Skip Mode Selection for Video Macroblocks

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing compression schemes face challenges in optimizing bandwidth efficiency when transmitting information representing a scene between devices, particularly in conserving bandwidth between originating and target devices.

Innovation Solution

The method involves detecting a current macroblock and its adjacent macroblocks, determining the mode of the adjacent macroblocks, and selecting a skip mode for the current macroblock based on the mode of the adjacent macroblocks, utilizing a system with modules for macroblock detection, comparison, and decision-making to minimize encoding time and conserve bandwidth.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If traditional compression schemes are used to transmit scene information, then bandwidth conservation is attempted, but encoding time and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth consumptionVSAvoidencoding time

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by detecting motion vectors and determining modes for adjacent macroblocks before processing the current macroblock. This allows the encoder to make informed decisions about skip mode selection without performing exhaustive analysis, thereby reducing encoding time while maintaining bandwidth efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The encoder uses information from adjacent macroblocks to automatically determine the best mode for the current macroblock. By leveraging the self-service principle, the system avoids complex external analysis and makes efficient encoding decisions based on local context, reducing processing time while conserving bandwidth.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If comprehensive mode analysis is performed for each macroblock, then compression efficiency improves, but processing complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompression efficiencyVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by analyzing only the immediate neighborhood (adjacent macroblocks) rather than the entire image. This localized approach maintains compression efficiency for regions with similar characteristics while significantly reducing processing complexity by limiting the scope of analysis to relevant local areas only.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The image is segmented into macroblocks, and the system processes each macroblock independently by comparing it with adjacent segments. This segmentation strategy allows comprehensive mode analysis to be applied selectively to each segment based on local characteristics, improving overall compression efficiency without uniformly increasing processing complexity across the entire image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8094721B2Methods and apparatuses for selecting a mode within a compression scheme

Publication Date: 2012.01.10 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses detect a current macroblock and an adjacent macroblock within the scene; detect a mode of the adjacent macroblock; and select a skip mode as a mode for the current macroblock based on the mode of the adjacent macroblock.