Track for improved video compression

• US 20020136294A1
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Culbert, Michael F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,982,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/107 between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/114 Adapting the group of pictures [GOP] structure, e.g. number of B-frames between two anchor frames H04N19/107 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/177 the unit being a group of pictures [GOP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

A computer readable medium for compressing video data with an edit track is provided. Generally, computer readable code for compressing video data is provided. The computer readable code for compressing comprises computer readable code for accessing the edit track to use data in the edit track during the compressing.

A method of compressing video data with an edit track is provided. Generally, video data is compressed. The compressing comprises accessing the edit track to use data in the edit track during the compressing.

A system for compressing video data is also provided. An edit track reader for accesses data within the edit track and generates instructions based on the data within the data track. A video compressor receives instruction from the edit track reader and receives the edited video track and audio track, and compresses the edited video according to the instructions from the edit track reader.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for compressing video data with an edit track comprising computer readable code for compressing the video data, wherein the computer readable code for compressing comprises computer readable code for accessing the edit track to use data in the edit track during the compressing.

2. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer readable code for compressing of the video data further comprises computer readable code for using information in the edit track to determine the bit resolution of quantization for a region defined within the edit track.

3. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 2, wherein the computer readable code for compressing of the video data further comprises computer readable code for using motion information in the edit track to create a motion vector.

4. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 3, wherein the computer readable code for compressing of the video data further comprises computer readable code for using information in the edit track to create a difference vector.

5. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 4, wherein the computer readable code for compressing of the video data further comprises computer readable code for using information in the edit track to determine a number of I-frames that will be used for compression.

6. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 5, further comprising computer readable code for editing video data, comprising:

computer readable code for creating a video track of edited video data; and

computer readable code for creating at least one edit object in the edit track, wherein the edit object defines a region that has been edited and a type of edit.

7. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 1, further comprising computer readable code for editing video data, comprising:

computer readable cod for creating a video track of edited video data; and

computer readable code for creating at least one edit object in the edit track, wherein the edit object defines a region that has been edited and a type of edit.

8. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer readable code for compressing of the video data further comprises computer readable code for using text information in the edit track to increase bit resolution of quantization of a pixel block.

9. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer readable code for compressing of the video data further comprises computer readable code for using blend information in the edit track to decrease bit resolution of quantization of a pixel block.

10. The computer readable medium, as recited in claim 1, wherein the edit track specifies a region within which a video edit has occurred and the type of edit that occurred within the region.

11. A method of compressing video data with an edit track comprising compressing the video data, wherein the compressing comprises accessing the edit track to use data in the edit track during the compressing.

12. The method, as recited in claim 11, wherein the compressing of the video data further comprises using information in the edit track to determine the bit resolution of quantization for a region defined within the edit track.

13. The method, as recited in claim 12, wherein the compressing of the video data further comprises using motion information in the edit track to create a motion vector.

14. The method, as recited in claim 13, wherein the compressing of the video data further comprises using information in the edit track to create a difference vector.

15. The method, as recited in claim 14, wherein the compressing of the video data further comprises using information in the edit track to determine a number of I-frames that will be used for compression.

16. The method, as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of editing video data, comprising:

creating a video track of edited video data; and

creating at least one edit object in the edit track, wherein the edit object defines a region that has been edited and a type of edit.

18. The system, as recited in claim 11, wherein the video compressor is an MPEG video compressor, which compresses the video data into an MPEG format.

19. The system, as recited in claim 11, wherein the video compressor is an MPEG-2 video compressor, which compresses the video data into an MPEG-2 format.

20. The system, as recited in claim 13, wherein the video compressor is able to provide video compression with a single encoding.

17. A system for compressing video data with an edited video track, an audio track, and an edit track, comprising:

an edit track reader for accessing data within the edit track and generating instructions based on the data within the edit track; and

a video compressor, which receives instruction from the edit track reader and receives the edited video track and audio track, and which compresses the edited video according to the instructions from the edit track reader.