Optical Flow Video Encoding With Hyperprior-Based Bitrate Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing video encoding technologies face challenges in managing bitrate overheads, particularly in high-definition and ultra-high-definition video transmission, due to the lack of efficient methods for reducing redundancy between video frames.

Innovation Solution

An encoding method that utilizes motion estimation to determine optical flow hyperprior information and residual information based on prior and spatial domain information, reducing bitrate by encoding these components separately to minimize data redundancy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional video compression technologies (H265, H266) are used, then bandwidth and storage requirements increase for high definition videos, but video quality requirements cannot be met

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevideo qualityVSAvoidbandwidth and storage
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the video encoding process into multiple components: motion estimation to obtain optical flow, hyperprior information determination, probability distribution estimation, and entropy encoding. By dividing the encoding task into these segments, the system achieves better compression efficiency and video quality while controlling bandwidth and storage requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary actions by determining hyperprior information about optical flow before actual encoding. The system estimates probability distributions in advance and uses this prior knowledge to guide the encoding process, which improves compression efficiency and reduces the bandwidth and storage needed for high definition videos

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If inter encoding is performed on all video frames to reduce bitrate overheads, then compression efficiency improves, but complexity of probability distribution estimation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompression efficiencyVSAvoidprobability distribution estimation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by performing probability distribution estimation selectively rather than uniformly across all frames. The system identifies frames that benefit most from inter encoding and applies the complex probability estimation only where needed, while using simpler methods for other frames, thus improving compression efficiency without uniformly increasing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes parameters by using hyperprior information to adapt the probability distribution estimation process. Instead of using fixed complex models for all frames, the system adjusts the estimation parameters based on the determined hyperprior information about optical flow, which simplifies the overall process while maintaining compression efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4694122A1Coding method, decoding method and electronic device
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4694122A1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4694122A1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4694122A1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

This application provides an encoding method, a decoding method, and an electronic device. The method includes: performing motion estimation on a current frame, to obtain a first optical flow; obtaining first optical flow hyperprior information based on feature information of the first optical flow and prior information of the first optical flow; encoding the first optical flow hyperprior information, to obtain a first bitstream; performing probability estimation based on second optical flow hyperprior information and prior information of the first optical flow, to obtain an optical flow probability distribution; performing entropy encoding on the feature information of the first optical flow based on the optical flow probability distribution, to obtain a second bitstream; performing inter prediction on the current frame, to obtain prediction information; determining residual information based on the prediction information and an original picture; and encoding the residual information, to obtain a third bitstream. Compared with the conventional technology in which determined first optical flow hyperprior information is used to determine an optical flow probability distribution of all samples in the current frame, in this application in which the first optical flow hyperprior information is used to determine an optical flow probability distribution of a part of samples in the current frame, bitrate overheads can be reduced.