Shifting Block Origin to Reduce Visual Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deblocking filters require additional processing, memory, and tuning, making them less effective in resource-constrained systems for reducing the appearance of block-related artifacts in image and video processing.
Innovation Solution
The method involves obtaining a sequence of image frames, adjusting some or all frames to shift the block origin relative to the image data, and applying a block-based process to each adjusted frame to generate processed frames, thereby reducing the visibility of block artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If deblocking filters are applied to reduce block artifacts, then visual quality is improved, but processing complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary dithering or noise addition to the image data before block-based processing. This pre-processing step introduces controlled randomness that prevents consistent block boundary patterns from forming, thereby reducing visible artifacts without requiring complex post-processing deblocking filters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the typically harmful block artifacts into a beneficial effect by intentionally introducing similar-looking noise patterns through dithering. This transforms the visual disturbance caused by blocking into a desirable granular texture that masks artifact boundaries, turning a negative phenomenon into a quality enhancement tool.
2Manufacturing precision
If deblocking filters are applied to reduce block artifacts, then visual quality is improved, but memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and applies noise reduction directly at the block processing stage rather than requiring separate deblocking filter memory structures. By integrating the noise masking function into the existing block processing pipeline, it eliminates the need for additional memory buffers that traditional deblocking filters would require.
3Manufacturing precision
If deblocking filters are applied to reduce block artifacts, then visual quality is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the artifact reduction function with the existing block-based processing operations. By combining noise dithering and block processing into a single integrated operation rather than sequential steps, it achieves visual quality improvement without the additional processing time that separate deblocking filter applications would require.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for reducing the appearance of block-related artifacts are described. The methods include obtaining image frames in a sequence of image frames and adjusting some or all image frames in the sequence of image frames to generate adjusted image frames. The adjusted image frames may be created by generating image data and adding it to one or more edges of the image frame or by discarding image data from the image frame. The adjusted image frames shift a block origin relative to image data in the image frame. The adjusting is performed so that the shift of the block origin varies during the sequence of image frames. A block-based process is applied to each adjusted image frame to generate processed image frames, wherein blocks of image data are selected and processed in each adjusted frame of image data according to the block origin.