ADAPTIVE BUFFER AND QUANTIZER REGULATION SCHEME FOR BANDWIDTH SCALABILITY OF VIDEO DATA

摘要

A method and apparatus for processing and encoding video data is presented that controls a quantization process based on a selection of differing performance objectives. When the communication channel that is used to communicate the encoded video data has a limited bandwidth, a balance must be struck between performance objectives to provide an acceptable image quality at an acceptable image update rate. Consistent image quality is provided by controlling the quantization process based on a set of quantizing parameters that include, for example, an initial value and bounds for the quantizing factor that is applied to each frame of the video data. Additionally, the quantizing parameters are modifiable by a user to achieve a user-determinable balance, based on the user's preference for image quality or image update rate. The user-determinable balance is achieved by a suitable modification of the video frame rate and the quantizing parameters commensurate with the selected frame rate.