ABSTRACT
Automated restoration systems provide the only mechanism for exploiting the demand for good-quality content. The reader would be forgiven for thinking that the Bayesian approach outlined encapsulates the essentials of the missing data problem in video sequences and is completely successful at removing degradation. This chapter addresses the defects that affect the bulk of archived material: Dirt, Lines, Shake, Flicker, and Noise. The most common problem in archived film is dirt and sparkle or blotches that manifest as small regions of dark or white pixels. Blotches and lines affect only certain areas of each frame, leaving other areas untouched. Deflicker techniques generally consist of two stages: the flicker model estimation and the flicker compensation that aligns the brightness level. A key difference between missing data as it appears in real footage and speckle degradation is that blotches are almost never limited to a single isolated pixel.
