Multiple resolution video compression

• US 6,229,850 B1
• Filed: 10/19/1999
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C-Cube Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: C-Cube Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wells, Aaron, Linzer, Elliot N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu
• Application Number:
  US09/421,178
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 348/397-399, 348/385, 348/387-389, 348/437-438, 348/426, 348/441, 348/445-446, 348/448, 348/458-459, 348/408, 348/437.1, 348/438.1, 382/240, 386/111, 375/240.1, 375/240.11, 375/240.19, 375/240.25, 375/240
• US Class Current: 375/240.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/39 involving multiple description coding [MDC], i.e. with separate layers being structured as independently decodable descriptions of input picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for compressing multiple resolution versions of a video signal are disclosed. A first resolution version of a video signal is applied to an input of a first video compressor and to an input of a video scaler. The first video compressor encodes the first resolution version of the video signal to generate a first compressed video bit stream. The video scaler generates a reduced resolution version of the video signal from the first resolution version. The reduced resolution version is supplied to a second video compressor and to the first video compressor. The first video compressor utilizes the reduced resolution version of the video signal in performing a hierarchical motion estimation (ME) search as part of the encoding process for the first resolution version. The second video compressor encodes the reduced resolution version to generate a second compressed bit stream. The second video compressor receives motion vectors or other results of the hierarchical ME search performed in the first video compressor, and uses these results to facilitate the encoding of the reduced resolution version. The apparatus and method may be used in a non-linear video editor, a video server or other video processing system. The video scaler and first and second video compressors may share memory, a transform unit and other processing hardware such that system cost and complexity are reduced.

Claims

1. A nonlinear editor comprising:

a first video compressor for compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal, and

a second video compressor for compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said first and second video compressors, respectively, are independently decompressible,

wherein said first version of said video signal is noninterlaced and said second version of said video signal is interlaced.

2. The editor of claim 1 further comprising:

a video scaler receiving said second version of said input video signal and producing said first version of said video signal, said first version of said video signal having a lower spatial resolution as said second video signal.

3. The editor of claim 1 wherein said first compressor compresses said first version of said input video signal using a different compression standard as used by said second compressor in compressing said second version of said input video signal.

4. The editor of claim 1 wherein said first compressor compresses said first version of said input video signal at a lower bit rate than said second compressor compresses said second version of said input video signal.

5. A nonlinear editor comprising:

a first video compressor for compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

a second video compessor for compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high guality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

a de-interlacer receiving said second version of said input video signal and producing said first version of said input video signal, said first version of said video signal comprising frames formed from fields of said second version of said input video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high qualily compressed video signals produced by said first and second video compressors, respectively, are independently decompressible.

6. A nonlinear editor comprising:

a first video compressor for compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal, and

a second video compressor for compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having higher quality than said low guality compressed video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said first and second video compressors, respectively, are independently decompressible,

wherein said first compressor compresses said first version of said input video signal using a different compression standard as used by said second compressor in compressing said second version of said input video signal, and

wherein said first and second versions of said input video signal are identical.

7. A nonlinear editor comprising:

a first video compressor for compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal, and

a second video compressor for compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high guality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said first and second video compressors, respectively, are independently decompressible, and

wherein said first video compressor compresses said first version of said input video signal using only intra coding and wherein said second compressor compresses said second version of said input video signal using both intra coding and inter coding.

8. A nonlinear editor comprising:

a first video compressor for compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

a second video compressor for compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

a decoder capable of simultaneously presenting N of said low quality compressed video signals in real time and capable of simultaneously presenting M of said high quality compressed video signals in real time, where N>

M>

=0,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said first and second video compressors, respectively, are independently decompressible.

9. The editor of claim 8 further comprising:

a computer for enabling construction of an edit decision list for editing one or more of said M high quality compressed video signals based on said presentation of said N low quality compressed video signals.

10. The editor of claim 9 wherein said computer edits said one or more high quality compressed video signals according to said edit decision list.

11. A nonlinear editor comprising:

a first video compressor for compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

a second video compressor for compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

a computer capable of performing effects on N decoded ones of said low quality video signals in real time and capable of performing effects on M decoded ones of said high quality video signals in real time, where N>

M>

=0,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said first and second video compressors, respectively, are independently decompressible.

12. The editor of claim 11 wherein said computer constructs an edit decision list based on effects performed on up to N of said decoded low quality video signals and performs effects from said edit decision list on up to M of said decoded high quality video signals.

13. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal, and

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality a said low quality compressed video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible, and

wherein said first version of said video signal is noninterlaced and said version of said video signal is interlaced.

14. The method of editing of claim 13 further comprising:

scaling said second version of said input video signal to produce said first version of said video signal so that said first version of said video signal has a lower resolution as said second video signal.

15. The method of editing of claim 13 further comprising:

compressing said first version of said input video signal using a different compression standard as used to compress said second version of said input signal.

16. The method of editing of claim 13 wherein said low quality compressed video signal has a lower bit rate than said high quality compressed video signal.

17. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

de-interlacing said second version of said input video signal to produce said first version of said input video signal so that said first version of said video signal comprises frames formed from fields of said second version of said input video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible.

18. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal, and

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high guality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signal produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible, and

wherein said first and second versions of said input video signal are identical.

19. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high qualily compressed video signal having a high quality than said low quality compressed video signal,

compressing said first version of said input video signal using only intra coding, and

compressing said second version of said input video signal using both intra coding and inter coding,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible.

20. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal,

simultaneously presenting N of said low quality compressed video signals in real time, and

simultaneously presenting M of said high quality compressed video signals in real time, where N>

M>

=0,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible.

21. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

performing effects on N decoded ones of said low quality video signals in real time and performing effects on M decoded ones of said high quality video signals in real time, where N>

M>

=0,

wherein each of aid low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible.

22. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to use a low quality compressed video signal,

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

constructing an edit decision list based on effects performed on up to N of said decoded low quality video signals and performing said same effects on up to N of said decoded high quality video signals,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible.

23. A method for editing a video signal comprising the steps of:

compressing a first version of an input video signal to produce a low quality compressed video signal,

compressing a second version of said input video signal to produce a high quality compressed video signal, said high quality compressed video signal having a higher quality than said low quality compressed video signal, and

enabling construction of an edit decision list for editing one or more of said M high quality compressed video signals based on said presentation of said low quality compressed video signals,

wherein each of said low quality and high quality compressed video signals produced by said steps of compressing are independently decompressible.

24. The method of editing of claim 23 further comprising the step of:

editing said one or more high quality compressed video signals according to said edit decision list.