An Elastic Frame Rate Up-Conversion for Sequential Omnidirectional Images

A distinct innovation in the development of frame rate up-conversion for an omnidirectional video is presented in this paper. The innovation allows an omnidirectional video to decide the number of omnidirectional frames that the main algorithm can create based on the characteristic of the motion of objects in the omnidirectional video itself. This elastic omnidirectional frame production is achievable since the main algorithm works based on an optical flow method with a self-improvement mechanism. The optical flow concept has proven to be adaptable greatly with the character of such a video. The experiment results, in which ten omnidirectional videos were involved, show that the algorithm's exertion and adaptability named the elastic frame rate up-conversion (E-FRUC) are incredible. This achievement is confirmed by both the excellent visual quality and the high score of the PSNR (33 to 59 dB) of the reconstructed omnidirectional frame (RF). The E-FRUC can generate at least one RF from two consecutive omnidirectional images, although these images are synthetically designed with an ideal motion. The more complex the motion objects condition inside the omnidirectional video is, the more RFs the E-FRUC can create. By using the E-FRUC, the continuity of motion of moving objects can be preserved. Therefore it can be useful to maintain the frame rate of incomplete omnidirectional video frames when such video is played back. Such a condition usually happens when the omnidirectional video is transmitted through error-prone telecommunication networks.