponding to the input image signal based on the calculated cumulative distribution function. The brightness control apparatus controls the brightness of an image signal so as to prevent it from becoming unnecessarily bright or dark when compensating the brightness of an image signal, while also preventing degradation of contrast.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided to equalize a histogram using a cumulative distribution function (CDF) of an image. A model parameter estimator estimates parameters from the image using a Gaussian model. An error function storing unit stores error function values based on a Gaussian distribution. A CDF calculator calculates a CDF using one of the error function values from the error function storing unit and the estimated parameters. A histogram equalizer performs histogram equalization using the CDF.

Abstract: A film mode detection apparatus capable of detecting a bad edit and a method thereof that can detect a bad edit independently of a film pattern. The film mode detection apparatus includes a pattern generation unit to generate a pattern using difference values of information between sequential fields of an input image, a bad edit detection unit to detect extremum values of the difference values of the information between the fields and to judge whether a present field corresponds to a bad edit according to variances of the detected extremum values, and a decision unit to decide whether the input image is a film image using pattern information generated from the pattern generation unit and bad edit detection information from the bad edit detection unit. Accordingly, the apparatus can cope with all kinds of bad edits and thus can prevent an error during the judgment of a film mode.

Abstract: A film mode detection apparatus and a method thereof can determine whether an input image is a film image by detecting existence/nonexistence of a caption in an input image field and using information of the remaining area of a field except for a caption area. The apparatus includes a caption detection unit to detect minimum values of difference values of information between successive fields from a field area including a caption area and a remaining field area excluding the caption area in an input image, respectively, and to judge whether a caption exists in a present field according to variances of the detected minimum values, a pattern generation unit to generate a pattern of a certain area of the field using the difference values of the information between the successive fields according to whether the caption exists, and a decision unit to determine whether the input image is a film image using the generated pattern.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of transforming a scanning format can adaptively select a scanning format transformation method. A motion estimating unit estimates a final motion vector among the motion vectors determined by a full search and predicted motion estimation and determines a first motion estimation type of the final motion vector. A motion analyzing unit and a motion estimation type analyzing unit respectively determine an existence of a global motion and a third motion estimation type from the final motion vector. A motion compensating unit and a temporal-spatial interpolating unit generate a first pixel and a second pixel, respectively. A format transforming unit transforms the scanning format by adaptively selecting one of the first and second pixels on a basis of at least one of the third motion estimation type and the information on the existence of the global motion.

Abstract: In an apparatus and a method to remove jagging artifacts, a calculating unit defines a window of a predetermined size based on a current pixel in an input current frame or field, and calculates at least one eigen value and at least one eigen vector to determine a feature of the window. A weight determining unit determines the feature of the window based on the calculated eigen value and then determines a filtering weight to be applied to filtering based on the determined feature. A low pass filter filters the window based on the calculated eigen vector and the determined filtering weight. Accordingly, it is possible to remove jagging artifacts occurring in a region, such as an edge, upon image conversion.

Abstract: An apparatus to suppress artifacts in an image signal. The apparatus includes a differential value calculation unit to calculate a differential value between adjacent pixels with respect to an input image signal, a diffusion amount calculation unit to calculate an amount of diffusion between the adjacent pixels on the basis of the differential value calculated by the differential value calculation unit, and a pixel value conversion unit to convert the present pixel value of the image signal inputted on the basis of the diffusion amount between the pixels calculated by the diffusion amount calculation unit. The apparatus changes the pixel value in consideration of the differential value between the adjacent pixels, and thus it can provide a high quality image signal without losing or misrecognizing the artifacts of the image signal.

Abstract: A de-interlacing apparatus with a noise reduction/removal device. The noise reduction/removal device can include a motion prediction unit that predicts motion vectors between an image one period ahead of a previous image and a current image with respect to individual images which are sequentially inputted; a motion checking unit that applies the motion vectors predicted by the motion prediction unit to the image one period ahead of the previous image and two different images ahead of the current image in time, and checks whether the motion vectors are precise motion vectors; a motion compensation unit that compensates for motions in use of the motion vectors checked for preciseness thereof by the motion checking unit; and a noise removal unit that removes noise on images using the motion-compensated images by the motion compensation unit and the inputted images. Accordingly, the noise reduction/removal device can reduce or remove noise through simple procedures on noise-bearing images.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of image sharpness enhancement. The apparatus includes a slope value calculator to set in an input video signal a window of a predetermined size with reference to a current pixel, and to calculate a slope value based on pixel values within the window, a gain calculator to calculate a gain corresponding to the magnitude of the slope value, a differential value calculator to calculate a differential value which is a difference between pixel values of the current pixel and other pixels within the window, a diffusivity calculator to calculate the diffusivity between the pixels corresponding to the magnitude of the differential value, a diffusivity summer to assign a predetermined weight to the diffusivities between the pixels and to calculate the sum of the diffusivities; and a pixel value converter to multiply the sum of the diffusivities by the gain and to add the multiplied result to the current pixel value.

Abstract: An adaptive motion estimation apparatus and method. A full search motion estimation part obtains a motion vector from all blocks in a predetermined search range based on a current frame and/or field and a reference frame and/or field and a prediction motion estimation part estimates a motion vector from ambient blocks about a block in which a candidate motion vector is estimated. A motion vector selection part determines a motion vector having a position value of a smallest error in comparison with a stored threshold value among the obtained and estimated motion vectors as a final motion vector. Since the full search motion estimation algorithm and the prediction motion estimation algorithm are adaptively selected, a smooth and correct motion vector reflecting an actual motion is obtainable.

Abstract: An image signal detecting apparatus and a method thereof capable of detecting a 2:2 pull-down image as well as a 3:2 pull-down image with respect to an input image signal. The image signal detecting apparatus includes a SAD calculation unit for calculating summed absolute differences (SADs) among a current field (n), a previous field (n?1), and a next field (n+1) with respect to consecutively input image signals, a pull-down image detection unit, a still image determining unit , a bad-edit detection unit for detecting a bad-edit in the detected pull-down image, and a decision unit for deciding whether the input image signal is the pull-down image or not based on the result of detecting the pull-down image, the result of determining whether the input image signal is a still image by the still image judgment unit, and the result of detecting the occurrence of the bad-edit.

Abstract: An image enhancing apparatus and method in which a PDF calculation unit calculates a probability density function according to a distribution of a luminance value with respect to each pixel of an input image. An average brightness calculation unit calculates average brightness of the input image based on the probability density function and an overflow threshold adaptive to the average brightness is calculated. A BUBO unit calculates a probability density function of which a distribution is adjusted, based on the overflow threshold and a predetermined underflow threshold and a cumulative distribution function is calculated with respect to the adjusted probability density function. A CDF compensating unit compensates for an influence that the BUBO unit has on the cumulative distribution function and a mapping unit uses the compensated cumulative distribution function as a mapping function, and adjusts and outputs the luminance value with respect to each pixel of the input image.

Abstract: An image format conversion apparatus including a 3:2 pull-down detection part determining whether a current field out of plural fields continuous in time is an image of a 3:2 pull-down format produced by a 3:2 pull-down process; a scroll text/graphic data detection part determining whether scroll motions exist on the current field; a 3:2 pull-down compensation part calculating interpolation values for pixels of the current field to be interpolated by using a 3:2 pull-down interpolation method; an IPC part calculating interpolation values for pixels of the current field to be interpolated by using a second interpolation method; and an output selection part for selectively outputting either the interpolation values of the 3:2 pull-down compensation part or the interpolation values of the IPC part based on results of the determinations of the scroll text/graphic detection part and the 3:2 pull-down detection part.

Abstract: An image signal format detection apparatus and method. The image signal format detection apparatus includes a first summed absolute difference (SAD) value calculation unit for calculating, from a previous field, a current field, and a next field of a time-consecutive image signal, a first SAD value with reference to pixel values of the current field and the previous field. A second SAD value calculation unit calculates a second SAD value with reference to pixel values of the current field and the next field. A pattern generation unit generates a detection pattern based on a result of a comparison of the first and second SAD values,; and a pattern analysis unit stores the detection pattern by field, compares the stored detection pattern of a series of fields with a predetermined verification pattern, and determines whether the image signal is an image signal produced in 2:2 pull-down.

Abstract: A brightness control apparatus comprising a probability density function (PDF) calculator to calculate a PDF based on pixel values of respective pixels of an input image signal, a first setter to set an upper limit value and a lower limit value with respect to the pixel values that are equal to or smaller than a predetermined level in the PDF, and a brightness value controller to calculate a cumulative distribution function for the PDF controlled by the upper and lower limit values set by the first setter, and calculating brightness levels corresponding to the input image signal based on the calculated cumulative distribution function. The brightness control apparatus controls the brightness of an image signal so as to prevent it from becoming unnecessarily bright or dark when compensating the brightness of an image signal, while also preventing degradation of contrast.

Abstract: Disclosed is a brightness control apparatus and method capable of adaptively compensating brightness values based on an average brightness of an image signal. The adaptive brightness control apparatus comprises a probability density function (PDF) calculation unit calculating a PDF based on a distribution of pixel values of pixels of an input image signal, a compensation value calculation unit for calculating an average value of the pixel values of the respective pixels, and calculating a function having a predetermined slope according to a range of the average brightness value, and a pixel value compensation unit for re-establishing the distribution of the pixel values based on the calculated function.

Abstract: A deinterlacing apparatus and method thereof include a motion compensation unit implementing motion-compensated temporal interpolation for each of estimated motion vectors with reference to a previous field and a next field, which are respectively ahead of and behind a current field to be interpolated, producing interpolation values of a pixel to be interpolated, and outputting a selected value from the interpolation values as a first interpolation value. Further, a spatial interpolation unit producing a second interpolation value of the pixel to be interpolated using values of pixels around the pixel to be interpolated, and an output unit mixing the first and second interpolation.

Abstract: A motion estimation apparatus, method, and machine-readable medium capable of detecting scrolling text or graphic data, which can provide information of whether text or graphic data scrolling in a horizontal direction on a screen exists and information related thereto.

Abstract: A contrast compensation apparatus and a method thereof utilize a simplified hardware structure and a low contrast distortion. The contrast compensation apparatus includes a pixel value detection unit to detect a distribution of pixel values of respective pixels of an input image signal, a pixel value limit unit having pre-set luminance limit values and re-configuring the distribution of the pixel values of the respective pixels based on the pre-set luminance limit values, and a mapping unit to set luminance for the respective pixels based on a cumulative distribution function with respect to the re-configured pixel values. When certain portions of an image are rendered very bright or dark, the phenomenon in which the entire image becomes abruptly bright or dark is reduced. Further, the contrast compensation apparatus uses the minimum number of multipliers, adders, and subtractors only, thus having an advantage of simplified structure and using less electric power.

Abstract: A deinterlacing apparatus and method use a buffer unit having a previous field buffer, a current field buffer, and a next field buffer to store, sequentially, individual fields of an image signal; calculate a Sum of Absolute Difference (SAD) value of a predetermined search region unit with reference to a next field stored in the next field buffer and a previous field stored in the previous field buffer; determine whether the predetermined search region is a still region and whether a source of the image signal is a film based on the SAD value; uses a 3D interpolation unit to output adaptively a temporal interpolation value and a spatial interpolation value based on motion information; and adaptively select a deinterlacing result based on the previous field, the next field, and an output of the 3D interpolation unit according to a signal outputted from the still region/film mode detection unit.