Video Signal Compression via Block Segmentation and Parallel Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional video codecs struggle to compress high-quality video signals in real-time due to processing speed limitations, leading to reduced image quality as they must drop frames to meet compression deadlines, and multiprocessor implementations fail to efficiently distribute processing load without architectural redesign.
Innovation Solution
The method involves parsing video signals into blocks, time-stamping, and distributing these blocks across multiple processing elements for compression, allowing sufficient storage time for each block, and reassembling them in chronological order, effectively utilizing multiple processors to achieve real-time compression without redesigning the codec architecture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional single-processor codecs compress video in real-time, then processing speed requirement is met, but frames must be dropped reducing image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the video stream into blocks of frames and distributes them to multiple processing elements. Each processing element compresses assigned blocks independently, enabling parallel processing that maintains real-time performance while processing all frames without dropping, thus preserving image quality.
2Productivity
If multiple processors are introduced to increase processing capacity, then theoretical performance improves, but processing load cannot be effectively distributed without architectural redesign
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the video stream into blocks and distributes them to multiple processing elements in a manner that requires no architectural redesign. The existing codec architecture handles each block independently, allowing multiple processors to be utilized effectively without complex load balancing mechanisms or structural changes.
3Speed
If processor clock rate is increased to improve codec performance, then processing speed increases, but power consumption and thermal issues increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing single-processor clock rate, the patent segments the processing workload across multiple processors. Each processor operates at moderate speeds compressing assigned video blocks in parallel, achieving the same overall processing throughput with lower individual processor speeds and thus reduced power consumption and thermal generation.
Data Source
AI summary
Single instances of individual codecs are instantiated on different processing elements, and blocks of video frames are interspersed or ‘striped’ across the multiple instances. An apparatus according to the invention comprises a demultiplexer for receiving the incoming uncompressed video stream and parsing it into blocks, each containing an integer multiple of the inter-frame coding distance, and each block is alternately sent to a different processing element for compression. This allows the output compressed signal to be generated in real-time without dropping frames.