Multistage panic rate control scheme for encoders

1. A method of encoding video, comprising:

receiving an input video;

routing frames of said input video to a lookahead encoder and to a frame buffer;

processing said frames with said lookahead encoder into a lookahead bitstream and temporality storing bits of said lookahead bitstream in a lookahead encoder buffer;

generating lookahead information with said lookahead encoder and storing said lookahead information in a lookahead information queue, wherein said lookahead information indicates whether or not said lookahead encoder encoded portions of said lookahead bitstream using a panic rate control scheme to avoid overflowing said lookahead encoder buffer;

loading said frames into a primary encoder from said frame buffer, such that said primary encoder receives said frames on a delayed basis relative to said lookahead encoder;

reviewing said lookahead information with said primary encoder to determine which portions of said input video caused said lookahead encoder to process portions of said lookahead bitstream using said panic rate control scheme, and in response encoding said portions of said input video with a multistage panic rate control scheme comprising:

a pre-panic stage during which said primary encoder gradually reduces a quantization parameter while encoding said portions of said input video;

a semi-panic stage during which said primary encoder discards at least some transform coefficients while encoding said portions of said input video; and

a full panic stage during which said primary encoder skips the encoding of at least some frames within said portions of said input video,

wherein said primary encoder is configured to adaptively move between said pre-panic stage, said semi-panic stage, and said full panic stage to keep an amount of data stored within said primary encoder buffer below a predetermined threshold,

wherein said pre-panic stage comprises:

loading a frame to said primary encoder from said frame buffer;

reviewing lookahead information with said primary encoder that is related to a future frame at a predetermined number of frames ahead of said frame;

adjusting a complexity level value at said primary encoder when said lookahead information indicates that said future frame was processed by said lookahead encoder using said panic rate control scheme;

calculating a new value for said quantization parameter based on said complexity level; and

encoding said frame using said new value for said quantization parameter. and

wherein said complexity level value is adjusted by alpha blending a current value for said complexity level with a future value for said complexity level described by said lookahead information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein when said new value for said quantization parameter is different from an immediately previous value for said quantization parameter by more than a threshold value, the value of said quantization parameter is gradually changed over multiple frames until said new value is reached.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said semi-panic stage and said full panic stage together comprise a plurality of granular panic levels, and said primary encoder is configured to adaptively move between said plurality of granular panic levels to keep the amount of data stored within said primary encoder buffer below said predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said semi-panic stage and said full panic stage together comprise:

loading a new sub-GOP comprising a series of frames to said primary encoder from said frame buffer;

reviewing lookahead information with said primary encoder that is related to the frames of said sub-GOP;

lowering said primary encoder to a lower one of said plurality of granular panic levels from a current panic level according to a panic level change control rule set when said lookahead information indicates that the frames of said sub-GOP was processed by said lookahead encoder without using said panic rate control scheme;

increasing said primary encoder to a higher one of said plurality of granular panic levels from said current panic level according to said panic level change control rule set when said lookahead information indicates that the frames of said sub-GOP was processed by said lookahead encoder using said panic rate control scheme and the amount of data stored within said primary encoder buffer is above said predetermined threshold; and

performing one or more panic control actions based on the primary encoder's panic level.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said panic level change control rule set comprises:

rules allowing an increase of said panic level by one level for each sub-GOP processed by said lookahead encoder using said panic rate control scheme.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein said panic level change control rule set comprises:

a first set of rules allowing a decrease of said panic level by one level from at least one high level for each sub-GOP processed by said lookahead encoder without using said panic rate control scheme;

a second set of rules allowing a decrease of said panic level by one level from at least one medium level for each group of two sub-GOPs in a row that were processed by said lookahead encoder without using said panic rate control scheme; and

a third set of rules allowing a decrease of said panic level by one level from at least one low level for each group of three sub-GOPs in a row that were processed by said lookahead encoder without using said panic rate control scheme.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said more panic control actions comprise:

discarding all AC transform coefficients of bidirectionally predicted B-frames in said sub-GOP at a first panic level;

discarding all AC transform coefficients of B-frames in said sub-GOP and all except for the first AC transform coefficients of forward predicted P-frames in said sub-GOP at a second panic level;

discarding all AC and DC transform coefficients of B-frames in said sub-GOP and all AC and DC transform coefficients of P-frames in said sub-GOP at a third panic level;

discarding all AC and DC transform coefficients of P-frames in said sub-GOP and skipping the encoding of all B-frames at a fourth panic level; and

skipping the encoding of all B-frames and all P-frames at a fifth panic level.