Media Encoding Tool Selection Under Royalty and Bandwidth Constraints

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current media encoding techniques lack the ability to optimize licensing costs based on media content, desired quality, and bandwidth constraints, resulting in inefficient royalty distribution and limited flexibility in media delivery.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for content-based and royalty-based encoding that selects encoding tools based on royalty costs, decoded media quality, and transmission bandwidth constraints, optimizing performance to achieve optimal media encoding points for triplet values of quality, bandwidth, and royalty cost, allowing for flexible trade-offs in media delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If state-of-the-art encoding tools are used to achieve highest efficiency media delivery, then media delivery efficiency is improved, but royalty/licensing costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedia delivery efficiencyVSAvoidroyalty/licensing costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically selects encoding tools based on real-time conditions including media content characteristics, desired quality level, available bandwidth, and royalty cost considerations. This dynamic adaptation allows the encoder to switch between high-efficiency (higher cost) and cost-effective (lower cost) tools depending on the specific delivery scenario, resolving the contradiction between efficiency and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameters of tool selection by considering multiple factors simultaneously: coding efficiency, royalty cost, media content type, quality requirements, and bandwidth constraints. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system optimizes the trade-off between delivery efficiency and licensing costs for each specific encoding task.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If a fixed license cost covers all tools in a profile, then licensing simplicity is maintained, but licensing cost optimization is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelicensing simplicityVSAvoidlicensing cost optimization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the media encoding process into discrete tool selections where each tool has its own royalty cost associated with it. Instead of licensing entire profiles at fixed costs, the system segments the selection process to choose individual tools based on their specific cost and performance characteristics, enabling cost optimization while maintaining operational simplicity through automated selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The encoding system performs self-service by automatically selecting the optimal combination of encoding tools based on pre-defined criteria including royalty costs, efficiency ratings, media content analysis, and delivery constraints. This automated self-selection eliminates the need for manual licensing negotiations while optimizing costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If normative tools are selected during standardization, then standard compatibility is ensured, but adaptability to specific scenarios is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestandard compatibilityVSAvoidscenario adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves universality by maintaining compatibility with normative standard tools while also incorporating non-normative tools that offer superior performance for specific scenarios. The encoder can universally handle various media types and delivery conditions by selecting from an expanded toolset that includes both standard-compliant and scenario-optimized tools, thus achieving multi-functionality that bridges standard compatibility and scenario adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS7656318B2Optimized content-based and royalty-based encoding and distribution of media data

Publication Date: 2010.02.02 NTT DOCOMO INC

AI summary

A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for performing content-based and royalty-based encoding. In one embodiment, the method comprises: selecting one or more encoding tools to encode media based on a royalty cost associated with at least one of the one or more encoding tools and a corresponding decoding tool for each of the one or more encoding tools, decoded media quality that each corresponding decoding tool produces, and one or more transmission bandwidth constraints; encoding the media, in accordance with the media content, using the one or more encoding tools; and transmitting encoded data generated by at least one of the one or more encoding tools.