Constraint-Modified Video Encoding Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adaptive streaming technologies face challenges in configuring video encodings to meet quality and bitrate conditions, leading to issues such as video streaming interruptions and playback problems due to inadequate bitrate adaptation and resolution constraints, especially in low-bandwidth scenarios and on devices with limited resources.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a constraint-modified selection of video encoding configurations, which involves encoding videos into multiple target encodings based on specified constraints, using rate distortion optimization frameworks, and incorporating rate control techniques to accommodate varying bandwidths and device limitations, ensuring smooth playback and optimal quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If video is encoded at multiple bitrates to enable adaptive streaming, then quality of source content can vary according to bandwidth conditions, but configuring encodings to meet quality and bitrate conditions becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying encoding parameters (bitrate, resolution, quality metrics) to generate multiple candidate encodings. The system changes these parameters across different encoding configurations to create a diverse set of encoded versions that can adapt to varying network conditions and device capabilities, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and configuration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-generating multiple candidate encodings with different quality metrics and bitrates before deployment. This preliminary encoding phase creates a library of pre-configured video versions that can be selectively delivered based on real-time conditions, eliminating the need for complex real-time encoding decisions and reducing configuration complexity while maintaining high adaptability.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform encoding configuration is applied across all scenarios, then encoding process is simplified, but user experience deteriorates due to playback interruptions and quality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selecting specific encoding configurations from the candidate library based on local conditions such as network bandwidth, device capabilities, and content characteristics. Instead of applying a uniform encoding to all scenarios, the system tailors the selected encoding to match local requirements, thereby maintaining playback reliability while keeping the encoding process itself simple through automated selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the encoding configuration selection dynamic and adaptive rather than static and uniform. The system dynamically selects from pre-generated candidate encodings based on real-time conditions, allowing the encoding configuration to change flexibly across different scenarios while maintaining a simple underlying encoding process through reusable templates.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple candidate encodings are generated with different quality metrics, then flexibility of adaptive streaming framework increases, but computational resources and encoding time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by generating a focused set of candidate encodings that covers the essential range of quality metrics and bitrates needed for most scenarios, rather than exhaustively encoding all possible combinations. This partial approach achieves sufficient flexibility for effective adaptive streaming while avoiding the exponential increase in computational resources that would result from complete enumeration of all possible encoding configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A video to be encoded to a plurality of different target encodings for bandwidth adaptive serving is received. The video is encoded into a plurality of different candidate encodings using different candidate encoding parameters. A quality metric is determined for each of the plurality of different candidate encodings. One or more different target quality metrics are selected for a first portion of the different target encodings based at least in part on one or more specified constraints for one or more target devices. One or more different target quality metrics are selected for a second portion of the different target encodings based at least in part on the determined quality metrics of the different candidate encodings. Based at least in part on the selected different target quality metrics for the first portion and the second portion, the plurality of different target encodings of the video is generated.