Compression of 2D and 3D navigation video sequences using skip mode masking of static areas

In order to assert correct behavior of electronics in modern automobiles, extensive tests are conducted. Part of these tests focus on the correct rendering of the navigation systems, including map rotation, content of info boxes and smoothness of frame updates. Test engineers have the need to record the rendered navigation system in live setups (e.g. in moving cars) and evaluate them afterwards. Traditional video encoding produces significant bitrate overhead due to the rotating characteristics of the navigation since rotation is approximated with small macroblock partitioning. In this paper, we show how to construct an encoding scheme specifically designed for encoding of 2D and 3D navigation video sequences. For this purpose we develop a Global Motion Estimation (GME) based on feature matching and model parameter estimation and combine it with an H.264/AVC video encoder as backend. By using skip mode information from the H.264/AVC rate distortion optimization, we are able to stabilize the parameter estimation process even in the presence of large static areas.