Scene-Adaptive Frame-Layer Rate Control for Low Bit Rate Video

Rate control regulates the coded bit stream to satisfy certain given bit rate condition while maintaining the quality of coded video. However, most existing rate control algorithms for low bit rate video can not handle scene change properly, so visual quality is consequently worsened. The test model TMN8 of H.263+ can be forced to skip frames after an abrupt scene change. In this letter, we propose a new frame-layer rate control which allocates bits to frames and controls the frame skipping adaptively based on the pre-analysis of future frames. Experimental results show that the proposed control method provides an effective alternative to existing frame skipping methods causing the motion jerkiness and quality degradation.