Modeling and Scheduling for MPEG-4 Based Video Encoder Using a Cluster of Workstations

In this paper, we first present an Object Composition Petri Nets (OCPN) based model methodology for describing the dynamic behaviour of the multiple video objects and user interactions during the entire MPEG-4 video session; then, a Group of Video Object Plane (GOV) based periodical scheduling algorithm is proposed to assign the encoder tasks to a cluster of workstations with load balancing guarantee. The scheduling scheme can allocate the tasks efficiently according to the timing constraints as well as user interactions. The performance of the encoder can scale according to the number of workstations used. The experiment results indicate that a real-time encoding rate can be achieved for the sequences with multiple video objects.