Video quality of service management and constrained fidelity constant bit rate video encoding systems and method

• US 8,780,717 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Sean T., Brydon, Neil W., Hunt, Danny R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moutaouakil, Mounir
• Application Number:
  US11/859,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20080075163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,489 Days
• Field of Search: 370226-240, 370252-253, 37524001-24011
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/10 using adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/149 by estimating the code amount by means of a model, e.g. mathematical model or statistical model
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• 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 19/159 Prediction type, e.g. intra-frame, inter-frame or bidirectional frame prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/184 the unit being bits, e.g. of the compressed video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/196 being specially adapted for the computation of encoding parameters, e.g. by averaging previously computed encoding parameters processing of motion vectors H04N19/513
• 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

Abstract

A constrained variable rate coding technique limits the number of bits used in an encoding process. A quality setting indicates a maximum level of quality to be used in the encoding process which limits the number of bits used in the encoding process. A bandwidth reclamation factor which indicates an amount of bandwidth to conserve may also be used with the quality setting. The constrained variable rate coding technique using a lower quality encoding process for less complex video data and a higher quality encoding technique for higher quality video data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for coding video data comprising:

a quality setting adjustment unit configured to adjust parameters used to modify video data, the parameters including a maximum coding quality setting;

a preprocessing unit responsive to the quality adjustment unit to modify the video data;

a coding precision unit which is configured to adjust a number of bits used in a coding operation for coding the video data;

a core coding unit receiving data from the preprocessing unit, the coding precision unit responsive to the coding precision unit to encode the video data at a constant bit rate,

wherein the coding precision unit receives the maximum quality setting from the quality setting adjustment unit which indicates a maximum coding quality to be used on the video data, and

wherein the quality setting adjustment unit receives a bandwidth reclamation factor that indicates an amount of bandwidth to be made available on average that is used to determine the maximum coding quality setting,

the apparatus further including at least one memory device for storing code that is executed by at least one processor controlling the quality setting adjustment unit, the preprocessing unit, the coding precision unit and the core coding unit to enable the configuration and the responsiveness provided by each respective one of the units.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth reclamation factor provides greater bandwidth reclamation for simple video sequences than for complex video sequences.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing unit modifies the video data to change at least one of spatial, temporal and chromatic details so as to change a rate that the core encoding unit produces bits.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing unit reduces coding complexity needed for the video data in the core coding unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing unit can perform at least one of the functions including noise reduction, and horizontal and vertical scaling.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the core encoder will produce less than a target bit rate even though it is configured to produce the constant bit rate when the video is simple enough because the maximum quality setting will limit bits used by the encoder.

7. An apparatus for coding video data comprising:

a video analyzer unit which is configured to determine the coding complexity of the video data and provide a video complexity factor;

a quality setting adjustment unit which receives a bandwidth reclamation factor that indicates an amount of bandwidth to be made available and also receives a video complexity factor from the video analyzer unit, the quality setting adjustment unit configured to provide a maximum quality setting;

a coding precision unit which is configured to adjust a number of bits used in a coding operation for coding the video data,

a core coding unit responsive to the coding precision unit which is configured to encode at a constant bit rate,

wherein the coding precision unit receives the maximum quality setting which indicates a maximum coding quality to be used on the video data from the quality setting adjustment unit,

the apparatus further including at least one memory device for storing code that is executed by at least one processor controlling the video analyzer unit, the quality setting adjustment unit, the coding precision unit and the core coding unit to enable the configuration provided by each respective one of the units.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the bandwidth reclamation factor provides greater bandwidth reclamation for simple video sequences than for complex video sequences.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the maximum quality setting is different for each picture type, including I type, P type and B type pictures.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the maximum quality setting is higher for the I type pictures, followed by the P type pictures and then the B type pictures in that order.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the quality setting adjustment unit comprises the following that provide data for determining the maximum quality setting:

a coding fidelity adjustment unit which is configured to produce a coding fidelity adjustment parameter, the coding fidelity adjustment unit receiving the bandwidth reclamation factor that indicates an amount of bandwidth to be made available on average,

a video analysis adjustment unit which is configured to produce a video analysis adjustment parameter,

a composite quality adjustment unit which is configured to produce a composite quality adjustment parameter from a coding fidelity parameter, a video analysis adjustment parameter, and optionally a rate control adjustment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a rate control adjustment unit which is configured to produce a rate control adjustment parameter, the rate control adjustment unit receiving rate control data from an encoding, decoding or transcoding process,

wherein the composite quality adjustment unit produces the composite quality adjustment parameter from the rate control adjustment unit.