Patent ID: 8792564

Claim:
An apparatus for preprocessing a video signal prior to encoding, comprising: means for extracting features from a source video into feature planes which are adaptively filtered; partitioning feature planes into blocks, which are categorized into one of multiple filter parameters selected from a plurality of predefined filter parameters; wherein a group of said features are extracted from the group of features consisting of edges, texture complexity, gradient characteristic, and activity; means for noise reduction filtering of a remaining signal, which remains after extracting features from said source video; means for adaptively filtering feature planes based on a level of feature activity; and means for recombining adaptively filtered feature planes with a noise reduced version of said remaining signal into a preprocessed video output configured for receipt by a video encoder; wherein said apparatus performs preprocessing of video signals toward increasing coding efficiency at a recipient video encoder by providing an increase in video quality and/or a lowered bit rate for a given encoded video quality.