Patent ID: 8250618
Filing Date: 2012-08-21
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for digital video transmission over a network, the method comprising: receiving an unencoded video input stream for transmission; encoding a portion of the unencoded video input stream using an encoder, for transmission over the network, wherein for said encoding at least one frame of the unencoded video input stream is input into the encoder with a first pixel count, resulting in encoded frame data and at least one reconstructed frame; detecting a reduction in currently available network bandwidth; in response to detecting the reduction in the currently available network bandwidth, downscaling at least one first subsequent frame of the unencoded video input stream according to a second pixel count that is lower than the first pixel count, prior to passing the first subsequent frame to the encoder, and downscaling all required reference frames stored in frame memory that are required based on the first subsequent frame to the second pixel count; passing, to the motion compensation section of the encoder, the first subsequent frame with the second pixel count and the required reference frame(s) with the second pixel count; encoding the first subsequent frame having the second pixel count using the encoder; detecting a recovery in the currently available network bandwidth; in response to detecting the recovery in the currently available network bandwidth, passing at least one second subsequent frame of the unencoded video input stream to the encoder, wherein the second subsequent frame is received by the encoder with the first pixel count, and scaling the reference frames to the first pixel count for passing to a motion compensation section of the encoder; communicating a scaling factor used in said downscaling across the network for use in decoding at least said encoding of the first subsequent frame having the second pixel count.