Selective Frame Error Concealment for Video Transmission

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing moving picture coding standards, such as H.263 and H.264, are vulnerable to errors during transmission, leading to significant degradation in image quality due to error propagation and the inability to effectively handle frame errors in terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting, which results in interrupted video playback.

Innovation Solution

A selective frame error concealment method and apparatus that determines the severity of errors and selectively applies error concealment techniques or frame freeze methods to minimize disruption and maintain continuous video playback by using previously received error-free frames as recovery frames.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If variable length coding is used for image compression, then compression efficiency is improved, but vulnerability to transmission errors increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompression efficiencyVSAvoidvulnerability to transmission errors

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The image frame is divided into multiple slices, and each slice is independently decoded. This segmentation prevents error propagation across the entire frame, as errors in one slice do not affect other slices, thereby improving reliability while maintaining compression efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Reference frames are prepared and stored in advance in a reference frame memory before decoding occurs. When transmission errors occur, these pre-prepared reference frames can be immediately used for error concealment, reducing the impact of errors without requiring retransmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If prediction coding is used, then compression performance is improved, but error propagation throughout the image occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompression performanceVSAvoiderror propagation

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The frame is segmented into independent slices with separate prediction coding for each slice. This limits error propagation to within individual slices rather than across the entire frame, maintaining compression performance while reducing the harmful effect of error propagation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different error concealment strategies are applied to different regions (slices) of the image based on local error conditions. Reference frames are selectively used in specific slices where errors occur, rather than applying a uniform approach to the entire image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Duration of action of moving object

If frame freeze technique is used when error occurs, then continuous playback is maintained, but image information accuracy is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous playbackVSAvoidimage information accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of freezing the entire frame, only the erroneous slices are concealed using reference frames while non-erroneous slices are displayed normally. This maintains continuous playback while preserving accurate image information in unaffected regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Error concealment is applied partially only to the extent necessary - specifically to the slices containing errors - rather than applying frame freeze to the entire frame. This minimizes information loss while ensuring continuous playback.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

4Reliability

If one slice per frame is used in terrestrial DMB, then slice-by-slice error robustness is achieved, but entire frame error occurs when slice decoding fails

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveslice-by-slice error robustnessVSAvoidentire frame error

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The frame is divided into multiple independent slices that can be decoded separately. When an error occurs in one slice, only that specific slice is affected while other slices remain intact, preventing entire frame error and maintaining partial image quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Reference frames are prepared in advance and can be immediately substituted for erroneous slices without requiring redecoding of the entire frame. This allows quick recovery from slice-level errors and prevents propagation to the entire frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8472530B2Selective error concealment method and apparatus for moving picture frame

Publication Date: 2013.06.25 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

Disclosed is a selective frame error concealment method for a moving picture frame, the method including the steps of determining if an erroneous frame corresponds to one among a predetermined number of frames received after an I frame when the erroneous frame is received during reception of moving picture frames, determining if the number of consecutive erroneous frames is greater than a threshold value when the erroneous frame does not correspond to one among the predetermined number of frames received after the I frame, using an error concealment technique when the number of consecutive erroneous frames is equal to or less than the threshold value; and displaying a frame, which has been received without error before the erroneous frame, until receiving a new I frame, either when the erroneous frame corresponds to one among the predetermined number of frames received after the I frame, or when the number of consecutive erroneous frames is greater than the threshold value.