Methods and systems for detection of block based video dropouts

A system for detecting dropout error blocks in a plurality of fields, the plurality of fields associated with one or more video frames, the system comprising:

• an activity block identification module for performing steps comprising:
• dividing a current field into a plurality of blocks;
• calculating a first plurality of absolute parameter differences between one or more pixel parameters of corresponding pixels associated with the current field and a reference field, wherein the reference field is a field processed previously having a polarity similar to that of the current field;
• calculating a count of pixels associated with each of the plurality of blocks of the current field that have an absolute parameter difference greater than a first predetermined threshold;
• and
• identifying one or more activity blocks of the plurality of blocks that have the count of pixels greater than a second predetermined threshold;
• updating the one or more activity blocks of the plurality of blocks by applying motion compensation on one or more candidate error blocks stored in a tracked candidate error block list;
• applying morphological dilation on the one or more activity blocks;
• a horizontal and vertical lines detection module for detecting one or more candidate horizontal lines in an activity block of the one or more activity blocks and detecting one or more candidate vertical lines in the activity block;
• a candidate error block detection module for detecting the one or more candidate error blocks in the activity block based on the one or more candidate horizontal and vertical lines;
• a memory module for storing one or more location parameters of the one or more candidate error blocks corresponding to the current field in the form of a current candidate block list;
• a comparison module for comparing the one or more location parameters of each candidate error block in the current candidate block list with one or more location parameters of each candidate error block detected in one or more fields processed previously stored in the form of the tracked candidate error block list;
• and
• a start and end validation module for validating a start of appearance of a first candidate error block that is present in the current candidate error block list and absent in the tracked candidate error block list, and validating an end of appearance of a second candidate error block that is present in the tracked candidate error block list and absent in the current candidate error block list.

A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium for use in connection with a processor-containing system, for executing steps comprising:

• dividing a current field into a plurality of blocks;
• calculating a first plurality of absolute parameter differences between one or more pixel parameters of corresponding pixels associated with the current field and a reference field, wherein the reference field is a field processed previously having a polarity similar to the current field;
• calculating a count of pixels associated with each of the plurality of blocks of the current field that have an absolute parameter difference greater than a first predetermined threshold;
• identifying one or more activity blocks of the plurality of blocks that have the count of pixels greater than a second predetermined threshold;
• updating the one or more activity blocks of the plurality of blocks by applying motion compensation on one or more candidate error blocks stored in a tracked candidate error block list;
• applying morphological dilation on the one or more activity blocks;
• detecting the one or more candidate error blocks in an activity block of the one or more activity blocks, comprising:
• detecting one or more candidate horizontal lines in an activity block of the one or more activity blocks;
• detecting one or more candidate vertical lines in the activity block;
• and
• forming one or more candidate error blocks in the activity block based on the one or more candidate horizontal and vertical lines;
• storing one or more location parameters of the one or more candidate error blocks corresponding to the current field in the form of a current candidate error block list;
• comparing the one or more location parameters of each candidate error block in the current candidate block list with one or more location parameters of each candidate error block detected in one or more fields processed previously stored in the form of the tracked candidate error block list;
• validating a start of appearance of a first candidate error block that is present in the current candidate error block list and absent in the tracked candidate error block list;
• and
• validating an end of appearance of a second candidate error block that is present in the tracked candidate error block list and absent in the current candidate error block list.