Video coding system
A video coding system including an acceleration device including input circuitry configured, for each of a first plurality of video frames to be encoded, to receive an input including at least one raw video frame and at least one reference frame, and to divide each of the first plurality of video frames to be encoded into a second plurality of blocks, and similarity computation circuitry configured, for each one of the first plurality of video frame to be encoded: for each the block of the second plurality of blocks, to produce an intra-prediction hint and an intra-prediction direction. Related apparatus and methods are also provided.
1. A video coding system comprising:
an acceleration device comprising hardware logic to receive a stream of video frames to be encoded, to divide each video frame in the stream into multiple blocks, and to compute an intra-prediction cost associated with intra-coding of the blocks in each video frame; and
a control unit to compute, in software, an estimate of motion in each video frame relative to a reference frame in the stream, to compute, responsively to the estimate of motion, an inter-prediction cost associated with inter-coding of the blocks in each video frame, to make a comparison between the intra-prediction cost and the inter-prediction cost for each video frame, and to select, responsively to the comparison, an encoding mode for each video frame from a set of encoding modes consisting of inter-coding in software by the control unit and intra-coding by the hardware logic,
wherein the acceleration device is to compute an intra-prediction hint with respect to one or more angles for intra-coding of each block, and the control unit is to apply the intra-prediction hint in specifying an angle for intra-coding each of the blocks, and the acceleration device is to intra-code the blocks in the intra-coding mode such that pixels in each of the blocks are propagated along the angle specified by the control unit, and
wherein the acceleration device is to compute a map of motion vector prediction, for application by the control unit in inter-coding of the video frames.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the acceleration device is to compute the intra-prediction hint by estimating the intra-prediction cost for each of a plurality of different angles.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the acceleration device is to compute the intra-prediction cost by calculating a DC intra-encoding prediction over each block.
4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the acceleration device is to compute the intra-prediction cost by calculating a planar intra-encoding prediction over each block.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the reference frame comprises a target frame.
6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the reference frame does not comprise a reconstructed frame.
7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is to encode the video frames using inter-coding and intra-coding in accordance with a specified video coding standard, selected from a group of multiple different video coding standards.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the acceleration device is to compute the intra-prediction cost and to intra-code the frames for application by the control unit in implementing all the different video coding standards.
9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the group of multiple different video coding standards comprises AVC, VP9, HEVC, AV1, and VVC.
10. A video coding method comprising:
receiving a stream of video frames to be encoded in an acceleration device comprising hardware logic;
dividing each video frame in the stream into multiple blocks;
computing by the hardware logic an intra-prediction cost associated with intra-coding of the blocks in each video frame;
computing by the hardware logic an intra-prediction hint with respect to one or more angles for intra-coding of each block;
computing, in software by a control unit, an inter-prediction cost associated with inter-coding of the blocks in each video frame responsively to an estimate of motion in each video frame relative to a reference frame in the stream;
making a comparison by the control unit between the intra-prediction cost and the inter-prediction cost for each video frame; and selecting, responsively to the comparison, an encoding mode for each video frame from a set of encoding modes consisting of inter-coding in software by the control unit and intra-coding by the hardware logic,
wherein intra-coding the video frames comprises applying the intra-prediction hint by the control unit in specifying an angle for intra-coding of each of the blocks, and
intra-coding the blocks by the acceleration device such that pixels in each of the blocks are propagated along the angle specified by the control unit;
computing, by the acceleration device, a map of motion vector prediction, for application by the control unit in inter-coding of the video frames.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein computing the intra-prediction hint comprises estimating the intra-prediction cost for each of a plurality of different angles.
12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein computing the intra-prediction cost comprises calculating a DC intra-encoding prediction over each block.
13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein computing the intra-prediction cost comprises calculating a planar intra-encoding prediction over each block.
14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the reference frame comprises a target frame.
15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the reference frame does not comprise a reconstructed frame.
16. The method according to claim 10 , and comprising encoding the video frames using the inter-coding and intra-coding in accordance with a specified video coding standard, selected from a group of multiple different video coding standards.
17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the acceleration device is to compute the intra-prediction cost and to intra-code the frames for application by the control unit in implementing all the different video coding standards.
18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the group of multiple different video coding standards comprises AVC, VP9, HEVC, AV1, and VVC.