A low-cost implementation of super-resolution based on a video encoder

This paper presents an approach to improve the quality of digital images over the sensor resolution using superresolution techniques. In order to obtain a feasible low cost implementation, the resources have been restricted to those that can be found in a generic video encoder, i.e.: the motion estimator, the motion compensator, image loop memory, etc. The super-resolution system has been implemented over a codesign platform developed by the Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven, while performing minimal changes on the overall hardware architecture. Nevertheless, this methodology can easily be extended to any generic video encoder architecture. The results show important improvements in the image quality, assuming that sufficient sample data is available. Based on these results, some generalizations can be made about the impact of the sampling process on the quality of the super-resolution image.