VIDEO STORAGE

• US 20110058055A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Wei, Lindahl, Aram
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/137 Motion inside a coding unit, e.g. average field, frame or block difference
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/149 by estimating the code amount by means of a model, e.g. mathematical model or statistical model
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for encoding video data are provided. For example, an electronic device for obtaining and encoding video may include image capture circuitry, motion-sensing circuitry, and data processing circuitry. The image capture circuitry may capture an uncompressed video frame, and the motion-sensing circuitry may detect physical motion of the electronic device. The data processing circuitry may encode the uncompressed video frame based at least in part on a quantization parameter, which the data processing circuitry may determine based at least in part on whether the motion-sensing circuitry has detected physical motion of the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

image capture circuitry capable of capturing an uncompressed video frame;

motion-sensing circuitry capable of detecting physical motion of the electronic device; and

data processing circuitry capable encoding the uncompressed video frame based at least in part on a quantization parameter and capable of determining the quantization parameter based at least in part on whether the motion-sensing circuitry has detected physical motion of the electronic device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the motion-sensing circuitry comprises one or more accelerometers;

magnetometer circuitry;

or Global Positioning System circuitry;

or any combination thereof.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the motion-sensing circuitry is capable of detecting a quantity of physical motion of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining the quantization parameter based at least in part on a quantity of physical motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining whether physical motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry correlates with or is likely to correlate with motion in the series of uncompressed video frames by comparing a predicted error of an encoded frame with the physical motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining the quantization parameter based at least in part on whether physical motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry correlates with or is likely to correlate with motion in the series of uncompressed video frames.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, into data processing circuitry, a current uncompressed video frame deriving from image capture circuitry and a previously-determined quantization parameter;

encoding, using the data processing circuitry, the current uncompressed video frame based at least in part on the previously-determined quantization parameter to obtain a current encoded video frame; and

determining, using the data processing circuitry, a subsequent quantization parameter for encoding a future uncompressed video frame deriving from the image capture circuitry based at least in part on a complexity of the current encoded video frame and a detected physical movement or non-movement of the image capture circuitry.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is determined based at least in part on the detected physical movement of the image capture circuitry, wherein the detected physical movement of the image capture circuitry includes a side-to-side motion with respect to the image capture circuitry, a rotation with respect to the image capture circuitry, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is determined based at least in part on a quantity of the detected physical movement of the image capture circuitry.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is determined to be lower than otherwise when a physical movement of the image capture circuitry is detected.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is determined to be higher than otherwise when a physical movement of the image capture circuitry is detected.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is determined based at least in part on a direction of the detected physical movement of the image capture circuitry.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is determined to be lower when a direction of the detected physical movement of the image capture circuitry is perpendicular to a facial direction of the image capture circuitry than when the direction of the detected physical movement of the image capture circuitry is parallel to the facial direction of the image capture circuitry.

14. An electronic device comprising:

image capture circuitry capable of capturing an uncompressed video frame;

motion-sensing circuitry capable of detecting physical motion of the image capture circuitry; and

data processing circuitry capable of encoding the uncompressed video frame in accordance with a quantization metric and capable of determining the quantization metric based at least in part on a quantity of physical motion of the image capture circuitry detected by the motion-sensing circuitry.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of encoding the uncompressed video frame using an encoding technique in compliance with the MPEG-1 standard;

the MPEG-2 standard;

the MPEG-4 standard;

the H.261 standard;

the H.263 standard;

or the H.264 standard;

or any combination thereof.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining the quantization metric by selecting from one of a plurality of quantization parameters.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, comprising a memory device capable of storing historical statistics regarding prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the image capture circuitry detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and a quantity of motion in prior uncompressed video frames.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining a relationship between historical statistics regarding prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the image capture circuitry detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and a quantity of motion in prior uncompressed video frames.

19. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining the quantization metric based at least in part on a relationship between historical statistics regarding prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the image capture circuitry detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and a quantity of motion in prior uncompressed video frames.

20. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of determining the quantization metric by selecting a fewer number of quantization steps than otherwise when the motion-sensing circuitry indicates a quantity of motion of the image capture circuitry and a relationship exists between historical statistics regarding prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the image capture circuitry detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and a quantity of motion in prior uncompressed video frames.

21. A method comprising:

receiving an uncompressed video frame deriving from image capture circuitry into data processing circuitry;

receiving a motion-sensing input indicating physical movement or non-movement of the image capture circuitry into the data processing circuitry; and

encoding the uncompressed video frame in the data processing circuitry based at least in part on the motion-sensing input.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded using finer-grained encoding when the motion-sensing input indicates physical movement of the image capture circuitry than when the motion-sensing input indicates physical non-movement of the image capture circuitry.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising determining whether the physical movement or non-movement of the image capture circuitry correlates with or is likely to correlate with motion of the uncompressed video frame, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded based at least in part on the determination of whether the physical movement or non-movement of the image capture circuitry correlates with or is likely to correlate with motion of the uncompressed video frame.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded using finer-grained encoding than otherwise when the physical movement or non-movement of the image capture circuitry is determined to correlate with or be likely to correlate with motion of the uncompressed video frame and when the motion-sensing input indicates physical movement of the image capture circuitry.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded based at least in part on a quantity of physical movement of the image capture circuitry indicated by the motion-sensing input.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded using finer-grained encoding when the quantity of physical movement of the image capture circuitry is higher than when the quantity of physical movement of the image capture circuitry is lower.

27. A system comprising:

image capture circuitry capable of obtaining an uncompressed frame of video data;

motion-sensing circuitry capable of detecting physical movements of the image capture circuitry; and

data processing circuitry capable of predicting a complexity of the uncompressed frame of video data based at least in part on physical movements of the image capture circuitry detected by the motion-sensing circuitry and a complexity of a prior-encoded frame of video data and capable of encoding the uncompressed frame of video data based at least in part on the predicted complexity of the uncompressed frame of video data.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to predict, all other things being equal, a higher complexity when the motion-sensing circuitry detects physical movements of the image capture circuitry than when the motion-sensing circuitry does not detect physical movements of the image capture circuitry.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the data processing circuitry is capable of encoding the uncompressed frame of video data using fewer quantization steps when the predicted complexity is higher and using more quantization steps when the predicted complexity is lower.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein a first electronic device comprises the image capture circuitry and the motion sensing circuitry and wherein a second electronic device comprises the data processing circuitry.