Device and method for compression of a video stream

• US 7,602,847 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pixelworks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Laksono, Indra
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/819,147
• Time in Patent Office: 3,122 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.09, 348/699, 375/240.12, 375/240.16, 375/240.24, 375/240.25
• US Class Current: 375/240.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/139 Analysis of motion vectors, e.g. their magnitude, direction, variance or reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

A video processing device and method for a video system is provided. The device creates downscaled compressed video stream data from an original compressed video stream. The device accomplishes this and achieves a large saving in processor and memory bandwidth by reusing motion vectors derived during the decompression process.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a video decoder to receive a video input stream having a plurality of first motion vectors, the video decoder to provide decoded video and the plurality of first motion vectors associated with the video input stream;

a first memory coupled to the video decoder to store the plurality of first motion vectors;

a scaler coupled to receive the decoded video and to provide a scaled video; and

an encoder coupled to the scaler and the first memory to provide a compressed representation of the scaled video using the first motion vectors saved in the first memory, the encoder having a vector generation portion that provides second motion vectors based on the plurality of first motion vectors saved in the first memory, the second motion vectors including a specific motion vector based on a most frequently occurring motion vector selected from the plurality of first motion vectors by a tie breaking function using a random method or a predetermined selection pattern.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second memory coupled to the video decoder to store a representation of the decoded video.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the representation of the decoded video is the decoded video.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the scaler is a down-scaler.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the video input is an MPEG data input stream.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first memory comprises a hard drive.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first memory coupled to the video decoder is to store all motion vectors used to build a frame of the video input stream.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a scaling input to indicate an amount of scaling to be implemented by the scaler.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the video decoder is to receive the video input stream having a first set of motion vectors representing a first frame of video, the plurality of first motion vectors being at least a portion of the first set of motion vectors; and

a second set of motion vectors representing a second frame of video; and

the first memory coupled to the video decoder is to simultaneously store the first set of motion vectors and the second set of motion vectors.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the decoder and encoder are part of a transcoder processor.

11. A method comprising:

determining, at a decoder, a plurality of first motion vectors associated with a compressed first video image;

storing the plurality of first motion vectors;

generating one or more second motion vectors including a specific motion vector based on a most frequent occurring motion vector selected from the plurality of first motion vectors by a tie breaking function using a random method or predetermined selection; and

,

at an encoder, generating a compressed second video image based upon the one or more second motion vectors, wherein the compressed second video image is a scaled representation of the first video image.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

storing a representation of the first video image after determining; and

wherein generating a compressed second video image includes generating the compressed second video image based on the one or more second motion vectors and a third video image, wherein the second video image is a representation of the first video image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the representation is a scaled-down representation.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a number of motion vectors in the one or more second motion vectors that represents the second video image is different than a number of vectors in the plurality of first motion vectors that represent the first video image, and wherein the second video image is a representation of the first video image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the number of motion vectors in the one or more second motion vectors is less than the number of vectors in the plurality of first motion vectors.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the storing the plurality of first motion vectors includes storing the first motion vectors on a hard drive.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of first motion vectors include all motion vectors used to build a frame of the compressed first video image.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a scaling indicator to indicate an amount of scaling to be applied to the compressed second video image.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein storing the plurality of first motion vectors further indicating the plurality of first motion vectors in response to a mode indicator being in a first state.