Interpolation of video compression frames

A method for improving the image quality of a sequence of one or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames in a video image compression system, each frame comprising a plurality of pixels having luminance and chroma characteristics in a first non-linear representation, including:

• (a) converting at least one of the luminance and chroma characteristics of such plurality of pixels to a second representation;
• (b) determining the value of each pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in such second representation as a weighted proportion of corresponding pixel values in non-bidirectionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames;
• and
• (c) converting such plurality of pixels from the second representation back to the first representation.

A computer program, stored on a computer-readable medium, for improving the image quality of a sequence of one or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames in a video image compression system, each frame comprising a plurality of pixels having luminance and chroma characteristics in a first non-linear representation, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

• (a) convert at least one of the luminance and chroma characteristics of such plurality of pixels to a second representation;
• (b) determine the value of each pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in such second representation as a weighted proportion of corresponding pixel values in non-bi-directionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames;
• and
• (c) convert such plurality of pixels from the second representation back to the first representation.

A system for improving the image quality of a sequence of one or more bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames in a video image compression system, each frame comprising a plurality of pixels having luminance and chroma characteristics in a first non-linear representation, including:

• (a) means for converting at least one of the luminance and chroma characteristics of such plurality of pixels to a second representation;
• (b) means for determining the value of each pixel of each bi-directionally predicted intermediate frame in such second representation as a weighted proportion of corresponding pixel values in non-bidirectionally predicted frames bracketing the sequence of bi-directionally predicted intermediate frames;
• and
• (c) means for converting such plurality of pixels from the second representation back to the first representation.