Method for computational graceful degradation in an audiovisual compression system

• US 6,480,628 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Patent Trust
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tan, Thiow Keng
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bayat, Ali
• Application Number:
  US10/092,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20020090136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/233, 382/236, 382/238, 382/243, 382/248, 382/253, 382/251, 382/246, 382/244, 382/250, 382/240
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/127 Prioritisation of hardware or computational resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• 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 19/15 by monitoring actual compressed data size at the memory before deciding storage at 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 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 : Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/45452 : applied to an object-based stream, e.g. MPEG-4 streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 : Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 : specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program

Abstract

A method for encoding a visual object, includes encoding a visual object to obtain compressed coded data, wherein the compressed coded data is obtained through at least one of a plurality of different operations which can be performed on a block by block basis. A descriptor capable of including information of a respective parameter related to the number of times that each of the operations was performed in a unit of blocks is generated, the descriptor associated with a complexity of decoding the compressed coded data. The descriptor is multiplexed with the compressed coded data, wherein the descriptor comprises an identification number identifying a descriptor type, a length field indicating a size of the descriptor, and the parameter.

Claims

1. A method for encoding a visual object, comprising:

encoding a visual object to obtain compressed coded data, wherein the compressed coded data is obtained through at least one of a plurality of different operations which can be performed on a block by block basis;

generating a descriptor capable of including information of a respective parameter related to the number of times that each of said operations was performed in a unit of blocks, said descriptor associated with a complexity of decoding the compressed coded data; and

multiplexing the descriptor with the compressed coded data wherein the descriptor comprises;

an identification number identifying a descriptor type;

a length field indicating a size of the descriptor; and

the parameter.

2. A method for encoding a visual object having a plurality of pictures, comprising:

encoding a visual object to obtain compressed coded data, wherein the compressed coded data is obtained through segmenting each picture in a plurality of blocks and through performing at least one of a plurality of different operations on a block by block basis;

generating a descriptor including a parameter related to the number of times that each of said operations was performed during encoding said picture, said descriptor associated with a complexity of decoding the compressed coded data; and

multiplexing the descriptor with the compressed coded data wherein the descriptor comprises;

an identification number identifying a descriptor type;

a length field indicating a size of the descriptor; and

the parameter.