Rate control for hierarchical B-frames in H.264/AVC

Hierarchical B-frames can bring high coding performance when introduced into H.264/AVC.However,the traditional rate control schemes can not work efficiently in such new coding framework.This article presents a rate control algorithm for hierarchical B-frames in H.264/AVC.Taking the feature of the dyadic hierarchical coding structure into consideration,the proposed algorithm includes group of pictures(GOP)layer,temporal layer and frame layer bits allocation.After frame layer bits allocation is complete,frame layer quantization parameters(QP)determination strategy is responsible for calculating the final QP.Experimental results show that compared with other rate control algorithms,the proposed one can improve the coding performance and reduce the mismatch of target bit rate and real bit rate.     

Rate control based on linear regression for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC

An efficient rate control algorithm is required to transmit coded video sequences without abrupt changes in quality due to the limited channel bandwidth. Thus, in this paper, an efficient rate control method is proposed for the H.264/MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) baseline profile that meets the above constraint by using a ρ-domain source model. Firstly, a simple target bits determination method that considers the ideal buffer level is proposed, and secondly, a method of adequately determining the Quantization Parameter (QP) is presented using two kinds of linear regression. The experimental results show that the proposed rate control algorithm using the above two methods performs better than other rate control algorithms for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC in terms of the rate estimation error and the standard deviation of the Peak Signal-to- Noise Ratio (PSNR), which provides a measure of the constancy of the video quality throughout the whole video sequence.     

H．264／AVC率失真优化（RDO）策略研究

本文对H.264/AVC中所运用的率失真优化策略进行了深入研究。首先介绍了率失真理论及率失真优化模型,然后参照JM 8.4代码详细分析了H.264/AVC各模块的代价函数,并重点研究了其编码过程中率失真代价函数的运用策略。最后通过对JM 8.4代码的测试,得出率失真优化的性能,并对其优缺点进行了分析,提出进一步改进和优化的方向。     

Parallel fast inter mode decision for H.264/AVC encoding

For H.264/AVC encoding, the mode selection process consumes a large proportion of the overall computation. To reduce this burden, various fast mode decision algorithms have been proposed. The current fast mode decision algorithms usually exploit the relationship among the coding modes and use the context-based approach to reduce the number of modes to be checked for both intra coding and inter coding. The parallel capacity of hardware architectures are also taken into consideration. However, almost all the parallel fast mode decision designs are focusing on intra coding. In this paper, a hardware friendly parallel fast inter mode decision method is proposed. With the proposed method, the inter mode decision can be conducted efficiently in one pass and significant encoding speedup can be achieved with negligible coding efficiency loss. Moreover, the proposed method can be easily mapped to hardware architecture which can be used for the real-time video encoding.     

一种新的H.264/AVC码率控制算法

码率控制可以有效提高H.264视频压缩的图像传输质量。本文在JM模型的JVT-H017码率控制方案基础上,提出一种新的码率控制方法。该方法首先对原有的平均绝对差值(MAD)线性预测方法进行改进,提出新的三维MAD预测模型,以提高对图像基本单元复杂度的准确预测;在此基础上,采用自适应目标比特分配方法,实现自适应的码率控制。实验结果表明,与已有的基于线性MAD预测的方法相比,文章方法具有更好的码率控制性能,从而有效提高了H.264视频压缩算法的图像传输质量。     

High-performance adaptive group-of-picture rate control for H.264/AVC

In this paper, an adaptive group-of-picture (AGOP) control is proposed to improve the coding performance for the H.264/AVC system. The efficient algorithm is developed to find the quantized parameter with temporal correlation between inter-frames. According to the estimated parameters, the GOP coding type can be adaptively selected as AGOP or BGOP (basic GOP). The rate control with some decision functions is proposed to modify the quantization parameter (QP). The coding rate can accurately meet the target rate with adjusting QP value dynamically, while keeping low computational overhead. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can improve PSNR by about 1 dB in average compared with the original H.264/AVC reference software (JM12.4), from various sequences testing.     

一种改进比特分配的H．264／AVC码率控制算法

提出了一种新的改进的H．264／AVC码率控制算法,克服了MAD不能客观、准确的反映出整个图像的复杂度的问题,引入了一个新的MADMV参数,使包括纹理比特和头比特的图像复杂度得到准确的预测。实验结果表明,与JVT-G012相比,该方法可以在准确控制码率的同时,图像的视觉质量也有相应的提高。     

一种适合硬件实现的H.264/AVC宏块级码率控制算法

主要针对H.264/AVC编码器硬件实现时的特点,提出了一种适合硬件实现的高效码率控制方案.为了提高数据处理效率,硬件编码器通常采用Zigzag宏块编码顺序和宏块级流水结构,两者结合会产生复杂的数据依赖关系.在数据依赖存在的条件下,提出了利用时域和空域相关性预测帧级和宏块级平均绝对误差( MAD),提高预测精度获取合适的量化参数.实验结果显示与G012算法相比,该算法提高了MAD预测精度,平均PSNR提高了0.12 dB,解决了硬件实现时的数据依赖问题.     

Adaptive video coding control for real-time H.264/AVC encoder

In this paper, we present a new adaptive video coding control for real-time H.264/AVC encoding system. The main techniques include: (1) the initial quantization parameter (QP) decision scheme is based on Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) operators; (2) the MB-level QP calculation is based on the spatio-temporal correlation, in which the computation is less than the quadratic model used by H.264/AVC; (3) the adaptive GOP structure is proposed, in which the I-frame is adaptively replaced by an enhancement P-frame to improve the coding efficiency; (4) the scene change is detected with the complexity of adjacent inter-frames and the appropriate QP is re-calculated for the scene-change frame. The proposed algorithm is not only to save the computational complexity but also to improve coding quality. Compared to the JM12.4 reference under various sequences testing, the proposed algorithm can decrease coding time by 64.5% and improve PSNR by 1.52 dB while keeping the same bit-rate.     

Efficient one-pass frame level rate control for H.264/AVC

In this paper, an efficient one-pass frame level rate control algorithm is proposed for H.264/AVC, where the two essential problems in rate control, i.e., the budget allocation (BA) and the quantization parameter determination (QPD) are both considered. First, an efficient BA scheme is designed with special consideration of the inter-frame dependency. Accordingly, the error propagation caused by improper QP assignment in the motion compensation process is reduced and the total distortion is kept at a low level. Second, a better QPD method is developed based on an accurate rate model and a second feedback mechanism so that a high rate accuracy is guaranteed. Simulations verified the performance of the proposed algorithm. Compared with the fixed QP coding and the two recommended rate control algorithms (G012-MB and G012-Frame) in H.264/AVC reference software, up to 1.50, 1.12, and 0.94 dB were achieved with a higher rate accuracy in the coding efficiency test defined by ITU-T VCEG. Particularly, a more significant improvement was observed in slow movement scenarios: compared with G012-MB, a gain of 0.80 dB on average and 1.43 dB at maximum was obtained with 66.0% reduction of average rate mismatch. Compared with G012-Frame, the average and maximum gains are 0.34 and 1.06 dB, respectively. While at the same time, the average rate mismatch was reduced by 90.4%. Considering the low computational cost, the proposed algorithm is quite appealing to real-time video applications.     

H.264基本单元层码率控制算法

提出一种利用加权预测模型为基本单元分配比特数的码率控制算法,不但计算复杂度较小,且能更好地根据图像内容适当分配比特数,使恢复的图像质量进一步提高.仿真结果表明,该方法可改善图像的峰值信噪比,获得更好的主观视觉质量.     

General Architecture for MPEG-2/H.263/H.264/AVC to H.264/AVC Intra Frame Transcoding

The latest international video-coding standard H.264/AVC significantly achieves better coding performance compared to prior video coding standards such as MPEG-2 and H.263, which have been widely used in today’s digital video applications. To provide the interoperability between different coding standards, this paper proposes an efficient architecture for MPEG-2/H.263/H.264/AVC to H.264/AVC intra frame transcoding, using the original information such as discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients and coded mode type. Low-frequency components of DCT coefficients and a novel rate distortion cost function are used to select a set of candidate modes for rate distortion optimization (RDO) decision. For H.263 and H.264/AVC, a mode refinement scheme is utilized to eliminate unlikely modes before RDO mode decision, based on coded mode information. The experimental results, conducted on JM12.2 with fast C8MB mode decision, reveal that average 58%, 59% and 60% of computation (re-encoding) time can be saved for MPEG-2, H.263, H.264/AVC to H.264/AVC intra frame transcodings respectively, while preserving good coding performance when compared with complex cascaded pixel domain transcoding (CCPDT); or average 88% (a speed up factor of 8) when compared with CCPDT without considering fast C8MB. The proposed algorithm for H.264/AVC homogeneous transcoding is also compared to the simple cascaded pixel domain transcoding (with original mode reuse). The results of this comparison indicate that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms the mode reuse algorithm in coding performance, with only slightly higher computation.     

H.264/SVC vs. H.264/AVC video quality comparison under QoE-driven seamless handoff

This paper studies the impact of mobility management and seamless handover mechanisms on the perceived quality of video streaming applications. A seamless handoff scheme is proposed that incorporates IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover framework and a QoE-driven rate adaptation scheme, for both scalable and single layer coding. Quality of Experience (QoE) has been considered as an important parameter for network selection. The proposed scheme has been implemented and evaluated in a real test-bed network. Objective and subjective quality evaluation measurements for both H.264/AVC and H.264/SVC have been carried out. Through experimentation, QoE driven mobility of video streaming can be better maintained with H.264/SVC under the combined seamless handoff and rate adaptation functionality.     

Adaptive quantization-parameter clip scheme for smooth quality in H.264/AVC

In this paper, we investigate the issues over the smooth quality and the smooth bit rate during rate control (RC) in H.264/AVC. An adaptive quantization-parameter (Q(p)) clip scheme is proposed to optimize the quality smoothness while keeping the bit-rate fluctuation at an acceptable level. First, the frame complexity variation is studied by defining a complexity ratio between two nearby frames. Second, the range of the generated bits is analyzed to prevent the encoder buffer from overflow and underflow. Third, based on the safe range of the generated bits, an optimal Q(p) clip range is developed to reduce the quality fluctuation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed Q(p) clip scheme can achieve excellent performance in quality smoothness and buffer regulation.     

H.264/AVC video for wireless transmission

H.264/AVC will be an essential component in emerging wireless video applications thanks to its excellent compression efficiency and network-friendly design. However, a video coding standard itself is only one component within the application and transmission environment. Its effectiveness strongly depends on the selection of appropriate modes and parameters at the encoder, at the decoder, as well as in the network. In this paper we introduce the features of the H.264/AVC coding standard that make it suitable for wireless video applications, including features for error resilience, bit rate adaptation, integration into packet networks, interoperability, and buffering considerations. Modern wireless networks provide many different means to adapt quality of service, such as forward error correction methods on different layers and end-to-end or link layer retransmission protocols. The applicability of all these encoding and network features depends on application constraints, such as the maximum tolerable delay, the possibility of online encoding, and the availability of feedback and cross-layer information. We discuss the use of different coding and transport related features for different applications, namely video telephony, video conferencing, video streaming, download-and-play, and video broadcasting. Guidelines for the selection of appropriate video coding tools, video encoder and decoder settings, as well as transport and network parameters are provided and justified. References to relevant research publications and standardization contributions are given.     

LMM-based frame-level rate control for H.264/AVC high-definition video coding

Accurate distribution modeling for the DCT coefficients is greatly important for us to analyze the rate–distortion (R–D) behavior of video encoders. From the experiment, we observed that most of the existing models, paying more attention to the standard-definition (SD) videos, tend not to work well for high-definition (HD) videos. Motivated by this, in this paper, we address the statistical characteristics of DCT coefficients of HD videos coded by H.264/AVC. The contributions of this paper are threefold: first, Laplacian Mixture Model (LMM) is proposed to model the residues instead of using Laplacian or Cauchy distribution; second, the LMM-based analytic rate and distortion models are derived; third, building on the proposed rate and distortion models, a frame-level rate control algorithm is developed. Experimental results show that the proposed rate control method achieves a PSNR improvement of up to 0.85 dB compared with the rate control scheme adopted in the H.264 reference software [1]. Apart from the average visual quality improvement, the temporal visual quality fluctuation is reduced by 17%.     

Transparent encryption techniques for H.264/AVC and H.264/SVC compressed video

Transparent encryption of video content requires to provide a video preview that is left in plaintext, while the enhancement information is encrypted. In this paper we propose three algorithms that provide transparent encryption. The first two ones are based on the idea of generating controlled drift in such a way as to obtain the desired quality level, while the third algorithm employs scalable video coding. We provide experimental results on several video sequences, as well as a security analysis, showing that the proposed algorithms provide an effective framework to perform transparent encryption.     

ASIP Approach for Implementation of H.264/AVC

This paper presents an Application Specific Instruction Set Processor (ASIP) for implementation of H.264/AVC, called Video Specific Instruction-set Processor (VSIP). The proposed VSIP has novel instructions and optimized hardware architectures for specific applications, such as intra prediction, in-loop deblocking filter, integer transform, etc. Moreover, VSIP has coprocessors for computation intensive parts in video signal processing, such as inter prediction and entropy coding. The proposed VSIP has much smaller area and can dramatically reduce the number of memory access compared with commercial DSP chips, which result in low power consumption. Moreover, the proposed hardware accelerators have small size, consume low power consumption, and thus, they can support real-time video processing. VSIP has been thoroughly verified using an FPGA board having the Xilinx™ Virtex II. VSIP can implement a real-time H.264/AVC decoder. The proposed VSIP is one of promising solutions for video signal processing.

Adaptive Scanning for H.264/AVC Intra Coding

In this letter, an adaptive scanning that improves intra coding efficiency in the H.264/AVC standard is proposed. The proposed adaptive scanning utilizes the prediction directions (modes) that include the horizontal and vertical edge information in a block. Depending on the prediction directions, the proposed method uses three scanning methods: zigzag scanning, horizontal scanning, and vertical scanning. In the proposed method, horizontal and vertical scanning are used in vertical and horizontal prediction modes, respectively, and the normal zigzag scanning in the H.264 standard is used in all other intra prediction modes. The proposed method reduces the bit rate by approximately 2.5% compared with H.264/AVC, without the degradation of video quality.     

基于兴趣区域的H.264/AVC会话视频传输算法

针对会话视频的严格的实时性要求,提出一种基于H.264/AVC会话视频的错误抵抗编方法;建立一种低复杂度的感兴趣区域分割算法;基于所提分割算法,对感兴趣区域进行长期参考帧预测编码,从而达到提高感兴趣区域的视频传输质量的目标.所提方法具有低复杂度的特点,能够满足会话视频的实时性要求,并且易于移植入H.264/AVC编码器.仿真结果证明了算法的鲁棒性和编码有效性.