Video Frame Encoding With Unequal Error Protection by Region
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video encoding and decoding techniques face challenges in maintaining high video quality under packet loss conditions, particularly in noisy communication channels, where conventional methods lead to uneven image quality and degradation due to limited bit budget and constant bitrate requirements.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves encoding video streams by selecting blocks in a spiral manner, starting from the center of the frame, and applying different levels of error protection to central and peripheral blocks, allowing for dynamic error correction and prioritizing important image areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If constant bitrate encoding is applied to the entire frame, then transmission efficiency is improved, but image quality in important regions deteriorates due to uniform error protection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different error protection levels to different regions of the frame based on their importance. The central region, which typically contains important visual information such as faces in video conferencing, receives stronger error protection (first level), while peripheral regions receive weaker protection (second level). This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allocating error protection resources according to regional importance rather than uniformly across the entire frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is segmented into multiple regions with different error protection requirements. By dividing the frame into a central important region and peripheral less important regions, the patent enables differentiated error protection strategies. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high image quality in critical areas while preserving overall transmission efficiency through reduced protection in non-critical areas.
2Reliability
If stronger error protection is applied to all blocks, then reliability under packet loss is improved, but bit budget is exceeded and transmission efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying uniform strong error protection across the entire frame, the patent applies stronger protection (first level) only to the central region containing important visual information, while applying weaker protection (second level) to peripheral regions. This local quality approach ensures reliability in critical areas without unnecessarily consuming bit budget on less important areas, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and transmission efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies error protection selectively rather than universally. By providing excessive error protection only where necessary (central region with important visual information) and adequate but not excessive protection in peripheral regions, the system achieves the necessary reliability for important content while avoiding the bit budget exhaustion that would result from applying excessive protection everywhere.
3Manufacturing precision
If more bit budget is allocated to central region, then image quality in central region is improved, but bit budget for peripheral regions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allocating more error protection resources (first level) to the central region and fewer resources (second level) to peripheral regions. This differentiated allocation ensures that the central region, which contains important visual information, receives enhanced protection and maintains high image quality under packet loss, while peripheral regions receive sufficient but reduced protection, optimizing the overall bit budget distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses and methods for encoding and decoding a video stream having a plurality of frames are disclosed. When encoding, for example, blocks are selected in spiral fashion until contiguous blocks of at least a central section of the frame are selected. The selected blocks are encoded in an order in which they were selected. A first level of error protection is applied to encoded blocks within the central section. A second, different level of error protection is applied to encoded blocks outside the central section. By using a spiral scan and selective error protection, blocks most likely to have information of interest to a viewer are identified and can be encoded and error-protected to provide better image quality in the area of interest when decoded.