The present study aims to investigate the effect of voluntary movements on human temporal perception in multisensory integration. We therefore performed temporal order judgment (TOJ) tasks in audio-tactile integration under three conditions: no movement, involuntary movement, and voluntary movement. It is known that the point of subjective simultaneity (PSS) under the no movement condition, that is, normal TOJ tasks, appears when a tactile stimulus is presented before an auditory stimulus. Our experiment showed that involuntary and voluntary movements shift the PSS to a value that reduces the interval between the presentations of auditory and tactile stimuli. Here, the shift of the PSS under the voluntary movement condition was greater than that under the involuntary movement condition. Remarkably, the PSS under the voluntary movement condition appears when an auditory stimulus slightly precedes a tactile stimulus. In addition, a just noticeable difference (JND) under the voluntary movement condition was smaller than those under the other two conditions. These results reveal that voluntary movements alternate the temporal integration of audio-tactile stimuli. In particular, our results suggest that voluntary movements reverse the temporal perception order of auditory and tactile stimuli and improve the temporal resolution of temporal perception. We discuss the functional mechanism of shifting the PSS under the no movement condition with voluntary movements in audio-tactile integration.

Analysis of the trust network proves beneficial to the users in Online Social Networks (OSNs) for decision-making. Since the construction of trust propagation paths connecting unfamiliar users is the preceding work of trust inference, it is vital to find appropriate trust propagation paths. Most of existing trust network discovery algorithms apply the classical exhausted searching approaches with low efficiency and/or just take into account the factors relating to trust without regard to the role of distrust relationships. To solve the issues, we first analyze the trust discounting operators with structure balance theory and validate the distribution characteristics of balanced transitive triads. Then, Maximum Indirect Referral Belief Search (MIRBS) and Minimum Indirect Functional Uncertainty Search (MIFUS) strategies are proposed and followed by the Optimal Trust Inference Path Search (OTIPS) algorithms accordingly on the basis of the bidirectional versions of Dijkstra's algorithm. The comparative experiments of path search, trust inference and edge sign prediction are performed on the Epinions data set. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can find the trust inference path with better efficiency and the found paths have better applicability to trust inference.

Many subjective assessment methods for video quality are provided by ITU-T and ITU-R recommendations, but the differences among these methods have not been sufficiently studied. We compare five subjective assessment methods using four quantitative performance indices for both HD and QVGA resolution video. We compare the Double-Stimulus Continuous Quality-Scale (DSCQS), Double-Stimulus Impairment Scale (DSIS), Absolute Category Rating method (ACR), and ACR with Hidden Reference (ACR-HR) as common subjective assessment methods for HD and QVGA resolution videos. Furthermore, we added ACR with an 11-grade scale (ACR11) for the HD test and Subjective Assessment of Multimedia Video Quality (SAMVIQ) for the QVGA test for quality scale variations. The performance indices are correlation coefficients, rank correlation coefficients, statistical reliability, and assessment time. For statistical reliability, we propose a performance index for comparing different quality scale tests. The results of the performance comparison showed that the correlation coefficients and rank correlation coefficients of the mean opinion scores between pairs of methods were high for both HD and QVGA tests. As for statistical reliability provided by the proposed index, DSIS of HD and ACR of QVGA outperformed the other methods. Moreover, ACR, ACR-HR, and ACR11 were the most efficient subjective quality assessment methods from the viewpoint of assessment time.

Three-dimensional (3D) video service is expected to be introduced as a next-generation television service. Stereoscopic video is composed of two 2D video signals for the left and right views, and these 2D video signals are encoded. Video quality between the left and right views is not always consistent because, for example, each view is encoded at a different bit rate. As a result, the video quality difference between the left and right views degrades the quality of stereoscopic video. However, these characteristics have not been thoroughly studied or modeled. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand how the video quality difference affects stereoscopic video quality and to model the video quality characteristics. To do that, we conducted subjective quality assessments to derive subjective video quality characteristics. The characteristics showed that 3D video quality was affected by the difference in video quality between the left and right views, and that when the difference was small, 3D video quality correlated with the highest 2D video quality of the two views. We modeled these characteristics as a subjective quality metric using a training data set. Finally, we verified the performance of our proposed model by applying it to unknown data sets.

We investigate the visibility of scrolling text presented nearby a dynamically moving image. In two experiments, we evaluate the subjective speed and readability of scrolled fake addresses presented immediately above a moving grating pattern that covers a large part of the visual field. The drift speed and direction of the grating were controlled to reveal the visibility of the text. The results show that the scrolling addresses exhibited slower subjective speed and better readability when the grating moved in the same direction as the scrolling addresses. On the contrary, faster subjective speed and worse readability of the scrolling addresses were raised by the grating moving in the opposite direction. The strength of these effects was dependent on the speed difference between the scrolling addresses and the grating. These results suggest that the visibility of the scrolling text, assessed in terms of subjective speed and readability, strongly depends on nearby moving images.

We developed a quantitative evaluation method for luminance and color uniformity on a display screen. In this paper, we report the analysis result of a viewer perception of luminance and color uniformity. In experiments, observers subjectively evaluated Mura images which were showed on the light emitting diode (LED) backlight screen by adjusting the luminance of each LED. We measured the luminance and color distributions of the Mura images by a 2D colorimeter, then, the measured data was converted into S-CIELAB. In S-CIELAB calculations, two dimensional MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) of human eye were used in which anisotropic properties of the spatial frequency response of human vision were considered. Some indexes for a quantitative evaluation model were extracted by the image processing. The significant indexes were determined by the multiple regression analysis to quantify the degree of uniformity of the backlight screen. The luminance uniformity evaluation model and color uniformity evaluation model were derived from this analysis independently. In addition, by integrating both of these models we derived a quantitative evaluation model for luminance and color unevenness simultaneously existing on the screen.

Our research is focused on examining the video quality assessment model based on the MPEG-7 descriptor. Video quality is estimated by using several features based on the predicted frame quality such as average value, worst value, best value, standard deviation, and the predicted frame rate obtained from descriptor information. As a result, assessment of video quality can be conducted with a high prediction accuracy with correlation coefficient=0.94, standard deviation of error=0.24, maximum error=0.68 and outlier ratio=0.23.

We analyze subjective assessments by comparative evaluations of bulk data transmission by using two psychological methods (the method of successive categories and the constant method). From the results of the first experiment, the thresholds at which participants downloading a data file began to feel dissatisfaction with service degradation are 15.7 Mbps and 11.6 Mbps obtained by the two different methods when the throughput without the service degradation is approximately 22 Mbps. In the second experiment, we investigate the threshold of user satisfaction for various network environments. The threshold is 63% of the throughput of the user's usual network environment. Moreover, from the viewpoint of download time, users feel dissatisfaction with the quality when download time becomes 1.5 times longer. These values can be used to more effectively allocate network resources and thereby achieve higher service quality.

Providing mobile services that ensure user satisfaction is one of the most crucial issues for telecommunication carriers and service providers. Traditionally, user satisfaction with the service, i.e., the Quality of Experience (QoE), has been assessed in a laboratory by using elaborate network systems and customized terminals. However, reliable QoE for a target mobile service in the context of actual use cannot be obtained by laboratory experiment, since QoE can be affected by a variety of factors such as environmental conditions and the mental state of the user. This paper proposes a novel Web script-based field evaluation method designed to ascertain user satisfaction with mobile services. The proposed method has the following practical advantages. Since experimental conditions, especially communication conditions, can be simulated with a Web script, such as FlashLite, a subjective assessment can be conducted anywhere using the mobile terminal of the participant. Thus, QoE for a target mobile service in the field can easily be obtained.

Our research is focused on examining the Image Quality Assessment Model based on the MPEG-7 descriptor and the No Reference model. The model retrieves a reference image using image search and evaluate its subject score as a pseudo Reduced Reference model. The MPEG-7 descriptor was originally used for content retrieval, but we discovered that the MPEG-7 descriptor can also be used for image quality assessment. We examined the performance of the proposed model and the results revealed that this method has a higher performance rating than the SSIM.

Recently enhancing the visual experience of the user has been a new trend for TV displays. This trend comes from the fact that changes of ambient illuminations while viewing a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) significantly affect human impressions. However, psychological effects caused by the combination of displayed video image and ambient illuminations have not been investigated. In the present research, we clarify the relationship between ambient illuminations and psychological effects while viewing video image displayed on the LCD by using a questionnaire based semantic differential (SD) method and a factor analysis method. Six kinds of video images were displayed under different colors and layouts of illumination conditions and rated by 15 observers. According to the analysis, it became clear that the illumination control around the LCD with displayed video image, the feeling of 'activity' and 'evaluating' were rated higher than the feeling of fluorescent ceiling condition. In particular, simultaneous illumination control around the display and the ceiling enhanced the feeling of 'activity,' and 'evaluating' with keeping 'comfort.' Moreover, the feeling of 'activity' under the illumination control around the LCD and the ceiling condition while viewing music video image was rated clearly higher than that with natural scene video image.

This report describes a quantification method for luminance non-uniformity of a large LED backlight. In experiments described herein, participants subjectively evaluated artificial indistinct Mura images that simulated luminance non-uniformity of an LED backlight. We measured the luminance distribution of the Mura images. Then, the measured luminance distribution was converted into S-CIELAB, in which anisotropic properties of the spatial frequency response of human vision were considered. Subsequently, some indexes for the quantification model were extracted. We conducted multiple regression analyses using the subjective evaluation value and the index values obtained from measured luminance of Mura image. We proposed a quantification model consisting of four indexes: high and low luminance area, number of Mura edges, sum of Mura edge areas, and maximum luminance difference.

Due to the development and popularization of high-definition televisions, digital video cameras, Blu-ray discs, digital broadcasting, IP television and so on, it plays an important role to identify and quantify video quality degradations. In this paper, we propose SV-CIELAB which is an objective video quality assessment (VQA) method using a spatio-velocity contrast sensitivity function (SV-CSF). In SV-CIELAB, motion information in videos is effectively utilized for filtering unnecessary information in the spatial frequency domain. As the filter to apply videos, we used the SV-CSF. It is a modulation transfer function of the human visual system, and consists of the relationship among contrast sensitivities, spatial frequencies and velocities of perceived stimuli. In the filtering process, the SV-CSF cannot be directly applied in the spatial frequency domain because spatial coordinate information is required when using velocity information. For filtering by the SV-CSF, we obtain video frames separated in spatial frequency domain. By using velocity information, the separated frames with limited spatial frequencies are weighted by contrast sensitivities in the SV-CSF model. In SV-CIELAB, the criteria are obtained by calculating image differences between filtered original and distorted videos. For the validation of SV-CIELAB, subjective evaluation experiments were conducted. The subjective experimental results were compared with SV-CIELAB and the conventional VQA methods such as CIELAB color difference, Spatial-CIELAB, signal to noise ratio and so on. From the experimental results, it was shown that SV-CIELAB is a more efficient VQA method than the conventional methods.

We investigated the relationship between ambient illumination and psychological effect by applying a modified color harmony model. We verified the proposed model by analyzing correlation between psychological value and modified color harmony score. Experimental results showed the possibility to obtain the best color for illumination using this model.

In this paper, we propose a rate control technique for H.264/AVC using subjective quality of video for off line video coding. We propose to use Video Quality Metric (VQM) with an evolution strategy algorithm, which is capable of identifying the best possible quantization parameters for each frame/macroblock to encode the video sequence such that it would maximize the subjective quality of the entire video sequence subjected to the target bit rate. Simulation results suggest that the proposed technique can improve the RD performance of the H.264/AVC codec significantly. With the proposed technique, up to 40% bit rate reduction can be achieved at the same video quality. Furthermore, results show that the proposed technique can improve the subjective quality of the encoded video significantly for video sequences especially with high motion.

When we watch television or computer monitor under a certain viewing condition, we partially adapt to the display and partially to the ambient light. As an illumination level and chromaticity change, the eye's subjective white point changes between the display's white point and the ambient light's white point. In this paper, we propose a model that could predict the white point under a mixed adaptation condition including display and illuminant. Finally we verify this model by experimental results.

In this paper, we propose an Adaptation Decision-Taking Engine (ADTE) that targets the delivery of scalable video content in mobile usage environments. Our ADTE design relies on an objective perceptual quality metric in order to achieve video adaptation according to human visual perception, thus allowing to maximize the Quality of Service (QoS). To describe the characteristics of a particular usage environment, as well as the properties of the scalable video content, MPEG-21 Digital Item Adaptation (DIA) is used. Our experimental results show that the proposed ADTE design provides video content with a higher subjective quality than an ADTE using the conventional maximum-bit-allocation method.

In this paper, we investigated the effect of chromaticity and luminance of surround to decide subject neutral white, and conducted a mathematical model of adapting degree for environment. Factors for adapting degree consist of two parts, adapting degree of ambient chromaticity and color saturation. These can be applied to color appearance models (CAM), actually improve the performance of color matching of CAM, hence would produce the method of image reproduction to general display systems.

Digital video encapsulates the time series of a frame (still) images, where overall video quality can be obtained by using the quality of each frame image and the temporal information between the frame image. Coding of video produces degradation of these two types of information. These degradations can be classified as spatial degradation (static degradation) of a frame images and temporal degradation between frame image (dynamic degradation). In the framework of video quality evaluation it is necessary to consider those degradations, because their contents are strongly interdependable and quantification is problematic for these degradations. Therefore, the development of an objective video quality assessment method for single video quality requires to investigate how much static degradation and dynamic degradation affect single video quality. In this research, single video quality was predicted highly accuratly by using frame quality as static degradation and frame rate information as dynamic degradation.

In this paper, the impact of display on quality assessment is addressed. Subjective quality assessment experiments have been performed on both LCD and CRT displays. Two sets of still images and two sets of moving pictures have been assessed using either an ACR or a SAMVIQ protocol. Altogether, eight experiments have been led. Results are presented and discussed, some differences are pointed out. Concerning moving pictures, these differences seem to be mainly due to LCD moving artefacts such as motion blur. LCD motion blur has been measured objectively and with psycho-physics experiments. A motion-blur metric based on the temporal characteristics of LCD can be defined. A prediction model have been then designed which predict the differences of perceived quality between CRT and LCD. This motion-blur-based model enables the estimation of perceived quality on LCD with respect to the perceived quality on CRT. Technical solutions to LCD motion blur can thus be evaluated on natural contents by this mean.