Winscale: an image-scaling algorithm using an area pixel model

• Published in: IEEE transactions on circuits and systems for video technology 2003-06, Vol.13 (6), p.549-553
• Main Authors: KIM, Chun-Ho, SEONG, Si-Mun, LEE, Jin-Aeon, KIM, Lee-Sup
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Applied sciences; Complexity; Costs; Digital; Display devices; Exact sciences and technology; Flat panel displays; Graphics; Hardware; Image converters; Image processing; Image quality; Image resolution; Information, signal and communications theory; Liquid crystal displays; Pixel; Pixels; Signal processing; Streaming media; Telecommunications and information theory
• ISSN: 1051-8215; 1558-2205
• DOI: 10.1109/TCSVT.2003.813431

We propose a new scaling algorithm, winscale, which performs the scale up/down transform using an area pixel model rather than a point pixel model. The proposed algorithm has low complexity: the algorithm uses a maximum of four pixels of an original image to calculate one pixel of a scaled image. Nevertheless, the algorithm has good characteristics such as fine-edge and changeable smoothness. We implemented a hardware design of winscale using an FPGA and displayed some test scenes in an liquid crystal display panel using a digital visual interface. The hardware cost and the image quality were compared with those of the conventional image scaling algorithms. It is proved that winscale has good scale property with low complexity. Winscale can be used in various digital display devices that need image scaling, especially in applications that require good image quality with low hardware cost.