Method, medium, and system encoding and/or decoding moving pictures by adaptively applying optimal prediction modes

• US 20070211797A1
• Filed: 03/13/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Woo-shik, Kim, Dae-hee, Choi, Woong-il, Kim, Hyun-mun, Cho, Dae-sung, Birinovl, Dmitri
• Granted Patent: US 10,034,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.120
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/007 Transform coding, e.g. discrete cosine transform
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/103 Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/109 among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/11 among a plurality of spatial predictive coding modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/147 according to rate distortion criteria rate-distortion as a criterion for motion estimation H04N19/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/15 by monitoring actual compressed data size at the memory before deciding storage at the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/19 using optimisation based on Lagrange multipliers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/50 using predictive coding H04N19/61 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/593 involving spatial prediction techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

A method, medium, and system encoding and/or decoding a moving picture. The moving picture encoding method may include selecting a prediction mode that is optimal for the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components of a current image based on the characteristics of a predetermined image, generating a predicted image for the current image according to the selected prediction mode, and encoding a moving picture using the predicted image. An optimal prediction mode can be adaptively applied to the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components, thereby increasing the moving picture'"'"'s encoding and decoding efficiencies.

Claims

1. A predicted image generating method, comprising:

selecting a prediction mode that is determined to be optimal for blocks of each color component of a current image based on characteristics of a predetermined image; and

generating a predicted image for the current image according to the selected prediction mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the prediction mode comprises selecting a prediction mode that is commonly applied to the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components when a similarity between the color components of the predetermined image is determined to be high.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the prediction mode comprises selecting a prediction mode that is independently applied to the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components when a similarity between the color components of the predetermined image is determined to be low.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the predicted image comprises:

dividing the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components into equal sized blocks;

determining motion vectors between a reference image and the current image, which are to be commonly applied to the divided blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components; and

generating the predicted image for the current image from the reference image using the determined motion vectors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the predicted image comprises:

dividing the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components into equal sized blocks;

determining a prediction direction to be commonly applied to the divided blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components; and

predicting blocks making up the current image from adjacent pixels in a restored image using the determined prediction directions and generating the predicted image made up by the predicted blocks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the predicted image comprises:

dividing the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components into blocks of different sizes;

determining motion vectors between a reference image and the current image, which are to be independently applied to the divided blocks of each color component; and

generating the predicted image for the current image from the reference image using the determined motion vectors.

7. The method of claim 1, where the generating of the predicted image comprises:

dividing the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components into blocks of different sizes;

determining a prediction direction to be independently applied to the divided blocks of each color component; and

predicting blocks making up the current block from adjacent pixels in a restored image using the determined prediction direction and generating the predicted image made up by the predicted blocks.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the prediction mode comprises selecting a prediction mode that leads to a minimum bitstream size as a result of encoding the predetermined image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the prediction mode comprises selecting a prediction mode that leads to a minimum amount of quality distortion between the predetermined image and a restored image of the predetermined image.

10. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement a predicted image generating method, the method comprising:

selecting a prediction mode that is determined to be optimal for blocks of each color component of a current image based on characteristics of a predetermined image; and

generating a predicted image for the current image according to the selected prediction mode.

11. A predicted image generating system, comprising:

a selection unit selecting a prediction mode that is determined to be optimal for blocks of each color component of a current image based on characteristics of a predetermined image; and

a generation unit generating a predicted image for the current image according to the selected prediction mode.

12. An encoding method, comprising:

selecting a prediction mode that is determined to be optimal for blocks of each color component of a current image based on characteristics of a predetermined image;

generating a predicted image for the current image according to the selected prediction mode;

generating residues, of each color component, which correspond to differences between the current image and the predicted image; and

generating a bitstream by encoding the generated residues.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the bitstream comprises generating the bitstream to include information representing the selected prediction mode.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the bitstream comprises generating the bitstream to include information representing the selected prediction mode for the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the bitstream comprises generating the bitstream to include information representing only one selected prediction mode that is commonly applied at a sequence level, as an upper level relative to a macro block level, to all the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components making up a single sequence.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the bitstream comprises generating the bitstream to include information representing only one selected prediction mode that is commonly applied at a picture level, as an upper level relative to a macro block level, to all the macro blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components making up a single picture.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein, in the generating of the residues, the residues are first residues, and the method further comprises generating second residues that correspond to differences between the first residues of the color components, according to the selected prediction mode, and wherein the generating of the bitstream comprises generating the bitstream by selectively encoding the generated first residues or the generated second residues.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating of the second residues comprises generating the second residues as corresponding to differences between the first residues of each of a Y component, a Co component, and a Cg component, according to the selected prediction mode.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating of the second residues comprises generating the second residues as corresponding to differences between the first residues of each of an R component, a G component, and a B component, according to the selected prediction mode.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating of the second residues comprises removing noise from each of an R component, a G component, and a B component using a predetermined filter and generating the second residues as corresponding to differences between the first residues of each of the R component, the G component, and the B component.

21. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement the method of claim 12.

22. An encoding system, comprising:

a selection unit to select a prediction mode that is determined to be optimal for blocks of each color component of a current image based on characteristics of a predetermined image;

a generation unit to generate a predicted image for the current image according to the selected prediction mode and to generate residues, of each color component, which correspond to differences between the current image and the predicted image; and

an encoding unit to generate a bitstream by encoding the generated residues.

23. A predicted image generating method to decode image information encoded in a bitstream, with the image information being encoded according to a prediction mode determined to be optimal for corresponding blocks of each color component of a corresponding current image, the method comprising:

restoring prediction mode information from the bitstream, the restored prediction mode information identifying the prediction mode; and

generating a predicted image for the current image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the prediction mode is a prediction mode used in a moving picture decoding system to generate the predicted image.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein, if the restored prediction mode information identifies the prediction mode as being a prediction mode commonly applied to all the blocks of the color components, the generating of the predicted image comprises generating the predicted image for each block, which is divided into blocks of an equal size that is commonly applied to the blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein, if the restored prediction mode information identifies the prediction mode as being a prediction mode commonly applied to the blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components, the generating of the predicted image comprises generating the predicted image using a motion vector that is commonly applied to the blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein, if the restored prediction mode information identifies the prediction mode as being a prediction mode commonly applied to the blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components, the generating of the predicted image comprises generating the predicted image using a prediction direction that is commonly applied to the blocks, which correspond to each other, of the color components.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein, if the restored prediction mode information identifies the prediction mode as being a prediction mode independently applied to the blocks of each color component, the generating of the predicted image comprises generating the predicted image for each block, which is divided into blocks of different sizes that are independently applied to each color component.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein, if the restored prediction mode information identifies the prediction mode as being a prediction mode independently applied to the blocks of each color component, the generating of the predicted image comprises generating the predicted image using motion vectors that are independently applied to the blocks of each color component.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein, if the restored prediction mode information identifies the prediction mode as being a prediction mode independently applied to the blocks of each color component, the generating of the predicted image comprises generating the predicted image using prediction directions that are independently applied to the blocks of each color component.

31. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement a predicted image generating method to decode image information encoded in a bitstream, with the image information being encoded according to a prediction mode determined to be optimal for corresponding blocks of each color component of a corresponding current image, the method comprising:

restoring prediction mode information from the bitstream, the restored prediction mode information identifying the prediction mode; and

generating a predicted image for the current image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information.

32. A predicted image generating system to decode image information encoded in a bitstream, with the image information being encoded according to a prediction mode determined to be optimal for corresponding blocks of each color component of a corresponding current image, the system comprising:

a decoding unit to restore prediction mode information from the bitstream, the restored prediction mode information identifying the prediction mode; and

a generation unit to generate a predicted image for the current image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information.

33. A decoding method to decode image information encoded in a bitstream, with the image information being encoded according to a prediction mode determined to be optimal for corresponding blocks of each color component of a corresponding current image, the method comprising:

restoring prediction mode information from the bitstream, the restored prediction mode information identifying the prediction mode;

generating residues that correspond to differences between the current image and a reference image for the current image, according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information;

generating a predicted image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information; and

generating a restored image that corresponds to a sum of the generated residues and the generated predicted image.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein, in the generating of the residues, the residues are first residues, and the method further comprises restoring second residues that correspond to differences between the first residues of color components, and

wherein the generating of the residues comprises generating the first residues as corresponding to sums of the restored second residues of each color component, according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the restoring of the prediction mode information comprises:

restoring integer values that correspond to the current image by entropy-decoding the bitstream and corresponding prediction mode information; and

restoring frequency component values by inverse-quantizing the restored integer values, and

the restoring of the second residues comprises restoring the second residues by transforming the restored frequency component values, which are frequency domain values, into values in the color space.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the generating of the residues comprises generating first residues of each of a Y component, a Co component, and a Cg component according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information, the first residues respectively corresponding to sums of restored second residues of each of the Y component, the Co component, and the Cg component.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the generating of the residues comprises generating first residues of each of an R component, a G component, and a B component according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information, the first residues respectively corresponding to sums of restored second residues of each of the R component, the G component, and the B component.

38. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement a decoding method to decode image information encoded in a bitstream, with the image information being encoded according to a prediction mode determined to be optimal for corresponding blocks of each color component of a corresponding current image, the method comprising:

restoring prediction mode information from the bitstream, the restored prediction mode information identifying the prediction mode;

generating residues that correspond to differences between the current image and a reference image for the current image, according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information;

generating a predicted image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information; and

generating a restored image that corresponds to a sum of the generated residues and the generated predicted image.

39. A decoding system to decode image information encoded in a bitstream, with the image information being encoded according to a prediction mode determined to be optimal for corresponding blocks of each color component of a corresponding current image, the system comprising:

a decoding unit to restore prediction mode information from the bitstream, the restored prediction mode information identifying the prediction mode;

a first generation unit to generate a predicted image for the current image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information; and

a second generation unit to generate residues that correspond to differences between the current image and the predicted image according to the prediction mode identified by the restored prediction mode information and to generate a restored image corresponding to a sum of the generated residues and the generated predicted image.