Methods and systems for use in maintaining media data quality upon conversion to a different data format

• US 8,392,826 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROVI Product Corporation (Xperi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sonic Solutions (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Randall, Bruce W., Taylor, James H., Ely, Mark N., Oetzel, Kenneth G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHAU T
• Application Number:
  US12/491,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 715248-250
• US Class Current: 715/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• 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 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression
• 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 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• 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

Abstract

The present embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for use in maintaining data quality upon conversion to a different data format. Some embodiments provide methods that receive media data in a first format, initiate a first conversion of the media data at the first format to a second converted format, identify parameters dictating the conversion to the second converted format, record the parameters, and distribute the recorded parameters to remote systems such that the parameters at least in part control the remote systems during a conversion of the media data to the second converted format.

Claims

1. A method for use in converting multimedia content, comprising:

receiving media data in a first format;

initiating a first conversion of the media data at the first format to a second converted format;

evaluating the media data converted to the second converted format;

identifying, in accordance with the evaluation of the media data converted to the second converted format, parameters dictating the conversion to the second converted format;

recording the parameters;

distributing the recorded parameters to remote systems such that the parameters at least in part control the remote systems during a conversion, at the remote systems, of the media data to the second converted format; and

determining a quality of a first portion of the media data in the second converted format converted while applying a first parameter having a first state;

wherein the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting the first parameter to a second state that is different than the first state, wherein the adjusted first parameter improves data quality of at least the first portion of the media data when the first portion of the media data is converted to the second format upon a subsequent conversion of the first portion of the media data in the first format to the second converted format while applying at least the adjusted first parameter; and

wherein the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter;

wherein the identifying the parameters further comprises determining whether the first portion of the media data in the second converted format, converted to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state, has a quality that exceeds a quality of the first portion of the media data in the second converted format when converted to the second converted format while applying the first parameter in the first state; and

wherein the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter when the first portion of the adjusted media data in the second converted format, converted to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state, has a quality that exceeds the quality of the first portion of the media data in the second converted format when converted to the second converted format while applying the first parameter in the first state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting a set of parameters, prior to the recording of the parameters, to improve the conversion of the media data from the first format to the second converted format;

and

wherein the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted set of parameters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting the set of parameters comprises adjusting video parameters that are utilized to optimize a generation of a video image upon encoding of the media data to the second converted format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting a second parameter, prior to the recording the parameters, to enhance conversion of the media data to the second converted format;

initiating the subsequent conversion of at least the first portion of the media data in the first format to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first and second parameters;

determining whether the quality of at least the first portion of the media data converted to the second converted format during the subsequent conversion has been enhanced relative to at least the first portion of the media data converted to the second converted format achieved during the first conversion; and

wherein the recording comprises recording the adjusted parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting a second parameter, where the adjusted second parameter improves data quality of a second portion of the media data when the second portion of the media data is converted to the second format upon a subsequent conversion of the second portion of the media data to the second converted format while applying at least the adjusted second parameter; and

the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter in relation to the first portion of the media data and recording the adjusted second parameter in relation to the second portion of the media data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving media data in the first format comprises receiving the media data in an original source format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing the recorded parameters comprises distributing the recorded parameters with the media data to the remote systems.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing the recorded parameters comprises streaming the recorded parameters over a network to the remote systems communicationally coupled with the network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating the first conversion comprises decoding at least the first portion of the media data producing decoded media data and encoding the decoded media data according to the second format;

and

the evaluating the media data comprises decoding the the media data in the second converted format and determining the quality of the decoded the media data from the second converted format.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an initial set of parameters associate with the media data in the first format; and

applying the initial set of parameters during the first conversion.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reviewing the initial set of parameters following the evaluating of the media data converted to the second converted format;

determining that a second parameter is set in the initial set of parameters; and

preventing action relative to the second parameter.

12. A method for use in converting multimedia content, comprising:

receiving media data in a first format;

initiating a first conversion of the media data at the first format to a second converted format;

evaluating the media data converted to the second converted format;

identifying, in accordance with the evaluation of the media data converted to the second converted format, parameters dictating the conversion to the second converted format;

recording the parameters;

distributing the recorded parameters to remote systems such that the parameters at least in part control the remote systems during a conversion, at the remote systems, of the media data to the second converted format; and

determining a quality of a first portion of the media data in the second converted format converted while applying a first parameter having a first state;

wherein the identifying the parameters comprises adjusting the first parameter to a second state that is different than the first state, wherein the adjusted first parameter improves data quality of at least the first portion of the media data when the first portion of the media data is converted to the second format upon a subsequent conversion of the first portion of the media data in the first format to the second converted format while applying at least the adjusted first parameter; and

wherein the recording the parameters comprises recording the adjusted first parameter;

wherein the identifying the parameters further comprises;

initiating a segment re-encode of at least the first portion of the media data at the first converted format to the second converted format while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state; and

determining whether the re-encoded first portion of the media data, re-encoded while applying the adjusted first parameter in the second state has a quality that exceeds the quality of the first portion of the media data in the second converted format when converted to the second converted format while applying the first parameter in the first state.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

converting the media data in the first format to a third converted format; and

the distributing comprises distributing the recorded parameters and the media data in the third converted format to the remote systems to be used by remote systems in playing back the media data.