Abstract: Examples methods and apparatuses including a statistical multiplexer with the bitrate smoother are described herein. An example apparatus may include a statistical multiplexing (statmux) system for use with a communication link. The statmux system includes a bitrate smoother and a plurality of encoders. An encoder of the plurality of encoders is configured to provide a respective encoded bitstream of encoded coding units. The bitrate smoother is configured to select a group of encoded coding units. The selected group of encoded coding units includes encoded coding units of at least two different respective encoded bitstreams. The bitrate smoother further configured to adjust respective transmission timing of the selected group of encoded coding units. The adjusted respective transmission timing of the group of encoded coding units of the at least two different respective encoded bitstreams overlap during a time interval.

Abstract: Examples methods and apparatuses including a statistical multiplexer with global rate control are described herein. An example apparatus may include a statistical multiplexing (statmux) system coupled to a communication link. The statmux system includes a global rate controller and a plurality of encoders. Each encoder of the plurality of encoders may receive data from a respective channel of a plurality of channels. The global rate controller may buffer respective coding units of at least two of the plurality of channels and estimate respective sizes of buffered coding units of the buffered respective coding units. The global rate controller may provide a quality parameter to the plurality of encoders having a value based on the estimated coded sizes of the buffered coding units.

Abstract: Examples of apparatuses and methods for pooling multiple channels into a multiple program transport stream are described herein. An example apparatus may include a statistical multiplexing (statmux) system coupled to a communication link. The statmux system includes a virtual buffer verifier (VBV) shifter and a plurality of encoders. The VBV shifter is configured to receive respective encoded bitstreams of encoded coding units from the plurality of encoders and to provide a plurality of encoded coding units to a common data pool. The VBV shifter is further configured to remove an encoded coding unit of the plurality of encoded coding units from the common data pool to be combined with other encoded coding units of the plurality of encoded coding units for transmission on the communication link based on a target bitrate.

Abstract: Examples of apparatuses and methods for performing staggered-field intra-refresh process are described herein. An example apparatus may include an encoder configured to provide an encoded bitstream based on a video signal. The encoder is configured to perform a staggered-field intra-refresh process over a series of frames of the video signal, where a frame of the series of frames is divided into a plurality of regions. The encoder includes an intra-refresh block configured to refresh a region of frame for a first field of the frame that is spatially offset from a region of the frame refreshed for a second field.

Abstract: Examples of video synchronization techniques are described. Example synchronization techniques may utilize projection on convex spaces (POCS). The use of POCS may reduce complexity and may speed up synchronization in some examples. Projection on convex spaces generally involves projection (e.g. through summation, averaging, and/or quantization) of samples corresponding to a certain domain or dimension onto a particular axis or space. Weighted projection (e.g. averaging and/or summation) may also be used.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for optimizing rate-distortion costs in a signal are disclosed herein. An apparatus may comprise a quantization block that may be configured to serially receive a plurality of coefficients and to generate a plurality of candidates for each of a plurality of coefficients. The quantization block may further be configured to generate a respective arc for each of the candidates having a respective rate and in accordance with the MPEG-2 coding standard. The quantization block may further be configured to identify which of the plurality of arcs has a minimum cost and provide a modified plurality of coefficients associated with the minimum cost arc.

Abstract: Examples of methods and apparatuses for improving subjective video quality of a video signal are described herein. An example apparatus may include an encoder. The encoder may be configured to receive a video signal and to generate a saliency score for a macroblock of the video signal. The encoder may further be configured to adjust a quantization parameter for the macroblock of the video signal based, at least in part, on the respective saliency score for the macroblock of the video signal.

Abstract: Examples of apparatuses and methods for performing a joint RD optimization operation are described herein. A method may include successively encoding a macroblock using a plurality of coding modes. The method may further include determining a corresponding rate-distortion cost to encode the macroblock based on a corresponding coding mode of the plurality of coding modes. The method may further include determining a corresponding estimated rate-distortion cost to encode one or more macroblocks affected by encoding the macroblock using the corresponding coding mode. The method may further include selecting a coding mode of the plurality of coding modes having a lowest corresponding joint rate-distortion cost. The corresponding total rate-distortion cost comprises the corresponding rate-distortion cost to encode the macroblock and the corresponding estimated rate-distortion cost to encode the one or more of the affected macroblocks.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for adaptively filtering video content are disclosed herein. An apparatus may include a filter configured to receive a video signal. The filter may further be configured to perform an up-conversion on a plurality of frames of the video signal to provide a plurality of up-converted frames. The filter may further be configured to filter the plurality of up-converted frames to provide a plurality of filtered frames and to perform a down-conversion operation on the plurality of filtered frames to provide a filtered video signal.

Abstract: Examples of encoders and video encoding are described that include optimizers and techniques for optimizing syntax elements such as transform coefficients. In some examples, multiple color components of a video signal may be jointly optimized by employing a cost calculation using a combination of distortion and/or rate metrics for multiple color components. In some examples, a color transformation may occur and the optimization may take place in a different color domain than encoding. In some examples, distortion metrics used in the cost calculations performed by optimizers are based on structural similarity index.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for optimizing rate-distortion of syntax elements are disclosed herein. An optimization block may be used in a video encoder and may include a candidate generation block and a best cost block. The optimization block may be configured to generate a plurality of candidates corresponding to respective differential levels. Each of the plurality of candidates may be based, at least in part, on a DC coefficient and provide a respective rate-distortion cost. The best cost block may be coupled to the candidate generation block and may be configured to select a candidate of the plurality of candidates according to a criteria.

Abstract: Examples described include transport stream multiplexers that may not need to search for an appropriate source to use to generate a transport stream packet. Instead, the source to use may be indicated by a position (e.g. an entry) in a memory table, e.g. a metadata array. Methods for placing transport stream packets on a transport stream and initializing the metadata array are also described.

Abstract: Examples of methods and apparatuses for estimating bit counts of a bitstream are described herein. An entropy encoder may include a bitstream encoding module and a bit count estimation module. The bitstream encoding module may be configured to encode a plurality of syntax elements according to a first encoding technique. The bit count estimation module may be configured to provide estimated bit counts for encoding the plurality of syntax elements according to a second encoding technique. In at least one embodiment, the bitstream encoding module may be further configured to encode the plurality of syntax elements based on the estimated bit counts.

Abstract: Examples of methods and apparatuses for inserting and removing stuffing data in a bitstream described. An encoding system may include an encoder configured to receive a video signal and stuffing data. The encoder may be configured encode the video signal in accordance with an encoding methodology and provide a bitstream based on the encoded video signal and the stuffing data. The stuffing data may include random and/or encrypted data. A decoder may receive a bitstream and remove stuffing data from the bitstream. The decoder may include a padding removal apparatus that may include a slice detection block and a bitstream editor. The slice detection block may be configured to determine locations of stuffing data in a bitstream and provide the locations to the bitstream editor using control signals. The bitstream editor may be configured to remove the stuffing data based on the control signals.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for optimizing rate-distortion costs in a signal are disclosed. An apparatus may comprise a quantization block that may be configured to generate a plurality of candidates for each of a plurality of coefficients. The quantization block may further generate a respective plurality of arcs based, at least in part, on the plurality of candidates. The quantization block may be configured to determine which of the plurality of arcs has a lowest cost using a trellis optimization technique. Fractional bit estimations may be used to calculate rate, and inverse lambda may be used to calculate candidate coefficients.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for applying adaptive reduced resolution update (RRU) processing are disclosed herein. An apparatus may include an encoder configured to receive a video signal and selectively downsample a first component of the video signal in accordance with a first RRU coding mode and a second component of the video signal in accordance with a second RRU coding mode, based on respective types of the first and second components of the video signal. An apparatus may include a decoder configured to receive an encoded bitstream and provide a recovered residual based on the encoded bitstream. The decoder may be configured to selectively upsample a first component of the recovered residual in accordance with a first RRU mode and to selectively upsample a second component of the recovered residual in accordance with a second RRU mode to provide a reconstructed signal based on signaling mechanisms of the encoded bitstream.

Abstract: A method of operating an electronic video device such as a DVD player, wherein video clock signals and audio clock signals are derived from a system clock signal using two phase-lock loops, and these video and audio clock signals are used to process encoded video data and encoded audio data, but digital-to-analog conversion of the audio data stream is controlled by the system clock signal rather than the audio clock signals. By using the system clock signal to control the audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the DAC avoids the poor performance issues that can arise from jitter introduced into the audio clock signals by the PLL. The system clock signal may be divided by an integer to generate the sampling clock for the audio DAC. In the illustrative embodiment, the system clock signal has a rate which is not an integer multiple of the sample rate of the audio data stream.

Abstract: A method of operating an electronic video device such as a DVD player, wherein video clock signals and audio clock signals are derived from a system clock signal using two phase-lock loops, and these video and audio clock signals are used to process encoded video data and encoded audio data, but digital-to-analog conversion of the audio data stream is controlled by the system clock signal rather than the audio clock signals. By using the system clock signal to control the audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the DAC avoids the poor performance issues that can arise from jitter introduced into the audio clock signals by the PLL. The system clock signal may be divided by an integer to generate the sampling clock for the audio DAC. In the illustrative embodiment, the system clock signal has a rate which is not an integer multiple of the sample rate of the audio data stream.

Abstract: The optimal buffering strategy of the present invention allows for full smooth reverse functionality in an MPEG-type stream player, while reducing the buffering requirements. Furthermore, the buffering strategy drastically reduces the required number of passes through the video data unit by optimal scheduling of picture decodes. A video data unit buffering strategy for smooth reverse includes the following operations. First, a video data unit is scanned before decoding any pictures within the video data unit. Positions of each picture are then marked out in the video data unit. Next, the entire video data unit is decoded, except the open GOP pictures which need a reference picture from an adjacent video data unit. The open GOP pictures are then copied to the end of the current video data unit in the buffer, and the new video data unit continues to be fetched.

Abstract: Progressive scan encoded JPEGS are decoded sequentially on a Minimum Coded Unit (MCU) basis and then the JPEG image is output one row at a time to a frame buffer. Since the entire image does not need to be decoded at once, a huge JPEG buffer is generally not required. The present invention reconstructs each MCU one scan at a time to produce complete lines of image data and thus provides an output using the image data on a line-by-line basis. This technique may require that each MCU be reconstructed scan-by-scan. This technique provides a modified entropy (Huffman) decoder in which data for different scans of an MCU of the progressively scanned JPEG image may be stored in a buffer, and a parsing and scan table element creates pointers to the memory buffer corresponding to the start of each scan level. Scan tables are also extracted for each level of scan or points to the same tables if some scan levels use the same table.