New rate-distortion modeling and efficient rate control for H.264/AVC video coding

Rate control (RC) is crucial in controlling compression bit rates and qualities for networked video applications. In this paper, we propose a new rate-distortion (R-D) model and an efficient rate control scheme for H.264/AVC video coding, which elegantly resolve the inter-dependency problem between rate-distortion optimization and rate control by eliminating the need of coding complexity prediction for an inter-frame. The objective is to achieve accurate bit rate, obtain optimal video quality while reducing quality variations and simultaneously handling buffer fullness effectively. The proposed algorithm encapsulates a number of new features, including a coding complexity measure for intra-frames, a rate-distortion model, an accurate quantization parameter (QP) estimation for intra-frames, an incremental quantization parameter calculation method for inter-frames, a proportional+integral+derivative (PID) buffer controller, and an intelligent bit-allocation-balancing technique. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme outperforms the JVT-G012 solution by providing accurate rate regulation, effectively reducing frame skipping, and finally improving coding quality by up to 1.80 dB.     

基于Weibull率失真简化模型的帧比特分配算法

为在确保视频压缩码流平稳且带宽受限的情况下提升重建视频质量,本文针对使用Weibull密度分布对压缩视频序列率失真性能分析的方法,对其模型进行数学简化,并以帧层编码速率控制的缓冲器充盈度和重建视频质量为目标,提出了一种新的H.264压缩视频速率控制方法——帧比特分配算法。该算法以H.264的JM16.1为视频压缩编码平台,将简化率失真模型嵌入速率控制算法中,以一个GOP为控制单元对其内部各图像帧进行比特分配与调整,同时以帧为周期进行算法模型参数更新。实验结果表明,本文提出的算法要比JVT-H017的算法在重建视频客观质量（PSNR）方面平均有0.30dB的改善,并能够得到更加平稳质量的视频输出。在实际输出码率方面,本文算法比JVT-H017的算法更低,并且编码缓冲器充盈度较JVT-H017平稳且没有上下溢的情况出现。      

Applications and improvement of H.264 in medical video compression

This paper aims at applying H.264 in medical video compression applications and improving the H.264 rate control algorithm with better perceptual quality. First, H.264 is briefly reviewed and introduced to the area of medical video compression. Second, a new motion complexity (MC) measure is defined to express the complexity of motion contents in a video frame, and a new H.264 rate control scheme with the MC measure and perceptual bit allocation is proposed for medical video compression. Third, two sets of experiments are conducted: the comparison between MPEG-4 and H.264, and the comparison between JVT-H014 , which is the H.264 adopted rate control algorithm, and our proposed rate control scheme. The first set of experiments shows that compared with MPEG-4, H.264 can achieve a significant average peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) gain of up to 4.35 dB for the test medical video sequences, and thus is much more effective when applied in medical video compression. The second set of experiments shows that compared with H014, the proposed rate control scheme can achieve better perceptual video quality, with an average PSNR gain of up to 0.19 dB for the test medical video sequences.     

基于运动复杂度的AVS帧级码率控制算法

针对AVS的码率控制算法在帧级比特分配上的不足,提出了一种改进的帧级码率控制算法.利用视频中各图像的运动活动性实现了帧级比特分配.并且采用跳帧策略来防止缓冲器上溢,从而可以保护图像序列中的重要细节,优化图像质量.实验结果表明本方法与JVT-G012相比,不但减少了缓冲区的波动幅度,而且提高了恢复图像的峰值信噪比.     

视频质量平滑中恒定SNR比特分配

该文提出了一种基于恒定SNR的单次扫描帧级比特率分配的视频质量平滑方案 (CSNRBA)。采用之前所有编码帧的SNR的递减几何级数加权平均值作为当前帧的目标SNR,再根据国际上最近提出的闭合形式D-Q分析模型和线性码率模型,准确计算当前帧的比特预算。实验结果表明,该文提出的CSNRBA算法提供了比保持PSNR恒定算法和目前广泛采用的恒定比特率分配算法都要平滑得多的视频质量,并在物体清晰度、轮廓和自然色彩方面明显改善了传输视频的主观质量。     

一种面向H.264/AVC的码率控制算法

码率控制是视频编码中非常重要的技术之一,任何标准离开码率控制其应用都会受到限制.H.264/AVC是目前最新的视频编码标准,本文根据H.264/AVC编码标准的特性及其HRD部分对码率控制的要求,提出了一种新的适合H.264/AVC的码率控制算法,该算法实现了率失真优化与码率控制的结合,使得在达到码率控制的同时也能保证较高的编码效率,同时在码率控制的过程中根据HRD缓冲区状态进行位分配调整,保证了编解码缓冲区既不上溢又不下溢.该算法作为技术提案已被H.264/AVC接受,并集成到H.264/AVC的校验模型软件中.     

一种基于PID控制器的H.264比特率转码方案

本文基于PID控制器提出了一种高效的H.264比特率转码方案.该方案采用简化的像素域级联转码结构,在保证视频重建质量的同时降低了运算的复杂度,然后在图像层引入PID控制器保证了输出比特率与目标比特率一致.实验结果表明:本文提出的比特率转码方案具有较高的比特率转换精度,是一种高效的比特率转码方案.     

Complexity-based intra frame rate control by jointing inter-frame correlation for high efficiency video coding

Rate control is of great significance for the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). Due to the high efficiency and low complexity, the R-lambda model has been applied to the HEVC as the default rate control algorithm. However, the video content complexity, which can help improve the code efficiency and rate control performance, is not fully considered in the R-lambda model. To address this problem, an intra-frame rate control algorithm, which aims to provide improved and smooth video quality, is developed in this paper by jointly taking into consideration the frame-level content complexity between the encoded intra frames and the encoded inter frame, as well as the CTU-level complexity among different CTUs in texture–different regions for intra-frame. Firstly, in order to improve the rate control efficiency, this paper introduces a new prediction measure of content complexity for CTUs of intra-frame by jointly considering the inter-frame correlations between encoding intra frame and previous encoded inter frames as well as correlations between encoding intra frame and previous encoded intra frame. Secondly, a frame-level complexity-based bit-allocation-balancing method, by jointly considering the inter-frame correlation between intra frame and previous encoded inter frame, is brought up so that the smoothness of the visual quality can be improved between adjacent inter- and intra-frames. Thirdly, a new region-division and complexity-based CTU-level bit allocation method is developed to improve the objective quality and to reduce PSNR fluctuation among CTUs in intra-frame. In the end, related model parameters are updated during the encoding process to increase rate control accuracy. As a result, as can be seen from the extensive experimental results that compared with the state-of-the-art schemes, the video quality can be significantly improved. More specifically, up to 10.5% and on average 5.2% BD-Rate reduction was achieved compared to HM16.0 and up to 2.7% and an average of 2.0% BD-Rate reduction was achieved compared to state-of-the-art algorithm. Besides, a superior performance in enhancing the smoothness of quality can be achieved, which outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms in term of flicker measurement, frame and CTU-wise PSNR, as well as buffer fullness.     

Window-based rate control for video quality optimization with a novel INTER-dependent rate-distortion model

Most model-based rate control schemes use independent rate-distortion (R–D) models at macroblock (MB) level to represent the relationship among bit rate, distortion and encoding complexity. However the correlations between frames (INTER-dependency) are not well considered for distortion, bit allocation and quantization parameter (QP) decision. In this paper, a novel INTER-dependent R–D model is proposed based on the theoretical analysis of the relationship between the predicted residual of one frame and the distortion of its reference frame. To achieve both bit rate accuracy and consistent video quality, a window-based rate control scheme with two sliding windows is introduced. One window is to group certain previously encoded frames and current frame to control the bit rate and buffer delay; the other is to group certain future encoding frames to optimize the fluctuation of video quality. Furthermore, the optimization of Lagrange multiplier is also discussed under the INTER-dependent situation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed window-based rate control scheme with INTER-dependent R–D model can achieve accurate target bit rate and improve PSNR performance, meanwhile the variation of PSNR is the smallest compared with other three benchmark algorithms. This one-pass rate control scheme is highly practical for the real-time video coding applications.     

Novel rate control scheme for intra frame video coding with exponential rate–distortion model on H.264/AVC

Rate control regulates the output bit rate of a video encoder in order to obtain optimum visual quality within the available network bandwidth and to maintain buffer fullness within a specified tolerance range. Due to the benefits of intra-only encoding, such as less computational cost and less latency, it has been more and more widely used. In this paper, we propose an accurate intra-only rate control scheme for H.264/AVC, which includes a novel complexity measurement and a new rate–distortion (R–D) model. We also propose a linear rate–complexity model which takes the intercept into consideration to reduce the estimation error. The proposed R–D model is integrated by the linear rate–complexity model and an exponential rate–quantization model. Based on theoretical analysis and experimental validation, the proposed scheme has high bits prediction precision, and it can also accurately handle buffer fullness. Compared with JVT-W042, our algorithm achieves higher average PSNR and improves the coding quality up to 0.35 dB.     

A two-pass rate control algorithm for H.264/AVC high definition video coding

In this paper, we propose a novel two-pass rate control algorithm to achieve constant quality for H.264/AVC high definition video coding. With the first-pass collected rate and distortion information and the built model of scene complexity, the encoder can determine the expected distortion which could be achieved in the second-pass encoding under the target bit rate. According to the built linear distortion-quantizer (D-Q) model, before encoding one frame, the quantization parameter can be solved to realize constant quality encoding. After encoding one frame, the model parameters will be updated with linear regression method to ensure the prediction accuracy of the quantization parameter of next encoded frame with the same coding type. In order to obtain the expected distortion of each frame under the target bit rate, a GOP-level bit allocation scheme is also designed to adjust the target bit rate of each GOP based on the scene complexity of the GOP in the second-pass encoding. In addition, the effect of scene change on the updating of D-Q model is considered. The model will be re-initialized at the scene change to minimize modeling error. The experimental results show that compared with the latest two-pass rate control algorithm, our proposed algorithm can significantly improve the bit control accuracy at comparable coding performance in terms of constant quality and average PSNR. On average, the improvement of bit control accuracy achieved about 90%.     

一种结合人眼视觉特性的H.264/AVC码率控制算法

针对应用于H.264/AVC视频编码中的码率控制算法G012的不足,提出了一种结合人眼视觉特性的H.264的码率控制算法.首先基于当前帧与前一帧的帧差比值来表示各帧图像的相对复杂程度,以此分配帧级的目标比特数;通过分析图像中的运动信息和纹理特征,给出了一种简单有效的度量宏块视觉敏感度的方法,并在基本单元层利用此视觉敏感...     

H.264中一种基于R-Q模型的自适应码率控制算法研究

提出一种新的基于帧复杂度的二级码率控制算法TSRCA（two-stage rate control algorithm）。总结码率控制算法的最新研究成果,分析码率控制基本原理,继而提出一种二级码率控制算法,以解决“蛋鸡悖论”。其次,用RDO模式选择中的比特数信息代替平均绝对残差MAD（mean absolute difference）来预测帧的复杂度,提高了预测的准确度。所提出的码率控制算法能够显著提高码率控制精度和编码性能。     

A novel rate control algorithm for video coding based on fuzzy-PID controller

Rate control algorithms (RCAs) aim to achieve the best visual quality under the minimum bit rate and the limited buffer size. A self-parameter-tuning fuzzy-PID controller is proposed to reduce the deviation between the target buffer level and the current buffer fullness. Fuzzy logic is used to tune each parameter of the proportional-integral-derivative controller by selecting appropriate fuzzy rules through simulation in H.264/advanced video coding (AVC). To control the quality fluctuation between consecutive frames, a quality controller is adopted. The proposed RCA has been implemented in an H.264/AVC video codec, and our experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves smooth target bits while enabling better buffer control and visual quality.     

Rate control for consistent visual quality of H.264/AVC encoding

In this paper, a novel rate control scheme with sliding window basic unit is proposed to achieve consistent or smooth visual quality for H.264/AVC based video streaming. A sliding window consists of a group of successive frames and moves forward by one frame each time. To make the sliding window scheme possible for real-time video streaming, the initial encoder delay inherently in a video streaming system is utilized to generate all the bits of a window in advance, so that these bits for transmission are ready before their due time. The use of initial encoder delay does not introduce any additional delay in video streaming but benefits visual quality as compared to traditional one-pass rate control algorithms of H.264/AVC. Then, a Sliding Window Buffer Checking (SWBC) algorithm is proposed for buffer control at sliding window level and it accords with traditional buffer measurement of H.264/AVC. Extensive experimental results exhibit that higher coding performance, consistent visual quality and compliant buffer constraint can be achieved by the proposed algorithm.     

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.     

Fast block mode decision algorithm in H.264/AVC video coding

The recent video coding standard H.264/AVC show extremely higher coding efficiency compare to any other previous standards. H.264/AVC can achieve over 50% of bit rate saving with same quality using the rate–distortion process, but it brings high computational complexity. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that can reduce the complexity of the codec by reducing the block mode decision process adaptively. Block mode decision process in H.264/AVC consists of inter mode decision process and intra mode decision process. We deal with reduction method for inter and intra mode decision. In this paper an efficient method is proposed to reduce the inter mode decision complexity using the direct prediction methods based on block correlation and adaptive rate distortion cost threshold for early stopping. The fast intra mode reduction algorithm based on inter mode information is also proposed to reduce the computational complexity. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve up to 63.34–77.39% speed up ratio with a little PSNR loss. Increment in bit requirement is also not much noticeable.     

一种基于视觉显著度模型的无线视频码率控制算法(英文)

In order to further improve the efficiency of video compression, we introduce a perceptual characteristics of Human Visual System (HVS) to video coding, and propose a novel video coding rate control algorithm based on human visual saliency model in H.264/AVC. Firstly, we modifie Itti's saliency model. Secondly, target bits of each frame are allocated through the correlation of saliency region between the current and previous frame, and the complexity of each MB is modified through the saliency value and its...     

A novel total variation based frame layer rate control algorithm for H.264/AVC

Rate control (RC) plays a crucial role in controlling compression bitrates and encoding qualities for networked video applications. In this research, we propose a new total variation (TV) based frame layer rate control algorithm for H.264/AVC. One of its novelties is that a total variation measure, used in image processing field, is proposed to describe encoding distortion in video compression. For intraframes, we present a TV distortion–quantization (D_TV–Q_step) model to obtain accurate QP step size (Q_step). Using TV measure to represent frame complexity, we also present an analytic model to calculate Q_step for the initial frame, and develop an effective scene change detection method. In addition, an incomplete derivative proportional integral derivative (IDPID) buffer controller is proposed to reduce the deviation between the current buffer fullness and the target buffer fullness, and minimizes the buffer overflow or underflow. Extensive experimental results show that, compared with JVT-W042, the proposed algorithm successfully achieves more accurate target bit rates, reduces frame skipping, decreases quality fluctuation and improves the overall coding quality.