Method and device for establishing a coded output video stream from at least two coded input video streams and use of the device and coded input video stream

• US 8,811,482 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Amon, Peter, Hutter, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adrovel, William
• Application Number:
  US12/734,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 375/240.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/157 Assigned coding mode, i.e. the coding mode being predefined or preselected to be further used for selection of another element or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/174 the region being a slice, e.g. a line of blocks or a group of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64792 Controlling the complexity of the content stream, e.g. by dropping packets intermediate media network packet handling H04L65/765; proxy provisioning conversion or adaptation for reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data H04L67/5651; negotiation of resources in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

Second images coded in a coded output video stream are generated for the visual display of image contents of first images coded in multiple coded input video streams, such that first coded image data of the coded input video streams are copied into second coded image data of the coded output video stream.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a coded output video stream from at least two coded input video streams, for joint representation of a first picture of each of the coded input video streams in a second picture of the coded output video stream, the coded output video stream and the coded input video streams having an identical color format, an identical bit resolution per coded pixel and an identical picture scanning, and are coded using an identical video coding method that has at least one coding mode in which second coded picture data describing the second picture of the coded output video stream can be divided into separable coded sub-picture data, comprising:

receiving the coded input video streams, each including first coded picture data and first signaling data containing first signaling parameters providing first administrative information of the coded input video streams, the first coded picture data in each case having picture information coded for the first picture;

producing the coded output video stream, including the second coded picture data, second control data and second signaling data containing second signaling parameters providing second administrative information of the coded output video stream, the second coded picture data being produced by copying one portion of the first coded picture data of first pictures to be shown simultaneously into one of the coded sub-picture data of the second picture, and the second signaling data being generated at least partly based on the first signaling data;

analyzing corresponding first signaling parameters of appropriate coded input video streams for whether an identical parameter value is present; and

assigning the identical parameter value to the second signaling parameter corresponding to analyzed first signaling parameters, when the corresponding first signaling parameters have the identical parameter value, thereby reducing an output data volume of the coded output video stream compared with a total data volume of the coded input video streams.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coded input video streams each have multiple first pictures, and

further comprising establishing the coded output video stream by generating for each second picture, the second signaling data and second coded picture data from a picture pair of the coded input video streams, based on the first coded picture data and the first signaling data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein for each second picture, the coded sub-picture data are arranged vertically with upper and lower coded sub-picture data and the second signaling parameters of the second signaling data are generated for the lower coded sub-picture data so that a first address of a top left macroblock of the lower coded sub-picture data is generated from a second address, which is higher by a value of one, of a bottom left macroblock of the upper coded sub-picture data.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

analyzing, for each first picture, a first signaling parameter describing an offset of a quantization parameter in the first signaling data; and

if at least two first signaling parameters are found to be different by said analyzing thereof,

determining a difference value of the at least two first signaling parameters,

inserting the difference value, as a further signaling parameter, into one of the second signaling parameters of the second signaling data, and

assigning the further signaling parameter to coded sub-picture data in which addition of the analyzed signaling parameter into the first signaling data corresponds to the difference value of another of the first signaling parameters.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

analyzing, in the first signaling data, maximum number signaling parameters, each describing a maximum number of reference pictures to be taken into account in the coded input stream;

selecting a highest signaling parameter from the maximum number signaling parameters; and

inserting the highest signaling parameter into the second signaling data.

6. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

analyzing, in the first signaling data, an appropriate signaling parameter describing one of an explicit control and an implicit control of a deblocking filter; and

inserting as the second signaling parameters, if both explicit and implicit control are indicated by said analyzing, explicit signaling into the second signaling data belonging to the coded sub-picture data.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising selecting a first picture of the coded input video streams to establish the second coded picture data for the second picture, where the first coded picture data belonging to the first pictures is present in only one identical prediction mode selected from among INTER coding, INTRA coding and bidirectional coding.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a video coding method used is a slice mode, and

wherein said method further comprises assigning a slice to each of the coded sub-picture data according to the slice mode.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a video coding method used is a slice group mode, and

wherein said method further comprises assigning a slice group to each of the coded sub-picture data according to the slice group mode.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of ITU H.264, ITU H.263 and SVC standards is used as a video coding method.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the video coding method used is a standard ITU H.264, in which a slice group mode is used to form the coded sub-picture data.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the coded input video streams are generated by extraction of Base Layer Information from SVC-coded input streams.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the coded input video streams are generated from SVC-coded input streams based on Base Layer Information and at least one item of Enhancement Layer Information, where the Base and Enhancement Layer Information having an identical structure with respect to local and Signal-to-Noise Ratio layers.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising establishing the coded output video stream using at least one of the coded input video streams, each of which have a prediction signaling parameter indicating that a prediction for coding the first picture exclusively within a picture border of the first picture has been carried out.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the prediction signaling parameter is generated as follows, using an SEI message according to video coding standard H.264:

mixing_info (payloadSize) {constraint_inter_pred_flag}

where the “

payloadSize”

field describes a size of the SEI message, and a specifiable value of the “

constraint_inter_pred_flag”

field indicates that a prediction for coding the first picture exclusively within the picture border of the first picture has been carried out.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the administrative information includes at least one of picture size, picture number and quantization parameters.

17. A device for establishing a coded output video stream from at least two coded input video streams, for joint representation of a first picture of each of the coded input video streams in a second picture of the coded output video stream, the coded output video stream and the coded input video streams having an identical color format, an identical bit resolution per coded pixel and an identical picture scanning, and are coded using an identical video coding method that has at least one coding mode in which second coded picture data describing the second picture of the coded output video stream can be divided into separable coded sub-picture data, comprising:

means for receiving the coded input video streams, each including first coded picture data and first signaling data containing first signaling parameters providing first administrative information of the coded input video streams, the first coded picture data in each case having picture information coded for the first picture;

means for producing the coded output video stream, including the second coded picture data, second control data and second signaling data containing second signaling parameters providing second administrative information of the coded input video streams, the second coded picture data being produced by copying one portion of the first coded picture data of first pictures to be shown simultaneously into one of the coded sub-picture data of the second picture, and the second signaling data being generated at least partly based on the first signaling data;

means for analyzing corresponding first signaling parameters of appropriate coded input video streams for whether an identical parameter value is present, and

means for assigning the identical parameter value to the second signaling parameter corresponding to analyzed first signaling parameters, when the corresponding first signaling parameters have the identical parameter value, thereby reducing an output data volume of the coded output video stream compared with a total data volume of the coded input video streams.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the device is in a video conference control unit connected to at least two terminals, and

wherein the device further comprises an interface connecting said means for receiving and producing to the at least two terminals.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein the administrative information includes at least one of picture size, picture number and quantization parameters.

20. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions to encode at least two coded input video streams, each including first coded picture data, and first signaling data containing first signaling parameters providing first administrative information of the coded input video streams, including a signaling parameter indicating a prediction for coding a first picture exclusively within a picture border of the first picture, the first coded picture data in each case having picture information coded for the first picture, used for establishing a coded output video stream from the at least two coded input video streams, for joint representation of a first picture of each of the coded input video streams in a second picture of the coded output video stream, the coded output video stream and the coded input video streams having an identical color format, an identical bit resolution per coded pixel and an identical picture scanning, and are coded using an identical video coding method that has at least one coding mode in which second coded picture data describing the second picture of the coded output video stream can be divided into separable coded sub-picture data, said instructions causing at least one processor to execute a method comprising:

producing the second coded picture data by copying one portion of the first coded picture data of first pictures to be shown simultaneously into one of the coded sub-picture data of the second picture, and second signaling data containing second signaling parameters providing second administrative information of the coded input video streams generated at least partly based on the first signaling data;

analyzing corresponding first signaling parameters of appropriate coded input video streams for whether an identical parameter value is present; and

assigning the identical parameter value to the second signaling parameter corresponding to analyzed first signaling parameters, when the corresponding first signaling parameters have the identical parameter value, thereby reducing an output data volume of the coded output video stream compared with a total data volume of the coded input video streams.