Abstract: A device includes at least one processor and memory including instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to scan an input image including pixels that have either a first state or a second state opposite the first state, initiate a first cluster and a first polygon that belongs to the first cluster upon encountering a first pixel of the input image that has the first state, execute a first set of operations to form the first polygon, generate an indication of one or more characteristics of the input image based on at least the first cluster, and output the indication.

Abstract: An example embodiment may involve obtaining an a×b pixel macro-cell from an input image. Pixels in the a×b pixel macro-cell may have respective pixel values and may be associated with respective tags. It may be determined whether at least e of the respective tags indicate that their associated pixels represent edges in the input image. Based on this determination, either a first encoding or a second encoding of the a×b pixel macro-cell may be selected. The first encoding may weigh pixels that represent edges in the input image heavier than pixels that do not represent edges in the input image, and the second encoding might not consider whether pixels represent edges. The selected encoding may be performed and written to a computer-readable output medium.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes: a filter; and a filter control circuit, wherein the filter control circuit is configured to: detect a power of signals output from the filter; determine one of a plurality of numerical ranges to which the power belongs; update a filter coefficient of the filter according to a determination result; count a number of the signals having the power of a first value or more; set an invalid area which becomes a target not to be determined for each of one or more boundaries between the plurality of numerical ranges when the number of the signals becomes a second value or more; and control a width of the invalid area based on the number of signals.

Abstract: A method of printing a document using one of a plurality of print modes, the method comprising: (i) notionally dividing a digital image of the document into sectors; (ii) for each sector, comparing one or more properties of the luminosity of pixels within each sector with one or more threshold values; (iii) using the comparison of (ii) to determine whether each sector is likely to show an image defect if printed at a lower image quality print mode; (iv) selecting a print mode such that all sectors are determined not to be likely to show an image defect; (v) printing the document using the determined print mode.

Abstract: A control unit determines the content of a video based on an input video signal based on results of determination utilizing a monochrome determination unit and a text determination unit. Based on a display mode according to a result of the content determination, the control unit displays an image corresponding to the input video signal on a display panel.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for upscaling a digital image. A digital image to be upscaled is accessed, where the digital image comprises a plurality of pixel values. A first half pixel value is computed for a first point in the digital image based on a plurality of pixel values of the digital image surrounding the first point and an activity level. A second half pixel value is computed for a second point in the digital image, and an interpolated pixel of an upscaled version of the digital image is determined using a plurality of the pixel values, the first half pixel value, and the second half pixel value.

Abstract: A projection system and an operation method thereof are provided. The projection system includes a video and audio source, an image duplication unit, a plurality of image segmentation units, and a plurality of projectors. The video and audio source receives a sum image parameter, and provides a non-standard format image. The image duplication unit receives and sends one of sum image parameters to the video and audio source. The image segmentation units provide the same sum image parameters, though only one is transmitted to the video and audio source through the image duplication unit. Each of the image segmentation units receives the non-standard format image, and segments a part of the non-standard format image as a standard format image, where the standard format images are partially overlapped with each other. The projectors are respectively coupled to the corresponding image segmentation unit, and display according to the corresponding standard format image.

Abstract: A fast channel switching method and apparatus for a digital broadcast receiver having a single tuner are disclosed. The fast channel switching method includes setting an ongoing service channel and at least one standby service channel, buffering broadcast data received through the ongoing and standby service channels, outputting the buffered broadcast data of the ongoing service channel, determining whether the ongoing service channel is switched to one of the standby service channels, outputting, if the ongoing service channel is switched to one of the standby service channels, the buffered broadcast data of the switched standby service channel and resetting the ongoing and standby service channels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for achieving low-latency, and rapidly attained high-resolution, access reception for transmitted and received video data involving the pre-transmission dividing of a source video stream into two downstream-deliverable data streams that differ by, on the one hand, low-latency, low-resolution characteristics for one stream, and on the other hand, higher-latency, higher-resolution characteristics for the other stream. Latency in these streams is determined by the frame spacing created between stream-inserted marker I-frames. The divided streams are multiplexed and transmitted. At the receiving end, monitoring, selecting and video output-signal switching take place under rules whereby the first-encountered marker frame in either stream directs that stream to provide the first content for the video output signal. If the first-encountered marker resides in the higher-resolution stream, the process ends.

Abstract: A method and interactive system for the on-line transmission of a high-resolution video sequence composed of a succession of T images includes a step of selecting relevant images comprising at least the following steps: split each image to be transmitted at the instant t into a number N of zones, for each zone n determined in the previous step, calculate a value representative of the content of said zone, for each image to be transmitted, generate a vector representative of the content of said image containing the values obtained in the previous step, calculate a normalized coefficient of correlation ? between the reference vector determined for a previously selected image and that calculated for the current image, make a decision on the selection (or not) of the current image as a function of the value of the normalized correlation coefficient ?.

Abstract: A moving image separating apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus is provided with a privacy image region detection unit and a moving image separating unit. The privacy image region detection unit detects privacy image region data indicating a position and a range of a privacy image region from the original moving image data. The moving image separating unit receives the original moving image data and the privacy image region data from the privacy image region detection unit. The moving image separating unit separates the original moving image data to private moving image data composed of image data corresponding to the privacy image region and to public moving image data composed of image data of a region excluding the privacy image region, on the basis of the privacy image region data.

Abstract: The sense of contrast perceived by a viewer of an image is quantified and adequate image processing is carried out on image data based on the sense of contrast. Contrast-sense quantification means generates unsharp image data of the image data and then generates a histogram of the unsharp image data. Since the histogram of the image data includes lightness information of details of the image, a distribution width thereof does not represent the contrast perceived by the viewer of the image as a whole. However, since the histogram of the unsharp image data excludes information of the details, a distribution width of the unsharp image data represents the contrast of the overall image. The distribution width of the histogram of the unsharp image data is found as the sense of contrast and input to processing means. In the processing means, tone conversion processing is carried out on the image data by changing a tone conversion LUT based on the sense of contrast, and processed image data are obtained.

Abstract: An edge pixel is extracted from an input image by an edge determination section, an object image section is extracted by an object-image extraction section, and a first characteristic amount of the object image section in a first local pixel block containing a first target pixel is calculated by a first-characteristic-amount calculation section. A classification is made as to whether the first target pixel is a character edge pixel or a dot edge pixel by an edge-class determination section on the basis of the result of extraction for the edge pixel and the first characteristic amount. A second characteristic amount of a second local pixel block containing a second target pixel is calculated by a second-characteristic-amount calculation section on the basis of the edge classification result. The image of the second target pixel is classified by an image-class determination section on the basis of the second characteristic amount.

Abstract: The sense of contrast perceived by a viewer of an image is quantified and adequate image processing is carried out on image data based on the sense of contrast. Contrast-sense quantification means generates unsharp image data of the image data and then generates a histogram of the unsharp image data. Since the histogram of the image data includes lightness information of details of the image, a distribution width thereof does not represent the contrast perceived by the viewer of the image as a whole. However, since the histogram of the unsharp image data excludes information of the details, a distribution width of the unsharp image data represents the contrast of the overall image. The distribution width of the histogram of the unsharp image data is found as the sense of contrast and input to processing means. In the processing means, tone conversion processing is carried out on the image data by changing a tone conversion LUT based on the sense of contrast, and processed image data are obtained.

Abstract: This invention provides an image processing apparatus which receives an image signal divided into a plurality of different subband components, detects an error in low-frequency subband component data within the image signal of one picture, and interpolates remaining frequency subband component data other than the low-frequency subband component of the picture in accordance with the error detection result.

Abstract: A coding apparatus which can simplify a coding circuit and also simplify the processing of quantization. Image data that consists of R-, G-, and B-color components read from a scanner into buffers is subjected to transformation using a position correlation for each of RGB in position-correlation transformation sections. The DC component of each of the components is then color-converted in a color conversion section to be a DC lightness signal and DC color signals, and the signals are quantized in a quantization section and a coding section. Whereas, the AC components of each of the components are subjected to quantization in a first step in an AC component quantization section, and further to color conversion in a color conversion section to be an AC lightness signal and AC color signals. The signals are quantized in a second step in a quantization section and a coding section.

Abstract: A wavelet domain filtering technique is disclosed that removes or at least minimizes checkerboard-like noise artifacts that result from capturing a composite NTSC video signal. A Haar basis filter bank is used to obtain a two-level wavelet decomposition. Low-pass filtering is performed on the high-high (HH) and the high-low (HL) bands of the wavelet decomposition since the checkerboard-like noise artifact is primarily visible on the vertical and the diagonal edges of the captured composite NTSC video frame.

Abstract: To obtain real-time responses with interactive multimedia servers, the server provides at least two different audio/visual data streams. A first data stream has fewer bits per frame and provides a video image much more quickly than a second data stream with a higher number of bits and hence higher quality video image. The first data stream becomes available to a client much faster and may be more quickly displayed on demand while the second data stream is sent to improve the quality as soon as the playback buffer can handle it. In one embodiment, an entire video signal is layered, with a base layer providing the first signal and further enhancement layers comprising the second. The base layer may be actual image frames or just the audio portion of a video stream. The first and second streams are gradually combined in a manner such that the playback buffer does not overflow or underflow.

Abstract: A user having a certain channel-bandwidth access to an interactive digital network, such as the internet, uploads control data to an allotted multiresolution data processor of a server system that downloads, to the user image content (e.g., a motion picture requested by the user) data, which may be statistically compressed. While the server system supplies the requested content as an input to the multiresolution data processor in uncompressed form at highest, spatial, temporal and color resolutions, the multiresolution data processor calculates the downloading bit rate and reduced spatial, temporal and/or color resolutions of the downloaded content in accordance with the uploaded control data from the user that defines the user's channel bandwidth and may also define the user's desired lower spatial, temporal and/or color resolutions.

Abstract: In one embodiment, there is provided a method for operating a decoder. The method comprises receiving, on a first channel, an electronic program guide data stream comprising multiple video streams which have been encoded and multiplexed for transmission on the first channel, each video stream comprising a low resolution version of a high resolution video stream which is being simultaneously received on a separate channel; decoding the electronic program guide data stream into frames, each frame defining a mosaic-style image comprising image areas for images in the electronic program guide data stream corresponding to images from each of the multiple video streams; and displaying each of the frames on a display screen coupled to the decoder.

Abstract: A Digital Video Quality (DVQ) apparatus and method that incorporate a model of human visual sensitivity to predict the visibility of artifacts. The DVQ method and apparatus are used for the evaluation of the visual quality of processed digital video sequences and for adaptively controlling the bit rate of the processed digital video sequences without compromising the visual quality. The DVQ apparatus minimizes the required amount of memory and computation. The input to the DVQ apparatus is a pair of color image sequences: an original (R) non-compressed sequence, and a processed (T) sequence. Both sequences (R) and (T) are sampled, cropped, and subjected to color transformations. The sequences are then subjected to blocking and discrete cosine transformation, and the results are transformed to local contrast. The next step is a time filtering operation which implements the human sensitivity to different time frequencies.