Methods and systems for facilitating multimedia data encoding utilizing configured buffer information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9307262-B2
Application number	US-201213349268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2012
Priority date	Jan 13, 2011
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

Several methods and systems for facilitating multimedia data encoding are disclosed. In an embodiment, a plurality of picture buffers associated with multimedia data are received in an order of capture associated with the plurality of picture buffers. Buffer information is configured for each picture buffer from among the plurality of picture buffers comprising at least one of a metadata associated with the corresponding picture buffer and one or more encoding parameters for the corresponding picture buffer. A provision of picture buffers in an order of encoding is facilitated based on the configured buffer information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of a signal processor of an encoder, comprising:
receiving, via the signal processor, a plurality of picture buffers associated with multimedia data, the plurality of picture buffers being received in an order of capture associated with the plurality of picture buffers;
configuring buffer information for each picture buffer from among the plurality of picture buffers, the buffer information comprising at least one of metadata associated with the corresponding picture buffer and one or more encoding parameters for the corresponding picture buffer; and
facilitating a provision of picture buffers in an order of encoding based on the configured buffer information by identifying a temporal level from among a plurality of pre-determined temporal levels for each picture buffer from among the plurality of picture buffers based on the configured buffer information, wherein only a portion of the buffer information configured for a picture buffer corresponding to at least one of a bi-directional coded frame (B-frame) and a predictive coded frame (P-frame) is stored in a storage buffer from among a plurality of storage buffers associated with higher temporal levels than a lowest temporal level from among the plurality of pre-determined temporal levels, and wherein the order of the encoding is determined in a scalable manner from the order of capture associated with the plurality of the picture buffers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein facilitating the provision of the picture buffers comprises:
storing buffer information configured for each picture buffer in a storage buffer from among the plurality of storage buffers based on the temporal level of each picture buffer and a temporal level associated with each storage buffer from among the plurality of storage buffers; and
retrieving the configured buffer information in the order of encoding from the plurality of storage buffers upon a completion of a storing of buffer information corresponding to picture buffers associated with a pre-determined group of pictures (GOP).

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the buffer information configured for a picture buffer corresponding to one of an intra coded frame (I-frame), an instantaneous decoding refresh (IDR) frame, and a P-frame is stored in a storage buffer from among the plurality of storage buffers associated with the lowest temporal level from among the plurality of pre-determined temporal levels.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein retrieving the configured buffer information in the order of encoding comprises repeatedly performing:
identifying a storage buffer from among the plurality of storage buffers including buffer information corresponding to picture buffers associated with the GOP, the identified storage buffer being associated with a lowest temporal level from among the temporal levels associated with the plurality of storage buffers including the buffer information, and the lowest temporal level being higher than a temporal level associated with a previously identified storage buffer; and
retrieving buffer information from the identified storage buffer, the buffer information corresponding to one of an earliest of the stored buffer information and a latest of the stored buffer information in the identified storage buffer.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
initiating an encoding of the picture buffers based on the retrieved buffer information in the order of encoding; and
rendering the encoded picture buffers available as reference picture buffers for an encoding of subsequent picture buffers for facilitating continuous encoding of picture buffers upon initiation of encoding.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving one of an instantaneous decoding refresh (IDR) frame insertion request and a flush request corresponding to a picture buffer from among the plurality of picture buffers;
selecting one or more picture buffers corresponding to B-frames and corresponding to a GOP associated with the picture buffer, the selected one or more picture buffers preceding the picture buffer; and
converting the buffer information configured for the selected one or more picture buffers from buffer information corresponding to the B-frames into buffer information corresponding to P-frames.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the selected one or more picture buffers comprise at least one of:
an associated temporal level different than a temporal level associated with the picture buffer at which one of the IDR frame insertion and the flush request is received; and
an associated capture index higher than a capture index of a previously selected picture buffer corresponding to the B-frame within the GOP.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein converting the buffer information configured for the selected one or more picture buffers comprises:
extracting the buffer information from one of the plurality of storage buffers;
modifying the extracted buffer information from buffer information corresponding to the B-frames into buffer information corresponding to the P-frames; and
transferring the modified buffer information corresponding to the P-frames into a storage buffer associated with a lowest temporal level from among the plurality of temporal levels associated with the plurality of storage buffers.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
repeatedly performing a selection of the one or more picture buffers corresponding to the B-frames from a storage buffer associated with the lowest temporal level to a storage buffer associated with the highest temporal level from among the plurality of storage buffers.

10. A system comprising:
a buffer information module configured to:
receive a plurality of picture buffers associated with multimedia data, the plurality of picture buffers being received in an order of capture associated with the plurality of picture buffers, and
configure buffer information for each picture buffer from among the plurality of picture buffers, the buffer information comprising at least one of metadata associated with the corresponding picture buffer and one or more encoding parameters for the corresponding picture buffer;

a memory module configured to:
identify a temporal level from among a plurality of pre-determined temporal levels for each picture buffer from among the plurality of picture buffers based on the buffer information; and
store the buffer information based on the temporal level of each picture buffer, wherein only a portion of the buffer information configured for a picture buffer corresponding to at least one of a bi-directional coded frame (B-frame) and a predictive coded frame (P-frame) is stored in a storage buffer from among a plurality of storage buffers associated with higher temporal levels than a lowest temporal level from among the plurality of pre-determined temporal levels; and

a processor module configured to retrieve the buffer information in an order of encoding from the memory module upon completion of storing of the buffer information corresponding to picture buffers associated with a pre-determined group of pictures (GOP), and wherein the order of the encoding is determined in a scalable manner from the order of capture associated with the picture buffers.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the memory module comprises:
the plurality of storage buffers configured to store the buffer information configured for the picture buffers, the buffer information configured for each picture buffer being stored in a storage buffer from among the plurality of storage buffers based on the temporal level of each picture buffer and a temporal level associated with each storage buffer from a

Assignees

• Kiran Uday Pudipeddi
• Poddar Deepak Kumar
• Swami Pramod Kumar
• Kudana Arun Shankar
• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Kiran Uday Pudipeddi
• Poddar Deepak Kumar
• Swami Pramod Kumar
• Kudana Arun Shankar

Classifications

• H04N19/577 Primary

  Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures · CPC title

• H04N19/423 Primary

  characterised by memory arrangements (H04N19/433 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N19/177

  the unit being a group of pictures [GOP] · CPC title

• H04N19/44

  Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder · CPC title