Zoran's SupraFRC 301 solution is the ideal choice for the next generation of flat-panel TVs

Zoran Corporation of the United States recently announced that its SupraFRC 301 frame rate conversion (FRC) processor platform is now available to mainstream LCD manufacturers and digital TV manufacturers. These manufacturers have strict requirements for high-quality FRC technology to significantly improve video display quality. In addition, the low power consumption and small size of the SupraFRC 301 solution also make it an ideal choice for manufacturing the next generation of flat-panel TVs.

"Customer response to the new SupraFRC 301 solution shows that it offers superior quality and cost-effectiveness in the competitive high-performance digital TV market," said Mustafa Ozgen, Vice President and General Manager of Zoran's Digital TV Business Unit and Home Entertainment Division. "Our innovative approach to video processing will allow consumers to see significantly improved video quality on both 2D and 3D TVs, effectively addressing the image distortion issues caused by the current mainstream motion compensation technology in the industry. In addition, our comprehensive support for 3D will help manufacturers launch high-quality 3D TVs in different market segments."

Challenges of LCD TV and Zhuoran's Countermeasures

LCD TVs are usually required to work at a screen refresh rate of 100/120Hz or 200/240Hz. Only in this way can flickering and motion blur caused by limited persistence and display sluggishness be prevented. Since video sources are usually broadcast at 50 or 60 frames per second (fps) for television and 24 frames per second (fps) for movies, the video source must be converted to match the screen refresh rate to achieve ideal viewing effects.

The traditional FRC method - called MEMC (motion estimation and motion compensation) - is very effective for simple visual scenes. However, MEMC does not have an understanding of the image structure itself. Due to the lack of understanding of image information, the MEMC method has image distortion problems for faster and more complex dynamic image processing.

Object-based FRC technology is a unique technology pioneered by Zoran, which is currently applying for a patent. It uses an object model and assigns interpolated values ​​to swap pixels according to the corresponding target's action to solve these problems. However, the difference is that FRC technology does not rely on calculating only one independent action per pixel like the MEMC method. Therefore, its geometric processing will more effectively solve blur, halo effects, ghosting and shadow distortion.

Challenges of 3D TV and Zhuoran's Countermeasures

3D TV systems typically require a screen refresh rate of 200/240Hz to prevent crosstalk such as "ghosting" between the left and right eye images. It is particularly important to correctly handle the interpolation of objects between the left and right eyes, as any differential spatial error will result in objects being at the wrong position and depth.

The object model approach of SupraFRC 301 technology is the only technology that can prevent these and other 3D image distortions. Left and right eye object correlation significantly improves viewing. SupraFRC 301 supports stereoscopic 3D using either polarized or shutter glasses. In addition, 38 different 3D content formats are supported including all mandatory HDMI 1.4a 3D formats.