Anchor Bay adds Progressive ReProcessing to its VRS suite

Campbell, Calif.-based Anchor Bay, a supplier of video-processing semiconductors (ASICs) and systems, introduced its patent-pending Progressive ReProcessing (PReP) technology.

Anchor Bay describes PReP as “the video-processing industry’s first processing method that significantly improves progressive video signals and removes artifacts caused by inferior interlaced-to-progressive conversion.”

Video signals that originate in an interlaced format are often degraded by artifacts incurred when the signal is converted from interlaced to progressive formats by general-purpose chips in DVD players, AV receivers and set-top boxes. Until now, the company says, there has been no way to improve these signals to optimize images on high-resolution displays. Poor interlaced-to-progressive conversion is especially problematic with large-screen HDTV sets, as upscaling to higher resolutions often amplifies artifacts created in the conversion process, making them more noticeable.

PReP’s advanced video-processing technology returns the progressive video signal output from source equipment to its original interlaced format. PReP then converts the interlaced signal to progressive format, this time applying the source, edge and motion-adaptive algorithms in its Precision Deinterlacing technology to eliminate jaggies, combing and other degrading effects. PReP technology allows 480p, 576p, 1080p/50, 1080p/60, and other formats to be processed by this method.

“Consumers who have invested significant resources in HDTV and home theater systems are often dismayed by the video quality that is actually delivered,” said Rich Wawrzyniak, senior analyst at Semico. “More often than not, the poor image quality is the result of a conversion process that occurs in almost all DVD players and HDTV set-top boxes whereby interlaced signals must be converted to progressive before they can be viewed on an HDTV display. If this process isn’t done well, the result is jagged edges and other ugly artifacts on the consumer’s new HDTV. Anchor Bay’s PReP technology is a clever solution to this problem, and one that should appeal to all suppliers of products that are designed to receive and/or display HDTV video.”

Already available on Anchor Bay’s DVDO^. iScan VP50 HD video processor, PReP will also be a key feature of the newly announced ABT2010 ASIC for OEMs. In addition to featuring PReP, the ABT2010 will allow consumer electronics manufacturers to implement VRS Precision Deinterlacing, VRS Precision Video Scaling, VRS RightRate, VRS AutoCUE-C and VRS Precision AV LipSync in their products.

“With PReP, displays, A/V receivers, DVD players/recorders, set-top boxes, and other video source devices can improve progressive signals that have been poorly converted from interlaced formats,” said Craig Soderquist, CEO of Anchor Bay. “It’s an exciting breakthrough for OEMs and their customers alike. By utilizing PReP and the host of VRS technologies provided by the ABT2010 ASIC in their products, consumer electronics manufacturers can provide the best possible images for their customers’ displays.”