Existing data networks experience ever-increasing demands on them due to the proliferation of embedded, mobile, and otherwise internet-connected devices. The rapid increase of mobile devices has also placed great demands on wireless data networks. A large part of this increased demand is due to streaming audio or video.
Streaming video and on-line gaming places heavy demands on available bandwidth due to the high volume of data required as well as the performance demands of intense users. Thus, compression of video or audio data becomes necessary in order to minimize the transfer requirements and preserve data quality. Many different data compression codecs (coder-decoder) for audio and video exist, with various levels of efficiency. However, not all codecs are equally efficient, and as wireless networks get more congested, and data usage caps become more common, continuous improvement in compression capabilities, especially for streaming and on-demand video, is desired.
Thus, a need still remains for an improved encoding method. In view of the rapid rise in the consumption of available bandwidth by on-demand video, on-line gaming, and social media, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Growing consumer expectations and diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace make it critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.