Video Encoding Resolution Adjustment by Frame Variance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video compression schemes, such as H.264, may not adequately maintain video quality due to bitrate reduction techniques like quantization, which discard frame data to reduce bandwidth consumption, especially in limited bandwidth scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for encoding video signals that identify I-frames with high variance and adjust their resolution to less than the original, using processor calculations and thresholds to determine optimal frame resolutions for encoding, thereby reducing bitrate while maintaining quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If quantization techniques are used to reduce bitrate, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but video quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the resolution parameter of I-frames dynamically based on scene complexity (variance). By adjusting the resolution parameter rather than applying uniform quantization, the system reduces bitrate for simple scenes while maintaining high quality for complex scenes, thus resolving the contradiction between bandwidth consumption and video quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different encoding strategies to different frames based on their local characteristics (variance). I-frames with low variance are downscaled to reduce bitrate, while I-frames with high variance maintain original resolution. This local differentiation allows selective bitrate reduction without uniformly degrading video quality
2Loss of energy
If frame resolution is reduced to lower bitrate, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but video quality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically changes the resolution parameter of I-frames based on calculated variance thresholds. By making resolution a variable parameter rather than a fixed value, the system can adaptively reduce bitrate through resolution adjustment while preserving quality when necessary, resolving the contradiction between bandwidth consumption and information retention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic resolution adjustment for I-frames based on scene complexity. Instead of static resolution, the system calculates variance and dynamically selects appropriate resolution levels, enabling flexible bitrate control that maintains quality for important frames while reducing bandwidth for less critical frames
3Productivity
If aggressive quantization is applied to achieve target bitrate, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but video quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the approach from uniform quantization to variable resolution encoding. By modifying the resolution parameter based on scene complexity rather than applying aggressive quantization to all frames, the system achieves bitrate reduction with minimal quality loss, resolving the contradiction between encoding efficiency and video quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different encoding quality levels to different frames based on their characteristics. Simple frames receive lower resolution encoding while complex frames maintain high quality, eliminating the need for aggressive uniform quantization and preserving overall video quality while achieving target bitrate
Data Source
AI summary
The subject invention has both apparatus and method aspects. A first embodiment of the method aspect is for encoding a video signal having a plurality of frames, each frame having a plurality of blocks. The method includes identifying a first frame from the plurality of frames as an I-frame, the first frame having an original resolution. The method also includes determining a variance for the first frame using a processor. If the variance exceeds an intra threshold: (a) selecting a frame resolution for the first frame that is less than the original resolution, and (b) encoding the first frame using the selected frame resolution is performed.