Compressed high dynamic range video
AssigneeContrast, Inc.
InventorsWillie C. Kiser, Michael D. Tocci, Nora Tocci
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for the real-time, reversible compression of high dynamic range videos, allowing high dynamic range videos to be broadcast through standard dynamic range channels. The methods include streaming pixel values from at least one image sensor through a pipeline on a processor. The pipeline includes an HDR function that combines the streaming pixel values in real-time into an HDR stream and a transfer function that converts the HDR stream to an SDR video stream. The method further includes transmitting the SDR video stream to a receiver in real time for display as a video.
Claims24
A video processing method comprising:
- receiving incoming light through a lens of a camera;
- splitting by a beamsplitter the incoming light onto multiple image sensors that convert the incoming light to pixel values;
- streaming the pixel values from the at least one image sensor through a pipeline on a processor wherein the pipeline includes
- an HDR function that combines the streaming pixel values in real-time into an HDR stream, and
- a reversible logarithmic transfer function that reversibly converts the HDR stream to an SDR video stream, wherein at least some of the pixel values of an image frame are converted by the transfer function while the at least one image sensor is still converting the incoming light into the pixel values for the image frame;
- and
- transmitting the SDR video stream from the camera to a receiver in real time for display as a video, wherein the HDR function and the transfer function are done by pipeline processing on a pixel-by-pixel basis while the streaming and transmitting steps are performed simultaneously to thereby capture the video of a live event for live playback by the receiver.
A high dynamic range video camera comprising:
- at least one image sensor coupled to a processor;
- and
- a pipeline on the processor that processes streams of pixel values from the sensor, wherein the pipeline comprises:
- an HDR function that combines the streaming pixel values in real-time into an HDR video stream, and
- a reversible logarithmic transfer function that converts the HDR video stream to an SDR video stream, wherein at least some of the pixel values of an image frame are converted by the transfer function while the at least one image sensor is still converting the incoming light into the pixel values for the image frame,
- wherein the HDR function and the transfer function are performed in real-time by pipeline processing on a pixel-by-pixel basis on the streaming pixel values such that the SDR video stream can be received and displayed by a receiver as a live broadcast.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.