PLM holds various key patents with regard to coding and modulation technology for HDTV and IP-STB. The company has many years of experience in the entire IC development cycle including chip architecture, C-model, RTL, emulation, backend, production, testing and embedded software. PLM’s strength and scope in R&D enable industry leading-edge and cost-effective solutions for HD connected DTV and IP-STB.
Hardware technology
Ø SOC architecture, C-model, RTL, emulation, backend, production, and testing.
Ø High speed ADC and DAC
Ø Peripheral interfaces
Ø Analog video decoder
Ø Analog audio decoder
Ø Digital multi-format HD video decoder
Ø DTV signal receiving and processing
Ø Advanced 2D graphics engine and OSD
Ø Global unique chip ID number
Ø Powerful CPU and large size memory
Ø Multi-mode Segment Video Enhancement (MSETM engine)
n 3D adaptive noise reduction, to depress analog random noise
n Content adaptive noise reduction, to depress compression blocking and mosquito noise and meanwhile keep edge sharp
n Motion statistics de-interlacer
n Advanced scalar
n Triple adaptive sharpness enhancement
n 3D adaptive contract enhancement
n Uniform perceptual color management
n Advanced MEMC
Software technology
Ø Embedded software architecture, R&D, testing based on Linux/Windows CE
Ø Low level hardware drivers
Ø Middleware
Ø PVR and time-shifting
Ø EPG
Ø Teletext and Closed Caption (CC)
Ø Friendly & attractive GUI with animation and 3D vision effect
Ø UCCI, Unified Content Client Interface for easier third party porting of rich internet services
Ø Efficient P2SP download tool built-in
Ø iChannel of intelligent management of multiple program source
Ø DRM based on global unique chip ID
Ø Remote upgrade by Ethernet
Ø Multi-format video/audio decoder, management and streaming playback
Ø Digital audio decoder supporting almost all popular formats, such as: DolbyÒ digital AC-3, MPEG-1/2 layer 1, 2, 3, AAC LC, Real audio, etc.
Video Enhancement Demo
Multi-mode Segment Video Enhancement (MSETM engine) is a video enhancement method patented by PLM. The following examples show its high performance.
3ANR - 3D adaptive noise reduction, to depress analog random noise.
CANR - Content adaptive noise reduction, to depress video compression blocking and mosquito noise and while keeping the edge sharpness.
TASE - Triple adaptive sharpness enhancement, which is content adaptive, resolution adaptive (especially for internet video) and depth adaptive enhancements.
3ACE - 3D adaptive contrast enhancement with spatial full statistics and time domain smooth transition.
UPCM - Uniform perceptual color management, which is consistent to human vision perception, able to smoothly map any pair of colors.
Essentially, color management can be regarded as color replacement. If we can replace a color by another distinctly different one, we can manage any color well.
Our UPCM show excellent performance for color replacement. An extreme case is shown below, converting a red flower to yellow one, while keeping the color very smooth. In most other cases, it is also relatively easy to do color enhancement.
Advanced MEMC with robust and accurate motion estimation based on probability propagation, multi-phase frame interpolation for any frame rate up conversion and special halo process.
The following examples are conversions of 24Hz to 48Hz modes. The left column images are duplicated by original image at time t, while the right one is interpolated by advanced MEMC at time t+1/48. Except for a little motion shift, the right and left images look almost identical.
The two testing clips are challenging due to the complex motion of translation and rotation, the many identical patterns challenging motion estimation and some occlusions by street lamp and buildings. PLM’s patented advanced MEMC is very robust and accurate because it is based on probability propagation algorithm proposed and can handle almost all difficult cases well.
In addition, PLM advanced MEMC can do frame rate up conversion between any pair of frame rates, because it supports multi-phase frame interpolation.
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