Title
Two-level sliding-window VBR control algorithm for video on demand streaming
Abstract
A two-level variable bit rate (VBR) control algorithm for hierarchical video coding, specifically tailored for the new High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, is presented here. A long-term level monitors the current bit count along a sliding window of a few seconds, comprising several intra-periods (IPs) and shifted on an IP basis. This long-term view allows the accommodation of the naturally occurring rate variations at a slow pace, avoiding the annoying sharp quality changes commonly appearing when non-sliding window approaches are used. The bit excesses or defects observed at this level are evenly delivered to a short-term level mechanism that establishes target bit budgets for a narrower sliding window covering a single IP and shifting on a frame basis. At this level, an adequate quantization parameter is estimated to comply with the designated target bit rate. Recommended test conditions as well as two few minutes long video sequences with scene cuts have been used for the assessment of the proposed VBR controller. Comparisons with a state-of-the-art rate control algorithm have produced good results in terms of quality consistency, in exchange for moderate rate-distortion performance losses. HighlightsA VBR controller for hierarchical video coding is proposed.The algorithm is specifically tailored for the HEVC standard.A sliding-window strategy aims at smoothing the bit resource allocation.This long-term bit allocation approach involves the reduction of PSNR fluctuations.Good PSNR consistency is especially achieved in few minutes long sequences.
Year
DOI
Venue
2015
10.1016/j.image.2015.05.004
Signal Processing: Image Communication
Keywords
Field
DocType
Video coding,HEVC,Rate control,VBR,Video storage,Video on demand
Control theory,Sliding window protocol,Computer science,Multiview Video Coding,Coding (social sciences),Real-time computing,Smoothing,Harmonic Vector Excitation Coding,Quantization (signal processing),Variable bitrate
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
36
C
0923-5965
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.35
15
Authors
5