Video Stream Modifier for Decoding Complexity Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video decoding systems face challenges in maintaining optimal picture quality due to varying decoding complexity, often resulting in quality degradation and artifacts when the decoder's capacity is exceeded, as previous methods react too late and rely on previous GOP thresholds, leading to distortion in unexpected regions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that dynamically estimate and adapt the decoding complexity of a compressed video data stream by selecting regions based on psycho-visual criteria, modifying the decoding method from bi-directional to unidirectional prediction and adjusting quantization, to ensure the decoding complexity aligns with the available decoder capacity, thereby reducing memory bandwidth and maintaining optimal picture quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a threshold value is dynamically set for a scalable module within a decoder system, then the decoding complexity can be adapted to changing resource levels, but the reaction is delayed and region dropouts occur in essential parts of the picture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by analyzing the compressed data stream before decoding occurs and preemptively modifying the stream to reduce decoding complexity. The system estimates decoding complexity in advance and modifies the stream proactively, rather than reacting after complexity issues arise. This eliminates the delay inherent in post-hoc threshold adjustment methods.
2Device complexity
If a threshold value based on a previous GOP is used to decode a current GOP, then the decoding process can be simplified, but distortion occurs in unexpected regions of the output picture sequence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively modifying only specific regions of the picture based on their importance and visual characteristics. Rather than applying a uniform threshold across the entire picture, the system identifies and processes only those regions that require complexity reduction, preserving quality in critical areas while simplifying decoding in less important regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters of the compressed data stream directly, such as modifying prediction modes or quantization parameters in specific regions. This allows dynamic adjustment of decoding complexity without relying on fixed thresholds from previous GOPs, enabling adaptive quality preservation in the current GOP.
3Manufacturing precision
If the decoding complexity is increased to maintain picture quality, then the output picture quality improves, but the decoder capacity is exceeded and quality degradation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the picture into different regions based on their visual importance and decoding requirements. By dividing the picture into segments and applying different decoding strategies to each segment, the system can maintain high quality in important regions while reducing complexity in less important regions, thus staying within decoder capacity limits.
Data Source
AI summary
A compressed data stream modifier 270 is disclosed. The stream modifier modifies an input data stream that may comprise audio and video data streams conforming to any one of the well-known video compression standards, for example, MPEG or AVC. The input stream is first de-multiplexed to obtain a single video elementary stream. The video elementary stream is then decoded by means of a variable-length decoder and provided to the data stream modifier. A decoding complexity of each frame is estimated by an estimator 210 and provided to a controller 250. The controller selects a number of regions from each frame based on some psycho-visual criteria, such that a method of modification of these regions can bring the decoding complexity within an available capacity at a decoder. An efficient means of adapting a decoding complexity to an available capacity is thus obtained.