Method of content adaptive video encoding

• US 9,456,208 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Puri, Atul, Civanlar, Mehmet Reha
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US14/454,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20140348228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/119 Adaptive subdivision aspects, e.g. subdivision of a picture into rectangular or non-rectangular coding blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• 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 19/16 for a given display mode, e.g. for interlaced or progressive display mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/167 Position within a video image, e.g. region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/179 the unit being a scene or a shot
• 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 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/80 Details of filtering operations specially adapted for video compression, e.g. for pixel interpolation H04N19/635, H04N19/86 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/86 involving reduction of coding artifacts, e.g. of blockiness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/87 involving scene cut or scene change detection in combination with video compression

Abstract

A method of content adaptive encoding video comprising segmenting video content into segments based on predefined classifications or models. Based on the segment classifications, each segment is encoded with a different encoder chosen from a plurality of encoders. Each encoder is associated with a model. The chosen encoder is particularly suited to encoding the unique subject matter of the segment. The coded bit-stream for each segment includes information regarding which encoder was used to encode that segment. A matching decoder of a plurality of decoders is chosen using the information in the coded bitstream to decode each segment using a decoder suited for the classification or model of the segment. If scenes exist which do not fall in a predefined classification, or where classification is more difficult based on the scene content, these scenes are segmented, coded and decoded using a generic coder and decoder.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving header information for a predefined content model, the predefined content model associated with a sub-portion of a full frame of video content and not a remainder portion of the full frame; and

decoding, via a processor, the sub-portion differently than the remainder portion, wherein the decoding is based on the header information and the predefined content model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-portion is rectangular.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sub-portion is identified on a frame-by-frame basis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-portion is positioned in a top left corner of the full frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined content model causes the decoding to adaptively dequantize a region of interest.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the region of interest comprises an arbitrary shaped object in a portion of the full frame, where the portion is smaller than the full frame.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein region of interest information indicating the region of interest is found in a header.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the region of interest information indicates a boundary of the region of interest.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving an assignment of another predefined quantization content model to another portion of the full frame not covered by the region of interest.

10. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving header information for a predefined content model, the predefined content model associated with a sub-portion of a full frame of video content and not a remainder portion of the full frame; and

decoding the sub-portion differently than the remainder portion, wherein the decoding is based on the header information and the predefined content model.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the sub-portion is rectangular.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sub-portion is identified on a frame-by-frame basis.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the sub-portion is positioned in a top left corner of the full frame.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the predefined content model causes the decoding to adaptively dequantize a region of interest.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the region of interest comprises an arbitrary shaped object in a portion of the full frame, where the portion is smaller than the full frame.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein region of interest information indicating the region of interest is found in a header.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the region of interest information indicates a boundary of the region of interest.

18. The system of claim 14, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which result in operations comprising receiving an assignment of another predefined quantization content model to another portion of the full frame not covered by the region of interest.

19. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving header information for a predefined content model, the predefined content model associated with a sub-portion of a full frame of video content and not a remainder portion of the full frame; and

decoding the sub-portion differently than the remainder portion, wherein the decoding is based on the header information and the predefined content model.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the sub-portion is rectangular.