Method and apparatus for generating, distributing and reconstructing deconstructed video

• US 7,095,444 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2000
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VID SCALE Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Stringer-Calvert, David W. J., Dawson, Steven M., Lincoln, Patrick D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe, Gims
• Assistant Examiner(s): REKSTAD, ERICK J
• Application Number:
  US09/707,044
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 348/169, 375/240, 375/240.02, 375/240.25, 375/133, 375/140, 375/148, 375/240.08, 375/240.11, 375/240.14, 382/243, 382/284, 382/240, 370/535, 370/464, 358/450
• US Class Current: 348/390.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440227 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for deconstructing video into a hierarchical structure, distributing the deconstructed video and reconstructing the deconstructed video to form a video signal having characteristics that match the capabilities of a user device. The video stream may be deconstructed using a single dimension deconstruction or a multidimensional deconstruction.

Claims

1. A method of deconstructing video comprising:

separating a video image sequence into two or more components;

selecting a plurality of dimensions, where each dimension represents a characteristic of the video image sequence; and

encoding each component of the video image sequence in accordance with the selected dimensions to form a plurality of bitstreams, such that the plurality of bitstreams forms a partial order wherein each point of the partial order represents a unique valid combination of components and dimensions for encoding the video image sequence, and a base of the partial order represents a base bitstream comprising components that are common to each of said plurality of bitstreams, said base bitstream encoding a first version of said video image sequence.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said encoding step comprises:

forming the base bitstream representing a first video image sequence having a first set of characteristics; and

forming at least one additional bitstream, where each additional bitstream represents a different dimension and wherein when said base bitstream and said at least one additional bitstream are combined to form a combined bitstream, the combined bitstream represents a reconstructed video image sequence having different characteristics than said first video image sequence.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of dimensions comprise at least one of specific image regions, frame rate, resolution, and color depth.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of said two or more components is encoded as at least one additional bitstream.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein all of said two or more components are orthogonal relative to each other.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said method is performed at the edge of a network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said method is performed at an intermediate node within a network.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein an intermediate node performs one or more functions selected from reconstruction, deconstruction, or a combination of deconstruction and reconstruction.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein, after encoding, each of said two or more components is represented by a base bitstream and at least one additional bitstream.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said base bitstream represents a first video image sequence having minimal quality.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said at least one additional bitstream, when combined with said base bitstream, represents a second video image sequence having a quality that is higher than said base bitstream.

12. Apparatus for producing deconstructed video comprising:

a video component extractor for extracting at least one second image sequence from a first image sequence, where said at least one second image sequence represents a component of said first video image sequence;

an encoding dimension selector for selecting a plurality of dimensions to use to encode said at least one second image sequence; and

a dimension-based encoder, coupled to said encoding dimension selector, for encoding the at least one second video image sequence into a plurality of bitstreams, such that the plurality of bitstreams forms a partial order wherein each point of the partial order represents a unique valid combination of dimensions for encoding the first image sequence and the at least one second image sequence, and a base of the partial order represents a base bitstream comprising components that are common to each of said plurality of bitstreams, said base bitstream encoding a first version of said video image sequence.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the dimensions are orthogonal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the components comprise foreground, background, and moving objects.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the dimensions comprise resolution, frame rate, and color.

16. A computer readable medium containing software that, when executed by one or more general purpose computers operating as network nodes, causes the computer or computers to perform a method comprising:

separating a video image sequence into two or more components;

selecting a plurality of dimensions, where each dimension represents a characteristic of the video image sequence; and

encoding each component of the video image sequence in accordance with the selected dimensions to form a plurality of bitstreams, such that the plurality of bitstreams forms a partial order wherein each point of the partial order represents a unique valid combination of components and dimensions for encoding the video image sequence, and a base of the partial order represents a base bitstream comprising components that are common to each of said plurality of bitstreams, said base bitstream encoding a first version of said video image sequence.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said encoding step comprises:

forming the base bitstream representing a first video image sequence having a first set of characteristics; and

forming at least one additional bitstream, where each additional bitstream represents a different dimension and wherein when said base bitstream and said at least one additional bitstream are combined to form a combined bitstream, the combined bitstream represents a reconstructed video image sequence having different characteristics than said first video image sequence.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said plurality of dimensions comprise at least one of specific image regions, frame rate, resolution, and color depth.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein each of said components is encoded as at least one additional bitstream.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein all of said two or more components are orthogonal relative to each other.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said method is performed at the edge of a network.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein, after encoding, each of said two or more constituent components is represented by a base bitstream and at least one additional bitstream.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said at least one additional bitstream represents a dimension of said video image sequence.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein said base bitstream represents a first video image sequence having minimal quality.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said at least one additional bitstream, when combined with said base bitstream, represents a second video image sequence having a quality that is higher than said base bitstream.