Patent ID: 7154555

Claim:
In a video apparatus, a method of operation comprising: receiving a plurality of frames of a video; automatically analyzing the frames to determine at least whether the video exhibits a telecine pattern; automatically analyzing the frames to determine whether the video is progressive or interlaced formatted, if the video does not exhibit a telecine pattern; automatically reformatting the video into a non-telecine progressive format if the video is determined to be one of telecine and non-telecine interlaced formatted; wherein said automatic analyses comprise: automatically analyzing the frames to determine at least whether the video is one of telecine and non-telecine progressive formatted; and further analyzing the frames to determine whether the video is non-telecine interlaced formatted if the video is not determined to be one of telecine and non-telecine progressive formatted; wherein said automatic analyzing of the frames to determine at least whether the video is one of telecine and non-telecine progressive formatted comprises: automatically analyzing the frames for at least interlaced and progressive patterns; automatically monitoring the number of frames that are consistent with having said interlaced or progressive patterns; and automatically inferring whether the frames are progressive formatted based at least in part on the results of said analysis of the frames for interlaced and progressive patterns, and the results of said analysis of the determined number of frames consistent with having said interlaced or progressive patterns; and wherein said automatic monitoring of the number of frames that are consistent with having said interlaced or progressive patterns comprises: automatically monitoring for dropping of selected ones of said frames; automatically determining amounts of elapsed times between successive frames being dropped; automatically analyzing the determined amounts of elapsed times; and automatically inferring whether the video is progressive formatted based at least in part on the results of said analysis of the frames for interlaced and progressive patterns, and the results of said analysis of the determined amounts of elapsed times between successive frames being dropped.