A self-governing rate buffer control strategy for pseudoconstant bit rate video coding

Video coding is a key to successful visual communications. An interframe video coding algorithm using hybrid motion-compensated prediction and interpolation is considered for coding studio quality video at a bit rate of over 5 Mb/s. Interframe coding without a buffer control strategy usually results in variable bit rates. Although packet networks may be capable of handling variable bit rates, in some applications, a constant bit rate is more desirable either for a simpler network configuration or for channels with fixed bandwidth. A self-governing rate buffer control strategy that can automatically steer the coder to a pseudoconstant bit rate is considered. This self-governing rate buffer control strategy employs more progressive quantization parameters, and constrains quantizer adjustments so that a smoother quality transition can be attained. Simulation results illustrate the performance of the pseudoconstant bit rate coder with this buffer control strategy.