Dynamic Video Rate Shaping via Complexity Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network management techniques apply a flat shaping rate to all video content, leading to reduced video quality for complex content, as they do not account for varying bandwidth requirements, resulting in a diminished user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that analyze decoded video content on a communication device to generate a video complexity report, which is used to adjust the data rate for encoded video content, ensuring sufficient bandwidth is allocated based on the content's complexity, network conditions, and policies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flat shaping rate is applied to all video content, then network traffic can be managed and congestion avoided, but video quality deteriorates for complex content due to insufficient bandwidth allocation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of shaping rate from a fixed flat rate to a dynamic rate that varies based on video complexity metrics. The complexity analyzer evaluates decoded video frames to determine complexity parameters, and the shaping rate is adjusted accordingly - higher rates for complex content, lower rates for simple content. This resolves the contradiction by making bandwidth allocation adaptive to content requirements while maintaining manageable network control through automated analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where video content is decoded, analyzed for complexity, and the analysis results feed back to adjust the shaping rate for encoded video transmission. The complexity analyzer continuously monitors video characteristics and provides feedback to the network element, enabling dynamic rate adjustment that maintains video quality for complex content while preventing congestion through rate limiting for simpler content.
2Reliability
If bandwidth is increased for all video flows to maintain quality, then video quality is preserved, but network congestion increases and resource efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different shaping rates to different portions of video content based on local complexity characteristics. Each video frame or segment is analyzed individually, and the shaping rate is adjusted locally according to its complexity - complex scenes receive higher bandwidth allocation while simple scenes receive lower allocation. This resolves the contradiction by optimizing bandwidth distribution at the local content level rather than applying a uniform rate, thereby maintaining quality where needed while improving overall network efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static flat rate shaping to dynamic rate adjustment that adapts to changing video content characteristics. The shaping rate continuously varies in response to real-time complexity analysis of the video stream, allowing the network to allocate bandwidth dynamically based on actual content requirements. This resolves the contradiction by ensuring sufficient bandwidth for complex content segments while reducing allocation for simple segments, thereby maintaining video quality overall while improving network resource efficiency.
3Productivity
If video complexity analysis is implemented, then optimal bandwidth allocation is achieved, but device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The video complexity analysis is performed using the device's existing video decoding capabilities. The same decoder that is required for playing video content also generates the decoded frames that can be analyzed for complexity metrics. This self-service approach resolves the contradiction by utilizing already-present hardware and software resources for the additional analysis function, thereby achieving optimal bandwidth allocation without significantly increasing device complexity or requiring separate dedicated processing infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method in which a processing system obtains encoded video content, and transmits the encoded video content over a network for presentation at a communication device by a video player executing on the communication device. The encoded video content is decoded in a decoding process by a decoder of an operating system of the communication device to generate decoded video content; the decoded video content is analyzed by a complexity analyzer of the operating system to generate a video complexity report. The method also includes receiving the video complexity report over the network from the communication device, and adjusting a data rate for the encoded video content, based at least in part on the video complexity report, to generate adjusted video content for transmission to the communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.