Reconfigurable Media Coding: Self-Describing Multimedia Bitstreams

Abstract

The development of MP3 and JPEG sparked an explosion in digital content on the internet. These early encoding formats have since been joined by many others, including Quicktime, Ogg, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, which poses an escalating challenge to vendors wishing to develop devices that interoperate with as much content as possible. This paper presents aspects of Reconfigurable Media Coding (RMC), a project currently mat. In other words, an RMC bitstream contains metadata to assemble a decoder from a fundamental building-blocks, as well as a schema that describes the syntax of the content data, and how it may be parsed. RMC makes it easy to extend (re-configure) existing codecs, for example adding error resilienceor new chroma-subsampling profiles, or to build entirely new codecs. This paper addresses the bitstream syntax component of RMC, validating the approach by applying it to the recent MPEG-4 Video simple profile coder. Disciplines Physical Sciences and Mathematics Publication DetailsThis conference paper was originally published as Thomas-Kerr, J Janneck, J, Mattavelli, M, Burnett, I, Ritz, C, ABSTRACT This paper presents aspects of Reconfigurable Media CodThe development of MP3 and JPEG sparked an explosion in ing (RMC), an alternative paradigm for coders that greatly simdigital content on the internet. These early encoding formats plifies interoperation between increasingly diverse multimedia have since been joined by many others, including Quicktime, devices. This paradigm makes content self-describing, in that Ogg, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, which poses an escalating chal-an RMC bitstream includes information to build a decoder lenge to vendors wishing to develop devices that interoperate from fundamental building-blocks ( Figure 1). As a result, with as much content as possible. This paper presents aspects multimedia decoder vendors no longer need to (largely indeof Reconfigurable Media Coding (RMC), a project currently pendently) develop implementations of new coding formats underway at MPEG to define a self-describing bitstream for-for their devices. Instead, the device will provide a generic mat. In other words, an RMC bitstream contains metadata to RMC decoder which can be reconfigured on-the-fly according assemble a decoder from a fundamental building-blocks, as to the information in an RMC bitstream. RMC is currently in well as a schema that describes the syntax of the content data, the process of standardization by MPEG [2]. and how it may be parsed. RMC makes it easy to extend (reWhat follows is a discussion of the usage scenarios (secconfigure) existing codecs, for example adding error resilience tion 1.1) and requirements (1.2) for RMC. The remainder of the or new chroma-subsampling profiles, or to build entirely new paper will give particular emphasis to the syntax description codecs. This paper addresses the bitstream syntax component component of the work, considering alternative approaches of RMC, validating the approach by applying it to the recent (section 2), the programming paradigm use...

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