1. A method for quantizing and dithering original image information to produce quantized image information, comprising:
quantizing a sum that combines an original value taken from the original image information, a noise value, and an error term, to produce a quantized value; and
calculating an error term for a subsequent quantizing operation by computing a difference between the quantized value and the original value.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating further comprises dispersing the calculated error term accordingly to an error dispersion algorithm, wherein the error term that is quantized is based on a component of the dispersed error term.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the error dispersion algorithm is a Floyd-Steinberg error dispersion algorithm.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing the noise value using a random number generator.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the random number generator has a repeat period that is sufficiently long so that quantized image information is substantially free of artifacts.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the random number generator is an R250 random noise generator.
7. One or more computer readable media storing machine-readable instructions configured to implement the method of claim 1.
8. An apparatus for quantizing and dithering original image information to produce quantized image information, comprising:
a noise generator configured to produce noise values; and
a dithering module configured to produce the quantized image information iteratively by:
quantizing a sum that combines an original value taken from the original image information, a noise value from the noise generator, and an error term, to produce a quantized value; and
calculating an error term for a subsequent quantizing operation by computing a difference between the quantized value and the original value.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the calculating further comprises dispersing the calculated error term accordingly to an error dispersion algorithm, wherein the error term that is quantized is based on a component of the dispersed error term.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the error dispersion algorithm is a Floyd-Steinberg error dispersion algorithm.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the noise generator is a random number generator.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the random number generator has a repeat period that is sufficiently long so that quantized image information is substantially free of artifacts.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the random number generator is an R250 random noise generator.
14. An image processing pipeline that incorporates the apparatus of claim 8.
15. An apparatus for quantizing and dithering original image information to produce quantized image information, comprising:
means for quantizing a sum that combines an original value taken from the original image information, a noise value, and an error term, to produce a quantized value; and
means for calculating an error term for a subsequent quantizing operation by computing a difference between the quantized value and the original value.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for calculating comprises means for dispersing the calculated error term accordingly to an error dispersion algorithm, wherein the error term that is quantized is based on a component of the dispersed error term.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the error dispersion algorithm is a Floyd-Steinberg error dispersion algorithm.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means for computing the noise value using a random number generating process.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the random number generating process that has a repeat period that is sufficiently long so that quantized image information is substantially free of artifacts.
20. One or more computer readable media storing machine-readable instructions configured to implement each of the means of claim 15.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of testing a process that has undergone modification, comprising:
(A) performing a first step in the process by transmitting a first transmission from an application to a first interfacing system, and obtaining a first response to the first transmission from the first interfacing system;
(B) performing a second step in the process by transmitting a second transmission from the application to the first or a second interfacing system, and obtaining a second response to the second transmission from the interfacing system to which the second transmission was transmitted;
(C) storing the first transmission or data based on the first transmission, the second transmission or data based on the second transmission, the first response or data based on the first response, and the second response or data based on the second response in a simulator adapted to transmit a response in response to a transmission, based on content of the transmission, so as to simulate transmission of a response from an interfacing system; and
(D) after the first transmission or the data based on the first transmission, the second transmission or the data based on the second transmission, the first response or the data based on the first response, and the second response or the data based on the second response have been stored in the simulator and the process has been modified by modifying the second step of the process, testing the modified process by (i) performing the first step in the modified process by retransmitting the first transmission from the application to the simulator, and performing the modified second step in the modified process by retransmitting the second transmission from the application, and (ii) determining whether a response from the simulator to the retransmission of the first transmission andor a response to the retransmission of the second transmission are expected responses, based on the modification made to the second step.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein in (D)(i) the modified second step in the modified process is performed by retransmitting the second transmission from the application to the simulator.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of a manner in which the second transmission is transmitted.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of content included in the second transmission.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of program code of a computer program used in performing the second step.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a change in or a replacement of the interfacing system to which the second transmission was transmitted, and in (D)(i) the modified second step in the modified process is performed by retransmitting the second transmission from the application to the changed or replacement interfacing system.
7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:
(D)(iii) if the response to the retransmission of the first transmission andor the response to the retransmission of the second transmission is determined in (ii) not to be the respective expected response based on the modification made to the second step, determining a way in which the response to the retransmission of the first transmission andor the response to the retransmission of the second transmission differs from the respective expected response.
8. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to test a process that has undergone modification, the control logic comprising:
first computer-readable program code for causing the computer to perform a first step in the process by transmitting a first transmission from an application to a first interfacing system, and obtaining a first response to the first transmission from the first interfacing system;
second computer-readable program code for causing the computer to perform a second step in the process by transmitting a second transmission from the application to the first or a second interfacing system, and obtaining a second response to the second transmission from the interfacing system to which the second transmission was transmitted;
third computer-readable program code for causing the computer to store the first transmission or data based on the first transmission, the second transmission or data based on the second transmission, the first response or data based on the first response, and the second response or data based on the second response in a simulator adapted to transmit a response in response to a transmission, based on content of the transmission, so as to simulate transmission of a response from an interfacing system; and
fourth computer-readable program code for, after the first transmission or the data based on the first transmission, the second transmission or the data based on the second transmission, the first response or the data based on the first response, and the second response or the data based on the second response have been stored in the simulator and the process has been modified by modifying the second step of the process, causing the computer to test the modified process by (i) performing the first step in the modified process by retransmitting the first transmission from the application to the simulator, and performing the modified second step in the modified process by retransmitting the second transmission from the application, and (ii) determining whether a response from the simulator to the retransmission of the first transmission andor a response to the retransmission of the second transmission are expected responses, based on the modification made to the second step.
9. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the modified second step in the modified process is performed by retransmitting the second transmission from the application to the simulator.
10. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of a manner in which the second transmission is transmitted.
11. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of content included in the second transmission.
12. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of program code of a computer program used in performing the second step.
13. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a change in or a replacement of the interfacing system to which the second transmission was transmitted, and the modified second step in the modified process is performed by retransmitting the second transmission from the application to the changed or replacement interfacing system.
14. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the fourth computer-readable program code is for causing the computer to test the process by also (iii) if the response to the retransmission of the first transmission andor the response to the retransmission of the second transmission is determined in (ii) not to be the respective expected response based on the modification made to the second step, determining a way in which the response to the retransmission of the first transmission andor the response to the retransmission of the second transmission differs from the respective expected response.
15. A system for testing a process that has undergone modification, comprising:
a recording unit for:
(A) performing a first step in the process by transmitting a first transmission from an application to a first interfacing system, and obtaining a first response to the first transmission from the first interfacing system;
(B) performing a second step in the process by transmitting a second transmission from the application to the first or a second interfacing system, and obtaining a second response to the second transmission from the interfacing system to which the second transmission was transmitted; and
(C) storing the first transmission or data based on the first transmission, the second transmission or data based on the second transmission, the first response or data based on the first response, and the second response or data based on the second response in a simulator adapted to transmit a response in response to a transmission, based on content of the transmission, so as to simulate transmission of a response from an interfacing system; and
a simulation unit for:
(D) after the first transmission or the data based on the first transmission, the second transmission or the data based on the second transmission, the first response or the data based on the first response, and the second response or the data based on the second response have been stored in the simulator and the process has been modified by modifying the second step of the process, testing the modified process by (i) performing the first step in the modified process by retransmitting the first transmission from the application to the simulator, and performing the modified second step in the modified process by retransmitting the second transmission from the application, and (ii) determining whether a response from the simulator to the retransmission of the first transmission andor a response to the retransmission of the second transmission are expected responses, based on the modification made to the second step.
16. A system according to claim 15, wherein in (D)(i) the modified second step in the modified process is performed by retransmitting the second transmission from the application to the simulator.
17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of a manner in which the second transmission is transmitted.
18. A system according to claim 15, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of content included in the second transmission.
19. A system according to claim 15, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a modification of program code of a computer program used in performing the second step.
20. A system according to claim 15, wherein the modification of the second step comprises a change in or a replacement of the interfacing system to which the second transmission was transmitted, and the modified second step in the modified process is performed by retransmitting the second transmission from the application to the changed or replacement interfacing system.
21. A system according to claim 15, wherein the simulation unit is for testing the process by also (D)(iii) if the response to the retransmission of the first transmission andor the response to the retransmission of the second transmission is determined in (ii) not to be the respective expected response based on the modification made to the second step, determining a way in which the response to the retransmission of the first transmission andor the response to the retransmission of the second transmission differs from the respective expected response.