VIRTUAL FRAME BUFFER SYSTEM AND METHOD

摘要

A system for encoding and decoding a frame (also file), such as a video, graphic, media, or other frame or data, representing a real-time graphic output from a frame buffer, output by a video camera, or another file or data. The file includes frames each comprising macroblocks. Reference frame buffers (PFTs), virtual frame buffer tables (VFTBs) of equal number to the PFTs, each VFTB corresponds to a respective PFT, and respective sectors of each PFT for respective macroblocks are created. Frames of the file are encoded/decoded by successive encode/decode of macroblocks. A pointer is created in the VFBT associated with the PFT rather than encoding/decoding any matching macroblock. The pointer and its reference are relied on for each already encoded/decoded macroblock retained in the PFT. Processing, memory, bandwidth and power requirements for encoding or decoding are reduced.

主权项

1. A device for encoding a file, the file comprises frames and each frame comprises macroblocks for encoding, comprising:
memory; a processor communicatively connected to the memory; an encoder communicatively connected to and controlled by the processor; a first reference frame buffer in the memory, the first reference frame buffer capable of containing one of the frame; a first virtual frame buffer table in the memory; a plurality of sectors of the first reference frame buffer, each sector, respectively, capable of storing a distinct one of the macroblocks corresponding to part of the frame of the file; and a respective pointer stored in the first virtual frame buffer table, each respective pointer corresponds to one of the sectors, respectively, and refers to (i) if the macroblock of the sector is not matched by any other of the macroblocks of the other sectors then-having been encoded, the sector containing the macroblock, and (i) if the macroblock of the sector is matched by another of the macroblocks of another of the sectors having then-been encoded, the other sector containing the other macroblock; wherein the encoder during encoding either encodes each next one of the macroblock of the frame or, if the next one of the macroblock is matched by another of the macroblocks of another of the sectors having then-been encoded, refers via the respective pointer to the other macroblock of the other sector and skips encoding of the next one of the macroblock.