Statistical Multiplexing Bandwidth Allocation for Video Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital television systems face challenges in statistically multiplexing locally encoded and pre-encoded video services without significant loss of video quality, as existing methods often require transcoding that degrades video quality when adjusting bit rates to fit a group bandwidth constraint.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determine the required bandwidth for pre-encoded services and allocate encoding bit rates to locally encoded services to minimize transcoding, ensuring that the available encoding bandwidth is used efficiently, thereby maximizing video quality by reducing the need for bit-rate reduction in locally encoded services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If locally encoded services are transcoded to adjust bit rate to fit group bandwidth, then group bandwidth constraint is satisfied, but video quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining the bandwidth requirements of pre-encoded services before allocating encoding bandwidth to locally encoded services. The controller calculates the sum of transcoding need parameters for pre-encoded services, then uses this information to determine available encoding bandwidth for local services, thereby avoiding the need to transcode local services to fit bandwidth constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter allocation approach by dynamically determining encoding bandwidth based on the actual transcoding needs of pre-encoded services rather than using fixed bandwidth allocation. The controller adjusts the available encoding bandwidth parameter for local services based on the calculated bandwidth consumption of pre-encoded services, allowing optimal utilization without quality degradation.
2Ease of manufacture
If constant bit rate encoding is used for local encoders, then encoding simplicity is maintained, but flexibility in adapting to group bandwidth constraints is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by having the controller continuously monitor and calculate the transcoding need parameters of pre-encoded services, then use this feedback information to dynamically adjust the available encoding bandwidth allocation to local encoders. This allows local encoders to operate with CBR simplicity while the system adapts to bandwidth constraints through intelligent resource allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary between pre-encoded services and local encoders, managing the bandwidth allocation. It calculates the bandwidth requirements of pre-encoded services and translates this into available encoding bandwidth for local services, thereby mediating the bandwidth constraint issue without requiring local encoders to change their simple CBR encoding operation.
3Quantity of substance
If transcoding is performed to satisfy group bandwidth, then bandwidth constraint is met, but encoding time and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating the transcoding need parameters for pre-encoded services and determining their bandwidth requirements before allocating encoding resources. This preliminary determination of bandwidth consumption allows the system to avoid time-consuming transcoding operations on local services by proactively allocating appropriate encoding bandwidth based on pre-encoded service needs.
Data Source
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AI summary
One aspect of the invention relates to statistically multiplexing first services and second services in a group. A measure of required bandwidth for the first services is obtained, where the first services comprise pre-encoded services. An available encoding bandwidth for the second services is determined from a group bandwidth for the first and second services using the measure of required bandwidth. An encoding bit rate is allocated to each of the second services based on the available encoding bandwidth. Each of the second services is encoded in accordance with the encoding bit rate thereof. One or more services of the first services and the second services are transcoded and a multiplex is formed. Since the available encoding bandwidth for the second services is determined using the measure of required bandwidth for the first services, transcoding of the second services is minimized, and video quality is maximized.