Video data playback system using effective scheme for producing coded video data for fast playback mode

• US 5,887,110 A
• Filed: 03/28/1996
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo, Itoh, Kouichi, Sugiyama, Hiroshi, Sakamoto, Hideki, Mori, Tatsuo, Kimiyama, Hiroyuki, Kawaguchi, Tomoaki, Uemori, Akira, Suzuki, Hideharu, Maruyama, Mitsuru, Nishimura, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US08/623,172
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 386/6-8, 386/33, 386/45, 386/68-82, 386/109, 386/111-112, 386/125-126
• US Class Current: 386/326
• 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 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A video data playback system for reproducing requested video data by switching coded video data to be reproduced between normal playback coded video data and fast playback coded video data according to a requested playback mode, where the normal playback coded video data are encoded by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, while the fast playback coded video data are encoded by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding and having a playback bit rate and a frame rate identical to those of the normal playback coded video data. The normal playback coded video data can be obtained by encoding the original video data first, then the fast playback coded video data can be obtained by encoding selectively decoded normal playback coded video data. Alternatively, the normal and fast playback coded video data can be obtained by synchronizing start and end of encoding by the first video coding scheme and encoding by the second video coding scheme.

Claims

1. A method for producing fast playback coded video data for N times faster playback than a normal playback, where N is a natural number, for use in a video data playback system operable in a normal playback mode and a fast playback mode, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) encoding each video frame of original video data by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain normal playback coded video data;

(b) decoding only each coded frame data in every N frames of the normal playback coded video data obtained at the step (a); and

(c) encoding every video frame decoded at the step (b) by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) obtains the fast playback coded video data satisfying the prescribed fast playback bit rate by controlling a number of quantization levels used in encoding.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) obtains the fast playback coded video data with a fast playback bit rate equal to a normal playback bit rate.

4. An apparatus for producing fast playback coded video data for N times faster playback than a normal playback, where N is a natural number, for use in a video data playback system operable in a normal playback mode and a fast playback mode, the apparatus comprising:

a first encoder for encoding each video frame of original video data by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain normal playback coded video data;

a decoder for decoding only each coded frame data in every N frames of the normal playback coded video data obtained by the first encoder; and

a second encoder for encoding every video frame decoded at the decoder by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second encoder obtains the fast playback coded video data satisfying the prescribed fast playback bit rate by controlling a number of quantization levels used in encoding.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second encoder obtains the fast playback coded video data with a fast playback bit rate equal to a normal playback bit rate.

7. A method for producing fast playback coded video data for N times faster playback than a normal playback, where N is a natural number, for use in a video data playback system operable in a normal playback mode and a fast playback mode, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) encoding each video frame of original video data by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain normal playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed normal playback bit rate;

(b) selectively encoding each video frame in every N frames of the original video data by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate; and

(c) synchronizing start and end of encoding at the step (a) and the step (b) so as to obtain the normal playback coded video data and the fast playback coded video data simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) extracts each video frame in every N frames of the original video data first, and then encodes each extracted video frame by the second video coding scheme.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step (b) extracts each video frame in every N frames of the original video data on a basis of a number of entering frames counted in an encoder for applying the second video coding scheme.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step (b) extracts each video frame in every N frames of the original video data on a basis of a prescribed time interval measured in an encoder for applying the second video coding scheme.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) encodes all video frames of the original video data by the second video coding scheme first, and then extracts each coded frame data in every N frames according to a header information provided in each coded frame data.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) obtains the fast playback coded video data satisfying the prescribed fast playback bit rate by controlling a number of quantization levels used in encoding.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) obtains the fast playback coded video data with a fast playback bit rate equal to a normal playback bit rate of the normal playback coded video data obtained by the step (a).

14. An apparatus for producing fast playback coded video data for N times faster playback than a normal playback, where N is a natural number, for use in a video data playback system operable in a normal playback mode and a fast playback mode, the apparatus comprising:

a first encoder for encoding each video frame of original video data by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain normal playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed normal playback bit rate;

a second encoder for selectively encoding each video frame in every N frames of the original video data by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate; and

a control unit for synchronizing start and end of encoding by the first encoder and the second encoder so as to obtain the normal playback coded video data and the fast playback coded video data simultaneously.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second encoder includes:

frame extraction means for extracting each video frame in every N frames of the original video data; and

encoding means for encoding each video frame extracted at the frame extraction means by the second video coding scheme.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the frame extraction means extracts each video frame in every N frames of the original video data on a basis of a number of entering frames counted in the second encoder.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the frame extraction means extracts each video frame in every N frames of the original video data on a basis of a prescribed time interval measured in the second encoder.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second encoder includes:

encoding means for encoding all video frames of the original video data by the second video coding scheme; and

coded data extraction means for extracting each coded frame data in every N frames according to a header information provided in each coded frame data obtained by the encoding means.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second encoder obtains the fast playback coded video data satisfying the prescribed fast playback bit rate by controlling a number of quantization levels used in encoding.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second encoder obtains the fast playback coded video data with a fast playback bit rate equal to a normal playback bit rate of the normal playback coded video data obtained by the first encoder.

21. A method of video data playback in a video data playback system operable in a normal playback mode and a fast playback mode, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) producing and storing normal playback coded video data encoded by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding;

(2) producing and separately storing fast playback coded video data for N times faster playback than a normal playback, where N is a natural number, which are encoded by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding and having a playback bit rate and a frame rate identical to those of the normal playback coded video data produced and stored at the step (1); and

(3) reproducing requested video data by switching coded video data to be reproduced between the normal playback coded video data produced and stored at the step (1) and the fast playback coded video data produced and stored at the step (2) according to a requested playback mode.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the steps (1) and (2) include the steps of:

(a) encoding each video frame of original video data by the first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain the normal playback coded video data;

(b) decoding only each coded frame data in every N frames of the normal playback coded video data obtained at the step (a);

(c) encoding every video frame decoded at the step (b) by the second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the steps (1) and (2) include the steps of:

(a) encoding each video frame of original video data by the first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain the normal playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed normal playback bit rate;

(b) selectively encoding each video frame in every N frames of the original video data by the second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate; and

(c) synchronizing start and end of encoding at the step (a) and the step (b) so as to obtain the normal playback coded video data and the fast playback coded video data simultaneously.

24. A video data playback system operable in a normal playback mode and a fast playback mode, comprising:

first means for producing and storing normal playback coded video data encoded by a first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding;

second means for producing and separately storing fast playback coded video data for N times faster playback than a normal playback, where N is a natural number, which are encoded by a second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding and having a playback bit rate and a frame rate identical to those of the normal playback coded video data produced and stored by the first means; and

third means for reproducing requested video data by switching coded video data to be reproduced between the normal playback coded video data produced and stored by the first means and the fast playback coded video data produced and stored by the second means according to a requested playback mode.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first means and the second means include:

a first encoder for encoding each video frame of original video data by the first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain the normal playback coded video data;

a decoder for decoding only each coded frame data in every N frames of the normal playback coded video data obtained by the first encoder; and

a second encoder for encoding every video frame decoded at the decoder by the second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the first means and the second means include:

a first encoder for encoding each video frame of original video data by the first video coding scheme using both intra-frame coding and inter-frame coding, to obtain the normal playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed normal playback bit rate;

a second encoder for selectively encoding each video frame in every N frames of the original video data by the second video coding scheme using only intra-frame coding, to obtain the fast playback coded video data satisfying a prescribed fast playback bit rate; and

a control unit for synchronizing start and end of encoding by the first encoder and the second encoder so as to obtain the normal playback coded video data and the fast playback coded video data simultaneously.