1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for displaying images on a plasma display. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for reducing dynamic false contour on a plasma display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display panels (PDP) utilize electron discharge of inert gases to produce ultraviolet rays to excite red, green and blue fluorescent powder in order to display images consisting of colored pixels. The appearance of PDP has a tremendous impact to the market of medium-sized and large-sized (about 40 to 70 inches) display. A plasma display is far thinner and lighter than a traditional cathode-ray tube (CRT) television. A plasma display is proof against magnetic field and also has many advantages, such as digital architecture, high resolution, wide viewing angels and flat display surface, which satisfies the requirements of small size and light weight of modern multimedia devices.
However, a problem called dynamic false contour usually happens when a PDP is displaying a dynamic image. A traditional solution is using two different grayscale phases, such as phases A and B, as depicted in
The reason why the problem of flickering is especially obvious when the pixel lattice pattern is being displayed is that there is a chance for the pixel lattice pattern to be synchronous with the interleave of the phases A and B.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for reducing dynamic false contour on a plasma display. The method is also capable of reducing flickering when the plasma display is showing certain images, such as the pixel lattice pattern.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for reducing dynamic false contour on a plasma display is provided. The method comprises the following steps. Firstly, determine a grayscale phase of a current pixel. And then change the grayscale phase of the current pixel if any one of the N pixels before the current pixel has the same grayscale value and the same grayscale phase as those of the current pixel, wherein N is an integer equal to or greater than 2. Finally, output the current pixel.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining the grayscale phase of the current pixel further comprises the following steps. Firstly, use the first grayscale phase if the current pixel is the first pixel of the first frame field. Secondly, use a grayscale phase other than that of the first pixel of the previous frame field if the current pixel is the first pixel of a frame field other than the first frame field. And finally, use a grayscale phase other than that of the previous pixel if the current pixel is other than the first pixel of a frame field.
The method of the present invention automatically compares the grayscale phase and the grayscale value of the current pixel with those of the previous pixels, and conditionally changes the grayscale phase of the current pixel to interleave the grayscale phases of the pixels more effectively. As a result, the visual focus is balanced. The problem of dynamic false contour is alleviated. The flickering problem when the PDP is displaying certain images, such as the pixel lattice pattern, is also solved.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
In this embodiment, the method for reducing dynamic false contour on a plasma display of the present invention compares the grayscale value and the grayscale phase of every pixel inputted with those of the 5 previous pixels. Although this embodiment compares every pixel inputted with the 5 previous pixels, anyone skilled in the art should know that it is enough to compares every pixel inputted with at least the 2 previous pixels. If any one of the 5 previous pixels has the same grayscale value and the same grayscale phase as those of the current pixel, change the grayscale phase of the current pixel (for example, change from phase A to phase B, or change from phase B to phase A). Please refer to
Firstly, the method compares pixel 6 to pixel 5. The grayscale values of pixel 6 and pixel 5 are different, so the method proceeds to the next step. In the next step, the method compares pixel 6 to pixel 4. The grayscale values of pixel 6 and pixel 4 are also different, so the method proceeds to the next step. Similarly, in the next step, the method compares pixel 6 to pixel 3. The grayscale values of pixel 6 and pixel 3 are different, so the method proceeds to the next step. In the next step, the method compares pixel 6 to pixel 2. Pixel 6 and pixel 2 have the same grayscale value and the same grayscale phase. Therefore, the method changes the grayscale phase of pixel 6 from B to A and terminates the comparison. In other words, pixel 6 becomes “A20”, as shown in
After the process of pixel 6, as depicted in
The steps of the above embodiment can be expressed in more details as the flow in
As can be seen in the above discussion, the method of the present invention does not use the fixed interleave pattern of the prior art. Instead, the method automatically compares the grayscale phase and the grayscale value of the current pixel with those of the previous pixels, and conditionally changes the grayscale phase of the current pixel to interleave the grayscale phases of pixels more effectively. As a result, the visual focus is balanced. The problem of dynamic false contour is alleviated. The flickering problem when the PDP is displaying certain images, such as the pixel lattice pattern, is also solved.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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6697085 | Lai et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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1407521 | Apr 2003 | CN |
10-161586 | Jun 1998 | JP |
11-344953 | Dec 1999 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070132669 A1 | Jun 2007 | US |