Overcoming the practical restrictions in H.266/VVC-based video communication systems by a PI bit rate controller

In this paper, the limitations in the Versatile Video Coding (H.266/VVC)-based communication systems are overcome through a bit rate controller. The limitations include the bandwidth and the buffer size. The proposed controller is of the variable bit rate type. It controls the bit rate fluctuation and maintains the buffer fullness within the admissible boundaries. These are performed by manipulating the quantization parameter. The proportional-integral (PI) controllers are more accurate than the proportional ones. Hence, a PI scheme is employed in the design process. The encoder shows stochastic and non-linear behavior. Moreover, the analytical model of its behavior is unavailable. These challenges are tackled via dynamic programming. The control criterion is developed using the Q-learning algorithm. Experimental results show the proposed method controls the bit rate with an average error equal to 1.4%. It is worthy of noting that the proposed method satisfies the buffering constraints. The average provided quality level in the proposed method is 36.47 dB. This amount is higher than those of the conventional methods. The performance analysis shows the proposed scheme has the bit rate saving capability compared with other methods.