Video Decoder Noise Patch Masking for Compression Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video coding systems often introduce artifacts in decoded video data, especially at low bit rates, which are perceptible to human viewers, and there is a need for techniques to dynamically mask these artifacts while adapting to video content, especially in resource-limited devices where real-time communication between encoders and decoders may not be possible.
Innovation Solution
A video decoder system that uses a noise database to estimate and mask artifacts by selecting and integrating noise patches into the decoded video, with an encoder also capable of identifying and transmitting noise patches to the decoder for post-processing, allowing for synchronous interaction and adaptive artifact reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If video data is coded at low bit rates to conserve bandwidth, then bandwidth conservation is improved, but visual artifacts become more prevalent and perceptible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces artificial noise patterns into the decoded video that mask the harmful compression artifacts. By adding controlled noise that resembles natural video noise, the system converts a harmful effect (artifacts) into a tolerable or even beneficial outcome (masked artifacts that look like natural noise), thereby improving perceived video quality at low bit rates without requiring additional bandwidth
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts noise parameters (amplitude, frequency characteristics, spatial distribution) based on the local video content and artifact characteristics. By changing noise parameters adaptively across different regions and frames, the system optimizes artifact masking effectiveness while minimizing the impact on bandwidth and computational resources
2Object-affected harmful factors
If noise patches are transmitted from encoder to decoder to mask artifacts, then artifact masking effectiveness is improved, but communication requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The encoder pre-generates and transmits noise patch data along with the coded video stream. By preparing the noise masking data in advance during encoding, the decoder can directly apply these pre-computed noise patterns without needing complex real-time artifact analysis, thereby reducing decoder complexity while maintaining effective artifact masking
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces noise patches as an intermediary element between the coded video data and the final displayed video. These noise patches act as a mediator that bridges the gap between compressed video with artifacts and the desired clean output, allowing the system to achieve effective artifact masking without requiring direct complex interaction between encoder and decoder
3Object-affected harmful factors
If artifact masking is applied dynamically adapting to video content, then visual quality is improved, but processing complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different noise masking strategies and parameters to different regions of the video frame based on local artifact characteristics and video content. By analyzing and treating each region locally rather than applying a uniform masking approach, the system achieves superior visual quality while keeping the processing complexity manageable through region-based optimization
Data Source
AI summary
A video decoder system includes a video decoding engine, noise database, artifact estimator and post-processing unit. The video coder may generate recovered video from a data stream of coded video data, which may have visually-perceptible artifacts introduced as a byproduct of compression. The noise database may store a plurality of previously developed noise patches. The artifact estimator may estimate the location of coding artifacts present in the recovered video and select noise patches from the database to mask the artifacts and the post-processing unit may integrate the selected noise patches into the recovered video. In this manner, the video decoder may generate post-processed noise which may mask artifacts that otherwise would be generated by a video coding process.