Method and device for determining the value of a delay to be applied between sending a first dataset and sending a second dataset

• US 8,347,342 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Le Leannec, Fabrice, Onno, Patrice, Henocq, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): RABOVIANSKI, JIVKA A
• Application Number:
  US12/674,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 725/94, 725/62, 725/86, 725/110, 370/240.18, 370/240.25
• US Class Current: 725/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/33 in the spatial 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 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and to a device for determining the value of a delay to be applied between sending a first dataset and sending a second dataset, the data being representative of a sequence of coded images, the datasets consisting of data subsets, the coded images being coded according to a first level of resolution and at least a second level of resolution higher than the first level of resolution, the data subsets containing data of a first level of resolution. According to the invention:

• • first and second datasets are obtained (E506); and
  • the value of the delay is determined (E507), the value of the delay being dependent on the number of decoded images that can be formed from the data subsets of the first dataset which contain data of the second or of a second level of resolution.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a device for determining a value of a delay to be applied between sending a first packet and sending a second packet from a sender device to a receiver device over a network, comprising:

obtaining data corresponding respectively to the first and second packets, the packets containing the data corresponding to NAL (Network Abstract Layer) units, which data is representative of a sequence of coded images, the coded images being coded according to a first level of resolution and at least a second level of resolution higher than the first level of resolution and the NAL units containing data of a single level of resolution; and

determining the value of the delay to be applied between sending of the first and second packets, from the receiver device to the sender device over the network, the value of the delay being dependent on a number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet, which NAL units contain data of the second level of resolution.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the value of the delay is dependent on the number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet which contain data of the first level of resolution.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the value of the delay is furthermore dependent on the maximum rate of reproduction of the decoded images on a display means.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the levels of resolution are levels of spatial or quality resolution and in that the value of the delay is dependent on the number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet which contain data of the second level of spatial or quality resolution.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the NAL units of each packet are ordered and in that the value of the delay is a minimum if the first NAL unit included in the second packet contributes to the formation of the same decoded image as the first NAL unit included in the first packet.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting each NAL unit of the first packet containing data contributing to the formation of an image for which the previous NAL units do not contribute to the formation; and

for each NAL unit detected, incrementing the value of a counter associated with the level of resolution of the data contained in the NAL unit detected, and

wherein the value of the delay is dependent on the number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet which contain data of the level of resolution of which the associated counter has the maximum value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sequence of coded images is decomposed into first and second groups of coded images, the first and second packets containing data representative of the first group of coded images, and wherein the further method comprises:

obtaining data of NAL units corresponding to a third packet; and

if the NAL units contained in the third packet are representative of the first group of images, determining the value of the delay to be applied between sending the second packet and sending the third packet or, if the NAL units contained in the third packet are representative of the second group of images, determining the value of the delay to be applied between sending the first packet and sending the third packet.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the sequence of the coded images is furthermore coded according to a first level of temporal resolution and at least one second level of temporal resolution higher than the first level of temporal resolution and in that, if the NAL units contained in the third packet are representative of the second group of images, the value of the delay to be applied between sending the first packet and sending the third packet is a function of the first level of temporal resolution.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the NAL units corresponding to the packets are obtained so as to contain a quantity of data below a predetermined threshold.

10. A device for determining a value of a delay to be applied between sending a first packet and sending a second packet from a sender device to a receiver device over a network, comprising:

a processor and a memory;

obtaining means for obtaining data corresponding respectively to the first and second packets, the packets containing the data corresponding to NAL (Network Abstract Layer) units, which data is representative of a sequence of coded images, the coded images being coded according to a first level of resolution and at least a second level of resolution higher that the first level of resolution and the NAL units containing data of a single level of resolution; and

determining means for determining the value of the delay to be applied between sending of the first and second packets, from the receiver device to the sender device over the network, the value of the delay being dependent on a number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet, which contain data of the second level of resolution.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable information medium storing a program, which, when it is loaded into and executed by a computer or a processor in a device, allows the device to implement a method for determining a value of a delay to be applied between sending a first packet and sending a second packet from a sender device to a receiver device over a network, the program comprising code to perform the steps of:

obtaining data corresponding respectively to the first and second packets, the packets containing the data corresponding to NAL (Network Abstract Layer) units, which data is representative of a sequence of coded images, the coded images being coded according to a first level of resolution and at least a second level of resolution higher than the first level of resolution and the NAL units containing data of a single level of resolution; and

determining the value of the delay to be applied between sending of the first and second packets, from the receiver device to the sender device over the network, the value of the delay being dependent on a number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet, which NAL units contain data of the second level of resolution.

12. A device for determining a value of a delay to be applied between sending a first packet and sending a second packet from a sender device to a receiver device over a network, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing code of a computer executable program that, when executed by the processor, causes the device to;

obtain data corresponding respectively to the first and second packets, the packets containing the data corresponding to NAL (Network Abstract Layer) units, which data is representative of a sequence of coded images, the coded images being coded according to a first level of resolution and at least a second level of resolution higher than the first level of resolution and the NAL units containing data of a single level of resolution; and

determine the value of the delay to be applied between sending the first and second packets, from the receiver device to the sender device over the network, the value of the delay being dependent on a number of decoded images that can be formed from the NAL units of the first packet which contain data of the second level of resolution.