1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the packetized transmission of video; and, more particularly, to the processing of such video by a source or intermediate device.
2. Related Art
Until recently, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) could only provide access to the Internet at a slow data rate so that even simple web page surfing was tediously slow. The rapid evolution of software and hardware technology and substantial investment in Internet infrastructure has resulted in end user connectivity communication rate increases over the years. Today, ISPs provide broadband access to users at bit rates that easily exceed one Mega bit per second (Mbps). As a result, ISPs and content providers are now able to provide and support services that go far beyond providing mere access to web pages. These new services include access to streaming video, downloading movies, streaming audio, downloading audio, and/or downloading composite content for later presentation.
Content providers and ISPs now deliver video/audio content, which may be Internet Protocol Tele-Vision “IPTV” to recipient devices such as personal computers, televisions, personal video players, and other personal and pocket video devices. In addition, content providers and ISPs provide other video/audio content, e.g., Internet television that is live/stored video/audio that may be viewed on a computer screen using an Internet browser or video/audio playing software.
Typically, IPTV and Internet television transmissions supported by the Internet infrastructure are processed by compression/encoding and packetizing of digital audio and video content at a source device before delivery to a recipient device. The recipient device de-packetizes, decompresses/decodes received content before storing or displaying the content on the recipient device or a communicatively coupled display device. Program sources may include commercial television and radio broadcast studios, locally stored commercial and non-commercial music and movie programs, etc., all of which are delivered either on pay per program basis or periodic rental basis.
In general, the received IPTV signal arrives as multiplexed Internet Protocol (IP) packetized audio, video, and data. Recipient devices often use broadband modems or IPTV Set Top Box (IPTV STB) of a service provider, e.g., ISP, as a part of IPTV service to receive the IP packets although some recipient devices have all functionally supported via hardware/software, eliminating a need for a separate IPTV STB. The recipient device converts the audio/video data carried by the IP packets into a format that is compatible with the recipient/display device, e.g., television, personal video player, personal video recorder, etc.
Compression/encoding technologies available today include MPEG (for compressing digital video signals), JPEG (for compressing digital pictures), and MP3 (for compressing digital audio signals). Video compression processes may include spatial compression followed by temporal compression. Temporal compression may include the generation of spatially compressed independent frames followed by the generation of a set of spatially compressed reference frames that carry difference video information relative to an independent frame and/or some of the preceding reference frames and/or other previously or subsequently received independent frames.
While audio, video, and data compression/encoding provide savings in Internet channel resources (such as bandwidth/data throughput) the compression often results in the introduction of errors over a brief period of time. For example, errors in receipt of spatial compressed independent frames may persist for display information for in many subsequent frames created from the independent frame and reference and/or re-reference frames. Audio, video, and data decompression/decoding require the recipient device to support high capacity processing and buffering. When video is displayed upon a battery powered device such as a cell phone or other such device, the benefits of data compression/encoding may be outweighed by a reduction in battery life. In addition, typical video quality that may be provided by a content provider/ISP is often of High Definition Television (HDTV) quality. Thus, large amounts of Internet channel resources are used for transmission even though the recipient device/display device may be incapable of presenting the content in High Definition.
These and other limitations and deficiencies associated with the related art may be more fully appreciated by those skilled in the art after comparing such related art with various aspects of the present invention as set forth herein with reference to the figures.