Efficient video decoding migration for multiple graphics processor systems

• US 8,330,762 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Grossman, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tseng, Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/960,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 345502-506
• US Class Current: 345/502
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/127 Prioritisation of hardware or computational resources
• 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 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention as described herein provide a solution to the problems of conventional methods as stated above. In the following description, various examples are given for illustration, but none are intended to be limiting. Embodiments include a frame processor module in a graphics processing system that examines the intra-coded and inter-coded frames in an encoded video stream and initiates migration of decoding and rendering functions to a second graphics processor from a first graphics processor based on the location of intra-coded frames in a video stream and the composition of intermediate inter-coded frames.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of graphics processing units each providing rendered graphics data to one or more users;

an input circuit receiving video stream data from a data store, the data including one or more individual encoded video streams, each encoded video stream of the one or more individual encoded video streams organized into groups of frames including intra-coded frames that are decoded without information from other frames within a group, and inter-coded frames that are decoded using information from at least one other frame within the group; and

a frame processing component;

examining a received video stream for a first graphics processing unit;

initiating decoding of the received video stream on a second graphics processing unit upon receipt of a data migration signal, wherein the data migration signal is received upon a triggering event selected from the group consisting of;

failure of the first graphics processing unit, scheduled maintenance of the first graphics processing unit, and excessive workload sustained by the first graphics processing unit;

decoding and rendering the video stream by the second graphics processing unit upon receipt of a successive intra-coded frame of the video stream if an amount of time between the triggering event and the successive intra-coded frame does not exceed a defined threshold time value; and

stopping decoding of the received video stream on the first graphics processing unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein if the time between the triggering event and the successive intra-coded frame exceeds the defined threshold time value, the video stream is rendered by the first graphics processing unit, all frames from a first intra-coded frame are decoded by the second graphics processing unit, and the video stream is decoded and rendered by the second graphics processing unit when the second graphics processing unit and the first graphics processing unit simultaneously decode a same frame in the video stream.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein if the time between the triggering event and the successive intra-coded frame exceeds the defined threshold time value, the video stream is transmitted to both the first graphics processing unit and the second graphics processing unit, and wherein the video stream is decoded and rendered by the second graphics processing unit based on conditional logic rules and a type of a next successive inter-coded frame.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the frame processing component determines an identity of reference frames required by a successive inter-coded frame, a relative time difference between a time required to copy a portion of the received video stream to the second graphics processing unit and a time required to decode a next frame of the portion of the received video stream in the second graphics processing unit, and an amount of copy bandwidth available for migration to the second graphics processing unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein if the successive inter-coded frame is a bi-directional type frame, the portion of the video stream is copied to the second graphics processing unit if the copy time is faster than a decode time on the second graphics processing unit by a defined factor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the encoded video stream data comprises MPEG compressed video stream data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the intra-coded frame comprises an MPEG I-frame, and wherein the inter-coded frames comprise MPEG P-frames and B-frames.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the graphics processing units are coupled to a host central processing unit over an interface bus in a graphics processing subsystem of a computing device, and wherein the computing device is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal computer, a workstation, a handheld computing device, a digital television, a media playback device, and a game console.

9. A method for migrating digital video stream decoding from a first graphics processing unit (GPU) to a second GPU, comprising:

receiving a notification that migration from the first GPU to the second GPU is required;

analyzing a video stream rendered by the first GPU and organized into groups of frames including intra-coded frames that are decoded without information from other frames within a group, and inter-coded frames that are decoded using information from at least one other frame within the group, to determine an amount of time between a migration trigger event and a next intra-coded frame, wherein the trigger event is selected from the group consisting of;

failure of the first GPU, scheduled maintenance of the first GPU, and excessive bandwidth consumption by the first GPU;

initiating decoding of the received video stream on a second GPU upon receipt of a data migration signal upon occurrence of the migration trigger event;

comparing an amount of time between the triggering event and a successive intra-coded frame of the video stream with a defined threshold time value;

determining an identity of reference frames required by a successive inter-coded frame of the video stream;

determining an amount of copy bandwidth available to copy at least a portion of the received video stream from the first GPU to the second GPU;

determining a relative difference between a time required to copy the portion of the received video stream to the second GPU and a time required to decode a next frame of the portion of the received video stream in the second GPU; and

stopping decoding of the received video stream on the first GPU.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein if the time between the triggering event and the successive intra-coded frame does not exceed the defined threshold time value, the video stream is decoded and rendered by the second GPU upon receipt of the successive intra-coded frame.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein if the time between the triggering event and the successive intra-coded frame exceeds the defined threshold time value, the video stream is rendered by the first GPU, all frames from a first intra-coded frame are decoded by the second GPU, and the video stream is decoded and rendered by the second GPU when the second GPU and the first GPU simultaneously decode a same frame in the video stream.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein if the time between the triggering event and the successive intra-coded frame exceeds the defined threshold time value, the video stream is transmitted to both the first GPU and the second GPU, and wherein the video stream is decoded and rendered by the second GPU based on conditional logic rules and a type of a next successive inter-coded frame.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the digital video stream data comprises MPEG compressed video stream data.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the intra-coded frame comprises an MPEG I-frame, and wherein the inter-coded frames comprise MPEG P-frames and B-frames.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the GPUs are coupled to a host central processing unit over an interface bus in a graphics processing subsystem of a computing device, and wherein the computing device is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal computer, a workstation, a handheld computing device, a digital television, a media playback device, and a game console.

16. A method for migrating an MPEG-encoded digital video stream decoding from a first graphics processing unit (GPU) to a second GPU, comprising:

receiving a notification that migration from the first GPU to the second GPU is required;

analyzing the video stream as organized into groups of frames including I-frames, P-frames and B-frames, to determine an amount of time between a migration trigger event and a next I-frame;

determining a frame type of a next frame to be processed by the first GPU, and initiating decoding of the video stream on the second GPU and migration of the video stream to the second GPU based on an amount of time between the migration trigger event and the next I-frame, an amount of copy bandwidth available, and an identity of reference frames required by the next frame;

if the next frame is a P-frame and if the time to the next I-frame is less than a defined threshold time;

decoding a remainder of a portion of the video stream on the first GPU; and

migrating the remainder of the entire video stream to the second GPU starting with the next I-frame; and

stopping decoding of the received video stream on the first GPU.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein, if the time to the next I-frame is greater than the defined threshold time, the method comprises:

copying a previously decoded P-frame to the second GPU; and

decoding the previously decoded P-frame on the second GPU.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein, if the next frame is a B-frame, the method further comprises:

determining if the B-frame is dependent on an I-frame or a P-frame; and

determining whether a time required to copy a remaining portion of the video stream is less than a time required to decode a block of the portion of the video stream in the second GPU by a defined threshold value.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, if the B-frame is not dependent on an I-frame, and the time required to copy the remaining portion of the video stream is less than the threshold value, the method further comprises:

migrating the video stream to the second GPU starting with a second reference frame; and

decoding the B-frame on the second GPU.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein, if the B-frame is not dependent on an I-frame, and the time required to copy the remaining portion of the video stream is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the method further comprises:

copying a first decoded reference frame to the second GPU;

migrating the video stream to the second GPU starting with a second reference frame; and

decoding the second reference frame and the B-frame on the second GPU.