Video converter and computer program for executing said video converter

• US 7,212,570 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Junichi, Yamaguchi, Muneaki, Akiyama, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Shawn S.
• Application Number:
  US10/366,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20040076232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.01, 375/240.25, 375/240.26, 375/240.13, 375/240.12, 375/240.15, 375/240.14, 382/233, 382/235, 382/238, 382/236
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• 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 19/139 Analysis of motion vectors, e.g. their magnitude, direction, variance or reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/157 Assigned coding mode, i.e. the coding mode being predefined or preselected to be further used for selection of another element or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/194 involving only two passes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/577 Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/587 involving temporal sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. decimation or subsequent interpolation of pictures in a video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A video converter for converting a coding format of a great deal of video contents has three kinds of conversion modes including a conversion mode for performing conversion in two steps in accordance with the kinds of input pictures so that a converting operation can be completed within a limit time set in advance.

Claims

1. A re-encoding method in which data constituted by various kinds of pictures encoded by a first encoding method is re-encoded by a second encoding method, said re-encoding method including the steps of:

acquiring encoded data constituted by said various kinds of pictures;

receiving conversion time from input means;

selecting one of a plurality of re-encoding modes in accordance with the conversion time;

re-encoding said encoded data in the selected mode; and

storing said re-encoded data in storage means,

wherein said plurality of re-encoding modes includes a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode,

wherein said first mode extracts/decodes a predetermined kind of pictures from said various kinds of pictures and applies said second encoding method to said predetermined kind of pictures,

wherein said second mode applies said second encoding method to pictures other than said extracted predetermined kind of pictures after said predetermined kind of pictures are encoded, and

wherein said third mode applies said second encoding method to said acquired encoded data in acquiring order.

2. A re-encoding method according to claim 1, wherein:

said acquiring step further includes acquiring a plurality of pieces of encoded data;

said re-encoding method further includes setting priority of each of said plurality of pieces of encoded data; and

said mode selection step further includes selecting a mode in accordance with said priority of each of said plurality of pieces of encoded data.

3. A re-encoding method according to claim 2, wherein said mode selection step further includes selecting a mode based on comparison between said input conversion time as limit time and conversion time calculated on an assumption that said acquired encoded data is applied to each of said three modes.

4. A re-encoding method according to claim 3, wherein:

said first mode discriminates the kind of said acquired data, skips pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures and records information of the skipping as profile information in a storage unit; and

said second mode performs said second encoding method based on said profile information read.

5. A re-encoding method according to claim 2, wherein:

said first mode discriminates the kind of said acquired data, skips pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures, and records information of the skipping as profile information in a storage unit; and

said second mode performs said second encoding method based on said profile information read.

6. A re-encoding method according to claim 5, wherein said profile information includes:

information concerning a condition for said conversion;

information concerning a source where said encoded data is acquired and a destination where said encoded data after conversion is output; and

information concerning a pointer of a picture referred to at the time of applying said second encoding method to pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures and a position where said pictures encoded by said second encoding method are inserted.

7. A re-encoding method according to claim 1, wherein said mode selection step further includes selecting a mode based on a comparison between said input conversion time as limit time and conversion time calculated on an assumption that said acquired encoded data is applied to each of said three modes.

8. A re-encoding method according to claim 7, wherein:

said first mode discriminates the kind of said acquired data, skips pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures, and records information of the skipping as profile information in a storage unit; and

said second mode performs said second encoding method based on said profile information read.

9. A re-encoding method according to claim 8, wherein said profile information includes:

information concerning a condition for said conversion;

information concerning a source where said encoded data is acquired and a destination where said encoded data after conversion is output; and

information concerning a pointer of a picture referred to at the time of applying said second encoding method to pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures and a position where said pictures encoded by said second encoding method are inserted.

10. A re-encoding method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first mode discriminates the kind of said acquired data, skips pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures, and records information of the skipping as profile information in a storage unit; and

said second mode performs said second encoding method based on said profile information read.

11. A re-encoding method according to claim 10, wherein said profile information includes:

information concerning a condition for said conversion;

information concerning a source where said encoded data is acquired and a destination where said encoded data after conversion is output; and

information concerning a pointer of a picture referred to at the time of applying said second encoding method to pictures other than said predetermined kind of pictures and a position where said pictures encoded by said second encoding method are inserted.

12. A re-encoding system for re-encoding data constituted by various kinds of pictures by a second encoding method, comprising:

a unit for acquiring encoded data constituted by various kinds of pictures encoded by a first encoding method;

input unit for receiving input of conversion time of said encoded data;

a unit for selecting one of a plurality of re-encoding modes in accordance with said conversion time;

a unit for re-encoding said encoded data in said selected mode; and

a unit for outputting said re-encoded data,

wherein said plurality of re-encoding modes includes a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode,

wherein said a first mode extracts/decodes a first kind of pictures from said various kinds of pictures and applies said second encoding method to said first kind of pictures,

wherein said a second mode applies said second encoding method to pictures other than said first kind of pictures after said first kind of pictures are re-encoded,

wherein said a third mode applies said second encoding method to said acquired encoded data in acquiring order, and

wherein said second mode is executed by referring to second picture information generated in said first mode, so that said unit for outputting said re-encoded data also outputs said second picture information.

13. A re-encoding system according to claim 12, further comprising a unit for setting priority of each piece of encoded data when a plurality of pieces of encoded data are acquired through said input unit, wherein said unit for selecting refers to said priority.