Glatt, Terry Laurence.

Recent advances in integrated circuit technology have resulted in the manufacture of analog to digital converters with a logarithmic transfer characteristic that can operate at video rates. This thesis shows that applying this sort of non-linearity to video signals during digitizing will result in a system that will more closely match the human visual system. The appropriate background is presented including image reproduction, psychophysical aspects of perception, quantization error, and contrast sensitivity. The background is then related to logarithmic processing with respect to minimizing contouring and improving the fidelity of detail in saturated colors. Finally, logarithmic processing was simulated using an image processor and prototype logarithmic analog to digital converters. The results of this demonstration are presented.