Video Encoding Toggleable Overlay Metadata
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Toggleable overlays in video content pose challenges regarding bandwidth and streaming quality, as well as content synchronization, especially when diverse devices are used.
Innovation Solution
A method of encoding video streams that involves receiving image frames, determining overlay image frames with toggleable overlays, and adding metadata to the image frame headers with position, size, and identification data for each overlay. This method ensures seamless synchronization and efficient bandwidth use by integrating overlay data directly into the video stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If toggleable overlays are transmitted as separate data streams, then viewer interaction and information display are enhanced, but bandwidth consumption increases and streaming quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines overlay data with the main video stream by encoding overlays as additional macroblocks within the same video container format. This merging approach allows toggleable overlays to be transmitted alongside video content in a single stream, eliminating the need for separate data transmission channels and thereby reducing overall bandwidth consumption while maintaining viewer interaction capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The video stream is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it carries both the primary video content and the toggleable overlay information within the same encoded structure. By making the video container universal enough to hold both types of data with different functionalities, the system avoids the overhead of managing multiple separate streams, thus optimizing bandwidth usage while preserving adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple overlay configurations are transmitted for diverse devices, then device compatibility and user experience are improved, but data transmission volume and bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts overlay transmission based on device characteristics. The encoder can selectively include or exclude certain overlay macroblocks depending on the target device's capabilities and bandwidth conditions. This dynamic approach allows the same video stream to be optimized for different devices without transmitting all possible overlay configurations, thereby reducing data transmission volume while maintaining broad device compatibility.
3Reliability
If overlay data is integrated into the video stream, then content synchronization is improved, but encoding complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the existing video frame structure as a template or copy framework for integrating overlay data. By placing overlay macroblocks in correspondence with the existing video macroblock structure, the system leverages the already-established synchronization mechanisms of video coding standards. This copying approach ensures content synchronization without requiring entirely new encoding frameworks, thereby limiting the increase in encoding complexity to manageable levels.
4Adaptability or versatility
If overlays are encoded as separate macroblocks, then overlay flexibility and toggleability are maintained, but encoded data size and bandwidth usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The overlay content is segmented into individual macroblocks that can be independently encoded and transmitted. Each overlay element is represented as a discrete macroblock unit within the video stream, allowing the decoder to selectively render or suppress specific overlays based on user preference or device capabilities. This segmentation maintains overlay flexibility and toggleability while enabling efficient bandwidth usage by only transmitting necessary overlay data.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to encoding and decoding methods for toggleable overlays in a video. An encoding method comprises receiving (S702) a plurality of image frames; determining (S704) one or more overlay image frames each comprising a plurality of toggleable overlays, each toggleable overlay being associated with an identifier. An image frame is associated (S706) with an overlay image frame of the one or more overlay image frames. Metadata is added (S708) to a header of the image frame, wherein the metadata comprises, for each toggleable overlay of the plurality of toggleable overlays: position data identifying a position of the toggleable overlay in the overlay image frame, size data identifying a size of the toggleable overlay in the overlay image frame, and identification data corresponding to the identifier of the toggleable overlay.