Systems and methods for optimizing video coding efficiency based on characteristics of video content

• US 10,349,057 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Finkelstein, Jeffrey L., Civiletto, John, Bing, Benny K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sathyanaraya V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Philip P.
• Application Number:
  US14/676,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20160295224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/107 between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/142 Detection of scene cut or scene change
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field

Abstract

Certain embodiments herein relate to optimizing the efficiency of video coding. Such optimization may be based on characteristics of video content, such as the size and type of video frames. The size of video frames may be compared to a threshold size to determine whether an intracoded frame should be inserted into a Group of Pictures (GOP) instead of a predetermined type of video frame. As an example, an intracoded video frame may be inserted into the GOP when an abrupt or gradual size change in the sequence of video frames is determined. As another example, unipredicted frames may also be inserted into the GOP instead of bipredicted frames using a similar comparison.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive a Group of Pictures (GOP) comprising a sequence of video frames;

select a portion of video frames in the sequence of video frames;

identify a second video frame occurring after a first video frame in the portion of video frames;

determine that a size of the second video frame is greater than a respective size of the first video frame;

determine a threshold value based at least in part on a multiplication of a multiplier by the respective size of the first video frame;

determine that the size of the second video frame is greater than or equal to the threshold value;

determine that a scene change occurred based at least in part on the determination that the size of the second video frame is greater than or equal to the threshold value;

based at least in part on the determination that the scene change occurred, generate a modified GOP at least in part by replacing the second video frame with an intracoded frame;

determine that a bipredicted frame occurred after a first unipredicted frame in the sequence of video frames;

determine that a size of the bipredicted frame is greater than a respective size of the first unipredicted frame; and

generate a second modified GOP at least in part by replacing the bipredicted frame with a different unipredicted frame;

generate;

a compression of the different unipredicted frame based at least in part on data from at least one first frame, of the sequence of frames, proceeding the unipredicted frame, and

a compression of the bipredicted frame based at least in part on data from at least one second frame, of the sequence of frames, proceeding the bipredicted frame, and data from at least one third frame, of the sequence of frames, after the bipredicted frame.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

determine that the portion of video frames comprises a plurality of video frames between the first video frame and the second video frame, wherein a respective size of the plurality of video frames increases from the first video frame to the second video frame.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to send the modified GOP to one or more user devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions to compare the second size of the second video frame with the first size of the first video frame is further operable to:

determine that at least one scene change occurred between the first video frame and the second video frame.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

generate the modified GOP by replacing the second video frame with the unipredicted frame.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device comprising at least one processor, a Group of Pictures (GOP) comprising a sequence of video frames;

selecting a portion of the video frames in the sequence of video frames;

identifying a second video frame occurring after a first video frame in a portion of video frames;

determining that a size of the second video frame is greater than the first size of the first video frame;

determining a threshold value based at least in part on a multiplication of a multiplier by the respective size of the first video frame;

determining that the size of the second video frame is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

determining that a scene change occurred based at least in part on the determination that the second size of the second video frame greater than or equal to the threshold value;

based at least in part on the determination that the scene change occurred, generating, by the device, a modified GOP at least in part by replacing the second video frame with an intracoded frame;

determining that a bipredicted frame occurred after an unipredicted frame in the sequence of video frames;

determining that a size of the bipredicted frame is greater than a respective size of the unipredicted frame; and

generating a second modified GOP at least in part by replacing the bipredicted frame with a different unipredicted frame;

generating;

a compression of the different unipredicted frame is based at least in part on data from at least one frame, of the sequence of frames, proceeding the unipredicted frame, and

a compression of the bipredicted frame is based at least in part on data from at least one frame, of the sequence of frames, proceeding the bipredicted frame, and data from at least one frame, of the sequence of frames, after the bipredicted frame.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the device, that the threshold value is associated with a gradual size change, wherein generating the modified GOP comprises replacing the second video frame with the intracoded frame; and

determining, by the device, that a portion of video frames comprises a plurality of video frames between the first video frame and the second video frame, wherein a respective size of the plurality of video frames increases from the first video frame to the second video frame.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating, by the device, the modified GOP at least in part by replacing the second video frame with the unipredicted frame.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising sending, by the device, the modified GOP to one or more user devices.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the second size of the second video frame is greater than the first size of the first video frame further comprises determining that at least one scene change occurred between the first video frame and the second video frame.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a Group of Pictures (GOP) comprising a sequence of video frames;

selecting a portion of the video frames in the sequence of video frames;

identifying a second video frame occurring after a first video frame in the portion of the video frames;

determining that a size of the second video frame with a respective size of the first video frame;

determining a threshold value based at least in part on a multiplication of a multiplier by the respective size of the first video frame;

determining that the size of the second video frame is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

determining that a scene change occurred based at least in part on the determination that the second size of the second video frame greater than or equal to the threshold value;

based at least in part on the determination that the scene change occurred, generating, by the device, a modified GOP at least in part by replacing the second video frame with an intracoded frames;

determining that a bipredicted frame occurred after an unipredicted frame in the sequence of video frames;

determining that a size of the bipredicted frame is greater than a respective size of the unipredicted frame; and

generating a second modified GOP at least in part by replacing the bipredicted frame with a different unipredicted frame;

generating;

a compression of the different unipredicted frame is based at least in part on data from at least one frame, of the sequence of frames, proceeding the unipredicted frame, and

a compression of the bipredicted frame is based at least in part on data from at least one frame, of the sequence of frames, proceeding the bipredicted frame, and data from at least one frame, of the sequence of frames, after the bipredicted frame.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to perform the operations comprising:

determining that the threshold value is associated with a gradual size change, wherein generating the modified GOP comprises replacing the second video frame with the intracoded frame; and

determining that a portion of video frames comprises a plurality of video frames between the first video frame and the second video frame, wherein a respective size of the plurality of video frames increases from the first video frame to the second video frame.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to perform the operations comprising:

generating the modified GOP at least in part by replacing the second video frame with the unipredicted frame.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to perform the operation comprising sending the modified GOP to one or more user devices.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions operable to determine that the second size of the second video frame is greater than the first size of the first video frame are further operable to determining that at least one scene change occurred between the first video frame and the second video frame.