Noise Generation System for Masking Video Compression Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limitations of network bandwidth and storage capacity in mobile devices hinder efficient streaming and downloading of high-quality video content, leading to visual compression artifacts due to lossy compression techniques.
Innovation Solution
A noise generation system that introduces random noise into decoded video data by generating a noise addend value based on threshold comparisons, adaptively adjusting noise distribution functions for each frame to mask compression artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If lossy video compression is used to reduce bandwidth and storage requirements, then video data transfer efficiency is improved, but visual compression artifacts are introduced that degrade image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies random dithering noise to the decoded video stream, converting the harmful visual compression artifacts into less noticeable patterns. The added random noise masks the structured artifacts produced by lossy compression, making them less perceptible to human observers while preserving the efficiency benefits of compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the visual parameters of the video signal by superimposing random dithering noise with controlled amplitude and distribution characteristics. This parameter modification alters the perceptual properties of compression artifacts, reducing their visibility without affecting the underlying video content quality.
2Quantity of substance
If higher compression rates are used to further reduce bandwidth requirements, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but visual artifacts are exacerbated and become more noticeable
Solution Approach 1:
By applying random dithering noise, the system converts the severely degraded visual quality resulting from high compression rates into an acceptable appearance. The noise masks the prominent artifacts that would otherwise be highly visible, allowing the system to operate at higher compression rates while maintaining perceptual quality.
3Manufacturing precision
If decoded video images are scaled to larger high definition displays to improve viewing quality, then image detail is enhanced, but compression artifacts become more visible and distracting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies random dithering noise to the decoded video stream before the scaling operation. This preliminary action prepares the video signal by masking compression artifacts in advance, so that when the image is subsequently scaled to high definition displays, the artifacts remain masked and do not become more visible despite the increased resolution.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique is provided for processing decoded video data to mask visual compression artifacts resulting from video compression. In accordance with this technique, a hardware block is provided for generating and adding random noise to the decoded video stream. In one embodiment, a random number is generated for each pixel of the decoded video data and compared against one or more threshold values to determine a threshold range. In such an embodiment, a noise addend value is selected based upon the threshold comparison and summed with the current pixel. While the present technique may not eliminate the compression artifacts, the addition of random noise renders the compression artifacts less noticeable to the human eye and, therefore, more aesthetically pleasing to a viewer.