New iPhones Could Eliminate Shaky Videos

Apple’s strive for innovation never ends. Case in point, word that the Cupertino, California-based company is look at new ways to add stabilization to videos taken with future iPhones, according to Apple Insider. Using the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, Apple is looking at adding software-based stabilization to eliminate shaky video recordings. In a patent application entitled, “Accelerometer/Gyro-Facilitated Video Stabilization," the company describes how an iPhone might use motion-sensing data to compensate for any jittering in a recorded video.

"Motion detection devices can provide metadata that indicates motion effects of a camera during video capture, however, even though the motion detectors provide data relating to global motion of the camera, the level of shakiness between frames is often comparable to the noise level of the motion detector data," the filing reads. "Such high level of the noise in data prohibits (direct use) of accelerometer data in video stabilization." Apple's solution would be to selectively control the motion stabilization feature, only adjusting and improving the video captured when the system determines it is necessary. This determination would be made by comparing motion sensor data to a pre-set threshold. "Based on the determination, motion stabilization may be suspended on select portions of a captured video sequence," the application states.

First filed in 2010, Apple's patent in no way suggests this stabilization feature is coming with the iPhone being unveiled next week. Still, it could be included in iPhones released sometime later.

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