Video Stream Segmentation for Adaptive Quality and Bandwidth

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional video compression techniques fail to deliver high-quality video content while reducing network bandwidth and achieving low latency, as they are unable to effectively manage the trade-offs between compression degree, distortion, and computational resources.

Innovation Solution

The method involves splitting a video stream into multiple sub-streams, encoding them in parallel, and transmitting a packet containing these sub-streams to a receiver, where each sub-stream provides a lower quality version of the video, but merging multiple sub-streams can produce a higher quality version, allowing for adjustable quality of service based on service costs and network conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If conventional video compression techniques are used to reduce network bandwidth, then bandwidth usage decreases, but video quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork bandwidthVSAvoidvideo quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The video stream is divided into multiple sub-streams with different quality levels. Each sub-stream represents a different compression degree, allowing receivers to select the appropriate quality level for their network conditions and service cost, thus maintaining video quality while enabling bandwidth reduction when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adapts video quality by transmitting different numbers of sub-streams based on real-time network conditions and service costs. Receivers can adjust the number of sub-streams to process, enabling dynamic quality adjustment without re-encoding the entire video stream.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Loss of energy

If higher compression degree is applied to reduce bandwidth, then bandwidth usage decreases, but distortion increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork bandwidthVSAvoidvideo distortion

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The video is segmented into multiple sub-streams with progressively higher compression degrees. This allows receivers to select sub-streams that match their tolerance for distortion, obtaining higher quality when bandwidth is abundant and accepting higher distortion when bandwidth is constrained.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the compression parameter by providing multiple sub-streams with different compression degrees. Receivers can adjust the effective compression level by selecting different combinations of sub-streams, thus controlling the trade-off between bandwidth usage and video distortion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple sub-streams are transmitted to maintain high quality, then video quality is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo qualityVSAvoidreceiver complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The receiver complexity becomes dynamic rather than static. Users can adjust the number of sub-streams to process based on their device capabilities and current needs, allowing simple devices to use fewer sub-streams while powerful devices can handle more sub-streams for higher quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows receivers to self-select the appropriate number of sub-streams to process based on their own capabilities and requirements. This self-service approach enables each receiver to optimize its complexity usage without requiring complex system-wide coordination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Adaptability or versatility

If video stream is split into multiple sub-streams for quality adjustment, then adaptability is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequality adjustment flexibilityVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The video stream is pre-split into multiple sub-streams with different quality levels before transmission. This preliminary action allows receivers to quickly select and process only the necessary sub-streams without needing to perform complex real-time encoding or decoding operations, thus reducing processing time while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10841630B2Video encoding and transcoding for multiple simultaneous qualities of service

Publication Date: 2020.11.17 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: splitting a video stream into a plurality of sub-streams, and encoding each of the sub-streams. A packet is also transmitted to a receiver, where the packet includes a number of the encoded sub-streams. Moreover, the number of the encoded sub-streams that are included in the packet transmitted to the receiver corresponds to a quality of service associated with a service cost incurred by the receiver. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.