System for improving the quality of television pictures using rule based dynamic control

An apparatus for controlling the quality of a television picture comprising a plurality of fields, said apparatus comprising in combination:

• a) means for separating a video signal comprising said television picture into a luminance signal having a first range of luminance values and at least one color signal having a color quality parameter and a plurality of color values;
• b) first detecting means coupled to said separating means, for detecting for a first period of time, a first value of said first range of luminance values and a second value of said first range of luminance values;
• c) means coupled to said first detecting means, for providing a first picture change signal corresponding to said first and second values in accordance with a plurality of preformulated rules;
• d) second detecting means coupled to said separating means, for detecting for said first period of time, the color distribution of said plurality of color values so as to determine a first color distribution value and a second color distribution value;
• e) means coupled to said second detecting means, for selecting either said first color distribution value or said second color distribution value as a second picture change signal, according to a first criteria;
• f) means coupled to said providing means, for altering said first range of luminance values in response to said first picture change signal;
• and
• g) means coupled to said second detecting means, for altering said color quality parameter in response to said second picture change signal.

A method for controlling the quality of a television picture comprising a plurality of fields, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) separating a video signal comprising said television picture into a luminance signal having a first range of luminance values and at least one color signal having a color quality parameter and a plurality of color values;
• b) detecting for a first field, the color distribution of said plurality of color values so as to determine a first color distribution value and a second color distribution value;
• c) selecting either said first color distribution value or said second color distribution value as a picture change signal, according to a first criteria;
• d) altering said color quality parameter for a subsequent field in response to said picture change signal.

An apparatus for controlling the quality of a television picture comprising a plurality of fields, said apparatus comprising in combination:

• a) means for separating a video signal comprising said television picture into a luminance signal having a first range of luminance values and at least one color signal having a color quality parameter and a plurality of color values;
• b) detecting means coupled to said separating means, for detecting for said first field, the color distribution of said plurality of color values so as to determine a first color distribution value and a second color distribution value;
• c) means coupled to said detecting means, for selecting either said first color distribution value or said second color distribution value as a picture change signal, according to a first criteria;
• d) means coupled to said detecting means, for altering said color quality parameter for a subsequent field in response to said picture change signal.