CONSTRAINED FIDELITY ADAPTIVE BIT RATE ENCODING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130179589A1
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Sean T., Magee, Mark R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,516,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 19/40 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 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

This disclosure describes and adaptive bit rate encoding and distribution techniques for conserving bandwidth usage in a channel. The invention comprises, an encoder or transcoder, a video fragmenter, a video-quality analyzer that output complexity values, a streaming server, a process by which individual fragments are selected for distribution, a video-quality threshold, and, optionally a bandwidth reclamation factor. A video-quality analyzer inspects any combination of the input and output of the encoder, transcoder, or fragmenter, and produces a video-quality metric for each fragment. A fragment-selection process responds to request from a client device. If the video-quality value of the fragment requested exceeds the video-quality threshold, a different fragment having a lower vide-quality value is selected instead. Otherwise, the fragment that would have been selected is selected. In some embodiments, the video-quality threshold can be dynamically adjusted to permit varying amounts of bandwidth reclamation.

Claims

1. A method for joint management of video quality and bandwidth in adaptive bitrate streaming, the method comprising:

encoding base band, via an encoder, or pre-encoding video to produce one or more bit streams;

creating chunks or fragments, via a fragmenter, consistent with one or more adaptive streaming protocols;

inspecting any combination of the input and output of the encoder, a transcoder, or fragmenter; and

producing a video-quality metric for each fragment,

wherein a fragment-selection process responds to request from a client device,

wherein if the video-quality value of the fragment requested exceeds the video-quality threshold, a different fragment having a lower vide-quality value is selected instead,

wherein otherwise, the fragment that would have been selected is selected.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein individual fragments are recombined and

repackaged into an unfragmented real time delivery protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality threshold is dynamically adjusted to permit varying amounts of bandwidth reclamation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric can be determined by inspection of bitstreams or fragments to discover quantization coefficients.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric can be determined by analysis of motion vectors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric can be determined by analysis of the level of spatial detail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric can be determined by one of full-reference, partial-reference, and no-reference video-quality assessment techniques.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric can be determined by analysis of coding complexity

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric can be determined by a model of human visual perception

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric is determined on-the-fly (at the same time or near the same time that a request for a fragment is processed.).

11. The method claim 1, wherein the video-quality metric is determined ahead of time and stored in a manner that associates individual video-quality metrics with individual fragments.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein individual fragments are recombined and repackaged into an MPEG2 transport stream.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the system further comprises a bandwidth reclamation factor.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the system further comprises a process of storing and associating video-quality metrics and fragments.

16. , The system of claim 12, the system further comprising a process for combining and/or repackaging individual fragments.

17. The system of claim 12, the system further comprising a process for distributing fragments to HTTP clients.

18. The system of claim 12, the system further comprising a process for distributing repackaged fragments to MPEG2 TS clients.

19. The system of claim 12, the system further comprising a process for distributing to HTTP clients and to MPEG2 TS clients.

13. A system, the system comprising:

an encoder or transcoder for receiving media content;

a video fragmenter, for dividing the content into fragments;

a video-quality analyzer that output complexity values for logically dividing the media content into fragments;

a streaming server,

a process by which individual fragments are selected for distribution,

a video-quality threshold.