Centralized Streaming Game Server Bandwidth Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for streaming video in interactive applications, such as computer games, face challenges in optimizing visual quality and reducing end-to-end system delay due to constraints on bandwidth and computational resources, leading to poor image quality and increased latency.
Innovation Solution
An interception mechanism for rendering commands, combined with feed-forward and feedback control mechanisms, allows for controllable levels of detail and compression quality, and statistical multiplexing of multiple interactive applications to dynamically allocate bandwidth and resources, optimizing encoding and streaming quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If compression methods based on MPEG2 or H.264 standards are used, then bandwidth utilization is improved, but end-to-end system delay increases and visual quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing motion estimation at the rendering stage before encoding. The rendering module generates motion information that is directly utilized by the encoder, eliminating the need for the encoder to perform separate motion estimation. This advance preparation of motion data reduces the processing time during actual encoding, thereby reducing end-to-end system delay while maintaining efficient bandwidth utilization through standard compression methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the rendering and encoding processes by integrating motion estimation functionality into the rendering module. Instead of having separate rendering and encoding stages where motion estimation would be repeated, the system combines these functions so that the rendering module simultaneously produces both visual output and motion information for encoding. This merging eliminates redundant computation and reduces overall processing delay.
2Quantity of substance
If motion compensated encoding is performed, then compression efficiency is improved, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rendering module performs motion estimation in advance and provides the motion information to the encoder. This preliminary computation of motion vectors allows the encoder to skip the computationally intensive motion estimation process, reducing computational complexity while maintaining compression efficiency through motion-compensated encoding.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the motion information generated by the rendering module as a copy or substitute for the motion estimation that would normally be performed by the encoder. Instead of recalculating motion vectors, the encoder copies or directly utilizes the pre-computed motion data from rendering, significantly reducing computational complexity while preserving compression efficiency.
3Quantity of substance
If level of detail control is applied to rendered images, then bandwidth requirements are reduced, but visual quality in certain regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different regions in the rendered image. The system identifies regions of interest (such as areas with high motion or important visual elements) and maintains high visual quality in these regions while applying lower detail to less important areas. This selective approach reduces overall bandwidth requirements while preserving visual quality where it matters most.
Solution Approach 2:
The level of detail applied to different regions is dynamically adjusted based on motion information and visual importance. The system uses motion vectors and region-of-interest detection to dynamically determine which areas require high fidelity and which can be compressed more aggressively. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize the trade-off between bandwidth usage and visual quality in real-time.
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments include an interception mechanism for rendering commands generated by interactive applications, and a feed-forward control mechanism based on the processing of the commands on a rendering engine, on a pre-filtering module, and on a visual encoder. Also a feed-back control mechanism from the encoder is described. The mechanism is compression-quality optimized subject to some constraints on streaming bandwidth and system delay. The mechanisms allow controllable levels of detail for different rendered objects, controllable post filtering of rendered images, and controllable compression quality of each object in compressed images. A mechanism for processing and streaming of multiple interactive applications in a centralized streaming application server is also described.