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Embedded Real-Time H264/AVC High Definition Video Encoder on TI’s KeyStone Multicore DSP

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Abstract

To overcome high computational complexity of advanced video encoders for emerging applications that require real-time processing, multicore technology can be one of the promising solutions to meet this constraint. In this context, this paper presents a parallel implementation of the H264/AVC high definition (HD) video encoder exploiting the power processing of eight-core digital signal processor (DSP) TMS320C6678. GOP Level Parallelism approach is used to improve the encoding speed and meet the real-time encoding compliant. A master core is reserved to handle data transfer between the DSP and the camera interface via a Gigabit Ethernet link. Multithreading algorithm and ping-pong buffers technique are used to enhance the classic GOP level parallelism approach and hide communication overhead. Experimental results on seven slave DSP cores, running each at 1 GHz, show that our implementation allows performing a real-time HD (1280 × 720) video encoding. The achieved encoding speed is up to 28 f/s. The proposed parallel implementation accelerates the encoding process by a factor of 6.7 without inducing quality degradation in terms of PSNR or bit-rate increase compared to single core implementation. Experiments show that our proposed scheduling technique for hiding communication overhead saves up to 36 % of the fully encoding chain time which includes frames capturing, frames encoding and bitstream saving in a file.

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Acknowledgements

This work is fruit of cooperation between Sfax National School of Engineers and ESIEE PARIS Engineering School. It is sponsored by the French ministries of Foreign Affairs and Tunisian ministry for Higher Education and Scientific Research in the context of Hubert Curien Partnership (PHC UTIQUE) under the CMCU project number 12G1108.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ESIEE Engineering, LIGM Laboratory, University Paris-EST, Paris, France

    Nejmeddine Bahri, Thierry Grandpierre & Mohamed Akil

  2. National School of Engineers, LETI Laboratory, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia

    Med Ali Ben Ayed & Nouri Masmoudi

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  1. Nejmeddine Bahri
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  2. Thierry Grandpierre
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  3. Med Ali Ben Ayed
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  4. Nouri Masmoudi
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  5. Mohamed Akil
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Correspondence to Nejmeddine Bahri.

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Bahri, N., Grandpierre, T., Ayed, M.A.B. et al. Embedded Real-Time H264/AVC High Definition Video Encoder on TI’s KeyStone Multicore DSP. J Sign Process Syst 86, 67–84 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11265-015-1098-x

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