Game application providing scene change hint for encoding at a cloud gaming server

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for encoding, the computer-readable medium comprising:

• program instructions for executing game logic built on a game engine of a video game at a cloud gaming server to generate a plurality of video frames, wherein the game logic is executed in response to controller input of a user to control a game play of the video game;
• program instructions for collecting game state from one or more video frames that have been generated during execution of the game logic;
• program instructions for executing a scene change logic to predict a scene change occurring within a range of upcoming video frames in the plurality of video frames, wherein prediction of the scene change is based on game state collected during execution of the game logic, wherein the scene change logic executes independently from the game logic;
• program instructions for identifying using the scene change logic a video frame from the range of video frames, wherein the video frame is predicted by the scene change logic to include the scene change;
• program instructions for generating a scene change hint using the scene change logic, wherein the scene change hint identifies the video frame;
• program instructions for generating the video frame during execution of the game logic and delivering the video frame to an encoder;
• program instructions for sending the scene change hint from the scene change logic to the encoder and receiving the scene change hint at the encoder before the video frame is compressed by the encoder;
• and
• program instructions for encoding the video frame as an I-frame based on the scene change hint.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• memory coupled to the processor and having stored therein instructions that, if executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to execute a method for encoding comprising:
• executing game logic built on a game engine of a video game at a cloud gaming server to generate a plurality of video frames, wherein the game logic is executed in response to controller input of a user to control a game play of the video game;
• collecting game state from one or more video frames that have been generated during execution of the game logic;
• executing a scene change logic to predict a scene change occurring within a range of upcoming video frames in the plurality of video frames, wherein prediction of the scene change is based on game state collected during execution of the game logic, wherein the scene change logic executes independently from the game logic;
• identifying using the scene change logic a video frame from the range of video frames, wherein the video frame is predicted by the scene change logic to include the scene change;
• generating a scene change hint using the scene change logic, wherein the scene change hint identifies the video frame;
• generating the video frame during execution of the game logic and delivering the video frame to an encoder;
• sending the scene change hint from the scene change logic to the encoder and receiving the scene change hint at the encoder before the video frame is compressed by the encoder;
• and
• encoding the video frame as an I-frame based on the scene change hint.