Apple patents video encoding tweaks to reduce data overhead
Apple has been granted a patent for a method to modify how video data is packaged for streaming. The system adjusts the structure of the video file to align different layers of image data more precisely, which reduces the extra data needed to describe the video. This allows for more efficient encoding of high-quality video streams.
In the filing’s own words
This disclosure is directed to systems and methods of streaming extensions for video encoding. The streaming extensions may enable the bitstream syntax for layered video data to be modified to reduce overhead for encoding. The bitstream syntax may be modified to enable variable length luma and chroma components, and enable the alignment between the layers and slice to be bit aligned to enable increased granularity in image encoding, and to minimize overhead between different elements within the layers.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An electronic device comprising: a network interface configured to receive a stream of image data corresponding to High Efficiency Video Coding, AOMedia Video 1, ProRes, or Versatile Video Coding, wherein the stream of image data comprises one or more streaming extensions that define modification to a bitstream syntax for the stream of image data, wherein the bitstream syntax comprises a tile syntax that defines an image frame of the stream of image data, wherein the tile syntax comprises a tile header and a slice syntax, and wherein the tile header comprises a layer identification, a channel identification, a horizontal size of a frame, a vertical size of the frame, and a quantization index; and video encoder circuitry configured to bit-align one or more layers based on concatenating bitstream sections of the stream of image data and to encode one or more slices of the bit-aligned one or more layers based on the bitstream syntax.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Systems and methods for streaming extensions for video encoding
- Patent number
- US12732637B2
- Application number
- 18745956
- Filed
- Jun 17, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04N 19/70 Electricity & electronicsH04N 19/174 Electricity & electronicsH04N 19/184 Electricity & electronicsH04N 19/186 Electricity & electronicsMore from Apple in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.