The invention provides a vehicle surroundings monitoring system for synthesizing and displaying images captured by a plurality of cameras to provide images that, near the border between partial images, are more accurate and more readily understood by the user than has been the case conventionally. In the synthesized image, a partial image captured by a first camera and a partial image captured by a second camera are adjacent to one another at their border. Near this border, the capturing directi...

A method (50) and apparatus (40) for reducing noise in a video signal calculates (53) a discrimination value of a filter based on a magnitude difference between a current frame and a prior frame of a sequence of frames and modifies (54) the current frame using the modified discrimination value. The output of the filter is calculated as follows: g(i, j, k)=f(i, j, k).+-..beta. wherein: f (i, j, k) is the current frame input to the filter; g(i, j, k) is the current frame output from the filter; an...

For interlaced B-fields or interlaced B-frames, an encoder/decoder uses 4MV coding. For example, 4MV is used in one-direction prediction modes (forward or backward modes), but not in other available prediction modes (e.g., direct, interpolated). Using 4MV allows more accurate motion compensation for interlaced B-fields and interlaced B-frames; limiting 4MV to forward and backward modes reduces coding overhead and avoids decoding complexity associated with combining 4MV with modes such as direct ...

A method for recording information on a device worn on a person includes capturing video information, capturing audio information and receiving a signal from a remote unit. The method further includes determining from the signal that the remote unit is a minimum distance from the device and in response commencing recording of the video information and the audio information in storage. In one alternative, the video information is captured via a video camera and audio information is captured via a...

A method and apparatus of encoding digital video according to the ISO/IEC MPEG standards (ISO/IEC 11172-2 MPEG-1 and ISO/IEC 13818-2 MPEG-2) using an adaptive motion estimator. A plurality of global motion vectors are derived from the motion vectors of a previous picture in a sequence, and the global motion vectors are analyzed to determine motion characteristics. The video encoding is arranged to enable switching among different types of local motion estimators based on the motion characteristi...

An encoder sends binary information indicating whether a prediction mode is forward or not-forward for one or more macroblocks in an interlaced B-field. For example, the encoder sends forward/not-forward decision information at B-field level in a compressed bitplane. Sending forward/not-forward prediction mode decision information in a compressed bitplane at B-field level can reduce coding overhead for prediction mode coding. A decoder performs corresponding decoding.

A video decoder receives an entry point key frame comprising first and second interlaced video fields and decodes a first syntax element comprising information (e.g., frame coding mode) for the entry point key frame at a first syntax level (e.g., frame level) in a bitstream. The first interlaced video field is a predicted field, and the second interlaced video field is an intra-coded field. The information for the entry point key frame can be a frame coding mode (e.g., field interlace) for the e...

A decoder decodes skipped macroblocks of an interlaced frame. Skipped macroblocks use exactly one motion vector and have no motion vector differential information, and lack residual information. The skipped macroblock signal indicates one-motion-vector coding. The skipped macroblock signal can be a compressed bitplane (in a selected bitplane coding mode) sent at frame layer in a bitstream, or an individual bit sent at macroblock layer. In another aspect, an encoder jointly encodes motion compens...

An image coding and decoding technology for compressing motion pictures which makes use of critical point filter technology and that includes detection of scene changes to provide more accurate decoding. An image input unit acquires key frames. A scene change detector detects when there is a scene change between key frames, and notifies a matching processor to that effect. The matching processor then skips generation of correspondence data between those key frames. A stream generator generates a...

A method for controlling analog TV signal output in a computer system. First, the analog TV signal output port is disabled when the computer system boots. A signal output control interface is provided to the DVD play device to control the analog TV signal output port. When the DVD play application is turned on, the analog TV signal output port is opened by the DVD play device through the signal output control interface. A signal protection procedure is driven simultaneously when the DVD play dev...