Dynamic Switching of GOP configurations in High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) using Relational Databases for Multi-objective Optimization

TL;DR

This paper presents a method for dynamically switching GOP configurations in HEVC to optimize video quality, bitrate, and energy consumption using a multi-objective framework and DRASTIC architecture.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach for real-time GOP configuration switching in HEVC based on multi-objective optimization with Pareto-optimal configurations.

Findings

Effective multi-objective optimization of HEVC GOP configurations

Supports trade-offs between quality, bitrate, and energy consumption

Demonstrates improved adaptability in video encoding processes

Abstract

Our current technological era is flooded with smart devices that provide significant computational resources that require optimal video communications solutions. Optimal and dynamic management of video bitrate, quality and energy demands needs to take into account their inter-dependencies. With emerging network generations providing higher bandwidth rates, there is also a growing need to communicate video with the best quality subject to the availability of resources such as computational power and available bandwidth. Similarly, for accommodating multiple users, there is a need to minimize bitrate requirements while sustaining video quality for reasonable encoding times. This thesis focuses on providing an efficient mechanism for deriving optimal solutions for HEVC codec based on switching GOP configurations. The approach provides a basic system for multi-objective optimization with constraints on power, video quality, bitrate. This is accomplished by utilizing a recently introduced framework known as Dynamically Reconfigurable Architectures for Time-varying Image Constraints (DRASTIC) in HEVC/H.265 codec with six different GOP configurations to support optimization modes for minimum bitrate, maximum quality and minimum computational time (minimum energy in constant power configuration) mode of operation. Pareto-Optimal GOP configs are used in implementing these DRASTIC modes.