Adaptive Intra-Refresh Video Encoding for Error Resilience
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video coding techniques face challenges in balancing error resilience and bandwidth efficiency, particularly in real-time or streaming applications, where inter-coded frames are susceptible to channel errors and intra-coded frames may cause transmission bandwidth issues due to their larger size.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive method is implemented to determine the intra-refresh rate of video data segments based on error feedback from the decoder, such as packet loss feedback, allowing the encoder to dynamically adjust the number of intra-coded macro-blocks in each frame to optimize error reduction and bandwidth management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If inter-coded frames are used to reduce temporal redundancies, then compression efficiency is improved, but susceptibility to channel errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the video frame into multiple macro-blocks and selectively intra-codes specific segments (macro-blocks) rather than the entire frame. This segmentation allows the system to maintain inter-coding for most areas (preserving compression efficiency) while providing error resilience in specific segments that are more susceptible to channel errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different coding methods to different regions of the video frame based on their error susceptibility. High-error-susceptible macro-blocks are intra-coded for reliability, while other macro-blocks remain inter-coded for efficiency. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region according to its specific requirements.
2Reliability
If intra-coded frames are used to minimize propagating channel errors, then error resilience is improved, but transmission bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of intra-coding the entire frame (which would maximize error resilience but also maximize bandwidth usage), the patent segments the frame and applies intra-coding only to specific macro-blocks. This partial intra-coding provides error resilience where needed while minimizing the overall bandwidth overhead compared to full frame intra-coding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial intra-coding to only the necessary segments rather than excessive full-frame intra-coding. By calculating which macro-blocks are most susceptible to errors and applying intra-coding only to those, the system achieves sufficient error resilience without the bandwidth penalty of excessive intra-coding throughout the entire frame.
3Reliability
If the number of intra-coded macro-blocks is increased to reduce errors, then error correction capability is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent determines the error susceptibility of different macro-blocks and applies intra-coding locally only to those with high error susceptibility. This localized approach ensures that bandwidth is not wasted on macro-blocks that are already reliable, while providing enhanced error correction capability where it is most needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the intra-refresh rate and the number of intra-coded macro-blocks based on feedback about channel error conditions. When error rates are high, the system increases the number of intra-coded segments; when errors are rare, it reduces intra-coding to minimize bandwidth consumption. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction by matching the correction capability to actual needs.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, this disclosure relates to techniques for adaptively determining a rate for intra-coding segments (e.g., macro-blocks) of video data within a sequence of video units (e.g., frames) in response to the receipt of error feedback that is provided by a video decoder. One example method includes receiving feedback from a video decoder that indicates an error associated with coded video data, and, upon receipt of the feedback, determining a rate for intra-coding a specified number of segments of video data for each video unit within a sequence of video units, wherein an intra-coding of segments of video data within one video unit is independent of a coding of segments of video data within other video units within the sequence.