A NTSC-compatible compact representation for stereoscopic sequences

Abstract

This paper describes a new spectral compaction method for interlaced stereoscopic sequences which combines the stereo information into the spectral space of a single NTSC video channel. The method makes use of the variable spatial and stereoscopic resolution of the human visual system and relies upon the determination of an area of fixation. Spectral compaction is achieved by retaining only the high-frequency information associated with this area. A composite video signal is formed by combining the lowpass, highpass and chrominance components of both channels into the available spectral space by means of modulation and filtering operations. Compatibility of the composite video signal with the NTSC standard is ensured by using the same colour subcarrier for the chrominance components of one channel and a second subcarrier whose phase is inverted on alternate fields to place the chrominance components of the second channel into the Fukinuki holes. Good quality results are obtained with relatively simple separable FIR filters.