Requantization transcoding for H.264/AVC video coding

In this paper, efficient solutions for requantization transcoding in H.264/AVC are presented. By requantizing residual coefficients in the bitstream, different error components can appear in the transcoded video stream. Firstly, a requantization error is present due to successive quantization in encoder and transcoder. In addition to the requantization error, the loss of information caused by coarser quantization will propagate due to dependencies in the bitstream. Because of the use of intra prediction and motion-compensated prediction in H.264/AVC, both spatial and temporal drift propagation arise in transcoded H.264/AVC video streams. The spatial drift in intra-predicted blocks results from mismatches in the surrounding prediction pixels as a consequence of requantization. In this paper, both spatial and temporal drift components are analyzed. As is shown, spatial drift has a determining impact on the visual quality of transcoded video streams in H.264/AVC. In particular, this type of drift results in serious distortion and disturbing artifacts in the transcoded video stream. In order to avoid the spatially propagating distortion, we introduce transcoding architectures based on spatial compensation techniques. By combining the individual temporal and spatial compensation approaches and applying different techniques based on the picture and/or macroblock type, overall architectures are obtained that provide a trade-off between computational complexity and rate-distortion performance. The complexity of the presented architectures is significantly reduced when compared to cascaded decoder–encoder solutions, which are typically used for H.264/AVC transcoding. The reduction in complexity is particularly large for the solution which uses spatial compensation only. When compared to traditional solutions without spatial compensation, both visual and objective quality results are highly improved.     

Restricted H.264/AVC video coding for privacy protected video scrambling

The issue of personal privacy has garnered significant attention with the extensive application of video surveillance systems. Privacy region scrambling is an effective method to protect privacy in video. To ensure that nonprivacy regions are not affected by scrambling, particular methods must be taken to prevent drift error in privacy protected video scrambling. However, existing methods have significantly reduced the coding efficiency. In this paper, we focus on improving coding efficiency while preventing drift error in privacy protected H.264/AVC video scrambling, which is the state-of-the-art coding standard. A restricted video coding scheme is proposed, which involves three parts of Mode Restricted Intra Prediction (MRIP), Search Window Restricted Motion Estimation (SWRME) and Boundary Strength Restricted Deblocking Filtering (BSRDF). Experimental results show that the proposed restricted video coding scheme prevents drift error with higher coding efficiency than others.     

Efficient entropy coding scheme for H.264/AVC lossless video coding

Context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC) and context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) are entropy coding methods employed in the H.264/AVC standard. Since these entropy coders are originally designed for encoding residual data, which are zigzag scanned and quantized transform coefficients, they cannot provide adequate coding performance for lossless video coding where residual data are not quantized transform coefficients, but the differential pixel values between the original and predicted pixel values. Therefore, considering the statistical characteristics of residual data in lossless video coding, we newly design each entropy coding method based on the conventional entropy coders in H.264/AVC. From the experimental result, we have verified that the proposed method provides not only positive bit-saving of 8% but also reduced computational complexity compared to the current H.264/AVC lossless coding mode.     

新一代视频压缩标准H.264/AVC

H．264是国际上最新的视频编解码标准,其编码效率可比现有MPEG-4提高50％,是未来几年内视频编码技术研究的主要方向。本文简述了H.264的发展历程,列出其具有的新技术特征和基本原理结构框图,针对主要技术、新标准的技术优势进行描述。     

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 information hiding in H.264/AVC video coding

This paper proposes a new real-time information hiding algorithm on latest H.264/AVC video coding standard. The information is embedded into the Trailing Ones of 4×4 blocks during the Context-based Adaptive Variable Length Coding (CAVLC) process. This algorithm is efficient with low computational complexity. The simulation results show that the degradation of video quality is negligible, and the same overall bit-stream length is maintained. Based on this information hiding method, a video subtitle transmission scheme is proposed. Under the simulation of different RTP packet loss channels, the embedded information can be well recovered. The comparison with other algorithms shows the superiority of our proposed method.     

Gravity direction-based ultra-fast intraprediction algorithm for H.264/AVC video coding

The H.264/AVC video coding standard uses in intraprediction, 9 directional modes for 4 × 4 and 8 × 8 luma blocks, and 4 directional modes for 16 × 16 luma macroblocks, and 8 × 8 chroma blocks. The use of the variable block size and multiple modes in intraprediction makes the intracoding of H.264/AVC very efficient compared with other compression standards; however, computational complexity is increased significantly. In this paper, we propose a fast mode selection algorithm for intracoding. This algorithm is based on the vector of the block’s gravity center whose direction is used to select the best candidate prediction mode for intracoding. On this basis, only a small number of intraprediction modes are chosen for rate distortion optimization (RDO) calculation. Different video sequences are used to test the performance of proposed method. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm increases significantly the speed of intracoding with negligible loss of peak signal-to-noise ratio quality.     

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%.     

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.     

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.     

SSIM-based error-resilient rate-distortion optimization of H.264/AVC video coding for wireless streaming

The SSIM-based rate-distortion optimization (RDO) has been verified to be an effective tool for H.264/AVC to promote the perceptual video coding performance. However, the current SSIM-based RDO is not efficient for improving the perceptual quality of the video streaming application over the error-prone network, because it does not consider the transmission induced distortion in the encoding process. In this paper, a SSIM-based error-resilient RDO scheme for H.264/AVC is proposed to improve the wireless video streaming performance. Firstly, with the help of the SSE-based RDO, we present a low-complexity Lagrange multiplier decision method for the SSIM-based RDO video coding in the error-free environment. Then, the SSIM-based decoding distortion of the user end is estimated at the encoder and is correspondingly introduced into the RDO to involve the transmission induced distortion into the encoding process. Further, the Lagrange multiplier is theoretically derived to optimize the encoding mode selection in the error-resilient RDO process. Experimental results show that the proposed SSIM-based error-resilient RDO can obtain superior perceptual video quality (more structural information) to the traditional SSE-based error-resilient RDO for wireless video streaming at the same bit rate condition.     

Efficient rate control scheme for low bit rate H.264/AVC video coding

This article presents an efficient rate control scheme for H.264/AVC video coding in low bit rate environment. In the proposed scheme, an improved rate-distortion (RD) model by both analytical and empirical approaches is developed. It involves an enhanced mean absolute difference estimating method and a more rate-robust distortion model. Based on this RD model, an efficient macroblock-layer rate control scheme for H.264/AVC video coding is proposed. Experimental results show that this model encodes video sequences with higher peak signal-to-noise ratio gains and generates bit stream closer to the target rate.     

Content-adaptive bitstream-layer model for coding distortion assessment of H.264/AVC networked video

Bitstream-layer models are designed to use the information extracted from both packet headers and payload for real-time and non-intrusive quality monitoring of networked video. This paper proposes a content-adaptive bitstream-layer (CABL) model for coding distortion assessment of H.264/AVC networked video. Firstly, the fundamental relationship between perceived coding distortion and quantization parameter (QP) is established. Then, considering the fact that the perceived coding distortion of a networked video significantly relies on both the spatial and temporal characteristics of video content, spatial and temporal complexities are incorporated in the proposed model. Assuming that the residuals before Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) keep to the Laplace distribution, the scale parameters of the Laplace distribution are estimated utilizing QP and quantized coefficients on the basis of the Parseval theorem firstly. Then the spatial complexity is evaluated using QP and the scale parameters. Meanwhile, the temporal complexity is obtained using the weighted motion vectors (MV) considering the variations in temporal masking extent for high motion regions and low motion regions, respectively. Both the two characteristics of video content are extracted from the compressed bitstream without resorting to a complete decoding. Using content related information, the proposed model is able to adapt to different video contents. Experimental results show that the overall performance of CABL model significantly outperforms that of the P.1202.1 model and other coding distortion assessment models in terms of widely used performance criteria, including the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC), the Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (SROCC), the Root-Mean-Squared Error (RMSE) and the Outlier Ratio (OR).     

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.     

Advances in the scalable amendment of H.264/AVC

To support clients with diverse capabilities, ISO/IEC MPEG and ITU-T form a joint video team (JVT) to develop a scalable video coding (SVC) technology that uses single bitstream to provide multiple spatial, temporal, and quality (SNR) resolutions, thus satisfying low-complexity and low-delay constraints. It is an amendment of the emerging standard H.264/AVC and it provides an H.264/AVC-compatible base layer and a fully scalable enhancement layer, which can be truncated and extracted on-the-fly to obtain a preferred spatio-temporal and quality resolution. An overview of the adopted key technologies in the SVC and a comparison in coding efficiency with H.264/AVC are presented     

An improved fast mode decision algorithm for intraprediction in H.264/AVC video coding

In this article, an improved version of one of the most cited intra mode decision algorithms in H.264/AVC video coding is proposed with the aim to improve its efficiency and performance. The reference algorithm determines the interpolation/extrapolation spatial direction (mode) for achieving the best intra prediction using the Sobel gradient calculation. The proposed algorithm suggests reducing the number of gradients calculated and changing the Sobel operator to that of Roberts. In addition to this, it also proposes including the previously encoded neighboring block modes among the evaluated modes. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm reduces the computational load of the original algorithm and substantially improves its rate-distortion performance.     

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.     

Direction-adaptive fixed length discrete cosine transform framework for efficient H.264/AVC video coding

The 2D-discrete cosine transform (2D-DCT) is one of the popular transformation for video coding. Yet, 2D-DCT may not be able to efficiently represent video data with fewer coefficients for oblique featured blocks. To further improve the compression gain for such oblique featured video data, this paper presents a directional transform framework based on direction-adaptive fixed length discrete cosine transform (DAFL-DCT) for intra-, and inter-frame. The proposed framework selects the best suitable transform mode from eight proposed directional transform modes for each block, and modified zigzag scanning pattern rearranges these transformed coefficients into a 1D-array, suitable for entropy encoding. The proposed scheme is analysed on JM 18.6 of H.264/AVC platform. Performance comparisons have been made with respect to rate-distortion (RD), Bjontegaard metrics, encoding time etc. The proposed transform scheme outperforms the conventional 2D-DCT and other state-of-art techniques in terms of compression gain and subjective quality.     

Hash key-based video encryption scheme for H.264/AVC

An improved H.264/AVC comprehensive video encryption scheme is proposed. In the proposed scheme, the intra-prediction mode, motion vector difference, and quantization coefficients are encrypted. A novel hierarchical key generation method is likewise proposed, in which the encryption keys are generated based on the cryptographic hash function. Generated frame keys are consistent with the corresponding frame serial numbers, which can ensure frame synchronization in the decrypting process when frame loss occurs. This function provides the property that our scheme is secure against some special attacks for video, such as the frame regrouping attack and frame erasure attack. Our method not only avoids the distribution of encryption keys, but also increases the security. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme is efficient in computing, the encryption process does not affect the compression ratio greatly, and the encryption/decryption process hardly affects the video quality.     

Novel H.264/AVC entropy coding mode decision

In this work, we propose a novel entropy coding mode decision algorithm to balance the tradeoff between the rate-distortion (R-D) performance and the entropy decoding complexity for the H.264/AVC video coding standard. Context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC), context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC), and universal variable length coding (UVLC) are three entropy coding tools adopted by H.264/AVC. CABAC can be used to encode the texture and the header data while CAVLC and UVLC are employed to encode the texture and the header data, respectively. Although CABAC can provide better R-D performance than CAVLC/UVLC, its decoding complexity is higher. Thus, by taking the entropy decoding complexity into account, CABAC may not be the best tool, which motivates us to examine the entropy coding mode decision problem in depth. It will be shown experimentally that the proposed mode decision algorithm can help the encoder generate the bit streams that can be decoded at much lower complexity with little R-D performance loss.