452results about How to "Improve video quality" patented technology

The invention relates to video and music distribution systems and, more particularly, to a system that blanket transmits video/audio content such as movies (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer's recording, storage and playback system. Customers may preselect from a list of available movies or other content in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay for the video/audio content that is actually viewed.

A method for verifying specific profile, legal, and social preference data responses for generating a selectively approved membership database. Membership security is completed with a biometric security authentication of each member upon member logon. A media player is used for recording and delivering video on demand; live video broadcast communications, and video/audio relational database management as well as searching the database for Digital video and audio content defined by indexed unique hint track data. Live video conferencing is available utilizing bandwidth scheduling methods for quality video control and creating audit logs for member accountability and content control.

The invention relates to a video encoder (201) for encoding a video signal. The video encoder comprises a segmentation processor (207) which divides the picture into picture regions. Preferably, picture regions having a high degree of flatness or uniformity are determined in this way. A characteristics processor (209) determine a spatial frequency characteristic for each picture region, and a coding controller (211) selects an encoding block size, such as a prediction block size for motion estimation, in response to the spatial frequency characteristic. An encode processor (213) encodes the picture using the selected encoding block size. Specifically, increasing block sizes are selected for increasing degrees of uniformity or flatness indicated by the spatial frequency characteristic. Thereby, an increasing proportion of high frequency components and a consistent choice of encoding block sizes are maintained, and thus the coding artefacts from many encoders having variable prediction block sizes is reduced. The invention is particularly suitable for H.264 and similar encoders.

An encoder for use in scalable video coding has a mechanism to perform macroblock mode selection for the enhancement layer pictures. The mechanism includes a distortion estimator for each macroblock that reacts to channel errors such as packet losses or errors in video segments affected by error propagation; a Lagrange multiple selector for selecting a weighting factor according to estimated or signaled channel error rate, and a mode decision module or algorithm to choose the optimal mode based on encoding parameters. The mode decision module is configured to select the coding mode based on a sum of the estimated coding distortion and the estimated coding rate multiplied by the weighting factor.

Systems and methods for conducting a multi-endpoint video signal conference are provided. Conferencing endpoints are linked by pairs of a reliable and a less reliable communication channel. Conference video signals are scaleable coded in base layer and enhancement layers format. Video signal base layers, which correspond to a minimum picture quality, are communicated over reliable channels. The video signal enhancements layers may be communicated over the less reliable channels. A conference server mediates the switching of video layer information from transmitting endpoints to receiving endpoints without any intermediate coding or re-coding operations. The video conference can be integrated with an audio conference using either scalable coded audio signals or non-scaleable coded audio signals.

In a method of transmitting video data over a packet network, an input video stream is fed to a compressor that generates a compressed output stream. The compressor determines a target bit rate for the output stream based on desired picture quality. A traffic management unit a determines the available bit rate for the compressed data stream based on network condition. The output is adjusted if the target bit rate exceeds the granted bit rate.

Quality settings established by an encoder are adjusted based on information associated with regions of interest (“ROIs”). For example, quantization step sizes can be reduced (to improve quality) or increased (to reduce bit rate). ROIs can be identified and quality settings can be adjusted based on input received from a user interface. An overlap setting can be determined for a portion of a picture that corresponds to an ROI overlap area. For example, an overlap setting is chosen from step sizes corresponding to a first overlapping ROI and a second overlapping ROI, or from relative reductions in step size corresponding to the first ROI and the second ROI. ROIs can be parameterized by information (e.g., using data structures) that indicates spatial dimensions of the ROIs and quality adjustment information (e.g., dead zone information, step size information, and quantization mode information).

Systems and methods for conducting a multi-endpoint video signal conference are provided. Conferencing endpoints are linked by pairs of a reliable and a less reliable communication channel. Conference video signals are scaleable coded in base layer and enhancement layers format. Video signal base layers, which correspond to a minimum picture quality, are communicated over reliable channels. The video signal enhancements layers may be communicated over the less reliable channels. A conference server mediates the switching of video layer information from transmitting endpoints to receiving endpoints without any intermediate coding or re-coding operations. The video conference can be integrated with an audio conference using either scalable coded audio signals or non-scaleable coded audio signals.

A video encoder controlling rate of each frame in a current frame set (Group of Picture, GOP), and method thereof. The video encoder comprises a frame grouping device, a GOP initialization device, and a GOP encoding device. The frame grouping device allocates a target bit budget R_GOP to the current frame set. The GOP initialization device is coupled to the frame grouping device, and estimates a first quantization parameter QP₁ based on the target bit budget R_GOP and complexity of the current frame set. The GOP encoding device is coupled to the GOP initialization device, and encoding a frame in the current frame set with the second quantization parameter QP₂ to generate output data.

The invention is directed to a motion trainer for improving a person's movement of an implement by allowing the person to visualize the path of the implement during the movement. The motion trainer comprises an implement having a plurality of motion characteristic sensors located thereon for determining, among other things, the direction of the movement and the orientation of the implement during the movement. Biofeedback devices provide the person information regarding the positioning of the implement during the movement.

The invention relates to video distribution systems and, more particularly, to a system that blanket transmits video/audio content such as movies (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer's computer-based recording, storage and playback system. Customers preselect from a list of available movies or other content in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay for only the video/audio content that is actually viewed.

In one embodiment, a method for decoding a video bitstream having a plurality of pictures, the bitstream generated by a video coding system with sample adaptive offset (SAO), is provided, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining processed video data from a video bitstream; partitioning the processed video data into blocks, wherein each of the blocks is equal to or smaller than a picture and each block is comprised of a plurality of pixels; applying a first SAO compensation to each of the pixels in a processed video block; and applying a second SAO compensation to each of the pixels in the processed video block.

Described herein are systems and methods for processing and transmitting data included in packets with jitter. The systems and methods combine a jitter buffer and a buffer scanned by a look ahead window as a combined buffer. The combined buffer varies look ahead window and performance of a process that uses the look ahead window based on the current jitter support in the buffer. More specifically, the flexible buffering techniques flexibly adapt the size of the look ahead window based on the amount of buffer space used for jitter support. When jitter support requirements are low, the size of the look ahead window is increased. When the look ahead window is implemented with a multiplexer, the multiplexer may benefit from a larger look ahead window and improve multiplexer performance. Improved multiplexer performance may lead to less or more intelligent re-encoding and bit rate reduction for video data transmission applications, leading to improved decoded output video quality.

The invention relates to improving the quality of media data in video conferences having end-points with heterogeneous capability sets. Transmission modes are negotiated based on the highest capability codecs supported by each respective end-point. Each end-point communicates data based on its individually negotiated transmission mode. Data translations are implemented as necessary to ensure that each end-point receives media data according to a transmission mode that it supports. Accordingly, all end-points in a multi-point video conference employ their most capable codecs, thereby greatly enhancing the overall media quality in multi-point video conferences having heterogeneous end-points.

A video processing system enhances quality of an overlay image, such as a logo, text, game scores, or other areas forming a region of interest (ROI) in a video stream. The system separately enhances the video quality of the ROI, particularly when screen size is reduced. The data enhancement can be accomplished at decoding with metadata provided with the video data for decoding so that the ROI that can be separately enhanced from the video. In improve legibility, the ROI enhancer can increase contrast, brightness, hue, saturation, and bit density of the ROI. The ROI enhancer can operate down to a pixel-by-pixel level. The ROI enhancer may use stored reference picture templates to enhance a current ROI based on a comparison. When the ROI includes text, a minimum reduction size for the ROI relative to the remaining video can be identified so that the ROI is not reduced below human perceptibility.

A method and apparatus for adaptively streaming multiple video bit streams through a network node is disclosed. In particular, a system is taught where at least one of the video bit streams is scaled in response to a bandwidth limitation or availability, where the selection of the bit stream selected for scaling in made in response to at least one of a user defined, service provider defined, and usage analysis defined priority list.

The invention provides a method and a device of multiple description video coding based on a relevance optimization rule, belonging to the field of video coding. The device comprises a coder, a decoder, a channel 1 and a channel 2, wherein the coder comprises a similarity optimization rule module, a preprocessor, an odd and even frame separator, a standard coder 1 and a standard coder 2; and the decoder comprises a standard decoder 1, a standard decoder 2, an odd and even frame interleaver and a postprocessor. The video coding method better keeps time domain relevance in a video subsequence by using the relevance optimization rule aiming at different motion information on the premise of guaranteeing the compression performance of each video sequence, thereby ensuring that a one-way decoder can more effectively restore lost information so as to improve the reconstruction quality of the one-way decoder.

Disclosed herein is a Fine Granularity Scalability (FGS)-based video encoding and decoding method and apparatus capable of controlling deblocking. In the video decoding method according to the present invention, original video data is received and a base layer is generated based on the original data. Next, the difference between the original data and data that is obtained by reconstructing the base layer and deblocking the reconstructed base layer is obtained, thus generating an enhancement layer. Then, a reconstructed frame is generated based on the data that is obtained by reconstructing the enhancement layer, and data that is obtained by reconstructing and deblocking the reconstructed base layer. Finally, the reconstructed frame is deblocked at a lower intensity than that of deblocking performed in the first two steps.

A device (100) for processing an audio signal (101) and/or a video signal, wherein the device (100) comprises a haptic excitation generating unit (102) adapted for generating a haptic excitation of a specific body part (103) of a user by generating an airflow (104) through a vent (105) in accordance with the audio signal (101) and/or the video signal to be reproduced.