Abstract: A motion estimation apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a motion estimation apparatus for estimating, using a set of multi-focus images which correspond to a single scene and have different focuses, motion for each of the first regions included in the scene, including: a cost value computing unit configured to compute, using the set of multi-focus images, for each of the first regions, a cost value indicating a difference between a blur amount of the first region and a standard blur amount determined for each of distances in a depth direction; and a motion estimation unit configured to estimate, using the cost value, the motion of the first region corresponding to the cost value.

Abstract: A semiconductor for decoding coded image and audio data, which includes an audio processor that decodes coded audio data, and an image decoder that decodes image data. The image decoder removes coding distortion in pixels of two adjacent transform blocks which are motion-compensated, having a coded motion compensation error equal to zero, and are located inside a same macroblock. The image decoder includes a motion compensation block boundary detector that determines whether the motion compensation error of the two adjacent transform blocks located inside the macroblock is zero, and determines whether a boundary of two adjacent transform block is also a boundary of two adjacent motion-compensation blocks. The image decoder also includes a filter that removes coding distortion in pixels of the two adjacent transform blocks, and a selector that selects whether or not the filter removes the coding distortion based on the determination of the motion compensation block boundary detector.

Abstract: Mosaic-shaped block noise occurs when a compressed video signal is reproduced. This block noise is removed, but removing block noise from every block using a deblocking filter imposes a significant load on the deblocking filter. This load is therefore reduced by determining whether coding distortion removal (deblocking) is necessary, and applying a deblocking filter only when needed.

Abstract: To enhance the accuracy of image alignment performed to reduce a vertical disparity between a first image and a second image that are images of the same object captured from different viewpoints, an image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a division unit which divides each of the first image and the second image into a plurality of sub-regions; and an extraction unit which performs feature point extraction on each of the sub-regions, wherein the extraction unit performs the feature point extraction in such a manner that a value indicating a degree of variation among the sub-regions in total number of extracted feature points is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

Abstract: A method for coding a picture segmented into a plurality of blocks. The method decodes the coded blocks to produce a reproduced image. A filter selection parameter determines a threshold value for each quantization parameter, so as to change between a mode to effect coding distortion removal by a filter and a mode not to effect the coding distortion removal. The determined filter selection parameter is coded. A difference between pixel values of pixels in the adjacent blocks on both sides of a boundary between adjacent blocks forming the reproduced image is compared with the determined threshold value determined by the filter selection parameter, and the coding distortion is removed using the filter when the difference is smaller than the threshold value, and not removed when the difference is larger than the threshold value.

Abstract: An image decoding method is provided for generating a predictive pixel value of a current picture to be decoded, and decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value. The method includes a first parameter calculation step of calculating a first parameter corresponding to a distance between the current picture and a first reference picture; a second parameter calculation step of calculating a second parameter corresponding to a distance between the first reference picture and a second reference picture; a judgment step of judging whether or not a value of a third parameter calculated using a value obtained by dividing the first parameter by the second parameter is a value which is represented by a plurality of bits; a predictive pixel value generation step of generating a predictive pixel value of the current picture; and a decoding step of decoding the current picture using the predictive pixel value.

Abstract: An image capturing device includes: a pre-capturing module which captures an imaging target at each of different focus positions in a predetermined focus range and outputs, as a capturing result, a plurality of pre-captured images lower in resolution than the output image; an object sharpness evaluating module which computes a sharpness level of each of the pre-captured images captured by the pre-capturing module; a focus varying range determining module which determines a focus position varying range within the predetermined focus range based on sharpness levels computed by the object sharpness evaluating module, such that a signal-to-noise ratio of the output image is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; and an image capturing module which captures the imaging target while varying the focus position according to the focus position varying range determined by the focus varying range determining module, and outputs the output image as a capturing result.

Abstract: A device which transmits an ISMA media stream subjected to MPEG-4 IPMP extension. An ISMA media stream having an ISMA header and including contents as a payload is constituted, an IPMP tool list descriptor representing, as a tool required for processing of the contents, at least one tool selected from a group including an IPMP tool, an ISMA Cryp decryption tool, and a key management system (KMS) tool is buried in the media stream, and the ISMA media stream is transmitted.

Abstract: A depth information generating device according to the present invention includes a region extracting unit that detects a human face in at least one two-dimensional image, and based on the detected face, extracts a human figure region indicating a human figure within a region of the at least one two-dimensional image; and a depth map generating unit that gives a depth value different from a depth value of a region other than the human figure region to the human figure region to generate a depth map that separates the human figure region from the region other than the human figure region. Thereby, a depth map for displaying a 3D pop-out from which a viewer feels no unnaturalness can be generated.

Abstract: A three-dimensional video creating device (100) includes: a selection unit (123) which selects, from among frames constituting the 2D video, frames each of which has a common area whose proportion to the frame is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, as candidate three-dimensional partner frames that are candidate frames each constituting a three-dimensional image together with a target frame included in the frames constituting the 2D video; a determination unit (124) which determines, from among the candidate three-dimensional partner frames, a three-dimensional partner frame, based on the first criteria; and a three-dimensional pair creation unit (125) which creates a three-dimensional pair constituting the three-dimensional image corresponding to the target frame, using the target frame and the three-dimensional partner frame.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image recognition apparatus with enhanced performance and robustness. In an image recognition apparatus 1, an image classification information accumulating unit 20 stores therein feature information defining visual features of various objects obtained through a learning process. For classification of input images, an image feature obtaining unit 18 extracts descriptors indicating features from each input image, image vocabularies corresponding to the descriptors are voted, and a classifying unit 19 calculates existence probabilities of one or more candidate objects, based on the result of the voting. According to the existence probabilities, objects contained in the image is identified. Through the calculation, the existence probabilities are adjusted by an exclusive classifier, based on exclusive relationship information defining exclusive object sets each containing different objects (object labels) predicted not to coexist in a same image.

Abstract: A coding distortion removal method for removing coding distortion in an image which was has been divided in to a plurality of macroblocks. The method operates under the following conditions such that: (i) a size of a pixel in a motion compensation block is smaller than a size of a pixel in said macroblock; (ii) a size of a pixel in a motion compensation block is larger than a size of a pixel in a coding unit; and (iii) a pixel difference between two adjacent motion compensation blocks located inside the macroblock is zero. The method disables the coding distortion removal at a boundary between blocks located inside each of the two adjacent motion compensation blocks, and enables the coding distortion removal at a boundary between the two adjacent motion compensation blocks.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: A moving picture prediction method for enabling a calculation amount and a storage capacity to be reduced in a prediction about a moving picture by scaling processing is provided. A method for predicting the value P of Time T from the value P0 of Time T0 and the value P1 of Time T1 includes a step of judging whether it is possible to generate a predictive value with a predetermined significant number of bits by scaling using Time T0, T1 and T (Step S90); a step of predicting the value P from the values P0 and P1 by scaling using Time T0, T1 and T when it is possible to generate a predictive value with the predetermined significant number of bits (Step S92); and a step of predicting the value P from the values P0 and P1 without using Time T0, T1 and T when it is impossible to generate a predictive value with the predetermined significant number of bits (Step S91).

Abstract: A stereoscopic image aligning apparatus (200) automatically aligns image pairs for stereoscopic viewing in a shorter amount of time than conventional apparatuses, which is applicable to image pairs captured by a single sensor camera or a variable baseline camera, without relying on camera parameters.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: The present invention provides a video coding method and a video decoding method which allow enhancement of coding efficiency and improvement in video quality. A video coding apparatus includes: a mode determination unit which determines a notification method for notifying a transform block size to be used in orthogonal transform of a current block to be either the implicit mode or the explicit mode, and outputs the ABT mode indicating the determined notification method; an orthogonal transformation unit which transforms the difference values between the input image and predicted image into frequency coefficients based on the transform block size determined in accordance with the determined notification method; a quantization unit which quantizes the frequency coefficients and output the quantized values; and a variable length coding unit which performs variable length coding on the quantized values, the ABT mode, and the like, so as to output a coded stream.

Abstract: A moving picture coding apparatus includes an inter-pixel filter having the filters for filtering decoded image data so as to remove block distortion which is high frequency noise around block boundaries. The inter-pixel filters includes filters having different filtering strength. The coding apparatus also includes a filter processing control unit for determining a filtering strength of the inter-pixel filter.

Abstract: A picture encoding method of the present invention is a picture encoding method of predictively encoding an input picture with reference to pictures stored in a picture buffer, decoding the encoded input picture, judging whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for reference and whether or not the decoded picture is a picture for output which needs to be stored until its display time, and storing, in the picture buffer, the picture for reference and the picture for output based on the determination result.

Abstract: A moving picture coding apparatus includes an inter-pixel filter having filters for filtering decoded image data so as to remove block distortion which is high frequency noise around block boundaries. The inter-pixel filter includes filters having different filtering strengths. The coding apparatus also includes a filter processing control unit for determining a filtering strength of the inter-pixel filter.