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US6734898B2
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Methods and apparatus for the measurement of video quality
Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC
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Filing: 2001-04-17
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Granted: 2004-05-11
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Expires: 2021-04-17
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for measuring the quality of video (e.g., television) signals. In particular, the methods and apparatus of the present invention allow for the measurement of various quality parameters of analog or digital video signals at a set-top terminal 10 or similar device, without the need for external test equipment. A video signal 14 , which contains a test signal, is received at a decoder 20 . The video signal 14 is decoded and temporarily stored in memory 40 . A processor 30 associated with the decoder 20 and the memory 40 analyzes the test signal and calculates a quality parameter for the received video signal 14 based on the test signal. The quality measurements can also be accessed remotely and downloaded, for example, by a cable television provider at a cable television headend. The video quality measurement may include various indicators of end-to-end system performance, including the performance of the set-top terminal 10 or similar device.
Inventors
- 👤 David E. Zeidler
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:34
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N17/00; H04N17/004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A method for the measurement of video quality, comprising the steps of: receiving via a network a video signal at a decoder, said video signal containing a test signal; decoding said video signal; temporarily storing at least the test signal portion of the video signal in memory; analyzing the test signal at a processor associated with the decoder to determine a type of the test signal; calculating a quality parameter associated with the type of the test signal for the received video signal based on the test signal at the processor; storing the quality parameter in memory; and accessing the stored quality parameter from a remote location.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
107 words
A method for the measurement of video quality, comprising the steps of: receiving via a network a video signal at a decoder, said video signal containing a test signal; decoding said video signal; temporarily storing at least the test signal portion of the video signal in memory; analyzing the test signal at a processor associated with the decoder to determine a type of the test signal; calculating a quality parameter associated with the type of the test signal for the received video signal based on the test signal at the processor; storing the quality parameter in memory; and accessing the stored quality parameter from a remote location.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the video signal is an analog signal, comprising the further steps of: converting the analog signal to a digital signal; separating the digital signal into digital component samples; and the storing step temporarily stores the digital component samples in the memory.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the quality parameter relates to at least one of signal to noise ratio of the received video signal, differential phase, differential gain, chrominance/luminance gain, chrominance/luminance delay, chrominance/luminance intermodulation, short time distortion, line time distortion, frequency response, luminance nonlinearity, chrominance nonlinear phase, and chrominance nonlinear gain.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein: the video signal is a digital signal; and the test signal is embedded in the compressed video syntax of the digital signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein: the video signal is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) video signal; and the test signal is a vertical interval test signal (VITS) carried in the vertical interval of the video signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising the further step of: displaying the quality parameter as an on-screen diagnostic display.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising the further step of: downloading said stored quality parameter at said remote location from the memory.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
109 words
Apparatus for providing a measurement of video quality, comprising: a receiver for receiving via a network a video signal containing a test signal; a decoder for decoding said received video signal; memory for temporarily storing at least the test signal portion of the decoded video signal; and a processor associated with the memory for: analyzing the test signal to determine a type of the test signal, and calculating a quality parameter associated with the type of the test signal for the received video signal based on the test signal; wherein: the quality parameter is stored in said memory; and the stored quality parameter is accessed from a remote location.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
109 words
Apparatus for providing a measurement of video quality, comprising: a receiver for receiving via a network a video signal containing a test signal; a decoder for decoding said received video signal; memory for temporarily storing at least the test signal portion of the decoded video signal; and a processor associated with the memory for: analyzing the test signal to determine a type of the test signal, and calculating a quality parameter associated with the type of the test signal for the received video signal based on the test signal; wherein: the quality parameter is stored in said memory; and the stored quality parameter is accessed from a remote location.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , wherein: the video signal is an analog signal; the analog video signal is converted to a digital signal; the digital signal is separated into digital component samples; and the digital component samples are temporarily stored in the memory.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the quality parameter relates to at least one of the signal to noise ratio of the received video signal, differential phase, differential gain, chrominance/luminance gain, chrominance/luminance delay, chrominance/luminance intermodulation, short time distortion, line time distortion, frequency response, luminance nonlinearity, chrominance nonlinear phase, and chrominance nonlinear gain.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , wherein: the video signal is a digital signal; and the test signal is embedded in the compressed video syntax of the digital signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , wherein: the video signal is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) video signal; and the test signal is a video interval test signal (VITS) carried in the vertical interval of the video signal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , wherein: the quality parameter is displayed as an on-screen diagnostic display.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , wherein: said stored quality parameter is downloaded at said remote location from said memory.
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