SELECTING VIEWPOINTS FOR GENERATING ADDITIONAL VIEWS IN 3D VIDEO

• US 20120188341A1
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Klein Gunnewiek, Reinier Bernardus Maria, Bruls, Wilhelmus Hendrikus Alfonsus, Vandewalle, Patrick Luc E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597

Abstract

A method of encoding a video data signal (15) is provided, the method comprising providing at least a first image (21) of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint, providing rendering information (22) for enabling the generation of at least one rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint, providing a preferred direction indicator (23), defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint, and generating (24) the video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing the first image, the rendering information and the preferred direction indicator.

Claims

1. A method of encoding a video data signal (15), the method comprising:

providing at least a first image (21) of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint,

providing rendering information (22) for enabling the generation of at least one rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint,

providing a preferred direction indicator (23), defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint, and

generating (24) the video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing the first image, the rendering information and the preferred direction indicator.

2. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preferred direction indicator comprises a single bit for defining whether the preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint is to the left or to the right of the first viewpoint.

3. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the a preferred direction indicator is encoded in the video data signal (15) using at least one of the following options:

a preferred direction indicator is encoded for every frame;

a preferred direction indicator is encoded for every group of frames; and

a preferred direction indicator is encoded for every scene.

4. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the value of the preferred direction indicator is constant for one of:

a group of frames and

a scene.

5. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the preferred orientation is dependent on a distance between the first viewpoint and the rendering viewpoint.

6. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rendering information comprises depth indication values for pixels in the first image.

7. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed claim 1 wherein the rendering information comprises alpha values for pixels in the first image, the alpha values indicating a transparency of the respective pixels.

8. A method of encoding a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rendering information comprises occlusion data representing data being occluded from the first viewpoint.

12. A computer program product for encoding a video data signal, which program is operative to cause a processor to perform the method as claimed in claim 1.

9. A method of decoding a video data signal (15), the video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing a first image of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint, rendering information for enabling the generation of at least one rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint and a preferred direction indicator, defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint, the method comprising:

receiving the video data signal (41),

in dependence of the preferred direction indicator, selecting the rendering viewpoint (42), and

generating (43) the rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from the selected rendering viewpoint.

13. A computer program product for decoding a video data signal, which program is operative to cause a processor to perform the method as claimed in claim 9.

10. An encoder (10) for encoding a video data signal (15), the encoder comprising:

means for providing at least a first image of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint, rendering information for enabling the generation of a rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint and a preferred direction indicator, defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint,

means for generating the video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing the first image, the rendering information and the preferred direction indicator, and

an output for providing the video data signal (15).

11. A decoder (30) for decoding a video data signal (15), the decoder (30) comprising:

an input for receiving a video data signal (15), the video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing a first image of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint, rendering information for enabling the generation of a rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint and a preferred direction indicator, defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint,

means for, in dependence of the preferred direction indicator, selecting the rendering viewpoint,

means for generating the rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from the selected rendering viewpoint, and

an output for providing the rendered image.

14. A video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing:

at least a first image of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint,

rendering information for enabling the generation of a rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint, and

a preferred direction indicator, defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint.

15. A digital data carrier having encoded thereon a video data signal (15) as claimed in claim 14.