Video Conferencing Picture Buffering for Stable Display Quality
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Video conferencing is prone to visual and audio artifacts due to bandwidth fluctuations, particularly when static content is shared, leading to difficulties in reading or viewing presentations, and existing methods fail to effectively manage network disruptions to maintain output quality.
Innovation Solution
A computing device processes video conferencing data by decoding and storing pictures in a buffer, identifying quality thresholds, and maintaining output quality by displaying high-quality pictures while skipping or buffering lower-quality ones, using techniques like computer vision for text recognition and metadata transmission to enhance display consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If video conferencing data is transmitted over network with bandwidth fluctuations, then network coverage and accessibility are improved, but visual artifacts and quality degradation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by decoding and buffering video pictures before display, storing multiple frames in advance. When bandwidth fluctuations occur, the buffered pictures are used to maintain continuous display without artifacts, preventing quality degradation before it happens rather than reacting after artifacts appear.
Solution Approach 2:
A display buffer is introduced as an intermediary between the network receiver and the display output. This buffer decouples the network data flow from the display refresh rate, allowing the system to smooth out bandwidth fluctuations and prevent visual artifacts by mediating between variable input and steady output requirements.
2Loss of energy
If compression is applied to reduce bandwidth requirements, then network bandwidth consumption is reduced, but visual artifacts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates copies of previously displayed high-quality pictures and stores them in the display buffer. When compressed low-quality pictures are received, the system can replace them with copies from the buffer, effectively copying good quality images to mask the harmful effects of compression artifacts without requiring additional bandwidth.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the quality parameter of displayed pictures by selectively replacing low-quality compressed frames with high-quality buffered frames. This parameter change allows maintaining visual quality above a certain threshold while still benefiting from compression during good network conditions, balancing bandwidth consumption against artifact generation.
3Measurement precision
If static content is displayed during video conference, then presentation clarity is improved, but compression artifacts become more noticeable
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous useful action by continuously buffering and refreshing display pictures even when the network provides static content. This continuous refresh with buffered high-quality images prevents the stroboscopic effect and makes compression artifacts less noticeable, maintaining text readability while smoothing out the harmful effects of intermittent compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies periodic action by refreshing the display buffer at regular intervals with high-quality buffered images, regardless of the static nature of the content. This periodic refresh with superior quality images reduces the visibility of compression artifacts that would otherwise be prominent on static presentation content.
4Reliability
If previously received pictures are reused to maintain quality, then visual artifact reduction is achieved, but bandwidth efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by selectively replacing only those pictures that fall below a quality threshold with buffered copies, rather than replacing all received pictures. This partial replacement maintains output quality reliability for problematic frames while avoiding unnecessary bandwidth waste by accepting compressed pictures when they meet quality standards, achieving a balance between quality and efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for enabling improved video conferencing. A stream comprising a plurality of pictures is received at a computing device. For each picture in the plurality of pictures, the picture is decoded, the decoded picture is stored in a decoded pictures buffer and it is identified that the decoded picture is below a threshold quality. For a first decoded picture that is not below the threshold quality, the decoded picture is stored in a display buffer, accessed from the display buffer, and output for display. For a second decoded pictured that is below threshold quality, a previously output picture is continued to be output for display.