18583487. ADAPTIVE QUANTIZATION FOR ENHANCEMENT LAYER VIDEO CODING simplified abstract (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)

ADAPTIVE QUANTIZATION FOR ENHANCEMENT LAYER VIDEO CODING

Organization Name

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Inventor(s)

Shankar Regunathan of Bellevue WA (US)

Shijun Sun of Redmond WA (US)

Chengjie Tu of Sammamish WA (US)

Chih-Lung Lin of Redmond WA (US)

ADAPTIVE QUANTIZATION FOR ENHANCEMENT LAYER VIDEO CODING - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18583487 titled 'ADAPTIVE QUANTIZATION FOR ENHANCEMENT LAYER VIDEO CODING

Simplified Explanation

The patent application discusses techniques and tools for encoding enhancement layer video with spatially varying quantization and quantization that varies between color channels. Corresponding decoding techniques are also presented.

Key Features and Innovation

• Encoding tool determines spatial and color channel quantization variations in a picture.
• Quantization parameters for macroblocks are signaled in the encoded bit stream.
• Decoding tool predicts quantization parameters and performs inverse quantization that can vary spatially and between color channels.

Potential Applications

This technology can be applied in video streaming services, video conferencing systems, and multimedia communication platforms.

Problems Solved

• Efficient encoding of enhancement layer video with spatially varying quantization.
• Improved video quality by adapting quantization to different regions of a picture.

Benefits

• Enhanced video quality with optimized quantization.
• Efficient use of bandwidth in video transmission.

Commercial Applications

Potential commercial applications include video streaming services, video conferencing solutions, and multimedia communication platforms.

Prior Art

Prior art related to this technology may include research on video encoding techniques and adaptive quantization methods in video compression.

Frequently Updated Research

Researchers are continuously exploring new algorithms and tools for optimizing video encoding and decoding processes, including spatially varying quantization techniques.

Questions about the Technology

How does spatially varying quantization improve video quality?

Spatially varying quantization allows for more efficient allocation of bits to different regions of a picture, enhancing details in complex areas while reducing artifacts in simpler regions.

What are the challenges in implementing quantization that varies between color channels?

Implementing quantization that varies between color channels requires careful calibration to ensure color accuracy while optimizing compression efficiency.

Original Abstract Submitted

Techniques and tools for encoding enhancement layer video with quantization that varies spatially and/or between color channels are presented, along with corresponding decoding techniques and tools. For example, an encoding tool determines whether quantization varies spatially over a picture, and the tool also determines whether quantization varies between color channels in the picture. The tool signals quantization parameters for macroblocks in the picture in an encoded bit stream. In some implementations, to signal the quantization parameters, the tool predicts the quantization parameters, and the quantization parameters are signaled with reference to the predicted quantization parameters. A decoding tool receives the encoded bit stream, predicts the quantization parameters, and uses the signaled information to determine the quantization parameters for the macroblocks of the enhancement layer video. The decoding tool performs inverse quantization that can vary spatially and/or between color channels.