Video storage

• US 9,300,969 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lindahl, Aram, Li, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOSANYA, OBAFEMI OLUDAYO
• Application Number:
  US12/556,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,393 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/137 Motion inside a coding unit, e.g. average field, frame or block difference
• 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 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for encoding video data are provided. For example, an electronic device for obtaining and encoding video may include image capture circuitry, motion-sensing circuitry, and data processing circuitry. The image capture circuitry may capture an uncompressed video frame, and the motion-sensing circuitry may detect physical motion of the electronic device. The data processing circuitry may encode the uncompressed video frame based at least in part on a quantization parameter, which the data processing circuitry may determine based at least in part on whether the motion-sensing circuitry has detected physical motion of the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a camera to capture an uncompressed video frame;

motion-sensing circuitry to detect physical motion of the electronic device; and

data processing circuitry to encode the uncompressed video frame based at least in part on a quantization parameter, to compare a prediction error of a preceding encoded frame, representing a difference between the encoded frame and a source frame from which the encoded frame was coded, to the detected physical motion for the preceding encoded frame, and to select the quantization parameter based at least in part on the detected physical motion by the motion-sensing circuitry and the prediction error.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the motion-sensing circuitry comprises one or more accelerometers;

magnetometer circuitry;

or Global Positioning System circuitry;

or any combination thereof.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the motion-sensing circuitry detects a quantity of physical motion of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry selects the quantization parameter based at least in part on a quantity of physical motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the predicted error to the detected physical motion is used to determine the degree to which the detected physical motion is used to select the quantization parameter.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the data processing circuitry decreases the degree to which the detected physical motion is used to select the quantization parameter when the predicted error does not correlate with the physical motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry.

30. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the camera and the motion-sensing circuitry are disposed within the same housing.

31. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry selects the quantization parameter based on the degree of motion of the electronic device detected by the motion-sensing circuitry, and the physical motion is detected while the uncompressed video frame is captured by the camera.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, into data processing circuitry, a current uncompressed video frame from a camera and a previously-selected quantization parameter;

encoding, using the data processing circuitry, the current uncompressed video frame based at least in part on the previously-selected quantization parameter to obtain a current encoded video frame; and

selecting, using the data processing circuitry, a subsequent quantization parameter, based on a prediction error of a preceding frame, representing a difference between the encoded frame and a source frame from which the encoded frame was coded, for encoding a future uncompressed video frame from the camera based at least in part on a complexity of the current encoded video frame and a detected physical movement of the camera by motion-sensing circuitry for the current uncompressed video frame.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is selected based at least in part on the detected physical movement of the camera, wherein the detected physical movement of the camera includes a side-to-side motion with respect to the camera, a rotation with respect to the camera, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is selected based at least in part on a quantity of the deleted physical movement of the camera.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is selected to be lower than otherwise when a physical movement of the camera is detected.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is selected to be higher than otherwise when a physical movement of the camera is detected.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is selected based at least in part on a direction of the detected physical movement of the camera.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the subsequent quantization parameter is selected to be lower when a direction of the detected physical movement of the camera is perpendicular to a facial direction of the camera than when the direction of the detected physical movement of the camera is parallel to the facial direction of the camera.

32. The method of claim 7, wherein the camera and the motion-sensing circuitry are disposed within the same housing.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a camera to capture an uncompressed video frame;

motion-sensing circuitry to detect physical motion of the camera; and

data processing circuitry to encode the uncompressed video frame in accordance with a quantization metric and to select the quantization metric, based on a prediction error of a preceding frame, representing a difference between the encoded frame and a source frame from which the encoded frame was coded, and a quantity of physical motion of the camera detected by the motion-sensing circuitry and based on a relationship between historical statistics regarding prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the camera detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and a quantity of motion in prior uncompressed video frames.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry encodes the uncompressed video frame using an encoding technique in compliance with the MPEG-1 standard;

the MPEG-2 standard;

the MPEG-4 standard;

the H.261 standard;

the H.263 standard;

or the H.264 standard;

or any combination thereof.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry selects the quantization metric by selecting from one of a plurality of quantization parameters.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, comprising a memory device to store the historical statistics regarding the prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the camera detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and the quantity of motion in the prior uncompressed video frames.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry determines a relationship between historical statistics regarding the prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the camera detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and the quantity of motion in the prior uncompressed video frames.

19. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data processing circuitry selects the quantization metric by selecting a fewer number of quantization steps than otherwise when the motion-sensing circuitry indicates a quantity of motion of the camera and a relationship exists between the historical statistics regarding the prior-encoded video frames indicating the quantity of physical motion of the camera detected by the motion-sensing circuitry when the prior-encoded video frames were captured and the quantity of motion in the prior uncompressed video frames.

33. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the camera and the motion-sensing circuitry are disposed within the same housing.

34. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the physical motion of the camera is detected while the uncompressed video frame is captured by the camera.

20. A method comprising:

receiving an uncompressed video frame from a camera into data processing circuitry;

receiving a motion-sensing input from motion-sensing circuitry indicating physical movement or non-movement of the camera into the data processing circuitry; and

encoding the uncompressed video frame in the data processing circuitry using a quantization parameter, based on a prediction error of a preceding frame, representing a difference between the encoded frame and a source frame from which the encoded frame was coded, and the motion-sensing input indicating physical movement of a compressed frame preceding the uncompressed video frame and a complexity of the compressed video frame preceding the uncompressed video frame.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded using finer-grained encoding when the motion-sensing input indicates physical movement of the camera than when the motion-sensing input indicates physical non-movement of the camera.

22. The method of claim 20, comprising determining whether the physical movement or non-movement of the camera correlates with or is likely to correlate with motion of the uncompressed video frame, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded based at least in part on the determination of whether the physical movement or non-movement of the camera correlates with or is likely to correlate with motion of the uncompressed video frame.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded using finer-grained encoding than otherwise when the physical movement of non-movement of the camera is determined to correlate with or be likely to correlate with motion of the uncompressed video frame and when the motion-sensing input indicates physical movement of the camera.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded based at least in part on a quantity of physical movement of the camera indicated by the motion-sensing input.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the uncompressed video frame is encoded using finer-grained encoding when the quantity of physical movement of the camera is higher than when the quantity of physical movement of the camera is lower.

35. The method of claim 20, wherein the camera and the motion-sensing circuitry are disposed within the same housing.

36. The method of claim 20, wherein the motion-sensing input from the motion-sensing circuitry indicates a degree of physical movement of the camera, and the physical movement of the camera is detected while the uncompressed video frame is captured by the camera.

26. A system comprising:

a camera to obtain an uncompressed frame of video data;

motion-sensing circuitry to detect physical movements of the camera; and

data processing circuitry to predict a complexity of the uncompressed frame of video data using a quantization parameter, based on a prediction error of a preceding frame, representing a difference between the encoded frame and a source frame from which the encoded frame was coded, and physical movements of the camera detected by the motion-sensing circuitry and a complexity of a prior-encoded frame of video data and to encode the uncompressed frame of video data based at least in part on the predicted complexity of the uncompressed frame of video data based at least in part on the physical movements of the camera.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to predict, all other things being equal, a higher complexity when the motion-sensing circuitry detects physical movements of the camera than when the motion-sensing circuitry does not detect physical movements of the camera.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the data processing circuitry encodes the uncompressed frame of video data using fewer quantization steps when the predicted complexity is higher and using more quantization steps when the predicted complexity is lower.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein a first electronic device comprises the camera and the motion sensing circuitry and wherein a second electronic device comprises the data processing circuitry.

37. The system of claim 26, wherein the camera and the motion-sensing circuitry are disposed within the same housing.