Continuously adaptive digital video compression system and method for a web streamer
First Claim
1. A method for compressing input color video data for moving images for a web stream to be transmitted over a transmission channel having a variable bandwidth available to client users having receivers that receive data input at different acceptable data rates, which method comprises the steps of:
- compressing an input color video data stream having a determinable frame rate for moving images on the basis of a target bandwidth on a data transmission channel having a variable bandwidth to provide a compressed output video data stream having a determinable frame rate;
transmitting the compressed output color video data stream to at least one receiver over said transmission channel;
determining the actual available bandwidth of the transmission channel on a frame by frame basis as the compressed output video data stream is transmitted to at least one receiver,changing the compression of said in put color video data stream in response to comparing the actual available bandwidth on said transmission channel during transmission of the present frame to the available bandwidth on said transmission channel at the time the last frame of said compressed data stream was transmitted thereover whereby the next frame of the subsequent transmission of said output color video data stream is transmitted in packets at a rate commensurate with the actual bandwidth available to a user of said transmission channel at the time of transmission of the previous frame of said data stream,continually determining the actual available bandwidth of the transmission channel as said compressed output color video data stream is transmitted to at least one receiver, andcontinually changing the compression of said output color video data stream in response to a control signal generated from a comparison between the present actual available bandwidth on the data transmission channel and the actual bandwidth on said transmission channel for the immediately previous frame of said data stream whereby the data rate of the packets of said compressed color video data stream is continually adapted to be commensurate with the available variable bandwidth on the transmission channel to dynamically control the packets of said compressed color video data stream, said compression of the input color video data stream includes providing a plurality of levels of subband coding of the input color video data stream, spectrally decomposing selected blocks of pixels of said subband levels to image transform coefficients representative of a level of movement within each pixel block and said control signal is determined by detecting the difference between the present available bandwidth of said output color video data stream and the available bandwidth of the color video data stream transmitted in an immediately previous frame and dynamically changing the rate of compression, as necessary, of said input color video data stream in response to said control signal to provide an output color video data stream in packets having a data rate commensurate with the available bandwidth on the transmission channel to receive such packets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cost effective continuously adaptive digital video system and method for compressing color video data for moving images. The method describes capturing an analog video frame and digitizing the image into a preferred source input format for compression using a combination of unique lossy and lossless digital compression techniques including subband coding, wavelet transforms, motion detection, run length coding and variable length coding. The system includes encoder and decoder (CODEC) sections for compression and decompression of visual images to provide high compression with good to excellent video quality. The compressed video data provides a base video layer and additional layers of video data that are multiplexed with compressed digital audio to provide a data stream that can be packetized for distribution over inter or intranets, including wireless networks over local or wide areas. The (CODEC) system continuously adjusts the compression of the digital images frame by frame in response to comparing the available bandwidth on the data channel to the available bandwidth on the channel for the previous frame to provide an output data stream commensurate with the available bandwidth of the network transmission channel and with the receiver resource capabilities of the client users. The compression may be further adjusted by adjustment of the frame rate of the output data stream.
716 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for compressing input color video data for moving images for a web stream to be transmitted over a transmission channel having a variable bandwidth available to client users having receivers that receive data input at different acceptable data rates, which method comprises the steps of:
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compressing an input color video data stream having a determinable frame rate for moving images on the basis of a target bandwidth on a data transmission channel having a variable bandwidth to provide a compressed output video data stream having a determinable frame rate; transmitting the compressed output color video data stream to at least one receiver over said transmission channel; determining the actual available bandwidth of the transmission channel on a frame by frame basis as the compressed output video data stream is transmitted to at least one receiver, changing the compression of said in put color video data stream in response to comparing the actual available bandwidth on said transmission channel during transmission of the present frame to the available bandwidth on said transmission channel at the time the last frame of said compressed data stream was transmitted thereover whereby the next frame of the subsequent transmission of said output color video data stream is transmitted in packets at a rate commensurate with the actual bandwidth available to a user of said transmission channel at the time of transmission of the previous frame of said data stream, continually determining the actual available bandwidth of the transmission channel as said compressed output color video data stream is transmitted to at least one receiver, and continually changing the compression of said output color video data stream in response to a control signal generated from a comparison between the present actual available bandwidth on the data transmission channel and the actual bandwidth on said transmission channel for the immediately previous frame of said data stream whereby the data rate of the packets of said compressed color video data stream is continually adapted to be commensurate with the available variable bandwidth on the transmission channel to dynamically control the packets of said compressed color video data stream, said compression of the input color video data stream includes providing a plurality of levels of subband coding of the input color video data stream, spectrally decomposing selected blocks of pixels of said subband levels to image transform coefficients representative of a level of movement within each pixel block and said control signal is determined by detecting the difference between the present available bandwidth of said output color video data stream and the available bandwidth of the color video data stream transmitted in an immediately previous frame and dynamically changing the rate of compression, as necessary, of said input color video data stream in response to said control signal to provide an output color video data stream in packets having a data rate commensurate with the available bandwidth on the transmission channel to receive such packets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A cost effective method for compressing input color video data for moving images for the purpose of streaming a compressed output color video data stream over a packet switched network in the form of a data transmission channel having a variable bandwidth to client users having receivers that provide high quality visual images and which receive data input at different rates, which method comprises the steps of:
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compressing an input digital color video data stream having moving images at a predetermined data rate on the basis of a target bandwidth available on a data transmission channel to provide a compressed output color video data stream comprising a plurality of digital video data streams representative of various levels of resolution of a visual image represented in successive video frames and spectrally decomposing the image frames of the input color video signal into a plurality of multilevel frequency subbands and to a plurality of levels and selecting from said frequency subbands a base level digital color video raw data stream that is transmitted in the output video data stream for creation of a base level visual image and at least two additional digital color data streams to provide additional visual details of a visual image as may be desired by a client user; transmitting the compressed output color video data stream in packets of determinable length to at least one receiver over a data transmission channel; determining the present bandwidth available on the transmission channel on a frame by frame basis as the compressed output video data streams were transmitted to at least one receiver; adjusting the rate of compression of said input digital color video data stream in response to such determination on a frame by frame basis whereby the immediately succeeding transmission of a frame of said output digital color video data stream is commensurate with the present bandwidth available on said data transmission channel; and decompressing the output digital color video data stream at each client user to provide a color visual image having motion. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. Cost effective method for compressing input color video data for moving images for the purpose of streaming a compressed output color video data stream over a packet switched network in the form of a data transmission channel having a variable bandwidth to client users having receivers that provide high quality visual images and which may receive data input at different acceptable rates, which method comprises the steps of:
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compressing an input digital color video data stream having moving images at a predetermined data rate on the basis of a target bandwidth available on a data transmission channel to provide a compressed output color video data stream comprising a plurality of digital video data streams representative of various levels of resolution of a visual image represented in successive video frames and performing scalar quantization on said additional digital color video data streams to generate quantized additional data streams, performing motion detection on said base level color video raw data stream and said quantized additional digital color video data streams and thereafter performing a loss-less compression coding routine on said quantized additional motion data streams to provide said output color video data stream comprising a motion detected base level data stream and motion detected quantized additional digital color video data streams; transmitting the compressed output color video data stream in packets of determinable length to at least one receiver over a data transmission channel; determining the present bandwidth available on the transmission channel on a frame by frame basis as the compressed output video data streams were transmitted to at least one receiver; adjusting the rate of compression of said input digital color video data stream in response to such determination on a frame by frame basis whereby the immediately succeeding transmission of a frame of said output digital color video data stream is commensurate with the present bandwidth available on said data transmission channel; and decompressing the output digital color video data stream at each client user to provide a color visual image having motion.
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Specification