A method for deinterlacing a picture is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating a plurality of primary scores by searching along a plurality of primary angles for an edge in the picture proximate a location interlaced with a field of the picture, (B) generating a plurality of neighbor scores by searching for the edge along a plurality of neighbor angles proximate a particular angle of the primary angles corresponding to a particular score of the primary scores having a best value and (C) identifying a best score from a group of scores consisting of the particular score and the neighbor scores to generate an interpolated sample at the location.
Whether interlaced video fields form a progressive video frame can be automatically determined. The presence or absence of a first characteristic of one or more video fields can be determined by analysis of the fields and/or related information such as flags, cadence, previous determinations, and others. Similarly, the presence or absence of a second characteristic can be detected. In accordance with the detecting, how likely or whether the two or more video fields form a progressive video frame can be determined based on a possibly predetermined likelihood that fields of progressive video frames in general have or do not have the first characteristic and based on a possibly predetermined likelihood that fields of interlaced video frames in general have or do not have the second characteristic.
