System and method for providing enhanced video processing in a network environment

• US 8,723,914 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mackie, David J., Tian, Dihong, Weir, Andrew P., Buttimer, Maurice, Friel, Joseph T., Mauchly, J. William, Chen, Wen-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/950,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 382/118, 382/170, 382/231, 382/225, 382/162, 375/240.08
• US Class Current: 348/14.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a video input from a camera element; using change detection statistics to identify background image data; using the background image data as a temporal reference to determine foreground image data of a particular video frame within the video input; using a selected foreground image for a background registration of a subsequent video frame; and providing at least a portion of the subsequent video frame to a next destination.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a video input from a camera element;

using change detection statistics to identify background image data;

using the background image data as a temporal reference to determine foreground image data of a particular video frame within the video input;

using a selected foreground image for a background registration of a subsequent video frame;

providing at least a portion of the subsequent video frame to a next destination; and

generating a plurality of histograms to represent variation statistics between a current input video frame and a temporally preceding video frame.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying values of pixels from noise within the video input;

creating a skip-reference video image associated with the identified pixel values;

comparing a portion of a current video image to the skip-reference video image; and

determining a macroblock associated with the current video image to be skipped before an encoding operation occurs.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

evaluating video data from the video input to determine whether a particular element within a plurality of elements in the video data is part of a stationary image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein portions of stationary images are skipped before certain encoding operations occur.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the foreground image data further comprises a face and a torso image of a participant in a video session.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

encoding non-skipped macroblocks associated with the current video image based on a noise level being above a designated noise threshold.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

aggregating non-skipped macroblocks and the skipped macroblock associated with the current video image; and

communicating the macroblocks over a network connection to a console element associated with a video session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the histograms includes differing levels of luminance, and wherein if a selected one of the histograms reaches a certain level of luminance, a corresponding pixel of an associated video image is marked to be registered to a reference buffer.

9. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving a video input from a camera element;

using change detection statistics to identify background image data;

using the background image data as a temporal reference to determine foreground image data of a particular video frame within the video input;

using a selected foreground image for a background registration of a subsequent video frame;

providing at least a portion of the subsequent video frame to a next destination;

identifying values of pixels from noise within the video input;

creating a skip-reference video image associated with the identified pixel values;

comparing a portion of a current video image to the skip-reference video image; and

determining a macroblock associated with the current video image to be skipped before an encoding operation occurs.

10. The logic of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

evaluating video data from the video input to determine whether a particular element within a plurality of elements in the video data is part of a stationary image.

11. The logic of claim 9, wherein the foreground image data further comprises a face and a torso image of a participant in a video session.

12. The logic of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

generating a plurality of histograms to represent variation statistics between a current input video frame and a temporally preceding video frame.

13. The logic of claim 12, wherein each of the histograms includes differing levels of luminance, and wherein if a selected one of the histograms reaches a certain level of luminance, a corresponding pixel of an associated video image is marked to be registered to a reference buffer.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element configured to store data; and

a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate such that the apparatus is configured to;

receive a video input from a camera element;

use change detection statistics to identify background image data;

use the background image data as a temporal reference to determine foreground image data of a particular video frame within the video input;

use a selected foreground image for a background registration of a subsequent video frame;

provide at least a portion of the subsequent video frame to a next destination; and

generate a plurality of histograms to represent variation statistics between a current input video frame and a temporally preceding video frame.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

identify values of pixels from noise within the video input;

create a skip-reference video image associated with the identified pixel values;

compare a portion of a current video image to the skip-reference video image; and

determine a macroblock associated with the current video image to be skipped before an encoding operation occurs.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

evaluate video data from the video input to determine whether a particular element within a plurality of elements in the video data is part of a stationary image.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a console element coupled to the camera element, wherein the apparatus is further configured to;

record a video message;

select a particular identifier string associated with a particular user; and

communicate the video message to a destination associated with the particular user.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the histograms includes differing levels of luminance, and wherein if a selected one of the histograms reaches a certain level of luminance, a corresponding pixel of an associated video image is marked to be registered to a reference buffer.