Modified chroma keyed technique for simple shape coding for digital video

Claim 2

A chroma keying method for encoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising the steps of: cross fading pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output; encoding said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP) to obtain an encoded soft keyed output; coding and decoding said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data; calculating a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data; and determining an optimum keying threshold (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q).

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein: said coding and decoding of said pre-encoded key color data is responsive to said first quantization parameter (QP) used in said encoding step.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of: calculating a range of quantization errors of said decoded key color data according to a corresponding range of quantization parameters; storing data indicative of said range of quantization errors and said corresponding range of quantization parameters; wherein said determining step is responsive to said storing step.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3, wherein: said calculating and storing steps occur before said encoding of said soft keyed output.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, comprising the further steps of: transmitting the encoded soft keyed output, said optimum keying threshold (T), and said pre-encoded key color data (K) across a communication channel to a decoding function; decoding the encoded soft keyed output at the decoding function to obtain a reconstructed soft keyed output; and recovering decoded alpha plane data and object pixel data of said second image region from said reconstructed soft keyed output in accordance with said optimum keying threshold (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K).

Claim 7

The method of claim 5, comprising the further steps of: determining a distance between said reconstructed soft keyed output and said pre-encoded key color data (K); classifying the reconstructed soft keyed output as said second image region if said distance is greater than said optimum keying threshold (T); and classifying the reconstructed soft keyed output as said first image region if said distance is not greater than said optimum keying threshold (T).

Claim 8

The method of claim 1, wherein: said alpha plane information of said second image region is embedded in the soft keyed output.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1, wherein: said first image region comprises a background region and said second image region comprises a foreground object.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1, wherein: said first image region comprises a foreground object and said second image region comprises a background region.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1, wherein said optimum keying threshold (T) is determined in said determining step by observing a measure of said quantization error (Q) for a range of keying thresholds at said first quantization parameter (QP).

Claim 12

The method of claim 10, wherein said measure is a peak signal-to-noise (PSNR) ratio of said pre-encoded key color data (K) to said quantization error (Q).

Claim 13

A chroma keying method for decoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising the steps of: receiving an encoded soft keyed output from a communication channel; said encoded soft keyed output being obtained at an encoder by cross fading pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output, and encoding said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP); receiving optimum keying threshold data (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K) from said communication channel; said optimum keying threshold data (T) being obtained at said encoder by coding and decoding said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data, calculating a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data, and determining said optimum keying threshold data (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q); decoding the encoded soft keyed output to obtain a reconstructed soft keyed output; and recovering decoded alpha plane data and object pixel data of said second image region from said reconstructed soft keyed output in accordance with said optimum keying threshold (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K).

Claim 14

A chroma keying method for decoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising the steps of: receiving an encoded soft keyed output from a communication channel; said encoded soft keyed output being obtained at an encoder by cross fading pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output, and encoding said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP); receiving optimum keying threshold data (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K) from said communication channel; said optimum keying threshold data (T) being obtained at said encoder by coding and decoding said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data, calculating a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data, and determining said optimum keying threshold data (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q); decoding the encoded soft keyed output to obtain a reconstructed soft keyed output; and recovering decoded alpha plane data and object pixel data of said second image region from said reconstructed soft keyed output in accordance with said optimum keying threshold (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K).

Claim 15

The method of claim 12, comprising the further steps of: determining a distance between said reconstructed soft keyed output and said pre-encoded key color data (K); classifying the reconstructed soft keyed output as said second image region if said distance is greater than said optimum keying threshold (T); and classifying the reconstructed soft keyed output as said first image region if said distance is not greater than said optimum keying threshold (T).

Claim 16

The method of claim 12, wherein: said alpha plane information of said second image region is embedded in the soft keyed output.

Claim 17

The method of claim 12, wherein: said first image region comprises a background region and said second image region comprises a foreground object.

Claim 18

The method of claim 12, wherein: said first image region comprises a foreground object and said second image region comprises a background region.

Claim 19

A chroma keying apparatus for encoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising: a cross fader; an encoder coupled to receive an output of said cross fader; a coder/decoder (codec); a subtractor coupled to receive an output of said codec; and an optimum threshold processor coupled to receive an output of said subtractor; wherein said cross fader is adapted to cross fade pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output; said encoder is adapted to encode said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP) to obtain an encoded soft keyed output; said codec is adapted to code and decode said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data; said subtractor is used to calculate a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data; and said optimum threshold processor is used to determine an optimum keying threshold (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q).

Claim 20

A chroma keying apparatus for encoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising: a cross fader; an encoder coupled to receive an output of said cross fader; a coder/decoder (codec); a subtractor coupled to receive an output of said codec; and an optimum threshold processor coupled to receive an output of said subtractor; wherein said cross fader is adapted to cross fade pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output; said encoder is adapted to encode said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP) to obtain an encoded soft keyed output; said codec is adapted to code and decode said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data; said subtractor is used to calculate a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data; and said optimum threshold processor is used to determine an optimum keying threshold (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q).

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said codec is responsive to said first quantization parameter (QP) for coding and decoding said pre-encoded key color data.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said codec is adapted to code and decode said pre-encoded key color data according to a range of quantization parameters to obtain a corresponding range of decoded key color data; said subtractor is used to calculate a range of quantization errors of said range of decoded key color data; further comprising: a memory for storing data indicative of said range of quantization errors and said corresponding range of quantization parameters; wherein said optimum threshold processor is responsive to said memory for determining said an optimum keying threshold (T).

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 19, wherein: said codec codes and decodes said pre-encoded key color data according to said range of quantization parameters; and said subtractor is used to calculate said range of quantization errors before said encoder encodes said soft keyed output.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: a transmitter; a decoding function for receiving an output of said transmitter; said decoding function comprising a decoder, and a threshold function for receiving an output of said decoder; wherein: said transmitter transmits the encoded soft keyed output, said optimum keying threshold (T), and said pre-encoded key color data (K) across a communication channel to said decoding function; said decoder decodes the encoded soft keyed output to obtain a reconstructed soft keyed output; and said threshold function recovers decoded alpha plane data and object pixel data of said second image region from said reconstructed soft keyed output in accordance with said optimum keying threshold (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K).

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said threshold function: determines a distance between said reconstructed soft keyed output and said pre-encoded key color data (K); classifies the reconstructed soft keyed output as said second image region if said distance is greater than said optimum keying threshold (T); and classifies the reconstructed soft keyed output as said first image region if said distance is not greater than said optimum keying threshold (T).

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said alpha plane information of said second image region is embedded in the soft keyed output.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said first image region comprises a background region and said second image region comprises a foreground object.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said first image region comprises a foreground object and said second image region comprises a background region.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said optimum threshold processor determines said optimum keying threshold (T) by observing a measure of said quantization error (Q) for a range of keying thresholds at said first quantization parameter (QP).

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said measure is a peak signal-to-noise (PSNR) ratio of said pre-encoded key color data (K) to said quantization error (Q).

Claim 31

A chroma keying apparatus for decoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising: a decoding function for receiving an encoded soft keyed output from a communication channel; said decoding function comprising a decoder, and a threshold function for receiving an output of said decoder; wherein: said encoded soft keyed output is obtained at an encoder by cross fading pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output, and encoding said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP); said threshold function receives optimum keying threshold data (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K) from said communication channel; said optimum keying threshold data (T) is obtained at said encoder by coding and decoding said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data, calculating a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data, and determining said optimum keying threshold data (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q); said decoder decodes the encoded soft keyed output to obtain a reconstructed soft keyed output; and said threshold function recovers decoded alpha plane data and object pixel data of said second image region from said reconstructed soft keyed output in accordance with said optimum keying threshold (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K).

Claim 32

A chroma keying apparatus for decoding a transition between a first image region and a second image region in a line of a digital video picture, comprising: a decoding function for receiving an encoded soft keyed output from a communication channel; said decoding function comprising a decoder, and a threshold function for receiving an output of said decoder; wherein: said encoded soft keyed output is obtained at an encoder by cross fading pre-encoded key color data (K) of said first image region with color data of said second image region according to alpha plane information of said second image region to obtain a soft keyed output, and encoding said soft keyed output according to a first quantization parameter (QP); said threshold function receives optimum keying threshold data (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K) from said communication channel; said optimum keying threshold data (T) is obtained at said encoder by coding and decoding said pre-encoded key color data to obtain decoded key color data, calculating a quantization error (Q) of said decoded key color data, and determining said optimum keying threshold data (T) according to said first quantization parameter (QP) and said quantization error (Q); said decoder decodes the encoded soft keyed output to obtain a reconstructed soft keyed output; and said threshold function recovers decoded alpha plane data and object pixel data of said second image region from said reconstructed soft keyed output in accordance with said optimum keying threshold (T) and said pre-encoded key color data (K).

Claim 33

The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said threshold function: determines a distance between said reconstructed soft keyed output and said pre-encoded key color data (K); classifies the reconstructed soft keyed output as said second image region if said distance is greater than said optimum keying threshold (T); and classifies the reconstructed soft keyed output as said first image region if said distance is not greater than said optimum keying threshold (T).

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 28, wherein: said alpha plane information of said second image region is embedded in the soft keyed output.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 28, wherein: said first image region comprises a background region and said second image region comprises a foreground object.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 28, wherein: said first image region comprises a foreground object and said second image region comprises a background region.