A system approach to high‐quality picture‐rate conversion

Abstract

-Various techniques have been implemented to improve the motion portrayal of flat-panel displays, of which the widespread introduction of motion-compensated picture-rate conversion systems is an essential part. However, a careful design of such systems is critical as they have the potential to introduce perceptually annoying artifacts. In this paper, an overview of the required "ingredients" of high-quality motion-compensated picture-rate conversion is presented, as implemented in state-ofthe-art systems-on-chip. The visual impact of individual components on picture quality is illustrated.Keywords -Motion blur, motion judder, motion compensation, picture-rate conversion, frame-rate conversion. DOI # 10.1889/JSID18.11.922 IntroductionMotion portrayal is an important aspect of picture quality. Motion blur affects the "dynamic" resolution of a display and in this respect, flat-panel-display technologies such as LCD technology have long remained inferior to CRT displays. 1 The two characteristics that caused this were (1) lowresponse times and (2) the picture sample-and-hold effect. Over time, the slow response has been addressed by panel makers through material innovations, while the remaining effect has been further reduced by display processing such as overdrive. 2 The negative consequences of the picture sampleand-hold have been targeted by increasing the display picture rate from 50/60 Hz to 100/120 Hz, and even to 200/240 Hz. However, since video content is mostly captured at relatively low picture rates, such as 24 Hz for film or 50/60 Hz for video cameras, high-quality picture-rate conversion (PRC) is now essential to profit from fast-responding panels.This poses a significant challenge, as the eye-tracking of the human viewer requires PRC algorithm designers to apply motion estimation (ME) and motion compensation (MC) techniques. 3,4 Simpler PRC methods using repetition or linear interpolation of images cause motion blur and/or judder which render the advances in display technology useless. Motion-compensated PRC (MC-PRC) can enable perfect motion portrayal, but, to this day, there is no design without occasional failure. Limiting the occurrence frequency of failures and avoiding perceptually annoying artifacts is challenging; particularly now, recent high-quality displays make even minor artifacts visible.In this paper, we shall discuss the key requirements and lessons learned in the design of state-of-the-art MC-PRC systems, such as those discussed in Ref. 6.In Sec. 2, we show the components of a high-quality PRC system. In Secs. 3-7, these will be illustrated individually by showing their visual impact from an end-user perspective. We draw our conclusions in Sec. 8. Components of MC-PRCMC-PRC is based on the estimation of the displacement path or "motion trajectory" of all pixels between consecutive frames, i.e., (dense) motion estimation. Early MC-PRC algorithms relied on relatively simple interpolation technologies to profit from the ME. However, since the introduction of MC-PRC in CRT-TV ...

240 Hz OLED technology properties that can enable improved image quality

“…Thus, it is difficult for a display to create an enhanced viewing experience by raising the display frame rate beyond the frame rate of the content. High‐frame‐rate displays could use motion‐compensated frame‐rate conversion to effectively raise the capture rate of the content …”

“…High-frame-rate displays could use motion-compensated frame-rate conversion to effectively raise the capture rate of the content. [15][16][17] Another important consideration is the likelihood of object speeds being presented for which motion artifacts would be prevalent. Fujine and colleagues conducted a survey of Japanese households and broadcast content to estimate the viewing conditions and content that people experience in their homes.…”