Patent Publication Number: US-2015063435-A1

Title: Techniques for reference based transcoding

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Transcoding refers to a process of converting a media file, such as a video and/or audio file, from one format to another format. This may be done in cases where a target device does not support a given format, reduce file size, edit a file, and other media operations. In the case of reducing file size, raw media files are recorded in increasingly higher levels of resolution. This increase in resolution leads to a corresponding increase in file size. For instance, a two-hour movie stored in a common format such as digital picture exchange (DPX) may be 8 terabytes (TB) in size. File sizes of this magnitude can increase cost and complexity in storing and transporting media files. To compensate, a media file may be transcoded or compressed into a smaller file size. For example, a compression technique such as Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) 2000 may reduce file size by half. However, transcoding a media file may consume significant amounts of time and computing resources, particularly for real-time applications. As such, improvements to transcoding techniques may provide significant technical advantages. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some novel embodiments described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     Embodiments are generally directed to enhanced techniques to transcode media files. In one embodiment, a transcoding application may manage transcoding operations for media files. The transcoding application may comprise a file reference component to analyze a media file and generate a set of reference parameters associated with the media file. The reference parameters may assist in transcoding the media file between first and second compression states corresponding to first and second compression techniques, respectively. The file analyzer component may store the reference parameters as part of a reference file. Other embodiments are described and claimed. 
     To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be practiced and all aspects and equivalents thereof are intended to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of a first operating environment for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of a media file for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of a second operating environment for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of a third operating environment for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of a fourth operating environment for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of a fifth operating environment for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an embodiment of a centralized system for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an embodiment of a distributed system for the apparatus. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an embodiment of a storage network. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an embodiment of a first logic flow. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates an embodiment of a second logic flow. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates an embodiment of a third logic flow. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates an embodiment of a storage medium. 
         FIG. 15  illustrates an embodiment of a computing architecture. 
         FIG. 16  illustrates an embodiment of a communications architecture. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various embodiments are generally directed to enhanced transcoding techniques to efficiently and effectively transcode media files between different file formats. Some embodiments are particularly directed to enhanced transcoding techniques to transcode a media file utilizing a reference file associated with the media file. The reference file may include a set of reference parameters typically associated with a given format that are normally decoded from the media file in real-time during transcoding operations. As a result, the use of a reference file may decrease transcoding time and reduce consumption of system resources, among other advantages. In one embodiment, for example, the enhanced transcoding techniques may be implemented to more efficiently reduce file sizes for a storage network, such as a storage area network (SAN) or a network attached storage (NAS) environment. 
     With general reference to notations and nomenclature used herein, the detailed descriptions which follow may be presented in terms of program procedures executed on a computer or network of computers. These procedural descriptions and representations are used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. 
     A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. These operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be noted, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to those quantities. 
     Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mental operations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of the operations described herein which form part of one or more embodiments. Rather, the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for performing operations of various embodiments include general purpose digital computers or similar devices. 
     Various embodiments also relate to apparatus or systems for performing these operations. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purpose or it may comprise a general purpose computer as selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. The procedures presented herein are not inherently related to a particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose machines may be used with programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these machines will appear from the description given. 
     Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the novel embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. The intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the claimed subject matter. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram for an apparatus  100 . In one embodiment, the apparatus  100  may comprise a computer-implemented apparatus  100  having a software application  120  comprising one or more components  122 - a . Although the apparatus  100  shown in  FIG. 1  has a limited number of elements in a certain topology, it may be appreciated that the apparatus  100  may include more or less elements in alternate topologies as desired for a given implementation. 
     It is worthy to note that “a” and “b” and “c” and similar designators as used herein are intended to be variables representing any positive integer. Thus, for example, if an implementation sets a value for a=5, then a complete set of components  122 - a  may include components  122 - 1 ,  122 - 2 ,  122 - 3 ,  122 - 4  and  122 - 5 . The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The apparatus  100  may comprise a transcoding application  120 . The transcoding application  120  may be implemented using any number of programming languages or software frameworks. The transcoding application  120  may be generally arranged to manage transcoding operations for a storage network or system, such as a NAS or SAN. The apparatus  100  in general, and the transcoding application  120  in particular, may be suitable for implementation by an electronic device, such as those described with reference to  FIG. 8-10 ,  15  or  16 , among others. 
     In one embodiment, the transcoding application  120  may comprise a file handler component  122 - 1 , a file reference component  122 - 2 , and a file transcoder component  122 - 3 . The transcoding application  120  may comprise more or less components as needed for a given implementation. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The file handler component  122 - 1  may generally manage one or more media files  110 - b  for the transcoding application  120 . This may include handling any file management requests such as locating a media file  110 , retrieving a media file  110 , storing a media file  110 , sending a media file  110 , naming a media file  110 , deleting a media file  110 , recovering a deleted or corrupted media file  110 , and so forth. 
     A media file  110  may comprise any data structure stored in memory (e.g., a file, a table, an array, a queue, a stack, a linked list, etc.) containing multimedia information, such as audio information, video information, combination of audio/video information, tactile information, olfactory information, images, animations, movies, pictures, songs, speech, and so forth. The multimedia information may be two-dimensional (2D) information or three-dimensional (3D) information. The multimedia information may be of any resolution or quality as desired. The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The file reference component  122 - 2  may generally manage one or more reference files  132 - c  associated with a corresponding media file  110 - b . In one embodiment, a reference file  132  may be stored in a reference database  140 . In one embodiment, a reference file  132  may be stored in a media file  110 . A reference file  132  may include one or more reference parameters for a corresponding media file  110 . The file reference component  122 - 2  may analyze a media file  110  to generate reference parameters, create a reference file  132  for reference parameters, store a reference file  132 , retrieve a reference file  132 , send a reference file  132 , name a reference file  132 , delete a reference file  132 , recover a reference file  132 , and so forth. 
     During transcoding operations, the transcoding application  120  may need to perform a significant amount of processing in order to determine reference parameters for a media file  110 . For instance, the transcoding application  120  may need to determine a group of pictures (GOP) structure, reference image structure, prediction mode selection, reference selection, motion estimation, and other types of reference information. Conventional transcoders typically determine the reference parameters in real-time during transcoding operations every time a media file  110  is transcoded. In some cases, the reference parameters need to be determined on a block by block basis. 
     The file reference component  122 - 2  may solve these and other problems by determining in advance a set of reference parameters for a media file  110 , and then storing the reference parameters with a globally unique identifier (GUID) in a reference file  132 . The reference file  132  may then be used for every transcoding instance involving the media file  110 . The reference file  132  may also be used to transcode the media file  110  into one or more media files  130 - d  of varying levels of resolution, thereby allowing scalable video file sizes and data streams of varying bit rates. 
     The file reference component  122 - 2  may generate a reference parameter for each feature, attribute, property, characteristic or aspect of a media file  110 , including reference parameters representing file formats, compression/decompression (codecs), motion prediction, motion estimation, file structure, frame structure, block structure, packet structure, and so forth. In one embodiment, a set of reference parameters may include without limitation a group of pictures (GOP) structure parameter, a reference image structure parameter, a prediction mode selection parameter, a reference selection parameter, or a motion estimation parameter. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may generally manage transcoding operations for one or more media files  110 . The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode a media file  110  between different formats. For instance, the file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode a media file  110  in a first compressed state corresponding to a first compression technique to a media file  130  in a second compressed state corresponding to a second compression technique. 
     In one embodiment, the first compression technique may comprise a non-interframe compression technique. Interframe compression is used for compressing video frames. Interframe compression attempts to compress a current frame using information from one or more frames in a same frame sequence as the current frame. By way of contrast, intraframe compression attempts to compress a current frame using information from only the current frame. A non-interframe compression technique is a compression technique that does not use interframe compression, such as an intraframe compression technique, for example. Specific examples of non-interframe compression techniques may include without limitation the International Organization for Standardization (IOS)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 15444 family of standards (e.g., JPEG, JPEG2000) (“JPEG Standards”), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61834 family of standards (e.g., Digital Video (DV) standard) (“DV Standards”), and so forth. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The second compression technique may comprise either a non-interframe or interframe compression technique. In one embodiment, the second compression technique may comprise an interframe compression technique. Specific examples of interframe compression techniques may include without limitation the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) H.264 family of standards (“H.264 Standards”), the ISO/IEC 14496-10 Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) Standard (formally ISO/IEC 14496-10-MPEG-4 Part 10, AVC) (“MPEG-4 AVC Standards”), and so forth. A project partnership effort known as the Joint Video Team (JVT), comprised of the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) together with the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC1) MPEG, maintains the H.264 Standards and the MPEG-4 AVC Standards so that they have identical content. As such, both standards are sometimes referred to as the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC family of standards. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     In general operation, the transcoding application  120  may operate in at least two modes. The first mode is used to generate a reference file  132  for a media file  110 . The transcoding application  120  may store the reference file  132  in the reference database  140 . Alternatively, the transcoding application  120  may encode the reference file as part of the media file  110 . The second mode is used to transcode a media file  110  utilizing a previously generated reference file  132  for the media file  110 . The transcoding application  120  may retrieve the reference file  132  from the reference database  140 . Alternatively, the transcoding application  120  may decode the reference file from the media file  110 . In typical implementations, the first mode and the second mode are performed in sequence and are separated by a defined time interval. The defined time interval is a configurable parameter, thereby allowing real-time and non-real-time implementations. For instance, the first mode may be used to process multiple media files  110  and store corresponding reference files  132  long in advance of when any transcoded versions are needed. In another example, the first mode may be used to process a media file  110  and store a corresponding reference file  132  when a transcoding request is received by the transcoding application  120 . Once computed, the reference file  132  may be re-used for each transcoded version as needed. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of an operational environment  200  for the apparatus  100 . More particularly, the operational environment  200  illustrates a case where the file reference component  122 - 2  of the transcoding application  120  operates in a first mode to generate a reference file  132  for a media file  110 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the file reference component  122 - 2  may receive a media file  110 . The file reference component  122 - 2  may utilize a file analyzer module  210  to analyze the media file  110  to ascertain a set of reference parameters  212 - e . The file analyzer module  210  may determine reference parameters  212  based on intrinsic information contained within the media file  110 . Examples of intrinsic information may include without limitation media information, control information, encoder information, decoder information, compression information, motion estimation information, motion detection information, intraframe coding information, interframe coding information, metadata, and any other information contained within the logical or physical boundaries of the media file  110 . The file analyzer module  210  may also analyze the media file  110  based on extrinsic information associated with the media file  110 . Examples of extrinsic information may include without limitation metadata, storage device information, source device information, target device information, network information, network address information, security information, profile information, user information, ownership information, policy information, copyright information, permission information, distribution information, geographic information, and any other information outside of the logical or physical boundaries of the media file  110 . Embodiments are not limited to these examples. 
     In the first mode, the file analyzer module  210  may analyze a media file  110  and generate a set of reference parameters  212  associated with the media file  110 . The reference parameters  212  may be used to assist in transcoding the media file  110  between first and second compression states corresponding to first and second compression techniques, respectively. The file reference component  122 - 2  may then store the reference parameters  212  as part of a reference file  132 . The file reference component  122 - 2  may include a reference file identifier (ID)  204  to assist in associating the media file  110  with the corresponding reference file  132 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of media file  110  suitable for use with the apparatus  100 . More particularly, the media file  110  may illustrate a case where the file reference component  122 - 2  of the transcoding application  120  stores a reference file  132  associated with the media file  110  as part of the media file  110 . 
     In one embodiment, the file reference component  122 - 2  may store the reference file  132  as an internal part of the media file  110 . The reference file  132  may have an internal file source  312  positioned before media content  302  for the media file  110 . The reference file  132  may have an internal file source  314  positioned after the media content  302  for the media file  110 . The media content  302  and the reference file  132  may be contiguous or non-contiguous. 
     The reference file  132  may have an internal file source  316  interleaved with the media content  302  for the media file  110 . The internal file source  316  may be interleaved on a block basis, frame basis, picture basis, or any desired level of granularity within the media file  110 . When interleaved, the set of parameters  212  for the reference file  132  may be separated into subsets. For instance, if the reference file  132  was interleaved with the media file  110  on a frame basis, a subset of parameters  212  with reference information appropriate to a particular frame may be stored with that frame. The frame and subset of parameters  212  may be contiguous or non-contiguous. In one embodiment, the subset of parameters  212  may be encoded into the frame using various watermarking techniques, such as increasing or decreasing pixel values for a set of pixels from their normal values, with the differential representing the subset of parameters  212 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of an operational environment  400  for the apparatus  100 . More particularly, the operational environment  400  illustrates a case where the file reference component  122 - 2  of the transcoding application  120  stores a reference file  132  associated with the media file  110  as a separate file from the media file  110 . 
     In one embodiment, the file reference component  122 - 2  may store the reference file  132  as an external part of the media file  110 . For instance, the reference file  132  and the media file  110  may be two completely separate files having different file sources. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the media file  110  may have a file source  402  and the reference file  132  may have a file source  404 . The file source  402  may be in a logically or physically separate domain from the file source  404 . The domains may include different databases, storage devices, storage systems, file systems, networks, and so forth. In one embodiment, for example, the file source  202  may be a media storage device, while the file source  404  may be the reference database  140 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of an operational environment  500  for the apparatus  100 . More particularly, the operational environment  500  illustrates a case where the transcoding application  120  communicates with other devices, such as a set of media sources and media sinks, for example. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the transcoding application  120  may include a file interface component  122 - 4 . The file interface component  122 - 4  may include an application program interface (API) library  510 . The API library  510  may comprise a set of APIs that allows the file handler component  122 - 1  to communicate with one or more media sources  502 - f  and one or more media sinks  504 - g . The API library  510  may also comprise a set of APIs to allow the file reference component  122 - 2  to communicate with the reference database  140 . The reference database  140  may be implemented using any suitable database technology, such as a relational database management system (RDMS), for example. The API library  510  may be selected for compatibility with a given device or database technology. 
     When the file handler component  122 - 1  receives a transcoding request to perform transcoding operations for media file  110 , the file handler component  122 - 1  may retrieve the media file  110  from a media source  502 . The file handler component  122 - 1  may initiate transcoding operations by storing a work item in a queue for the file reference component  122 - 2 . The file handler component  122 - 1  may notify the file reference component  122 - 2  of the new work item, or alternatively, the file reference component  122 - 2  may monitor a work queue for presence of any new work items. The monitoring may be on a periodic, aperiodic, continuous or on-demand basis. 
     Once transcoding operations are complete, and a new transcoded media file  130  is ready for consumption, the file handler component  122 - 1  may receive a request to send the media file  130  to a media sink  504 . The file handler component  122 - 1  may retrieve the media file  130 , and forward the media file  130  to the media sink  504 . 
     As an intermediary between a media source  502  and a media sink  504 , the file handler component  122 - 1  may be in a position to ensure transcoding operations performed on the media file  110  to generate the media file  130  match requirements of the media sink  504  or communication link with the media sink  504 . For instance, a transcoding request may have information about the media source  502  and/or the media sink  504  that impacts transcoding operations performed by the transcoding application  120 . For instance, the transcoding request may have device information about the media sink, such as screen size or screen resolution. In another example, the transcoding request may have network information about a communications link with the media sink, such as bandwidth constraints. The file handler component  122 - 1  may include this information in a work item, which the file transcoder component  122 - 3  may use to determine a particular type of compression technique used for the media file  110 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of an operational environment  600  for the apparatus  100 . More particularly, the operational environment  600  illustrates a case where the transcoding application  120  operates in a second mode to transcode a media file  110  utilizing a reference file  132  for the media file  110 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the file handler component  122 - 1  may receive a media file  110 . The media file  110 , in its raw form, may comprise a digital cinema file in a format suitable for motion picture films as specified by the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) project, such as the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification, Version 1.2, dated Mar. 7, 2008 (“DCS Specification”). Based on many Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and ISO standards, such as JPEG 2000-compressed image and “broadcast wave” pulse code modulation (PCM)/waveform audio file format (WAV) sound, the DCS Specification details how to create an entire Digital Cinema Package (DCP) from a raw collection of files known as the Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM), as well as the specifics of its content protection, encryption, and forensic marking. The DCS Specification also establishes standards for the decoder requirements and the presentation environment itself, such as ambient light levels, pixel aspect and shape, image luminance, white point chromaticity, and those tolerances to be kept. Even though it specifies what kind of information is required, the DCI Specification does not include specific information about how data within a distribution package is to be formatted. Formatting of this information is defined by various digital cinema standards, such as a Cineon file format or a SMPTE Digital Picture Exchange (DPX) file format, for example. 
     The file handler component  122 - 1  may receive a media file  110  in a first compressed state corresponding to a first compression technique. The first compression technique may comprise a lossy or lossless compression technique as desired for a given level of quality and resolution. In one embodiment, the first compression technique may comprise a non-interframe compression technique. For instance, the non-interframe compression technique may comprise one or more JPEG2000 Standards used to compress the media file  110 . JPEG2000 may perform lossless compression on the media file  110 . 
     The file reference component  122 - 2  may retrieve a reference file  132  with a set of reference parameters  212  associated with the media file  110 . The file reference component  122 - 2  may retrieve the reference file  132  from the media file  110 . Alternatively, the file reference component  122 - 2  may retrieve a reference file ID  204  from the media file  110 , and retrieve the reference file  132  from the reference database  140  utilizing the reference file ID  204 . 
     The reference file  132  may comprise a set of reference parameters  212 - e  for the media file  110 . For instance, the set of reference parameters  212 - e  may comprise one or more of a group of pictures (GOP) structure parameter  212 - 1 , a reference image structure parameter  212 - 2 , a prediction mode selection parameter  212 - 3 , a reference selection parameter  212 - 4 , or a motion estimation parameter  212 - 5 . Other reference parameters  212 - e  may be present as needed for a given implementation. 
     The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode the media file  110  from the first compressed state to a second compressed state corresponding to a second compression technique utilizing the set of reference parameters  212  from the reference file  132 . The second compression technique may comprise a lossy or lossless compression technique as desired for a given level of quality and resolution. The second compression technique may comprise, for example, an interframe compression technique such as one conforming to the H.264 Standards and/or the MPEG-4 AVC Standards. As with JPEG2000, H.264 and MPEG-4 AVC may perform lossless compression on the media file  110 . 
     The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may output media file  110  in the second compressed state corresponding to the second compression technique in the form the media file  130 . In one embodiment, the media file  130  may include a reference file  632  and/or a reference file ID  614 . The reference file  632  may comprise a same reference file as the reference file  132 . However, the second compression technique may necessitate creation of a new set of reference parameters  212 . In this case, the file reference component  122 - 2  may operate in the first mode to generate a new reference file  632  with a new set of reference parameters  212  representative of the media file  130 . The reference file  632  may or may not include the reference parameters  212  from the original reference file  132 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of an operational environment  700  for the apparatus  100 . More particularly, the operational environment  700  illustrates a case where the file transcoder component  122 - 3  of the transcoding application  120  operates in a second mode to transcode the media file  110  utilizing a reference file  132  for the media file  110 . 
     In general, transcoding is typically a two-step process in which the original data is decoded to an intermediate uncompressed format, such as PCM for audio or luma (Y) and chrominance (UV) color components (YUV) for video. The intermediate uncompressed data is then encoded into the target format. The target format may be the same or different format as the original data. The former case may be desirable for operations such as editing, lowering bitrate (e.g., transrating), or image scaling, among other operations. 
     The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may use any number of conventional transcoding techniques to transcode the media file  110  to form the media file  130 . For instance, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode each frame  702 - j  of the media file  110  from the first compressed state to the second compressed state using the reference parameters  212 , or parameter subsets  704 - j  of the reference parameters  212 , to form matching frames  706 - j  of the media file  130 . The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode the media file  110  using other levels of granularity, such as a block basis, macroblock basis, group of frames basis, and so forth. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a block diagram of a centralized system  800 . The centralized system  800  may implement some or all of the structure and/or operations for the apparatus  100  in a single computing entity, such as entirely within a single device  820 . 
     The device  820  may comprise any electronic device capable of receiving, processing, and sending information for the apparatus  100 . Examples of an electronic device may include without limitation a computer, a server, a server array or server farm, a web server, a network server, an Internet server, a storage server, a work station, a mini-computer, a main frame computer, a supercomputer, a network appliance, a web appliance, a distributed computing system, multiprocessor systems, processor-based systems, a machine, or combination thereof. The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The device  820  may execute processing operations or logic for the apparatus  100  using a processing component  830 . The processing component  830  may comprise various hardware elements, software elements, or a combination of both. Examples of hardware elements may include devices, logic devices, components, processors, microprocessors, circuits, processor circuits, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), memory units, logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth. Examples of software elements may include software components, programs, applications, computer programs, application programs, system programs, software development programs, machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, methods, procedures, software interfaces, application program interfaces (API), instruction sets, computing code, computer code, code segments, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof. Determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware elements and/or software elements may vary in accordance with any number of factors, such as desired computational rate, power levels, heat tolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates, output data rates, memory resources, data bus speeds and other design or performance constraints, as desired for a given implementation. 
     The device  820  may execute communications operations or logic for the apparatus  100  using communications component  840 . The communications component  840  may implement any well-known communications techniques and protocols, such as techniques suitable for use with packet-switched networks (e.g., public networks such as the Internet, private networks such as an enterprise intranet, and so forth), circuit-switched networks (e.g., the public switched telephone network), or a combination of packet-switched networks and circuit-switched networks (with suitable gateways and translators). The communications component  840  may include various types of standard communication elements, such as one or more communications interfaces, network interfaces, network interface cards (NIC), radios, wireless transmitters/receivers (transceivers), wired and/or wireless communication media, physical connectors, and so forth. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media  812 ,  842  include wired communications media and wireless communications media. Examples of wired communications media may include a wire, cable, metal leads, printed circuit boards (PCB), backplanes, switch fabrics, semiconductor material, twisted-pair wire, co-axial cable, fiber optics, a propagated signal, and so forth. Examples of wireless communications media may include acoustic, radio-frequency (RF) spectrum, infrared and other wireless media. 
     The device  820  may communicate with other devices  810 ,  850  over a communications media  812 ,  842 , respectively, using communications signals  814 ,  844 , respectively, via the communications component  840 . The devices  810 ,  850  may be internal or external to the device  820  as desired for a given implementation. 
     In one embodiment, the apparatus  100  in general, and the transcoding application  120  in particular, may be implemented as part of a storage server for nonvolatile mass storage facility, such as a SAN or NAS. The transcoding application  120  may be implemented for each storage server in the SAN or NAS, or may be a shared resource for multiple storage servers in the SAN or NAS. In the latter case, the transcoding application  120  may be part of a management server or network appliance. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a block diagram of a distributed system  900 . The distributed system  900  may distribute portions of the structure and/or operations for the apparatus  100  across multiple computing entities. Examples of distributed system  900  may include without limitation a client-server architecture, a 3-tier architecture, an N-tier architecture, a tightly-coupled or clustered architecture, a peer-to-peer architecture, a master-slave architecture, a shared database architecture, and other types of distributed systems. The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     The distributed system  900  may comprise devices  910 ,  950 . In general, the devices  910 ,  950  may be the same or similar to the device  820  as described with reference to  FIG. 8 . For instance, the devices  910 ,  950  may each comprise a processing component  930  and a communications component  940  which are the same or similar to the processing component  830  and the communications component  840 , respectively, as described with reference to  FIG. 8 . In another example, the devices  910 ,  950  may communicate over a communications media  912  using communications signals  914  via the communications components  940 . 
     The device  950  may comprise or employ one or more server programs that operate to perform various methodologies in accordance with the described embodiments. In one embodiment, for example, the device  950  may implement the transcoding application  120 . The transcoding application  120  may be considered a server program in that is services requests from the device  910 . For instance, the device  910  may comprise another server device that requests transcoding services from the 
     The device  910  may comprise or employ one or more client programs or server programs that operate to perform various methodologies in accordance with the described embodiments. In one embodiment, for example, the device  910  may implement a client application  911 . The client application  911  may be considered a client program in that it requests services from the transcoding application  120 . For instance, a user may utilize the client application  911  to request transcoding services from the device  950  for media files  110  under its control. 
     Device  910  may further comprise a web browser  914 . The web browser  914  may be used in lieu of the client application  911  to access the server-based transcoding application  120 . The web browser  914  may comprise any commercial web browser. The web browser  914  may be a conventional hypertext viewing application such as MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER®, APPLE® SAFARI®, FIREFOX® MOZILLA®, GOOGLE® CHROME®, OPERA®, and other commercially available web browsers. Secure web browsing may be supplied with 128-bit (or greater) encryption by way of hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), secure sockets layer (SSL), transport security layer (TSL), and other security techniques. Web browser  914  may allow for the execution of program components through facilities such as ActiveX, AJAX, (D)HTML, FLASH, Java, JavaScript, web browser plug-in APIs (e.g., FireFox, Safari Plug-in, and the like APIs), and the like. The web browser  914  may communicate to and with other components in a component collection, including itself, and facilities of the like. Most frequently, the web browser  914  communicates with information servers (e.g., server devices  820 ,  850 ), operating systems, integrated program components (e.g., plug-ins), and the like. For example, the web browser  914  may contain, communicate, generate, obtain, and provide program component, system, user, and data communications, requests, and responses. Of course, in place of the web browser  914  and information server, a combined application may be developed to perform similar functions of both. 
     A human operator such as a network administrator may utilize the web browser  914  to access applications and services provided by the device  950 . For instance, the web browser  914  may be used to configure transcoding operations performed by the transcoding application  120  on the device  950 . The web browser  914  may also be used to access cloud-based applications and services, such as online storage applications, services and tools. 
     In addition to the client application  911 , the device  910  may be another device with a SAN or NAS. For instance, when the transcoding application  120  is a shared resource, the device  910  may comprise another storage server within the SAN or NAS. Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an embodiment of a storage network  1000 . The storage network  1200  provides a network level example of an environment suitable for use with the apparatus  100 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , a set of client devices (or systems)  1002 - q  may comprise client devices  1002 - 1 ,  1002 - 2  and  1002 - 3 . The client devices  1002 - q  may comprise representative examples of a class of devices a user may utilize to access online storage services. As shown in  FIG. 10 , each client device  1002 - q  may represent a different electronic device a user can utilize to access a web services and web applications provided by a network management server  1012 . For instance, the client device  1002 - 1  may comprise a desktop computer, the client device  1002 - 2  may comprise a notebook computer, and the client device  1002 - 3  may comprise a smart phone. It may be appreciated that these are merely a few examples of client devices  1002 - q , and any electronic device may be implemented as a client device  1002 - q  (e.g., a smart phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, etc.). The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     A user may utilize a client device  1002 - q  to access a storage center  1020 . The storage center  1020  may comprise a cloud computing storage center or a private storage center. Each type of storage center may be similar in terms of hardware, software and network services. Differences between the two may include geography and business entity type. A cloud computing storage center is physically located on premises of a specific business entity (e.g., a vendor) that produces online storage services meant for consumption by another business entity (e.g., a customer). A private storage center is physically located on premises of a specific business entity that both produces and consumes online storage services. A private storage center implementation may be desirable, for example, when a business entity desires to control physical security to equipment used to implement the private storage center. 
     A cloud computing storage center may utilize various cloud computing techniques to store data, such as media files  110 ,  130 , for a user of a client device  1002 - q . Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) which are available in a remote location and accessible over a network (e.g., the Internet). A user may access cloud-based applications through a web browser or a light-weight desktop or mobile application while business software and user data are stored on servers at a remote location. An example of a cloud computing storage center  1010  may include a Citrix CloudPlatform® made by Citrix Systems, Inc. 
     The storage system  1020  is an example of a network data storage environment, which includes a plurality of client devices  1002 - q  coupled to a storage system  1020  via a network  1004 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the storage system  1020  includes at least one storage server  1022 , a switching fabric  1024 , and a number of mass storage devices  1028 - m , such as nonvolatile mass storage disks, in a mass storage subsystem  1026 . Alternatively, some or all of the mass storage devices  1028  can be other types of storage, such as flash memory, optical, solid-state drives (SSDs), tape storage, etc. 
     The storage server  1022  may be, for example, one of the FAS-xxx family of storage server products available from NetApp®, Inc. The client devices  1002  are connected to the storage server  1022  via the computer network  1004 , which can be a packet-switched network, for example, a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Further, the storage server  1022  is connected to the mass storage devices  1028  via a switching fabric  1024 , which can be a fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) network, for example. It is noted that, within the network data storage environment, any other suitable numbers of storage servers and/or mass storage devices, and/or any other suitable network technologies, may be employed. 
     The storage server  1022  can make some or all of the storage space on the mass storage devices  1028  available to the client devices  1002  in a conventional manner. For example, each of the mass storage devices  1028  can be implemented as an individual disk, multiple disks (e.g., a RAID group) or any other suitable mass storage device(s). The storage server  1022  can communicate with the client devices  1002  according to well-known protocols, such as the Network File System (NFS) protocol or the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol, to make data stored on the mass storage devices  1028  available to users and/or application programs. The storage server  1022  can present or export data stored on the mass storage devices  1028  as volumes to each of the client devices  1002 . A “volume” is an abstraction of physical storage, combining one or more physical mass storage devices (e.g., disks) or parts thereof into a single logical storage object (the volume), and which is managed as a single administrative unit, such as a single file system. A “file system” is a structured (e.g., hierarchical) set of stored logical containers of data (e.g., volumes, logical unit numbers (LUNs), directories, files). Note that a “file system” does not have to include or be based on “files” per se as its units of data storage. For instance, a file system may use object or block levels of atomic data units. 
     Various functions and configuration settings of the storage server  1022  and the mass storage subsystem  1026  can be controlled from a management server  1030  coupled to the network  1004 . Among many other operations, transcoding operations can be initiated from the management station  1030  for media files  110 ,  130  stored in the mass storage devices  1028  of the mass storage subsystem  1026 . Alternatively, transcoding operations can be initiated from the storage server  1022 , or from the mass storage subsystem  1026 . Embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     Included herein is a set of flow charts representative of exemplary methodologies for performing novel aspects of the disclosed architecture. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the one or more methodologies shown herein, for example, in the form of a flow chart or flow diagram, are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance therewith, occur in a different order and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all acts illustrated in a methodology may be required for a novel implementation. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates one embodiment of a logic flow  1100 . The logic flow  1100  may be representative of some or all of the operations executed by one or more embodiments described herein. For instance, the logic flow  110  may represent operations executed by the transcoding application  120  of the apparatus  100 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 , the logic flow  1100  may receive a media file in a first compressed state corresponding to a first compression technique from a media source device at block  1102 . For example, the file handler component  122 - 1  may receive a media file  110  in a first compressed state corresponding to a first compression technique from a media source device  502 . The media source device  502  may comprise a server for a network, a server for a cable system such as Time Warner Cable®, a server for a private datacenter of an entertainment studio such as Universal Studios® or the Walt Disney Company®, a server for a public network such as YouTube® owned by Google®, and so forth. The first compression technique may comprise an intraframe compression technique, such as JPEG2000, for instance. 
     The logic flow  1100  may retrieve a reference file with a set of reference parameters associated with the media file at block  1104 . For example, the file reference component  122 - 2  may retrieve a reference file  132  with a set of reference parameters  212  associated with the media file  132 . The reference file  132  may be embedded within the media file  110  or stored in a separate location, such as the reference database  140 , for example. 
     The logic flow  1100  may transcode the media file from the first compressed state to a second compressed state corresponding to a second compression technique utilizing the set of reference parameters at block  1106 . For example, the file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode the media file  110  from the first compressed state to a second compressed state corresponding to a second compression technique utilizing the set of reference parameters  212  to form the media file  130 . The second compression technique may comprise one of the H.264 Standards or MPEG-4 ADV Standards, among others. 
     The logic flow  1100  may send the media file in the second compressed state to a media sink device at block  1108 . For instance, the file handler component  122 - 1  may send the media file  130  in the second compressed state to a media sink device  504 . The media sink device  504  may comprise another server  910 ,  950 , or a client device  1002 , for example. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates one embodiment of a logic flow  1200 . The logic flow  1200  may be representative of some or all of the operations executed by one or more embodiments described herein. For instance, the logic flow  1200  may represent an exemplary implementation for the transcoding application  120  when a reference file  132  is embedded within a media file  110 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 12 , the logic flow  1200  may retrieve the reference file with the set of reference parameters from a file source within the media file, the file source positioned at a beginning of the media file before media content for the media file, an end of the media file after the media content for the media file, or interleaved with the media content for the media file at block  1202 . For instance, the file reference component  122 - 2  may retrieve the reference file  132  with the set of reference parameters  212  from an internal file source  312 ,  314  or  316  within the media file  110 . The internal file source  312  may be positioned at a beginning of the media file  110  before media content  302  for the media file  110 . The internal file source  314  may be positioned at an end of the media file  110  after the media content  302  for the media file  110 . The internal file source  316  may be interleaved with the media content  302  for the media file  110 . 
     The logic flow  1200  may retrieve a subset of reference parameters stored with a frame of the media file at block  1204 . For instance, the file reference component  122 - 3  may retrieve a subset of reference parameters  704  stored with a frame  702  of the media file  110 . 
     The logic flow  1200  may transcode each block of a frame using a subset of reference parameters stored with the frame at block  1206 . The file transcoder component  122 - 3  may transcode each block (or macroblock) of a frame  702  using a subset of reference parameters  704  stored with the frame  702 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates one embodiment of a logic flow  1300 . The logic flow  1300  may be representative of some or all of the operations executed by one or more embodiments described herein. For instance, the logic flow  1300  may represent an exemplary implementation for the transcoding application  120  when a reference file  132  is located external to a media file  110 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 13 , the logic flow  1300  may retrieve a reference file identifier from the media file at block  1302 . For example, the file reference component  122 - 2  may retrieve a reference file identifier  204  from the media file  110 . Alternatively, the file reference component  122 - 2  may 
     The logic flow  1300  may retrieve the reference file with the set of reference parameters from a file source external to the media file at block  1304 . For instance, the file reference component  122 - 3  may retrieve the reference file  132  with the set of reference parameters  212  from a file source  404  external to a file source  402  of the media file  110 . The file reference component  122 - 3  may send a query request to the reference database  140  with the reference file identifier  204 . The reference database  140  may search for a reference file  132  having the same reference file identifier  204 , and send a query response with the matching reference file  132 . The file source  404  may comprise the reference database  130 . The file source  402  may comprise the mass storage device  1028 . 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an embodiment of a storage medium  1400 . The storage medium  1400  may comprise an article of manufacture. In one embodiment, the storage medium  1400  may comprise any non-transitory computer readable medium or machine readable medium, such as an optical, magnetic or semiconductor storage. The storage medium may store various types of computer executable instructions, such as instructions to implement one or more of the logic flows  1100 ,  1200  and/or  1300 . Examples of a computer readable or machine readable storage medium may include any tangible media capable of storing electronic data, including volatile memory or non-volatile memory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writeable or re-writeable memory, and so forth. Examples of computer executable instructions may include any suitable type of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, object-oriented code, visual code, and the like. The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary computing architecture  1500  suitable for implementing various embodiments as previously described. In one embodiment, the computing architecture  1500  may comprise or be implemented as part of an electronic device. Examples of an electronic device may include those described with reference to  FIGS. 8-10 , among others. The computing architecture  1500  may be used, for example, to implement apparatus  100 . The embodiments are not limited in this context. 
     As used in this application, the terms “system” and “component” and “module” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution, examples of which are provided by the exemplary computing architecture  1500 . For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive, multiple storage drives (of optical and/or magnetic storage medium), an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Further, components may be communicatively coupled to each other by various types of communications media to coordinate operations. The coordination may involve the uni-directional or bi-directional exchange of information. For instance, the components may communicate information in the form of signals communicated over the communications media. The information can be implemented as signals allocated to various signal lines. In such allocations, each message is a signal. Further embodiments, however, may alternatively employ data messages. Such data messages may be sent across various connections. Exemplary connections include parallel interfaces, serial interfaces, and bus interfaces. 
     The computing architecture  1500  includes various common computing elements, such as one or more processors, multi-core processors, co-processors, memory units, chipsets, controllers, peripherals, interfaces, oscillators, timing devices, video cards, audio cards, multimedia input/output (I/O) components, power supplies, and so forth. The embodiments, however, are not limited to implementation by the computing architecture  1500 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 15 , the computing architecture  1500  comprises a processing unit  1504 , a system memory  1506  and a system bus  1508 . The processing unit  1504  can be any of various commercially available processors, including without limitation an AMD® Athlon®, Duron® and Opteron® processors; ARM® application, embedded and secure processors; IBM® and Motorola® DragonBall® and PowerPC® processors; IBM and Sony® Cell processors; Intel® Celeron®, Core (2) Duo®, Itanium®, Pentium®, Xeon®, and XScale® processors; and similar processors. Dual microprocessors, multi-core processors, and other multi-processor architectures may also be employed as the processing unit  1504 . 
     The system bus  1508  provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, the system memory  1506  to the processing unit  1504 . The system bus  1508  can be any of several types of bus structure that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. Interface adapters may connect to the system bus  1508  via a slot architecture. Example slot architectures may include without limitation Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), Card Bus, (Extended) Industry Standard Architecture ((E)ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), NuBus, Peripheral Component Interconnect (Extended) (PCI(X)), PCI Express, Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), and the like. 
     The system memory  1506  may include various types of computer-readable storage media in the form of one or more higher speed memory units, such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), Double-Data-Rate DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, polymer memory such as ferroelectric polymer memory, ovonic memory, phase change or ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory, magnetic or optical cards, an array of devices such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) drives, solid state memory devices (e.g., USB memory, solid state drives (SSD) and any other type of storage media suitable for storing information. In the illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 15 , the system memory  1506  can include non-volatile memory  1510  and/or volatile memory  1512 . A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in the non-volatile memory  1510 . 
     The computer  1502  may include various types of computer-readable storage media in the form of one or more lower speed memory units, including an internal (or external) hard disk drive (HDD)  1514 , a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD)  1516  to read from or write to a removable magnetic disk  1518 , and an optical disk drive  1520  to read from or write to a removable optical disk  1522  (e.g., a CD-ROM or DVD). The HDD  1514 , FDD  1516  and optical disk drive  1520  can be connected to the system bus  1508  by a HDD interface  1524 , an FDD interface  1526  and an optical drive interface  1528 , respectively. The HDD interface  1524  for external drive implementations can include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 1394 interface technologies. 
     The drives and associated computer-readable media provide volatile and/or nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For example, a number of program modules can be stored in the drives and memory units  1510 ,  1512 , including an operating system  1530 , one or more application programs  1532 , other program modules  1534 , and program data  1536 . In one embodiment, the one or more application programs  1532 , other program modules  1534 , and program data  1536  can include, for example, the various applications and/or components of the apparatus  100 . 
     A user can enter commands and information into the computer  1502  through one or more wire/wireless input devices, for example, a keyboard  1538  and a pointing device, such as a mouse  1540 . Other input devices may include microphones, infra-red (IR) remote controls, radio-frequency (RF) remote controls, game pads, stylus pens, card readers, dongles, finger print readers, gloves, graphics tablets, joysticks, keyboards, retina readers, touch screens (e.g., capacitive, resistive, etc.), trackballs, trackpads, sensors, styluses, and the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit  1504  through an input device interface  1542  that is coupled to the system bus  1508 , but can be connected by other interfaces such as a parallel port, IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, and so forth. 
     A monitor  1544  or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus  1508  via an interface, such as a video adaptor  1546 . The monitor  1544  may be internal or external to the computer  1502 . In addition to the monitor  1544 , a computer typically includes other peripheral output devices, such as speakers, printers, and so forth. 
     The computer  1502  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wire and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer  1548 . The remote computer  1548  can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer  1502 , although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device  1550  is illustrated. The logical connections depicted include wire/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN)  1552  and/or larger networks, for example, a wide area network (WAN)  1554 . Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which may connect to a global communications network, for example, the Internet. 
     When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer  1502  is connected to the LAN  1552  through a wire and/or wireless communication network interface or adaptor  1556 . The adaptor  1556  can facilitate wire and/or wireless communications to the LAN  1552 , which may also include a wireless access point disposed thereon for communicating with the wireless functionality of the adaptor  1556 . 
     When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer  1502  can include a modem  1558 , or is connected to a communications server on the WAN  1554 , or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN  1554 , such as by way of the Internet. The modem  1558 , which can be internal or external and a wire and/or wireless device, connects to the system bus  1508  via the input device interface  1542 . In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer  1502 , or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device  1550 . It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used. 
     The computer  1502  is operable to communicate with wire and wireless devices or entities using the IEEE 802 family of standards, such as wireless devices operatively disposed in wireless communication (e.g., IEEE 802.15 over-the-air modulation techniques). This includes at least Wi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity), WiMax, and Bluetooth™ wireless technologies, among others. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.15x (a, b, g, n, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wire networks (which use IEEE 802.3-related media and functions). 
       FIG. 16  illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary communications architecture  1600  suitable for implementing various embodiments as previously described. The communications architecture  1600  includes various common communications elements, such as a transmitter, receiver, transceiver, radio, network interface, baseband processor, antenna, amplifiers, filters, power supplies, and so forth. The embodiments, however, are not limited to implementation by the communications architecture  1600 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , the communications architecture  1600  comprises includes one or more clients  1602  and servers  1204 . The clients  1602  may implement the device  910 . The servers  1204  may implement the device  950 . The clients  1602  and the servers  1204  are operatively connected to one or more respective client data stores  1608  and server data stores  1610  that can be employed to store information local to the respective clients  1602  and servers  1204 , such as cookies and/or associated contextual information. 
     The clients  1602  and the servers  1204  may communicate information between each other using a communication framework  1606 . The communications framework  1606  may implement any well-known communications techniques and protocols. The communications framework  1606  may be implemented as a packet-switched network (e.g., public networks such as the Internet, private networks such as an enterprise intranet, and so forth), a circuit-switched network (e.g., the public switched telephone network), or a combination of a packet-switched network and a circuit-switched network (with suitable gateways and translators). 
     The communications framework  1606  may implement various network interfaces arranged to accept, communicate, and connect to a communications network. A network interface may be regarded as a specialized form of an input output interface. Network interfaces may employ connection protocols including without limitation direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., thick, thin, twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T, and the like), token ring, wireless network interfaces, cellular network interfaces, IEEE 802.11a-x network interfaces, IEEE 802.16 network interfaces, IEEE 802.20 network interfaces, and the like. Further, multiple network interfaces may be used to engage with various communications network types. For example, multiple network interfaces may be employed to allow for the communication over broadcast, multicast, and unicast networks. Should processing requirements dictate a greater amount speed and capacity, distributed network controller architectures may similarly be employed to pool, load balance, and otherwise increase the communicative bandwidth required by clients  1602  and the servers  1204 . A communications network may be any one and the combination of wired and/or wireless networks including without limitation a direct interconnection, a secured custom connection, a private network (e.g., an enterprise intranet), a public network (e.g., the Internet), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), an Operating Missions as Nodes on the Internet (OMNI), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless network, a cellular network, and other communications networks. 
     Some embodiments may be described using the expression “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” along with their derivatives. These terms mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. These terms are not necessarily intended as synonyms for each other. For example, some embodiments may be described using the terms “connected” and/or “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. 
     It is emphasized that the Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow a reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein,” respectively. Moreover, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. 
     What has been described above includes examples of the disclosed architecture. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components and/or methodologies, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly, the novel architecture is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Further examples are provided as follows. 
     In a first example, an apparatus may comprise a processor circuit, and a transcoding application for execution on the processor circuit to manage transcoding operations for media files. The transcoding application may comprise a file handler component to receive a media file in a first compressed state corresponding to a first compression technique. The transcoding application may further comprise a file reference component to retrieve a reference file with a set of reference parameters associated with the media file. The transcoding application may further comprise a file transcoder component to transcode the media file from the first compressed state to a second compressed state corresponding to a second compression technique utilizing the set of reference parameters. 
     In a second example, the apparatus may further comprise the first compression technique comprising a non-interframe compression technique. 
     In a third example, the apparatus may further comprise the reference parameters to comprise a group of pictures (GOP) structure parameter, a reference image structure parameter, a prediction mode selection parameter, a reference selection parameter, or a motion estimation parameter. 
     In a fourth example, the apparatus may further comprise the reference file to comprise an internal part of the media file, the reference file having an internal file source positioned before media content for the media file, after the media content for the media file, or interleaved with the media content for the media file. 
     In a fifth example, the apparatus may further comprise the reference file to comprise an external part of the media file, the reference file having an external file source separate from the media file. 
     In a sixth example, the apparatus may further comprise the file handler component to receive the media file in the first compressed state from a media source and send the media file in the second compressed state to a media sink. 
     In a seventh example, the apparatus may further comprise the file reference component to retrieve the reference file with the set of reference parameters from an internal file source. 
     In an eighth example, the apparatus may further comprise the file reference component to retrieve the reference file with the set of reference parameters from an external file source utilizing a reference file identifier. 
     In a ninth example, the apparatus may further comprise the file transcoder component to transcode each frame of the media file from the first compressed state to the second compressed state using the reference parameters. 
     In a tenth example, the apparatus may further comprise a memory, a memory controller and a transceiver.