Dynamic Frame Padding in Video Hardware Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video hardware engines face increased complexity and performance degradation due to the need for large memory bandwidth and additional memory consumption caused by padding reconstructed frames for multiple video standards, especially at higher resolutions and frame rates.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dynamic frame padding mechanism within the motion estimation and motion compensation engines, which pads only the necessary pixels along the edges of the reference frame when required, reducing the need to store padded frames in external memory and optimizing memory usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If reconstructed frames are padded with extension of border pixels for multiple video standards, then compatibility with various video standards is improved, but memory bandwidth requirement and memory consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the frame into a valid image area and a padding area. Instead of padding the entire frame, only the border pixels are segmented and padded separately. This allows the system to maintain multi-format support while reducing memory consumption by avoiding unnecessary padding of the entire frame buffer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies padding locally only at the border regions where it is needed for motion estimation, rather than uniformly across the entire frame. The valid image area remains unpadded, reducing memory bandwidth requirements while maintaining compatibility with various video standards that require border pixel extensions.
2Measurement precision
If reconstructed frames are padded with extension of border pixels, then motion estimation accuracy is improved, but processing time and hardware complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary border pixels for motion estimation and creates a separate padding structure. This allows the motion estimation engine to access padded pixels without requiring the entire frame buffer to be padded, thereby reducing hardware complexity while maintaining motion estimation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The padding operation is performed preliminarily before motion estimation, but only for the border regions. This preliminary padding of specific areas ensures that motion estimation can proceed with accurate border pixel data without requiring complex full-frame padding operations, thus reducing overall processing time and hardware requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If full frame padding is implemented for all video standards, then compatibility is improved, but memory bandwidth overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying full frame padding (excessive action), the patent applies partial padding only to the border pixels where it is actually needed for motion estimation across different video standards. This partial action maintains compatibility with various standards while significantly reducing memory bandwidth consumption compared to full frame padding.
Data Source
AI summary
A video hardware engine which support dynamic frame padding is disclosed. The video hardware engine includes an external memory. The external memory stores a reference frame. The reference frame includes a plurality of reference pixels. A motion estimation (ME) engine receives a current LCU (largest coding unit), and defines a search area around the current LCU for motion estimation. The ME engine receives a set of reference pixels corresponding to the current LCU. The set of reference pixels of the plurality of reference pixels are received from the external memory. The ME engine pads a set of duplicate pixels along an edge of the reference frame when a part area of the search area is outside the reference frame.