Open SVC decoder: a flexible SVC library

International audienceThis paper describes the Open SVC Decoder project, an open source library which implements the Scalable Video Coding (SVC) standard, the latest standardized by the Joint Video Team (JVT). This library has been integrated into open source players The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP) and mplayer, in order to be deployed over different platforms with different operating systems

Low-complexity motion estimation for the Scalable Video Coding extension of H.264/AVC

The recently standardized Scalable Video Coding(SVC) extension of H.264/AVC allows bitstream scalability with improved rate-distortion efficiency with respect to the classical Simulcasting approach, at the cost of an increased computational complexity of the encoding process. So one critical issue related to practical deployment of SVC is the complexity reduction, fundamental to use it in consumer applications. In this paper, we present a fully scalable fast motion estimation algorithm that enables an excellent complexity performance

Combining open- and closed-loop architectures for H.264/AVC-TO-SVC transcoding

Scalable video coding (SVC) allows encoded bitstreams to be adapted. However, most bitstreams do not incorporate this scalability so bitstreams have to be adapted multiple times to accommodate for varying network conditions or end-user devices. Each adaptation incorporates an additional loss of quality due to transcoding. To overcome this issue, we propose a single transcoding step from H.264/AVC to SVC. Doing so, the resulting bitstream can be freely adapted without any additional quality reduction. Open-loop transcoding architectures can be used for H.264/AVC-to-SVC transcoding with a low complexity, although these architectures suffer from drift artifacts. Closed-loop transcoding, on the other hand, requires a higher complexity. To overcome the drawbacks of both systems, we propose combining both techniques

A low-complexity parallel-friendly rate control algorithm for ultra-low delay high definition video coding

Ultra-low delay high definition (HD) video coding applications such as video conferencing demand, first, low-complexity video encoders able to support multi-core framework for parallel processing and, second, rate control algorithms (RCAs) for successful video content delivering under delay constraints. In this paper a low-complexity parallel-friendly RCA is proposed for HD video conferencing. Specifically, it has been implemented on an optimized H.264/Scalable Video Coding (SVC) encoder, providing excellent performance in terms of buffer control, while achieving acceptable quality of compressed video under the imposed delay constraints

Temporal video transcoding from H.264/AVC-to-SVC for digital TV broadcasting

Mobile digital TV environments demand flexible video compression like scalable video coding (SVC) because of varying bandwidths and devices. Since existing infrastructures highly rely on H.264/AVC video compression, network providers could adapt the current H.264/AVC encoded video to SVC. This adaptation needs to be done efficiently to reduce processing power and operational cost. This paper proposes two techniques to convert an H.264/AVC bitstream in Baseline (P-pictures based) and Main Profile (B-pictures based) without scalability to a scalable bitstream with temporal scalability as part of a framework for low-complexity video adaptation for digital TV broadcasting. Our approaches are based on accelerating the interprediction, focusing on reducing the coding complexity of mode decision and motion estimation tasks of the encoder stage by using information available after the H. 264/AVC decoding stage. The results show that when our techniques are applied, the complexity is reduced by 98 % while maintaining coding efficiency

Towards SVC-based adaptive streaming in information centric networks

HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) is becoming the de-facto standard for video streaming services. In HAS, each video is segmented and stored in different qualities. The client can dynamically select the most appropriate quality level to download, allowing it to adapt to varying network conditions. As the Internet was not designed to deliver such applications, optimal support for multimedia delivery is still missing. Information Centric Networking (ICN) is a recently proposed disruptive architecture that could solve this issue, where the focus is given to the content rather than to end-to-end connectivity. Due to the bandwidth unpredictability typical of ICN, standard AVC-based HAS performs quality selection sub-optimally, thus leading to a poor Quality of Experience (QoE). In this article, we propose to overcome this inefficiency by using Scalable Video Coding (SVC) instead. We individuate the main advantages of SVC-based HAS over ICN and outline, both theoretically and via simulation, the research challenges to be addressed to optimize the delivered QoE

Employing H.264 Coarse and Medium Grain Scalable Video to Optimize Video Playback over Passive Optical Networks

In this work, we propose the use of Coarse Grain Scalable (CGS) and Medium Grain Scalable (MGS) H.264/AVC video to optimize video playback on passive optical networks (PONs) by investigating network performance metrics such as data delay, video delay, and video delay jitter. Video playback is improved by sequentially dropping layers of scalable video. Dropping just a single CGS enhancement layer results in improvements of up to 57% for both data and video delay. However, video delay jitter benefits the most with an improvement ranging from 47% to 87%. Surprisingly, dropping subsequent CGS enhancement layers does not significantly improve the PONs performance. In order to remedy this effect, our focus switched to employing the H.264/AVC MGS video standard. Though video traffic delay is the primary object of optimization in this work, the proposed algorithm’s impacts on other network performance metrics such as data traffic delay and video traffic delay variance (jitter) are analyzed as well. Video playback is improved by employing an adaptive scalable video layer dropping algorithm which drops a progressively larger number of scalable video layers as network utilization increases as measured by the moving average of the video packet delay. The influence of the algorithm\u27s three parameters on its performance is investigated in detail, and the results of the optimized adaptive dropping algorithm are compared to baseline static dropping algorithm

On the impact of the GOP size in a temporal H.264/AVC-to-SVC transcoder in baseline and main profile

Scalable video coding is a recent extension of the advanced video coding H.264/AVC standard developed jointly by ISO/IEC and ITU-T, which allows adapting the bitstream easily by dropping parts of it named layers. This adaptation makes it possible for a single bitstream to meet the requirements for reliable delivery of video to diverse clients over heterogeneous networks using temporal, spatial or quality scalability, combined or separately. Since the scalable video coding design requires scalability to be provided at the encoder side, existing content cannot benefit from it. Efficient techniques for converting contents without scalability to a scalable format are desirable. In this paper, an approach for temporal scalability transcoding from H.264/AVC to scalable video coding in baseline and main profile is presented and the impact of the GOP size is analyzed. Independently of the GOP size chosen, time savings of around 63 % for baseline profile and 60 % for main profile are achieved while maintaining the coding efficiency