Preferred transmission/streaming order of fine-granular scalability

• US 7,020,193 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: van der Schaar, Mihaela
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/962,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20020037037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.1, 375/240.12, 375/240.13, 375/240.14, 375/240.2, 375/240.22, 375/240.23, 348/394.1, 348/397.1, 348/401.1, 348/403.1, 348/410.1, 348/415.1, 382/234, 382/236, 382/238
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/147 according to rate distortion criteria rate-distortion as a criterion for motion estimation H04N19/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/159 Prediction type, e.g. intra-frame, inter-frame or bidirectional frame prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/29 involving scalability at the object level, e.g. video object layer [VOL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/31 in the temporal domain
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/34 Scalability techniques involving progressive bit-plane based encoding of the enhancement layer, e.g. fine granular scalability [FGS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/36 Scalability techniques involving formatting the layers as a function of picture distortion after decoding, e.g. signal-to-noise [SNR] scalability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/37 with arrangements for assigning different transmission priorities to video input data or to video coded data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities

Abstract

A method for streaming enhancement layer video frame data on a variable bandwidth network involves coding original uncoded video data with a non-scalable codec to generate I and P base layer frames; generating residual temporal B frames and SNR I and P frames from the original uncoded video data and the base layer frames; coding the temporal and SNR frames with a scalable codec; determining an available bandwidth of the variable bandwidth network; transmitting at least portions of the scalable coded temporal frames when the available bandwidth is a first bandwidth ranging between a minimum bit-rate allocated for transmitting only base layer frames and a predetermined bit-rate which is below a maximum bit-rate of the network; and additionally transmitting remaining portions of the scalable coded temporal frames and at least portions of the scalable coded SNR frames when the available bandwidth is a second bandwidth extending between the predetermined bit-rate and the maximum bit-rate of the network.

Claims

1. A method for streaming enhancement layer video frame data on a variable bandwidth network, the enhancement layer video frame data having scalable coded residual temporal video frame data and scalable coded residual quality signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) video frame data, the method comprising:

coding original uncoded video data with a non-scalable codec to generate base layer frame data;

generating residual temporal and SNR video frame data from the original uncoded video data and the base layer frame data;

coding the residual temporal and SNR video frame data with a scalable codec to generate the enhancement layer video frame data with the scalable coded residual temporal and SNR video frame data;

allocating a bit-rate R_BL for transmitting only the base layer frame data;

allocating a first bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, the first bit-rate range ranging between R_BL and R_BL+k, wherein k is less than or equal to the bit rate R_BL;

allocating a second bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and the scalable coded SNR frame data, the second bit-rate range ranging between R_BL+k and a maximum bit-rate R_MAX of the network;

determining an available bit-rate of the variable bandwidth network;

transmitting at least portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, but not the scalable coded SNR frame data, when the available bit-rate is within the first bit-rate range;

transmitting remaining portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and at least portions of the scalable coded SNR frame data when the available bit-rate is within the second bit-rate range.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the base layer frame data includes data for only I and P frames.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the scalable coded residual temporal frame data includes data only for B frames.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the scalable coded SNR video frame data includes only data for I and P frames.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scalable coded residual temporal frame data includes data only for B frames.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scalable coded SNR video frame data includes amity data for I and P frames.

7. A system for streaming enhancement layer video frame data on a variable bandwidth network, the enhancement layer video frame data having scalable coded residual temporal video frame data and scalable coded residual quality signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) video frame data, the system comprising:

means for coding original uncoded video data with a non-scalable codec to generate base layer frame data;

means for generating residual temporal and SNR video frame data from the original uncoded video data and the base layer frame data;

means for coding the residual temporal and SNR video frame data with a scalable codec to generate the enhancement layer video frame data with the scalable coded residual temporal and SNR video frame data;

means for allocating a bit-rate R_BL for transmitting only the base layer frame data;

means for allocating a first bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, the first bit-rate range ranging between R_BL and R_BL+k, wherein k is less than or equal to the bit rate R_BL;

means for allocating a second bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and the scalable code SNR frame data, the second bit-rate range ranging between R_BL+k and a maximum bit-rate R_MAX of the network;

means for determining an available bit-rate of the variable bandwidth network;

means for transmitting at least portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, but not the scalable coded SNR frame data, when the available bit-rate is within the first bit-rate range;

means for transmitting remaining portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and at least portions of the sealable coded SNR frame data when the available bit-rate is within the second bit-rate range.

8. A video rate controller comprising:

means for allocating a bit-rate R_BL for transmitting only the base layer frame date;

means for allocating a first bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, the first bit-rate range ranging between R_BL and R_BL+k, wherein k is less than or equal to the bit rate R_BL;

means for allocating a second bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and the scalable coded SNR frame data, the second bit-rate range ranging between R_BL+k and a maximum bit-rate R_MAX of the network;

means for transmitting at least portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, but not the scalable coded SNR tame data, when an available bit-rate of a variable bandwidth network is determined to be within the first bit-rate range;

means for transmitting remaining portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and at least portions of the scalable coded SNR frame data when the available bit-rate is within the second bit-rate range.

9. A computer program for streaming enhancement layer video frame data an a variable bandwidth network, the enhancement layer video frame data having scalable coded residual temporal video frame data and scalable coded residual quality signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) video frame data, computer program stored in a computer readable medium executable by a computer the computer program comprising:

code for coding original uncoded video data with a non-scalable codec to generate base layer frame data;

code for generating residual temporal and SNR video frame data from the original uncoded video data and the base layer frame data;

code for coding the residual temporal and SNR video frame data with a scalable codec to generate the enhancement layer video frame data with the scalable coded residual temporal and SNR video frame data;

code for allocating a bit-rate R_BL for transmitting only the base layer frame data;

code for allocating a first bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, the first bit-rate range ranging between R_BL and R_BL+k, wherein k is less than or equal to the bit rate R_BL;

code for allocating a second bit-rate range for transmitting only the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and the scalable coded SNR frame data, the second bit-rate range ranging between R_BL+k and a maximum bit-rate R_MAX of the network;

code for determining an available bit-rate of the variable bandwidth network;

code for transmitting at least portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data, but not the scalable coded SNR frame data, when the available bit-rate is within the first bit-rate range;

code for transmitting remaining portions of the scalable coded residual temporal frame data and at least pardons of the scalable coded SNR frame data when the available bit-rate is within the second bit-rate range.