In-loop filtering randomized dithering for video banding artifacts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video coding techniques struggle to effectively reduce banding artifacts in decoded video frames, leading to visual disruptions and inconsistent visual quality across different endpoint devices.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating randomized dithering operations into the in-loop filtering stage of the video decoding pipeline, which selectively applies dithering operations to input samples based on encoding and decoding parameters, thereby reducing the appearance of banding artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If debanding post-processing operations are performed on reconstructed video frames, then banding artifacts are reduced, but computational intensity increases and visual quality becomes inconsistent across different endpoint devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dithering operations during the encoding process itself, before the video is transmitted and decoded. This preliminary action prevents banding artifacts from forming in the first place, rather than requiring intensive post-processing operations to correct them after they appear in the decoded video frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies encoding parameters by applying dithering with specific characteristics (randomized or structured) during the encoding stage. This changes the parameter space of the encoded data to prevent banding artifacts, avoiding the need for complex post-processing operations on the decoded output.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If different debanding post-processing operations are implemented on different endpoint devices, then banding reduction is achieved, but visual quality becomes inconsistent due to varying hardware and software configurations
Solution Approach 1:
By applying dithering during encoding before transmission, the patent ensures that all endpoint devices receive encoded data with built-in banding prevention. This eliminates the need for device-specific post-processing operations, ensuring consistent visual quality across different hardware and software configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The encoding process itself provides the banding artifact reduction capability through dithering, making the system self-sufficient. The encoded data carries the necessary information for banding prevention inherently, so no additional device-specific processing is needed, ensuring uniform performance across all endpoint devices.
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, a technique for reducing banding artifacts in decoded video data includes receiving a first block of reconstructed samples associated with a frame of encoded video data, applying a first filter to a first reconstructed sample included in the first block of reconstructed samples to generate a first filtered sample, determining that a first randomized dithering operation associated with the first filter is has been activated, applying the first randomized dithering operation to the first filtered sample to generate a first dithered sample, and generating a first portion of decoded video data based on the first dithered sample.