Region-of-Interest Based Coding Scheme for Live Videos

• Published in: Applied sciences Vol. 14; no. 9; p. 3823
• Main Authors: Dou, Xiuxin, Cao, Xixin, Zhang, Xianguo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Algorithms; Coding standards; Control algorithms; Efficiency; Electronic games; high bit rate; Lagrange multiplier; live broadcast; Machine learning; Neural networks; rate control; ROI; Streaming media; video coding; Video compression; Video games; Video industry
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app14093823

In this paper, we introduce a novel rate control scheme specifically tailored for live broadcasting scenarios. Notably, in high-definition live transmissions of sports events and video game competitions that typically exceed 1080 p resolution and run at frame rates of 60 fps or higher, the transcoding speed of encoders often becomes a limiting factor, leading to streams with substantial bitrates but unsatisfactory quality metrics. To enhance the overall Quality of Service (QoS) without increasing the bitrate, it is essential to improve the quality of Regions of Interest (ROI).Our proposed solution presents an ROI-based rate reservoir model that ingeniously leverages Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to predict rate control parameters. This approach aims to optimize the bitrate allocation within high bitrate live broadcasts, thus enhancing the image quality within ROIs. Experimental outcomes demonstrate that this algorithm manages to increase the bitrate by no more than 5%, effectively redistributing the reduced bitrate across the entire Group of Pictures (GOP). As a result, it ensures a gradual decrease in the quality of Regions of Uninterest (ROU), thereby maintaining a balanced quality experience throughout the broadcasted content.