Mixed architectures for H.264/AVC digital video transrating

• Published in: Multimedia tools and applications 2009-08, Vol.44 (1), p.39-64
• Main Authors: Notebaert, Stijn, De Cock, Jan, Beheydt, Samie, De Lameillieure, Jan, Van de Walle, Rik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Computer Communication Networks; Computer Science; Data Structures and Information Theory; Digital broadcasting; Digital video; Multimedia Information Systems; Special Purpose and Application-Based Systems; Streaming media; Studies
• ISSN: 1380-7501; 1573-7721
• DOI: 10.1007/s11042-009-0273-0

In this paper, we investigate transrating architectures for H.264/AVC video streams. Basic architectures are presented with their strengths and weaknesses. None of the existing architectures provide an appropriate solution for H.264/AVC transrating with an optimal balance between visual quality and complexity. In order to find such an appropriate solution, we propose the use of mixed transrating architectures. These architectures combine different transrating techniques which are applied depending on the picture/macroblock type. The intra-predicted pictures are decoded and re-encoded, while open-loop transrating or transrating with compensation is applied to motion-compensated pictures. Performance results show that the mixed architecture which applies spatial compensation to motion-compensated pictures gives rate-distortion results which approach the cascade of decoder and re-encoder with a complexity only slightly higher than the open-loop transrater. Adding temporal compensation for motion-compensated pictures further improves the visual quality, albeit to a lower extent, at the expense of increased complexity.