Method and apparatus for encoding MPEG signals using variable rate encoding and dynamically varying transmission buffers
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsMotoki Kato, Hideki Koyanagi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An encoded signal signal transmission method and apparatus is disclosed which performs stable signal reproduction without causing any breakage of a buffer on the side of a decoder system even when the transmission bit rate is changed. In encoding and transmitting a digital signal at a variable bit rate, an encoder buffer for temporarily storing an encoded signal on the side of an encoder system has a code buffer used by the encoder system for rate control, with the size of the code buffer being constant, and after a predetermined delay time from when the encoding bit rate is altered, an output bit rate from the encoder buffer is altered to a new value of the encoding bit rate.
Claims6
An encoded signal transmission apparatus for encoding and transmitting a digital data signal at a variable bit rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an encoder for receiving and encoding a digital data signal at a variable encoding rate to generate an encoded signal;
- a transmission buffer for storing said encoded signal;
- a rate controller for varying the transmission rate of said encoded signal from said transmission buffer after a delay period in response to changes in said encoding rate;
- and
- a buffer size controller for dynamically varying the size of said transmission buffer in accordance with changes in said encoding rate.
A method of encoding and transmitting a digital data signal comprising the steps of:
- receiving a digital data signal;
- encoding said digital data signal at a variable encoding rate to generate an encoded signal;
- storing said encoded signal in a transmission buffer;
- transmitting said encoded signal from said transmission buffer to a receiving buffer at a variable transmission rate, wherein said transmission rate is varied after a delay period in response to changes in said encoding rate;
- and
- dynamically varying the size of said transmission buffer in accordance with changes in said encoding rate.
A method of encoding and transmitting a digital data signal comprising the steps of:
- receiving a digital data signal;
- communicating said digital data signal to an encoder;
- encoding said digital data signal at a variable encoding rate to generate an encoded signal;
- communicating said encoded signal to a transmission buffer which dynamically varies in size;
- storing said encoded signal in said transmission buffer;
- and transmitting said encoded signal from said transmission buffer to a receiving buffer at a variable transmission rate, wherein the transmission rate is varied after a delay period, τ, in response to changes in said encoding rate and further wherein τ is such that τ=B/RMIN;
- where the size of said receiving buffer is given by B, and the minimum value of said encoding rate is given by RMIN.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.