IP Library Granted Patent US 8,681,873
Granted Patent B2
US 8,681,873 · App. 12/838,159 · Granted Mar 25, 2014

Data compression for video

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,681,873
App. No.
12/838,159
Granted
Mar 25, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of transmitting video data from a transmitter to a receiver, the method comprising: receiving data values of a video signal at a higher resolution; at the transmitter, combining groups of the data values into one or more first units of a first lower-resolution arrangement; encoding and transmitting the first lower-resolution arrangement to the receiver; at the transmitter, combining groups of the data values into one or more second units of a second lower-resolution arrangement, wherein the second units are offset from the first units by a fractional shift such that each second unit partially overlaps with at least one first unit; encoding and transmitting the second lower-resolution arrangement to the receiver; and transmitting an indication of said shift to the receiver; and at the receiver, combining the first and second lower-resolution arrangements based on the indication so as to reconstruct an image of at least a higher resolution than that of the first and second lower-resolution arrangements.

Claims (39)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a transmitter, a high resolution video signal;

combining a group of data values of the high resolution video signal into a first lower-resolution unit;

encoding the first lower-resolution unit for transmission to a receiver;

combining spatially shifted groups of data values of the high resolution video signal into additional lower-resolution units, each of the additional lower-resolution units representing one of the shifted groups of data values of the high resolution video signal, each of the shifted groups of data values being a same size as the group of data values, and each of the shifted groups being offset with respect to the group by a shift value such that each of the shifted groups shares at least one data value in common with the group;

encoding the additional lower-resolution units for transmission to the receiver; and

outputting the encoded first lower-resolution unit and the encoded additional lower-resolution units to the receiver effective to cause a decoder at the receiver to combine the first lower-resolution unit and the additional lower-resolution units using the shift value to reconstruct the higher resolution video signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shift value is artificially generated and does not correspond to a relative movement between a camera and an object or scene being captured.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shift value corresponds to a relative movement between a camera and an object or scene being captured.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transmitter comprises a mobile terminal and the movement is detected by gyro sensors in the mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the movement is detected by a motion estimation algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising encoding other portions of the video signal by signalling blocks relative to a look-up table of regularly usable reference blocks.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the data values of the high resolution video signal comprise a single pixel of the high resolution video signal.

8. An encoder comprising:

an input configured to receive a high resolution video signal; and a processing apparatus configured to:

combine a group of data values of the high resolution video signal into a first lower-resolution unit;

encode the first lower-resolution unit for transmission to a receiver;

combine spatially shifted groups of data values of the high resolution video signal into additional lower-resolution units, each of the additional lower-resolution units representing one of the shifted groups of data values of the high resolution video signal, each of the shifted groups of data values being a same size as the group of data values, and each of the shifted groups being offset with respect to the group by a shift value such that each of the shifted groups shares at least one data value in common with the group;

encode the additional lower-resolution units for transmission to the receiver; and

an output configured to output the encoded first lower-resolution unit and the encoded additional lower-resolution units to the receiver effective to cause a decoder at the receiver to combine the first lower-resolution unit and the additional lower-resolution units using the shift value to reconstruct the higher resolution video signal.

9. The encoder of claim 8 , wherein the shift value is artificially generated.

10. The encoder of claim 8 , wherein the shift value corresponds to a relative movement between a camera and an object or scene being captured.

11. The encoder of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter comprises a mobile terminal and the movement is detected by gyro sensors in the mobile terminal.

12. The encoder of claim 10 , wherein the movement is detected by a motion estimation algorithm.

13. The encoder of claim 8 , wherein other portions of the video signal are encoded by signalling blocks relative to a look-up table of regularly usable reference blocks.

14. The encoder of claim 8 , wherein each of the data values of the high resolution video signal comprise a single pixel of the high resolution video signal.

15. An encoder program product comprising software embodied on a computer-readable storage device medium and configured so as when executed on a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving, at a transmitter, a high resolution video signal;

combining a group of data values of the high resolution video signal into a first lower-resolution unit;

encoding the first lower-resolution unit for transmission to a receiver;

combining spatially shifted groups of data values of the high resolution video signal into additional lower-resolution units, each of the additional lower-resolution units representing one of the shifted groups of data values of the high resolution video signal, each of the shifted groups of data values being a same size as the group of data values, and each of the shifted groups being offset with respect to the group by a shift value such that each of the shifted groups shares at least one data value in common with the group;

encoding the additional lower-resolution units for transmission to the receiver; and

outputting the encoded first lower-resolution unit and the encoded additional lower-resolution units to the receiver effective to cause a decoder at the receiver to combine the first lower-resolution unit and the additional lower-resolution units using the shift value to reconstruct the higher resolution video signal.

16. The encoder program product of claim 15 , wherein the shift value is artificially generated.

17. The encoder program product of claim 15 , wherein the shift value corresponds to a relative movement between a camera and an object or scene being captured.

18. The encoder program product of claim 17 , wherein the transmitter comprises a mobile terminal and the movement is detected by gyro sensors in the mobile terminal.

19. The encoder program product of claim 17 , wherein the movement is detected by a motion estimation algorithm.

20. The encoder program product of claim 15 , wherein other portions of the video signal are encoded by signalling blocks relative to a look-up table of regularly usable reference blocks.

21. The encoder program product of claim 15 , wherein each of the data values of the high resolution video signal comprise a single pixel of the high resolution video signal.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 14, 2020
From: SKYPE
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 054751/0595 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 31, 2012
From: SKYPE LIMITED
To: SKYPE
Reel/Frame 028691/0596 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 29, 2011
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: SKYPE LIMITED
Reel/Frame 027289/0923 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 17, 2011
From: SKYPE LIMITED; SKYPE IRELAND TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS LIMITED
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 025970/0786 →