Video Coding and Decoding

• US 20130235152A1
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: HANNUKSELA, Miska Matias, RUSANOVSKYY, Dmytro
• Granted Patent: US 10,244,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/114 Adapting the group of pictures [GOP] structure, e.g. number of B-frames between two anchor frames H04N19/107 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards

Abstract

There is disclosed a method, an apparatus, a server, a client and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer program stored therein for multi view video coding and decoding. View random access (VRA) pictures or access units are coded into a multiview bitstream. VRA pictures enable starting the decoding of a subset of the views present in the bitstream. The views selected to be accessible in VRA pictures are alternated in successive VRA pictures so that all views are gradually reconstructed when two or more VRA pictures have been decoded.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

encoding a first picture from a first sequence and a second picture from a second sequence into a first access unit of at least one bitstream;

determining a random access position for the at least one bitstream;

encoding a third picture from the first sequence and a fourth picture from the second sequence into a second access unit of the at least one bitstream, the second access unit following the random access position, the third picture being intra coded and the fourth picture being predicted from the second picture.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first sequence represents a first view and the second sequence represents a second view and the method further comprises determining a set of views to be correctly decodable when decoding is started from the random access position to comprise the first view.

3. A method according to claim 2 further comprising:

encoding a fifth picture from a third sequence into the first access unit wherein the third sequence represents a third view; and

encoding a sixth picture from the third sequence into the second access unit using prediction from the third picture.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein a first inter-view prediction order indicates the prediction of the first view from the second view in the first access unit and a second inter-view prediction order indicates the prediction of the second view from the first view, the method further comprising encoding an indication of the change of the inter-view prediction dependency order into the at least one bitstream.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising encoding an indication of the random access position into the at least one bitstream.

6. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

encode a first picture from a first sequence and a second picture from a second sequence into a first access unit of at least one bitstream;

determine a random access position for the at least one bitstream; and

encode a third picture from the first sequence and a fourth picture from the second sequence into a second access unit of the at least one bitstream, the second access unit following the random access position, the third picture being intra coded and the fourth picture being predicted from the second picture.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first sequence represents a first view and the second sequence represents a second view and the at least one memory includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to use prediction to determine a set of views to be correctly decodable when decoding is started from the random access position to comprise the first view.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, said at least one memory includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to use prediction to:

encode a fifth picture from a third sequence into the first access unit wherein the third sequence represents a third view; and

encode a sixth picture from the third sequence into the second access unit using prediction from the third picture.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a first inter-view prediction order indicates the prediction of the first view from the second view in the first access unit and a second inter-view prediction order indicates the prediction of the second view from the first view, the at least one memory includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to use prediction to encode an indication of the change of the inter-view prediction dependency order into the at least one bitstream.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is an encoder, a wireless communication device, or a server.

11. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions causing, when executed on at least one processor, at least one apparatus to

encode a first picture from a first sequence and a second picture from a second sequence into a first access unit of at least one bitstream;

determine a random access position for the at least one bitstream;

encode a third picture from the first sequence and a fourth picture from the second sequence into a second access unit of the at least one bitstream, the second access unit following the random access position, the third picture being intra coded and the fourth picture being predicted from the second picture.

12. A computer program according to claim 11, wherein the first sequence represents a first view and the second sequence represents a second view and the at least one memory includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program comprising instructions causing, when executed on at least one processor, the at least one apparatus to use prediction to determine a set of views to be correctly decodable when decoding is started from the random access position to comprise the first view.

13. A method comprising:

concluding a first random access position from at least one bitstream, the first random access position being followed by a first access unit comprising a first coded picture from a first view and a second coded picture from a second view, the first coded picture being intra coded and the second coded picture being predicted from a picture preceding the random access position;

starting the decoding from the first random access position;

decoding the first coded picture;

decoding one or more subsequent coded pictures from the first view.

14. A method according to claim 13 comprising:

concluding a second random access position from the at least one bitstream, the second random access position being followed by a second access unit comprising a third coded picture from the first view and a fourth coded picture from the second view, the fourth coded picture being intra coded;

decoding the third coded picture; and

decoding the fourth coded picture.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the first sequence represents a first view and the second sequence represents a second view and the method further comprises determining a set of views to be correctly decodable when decoding is started from the random access position.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein a first inter-view prediction order indicates the prediction of the first view from the second view in the first access unit and a second inter-view prediction order indicates the prediction of the second view from the first view, the method further comprising decoding an indication of the change of the inter-view prediction dependency order from the at least one bitstream.

17. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to

conclude a first random access position from at least one bitstream, the first random access position being followed by a first access unit comprising a first coded picture from a first view and a second coded picture from a second view, the first coded picture being intra coded and the second coded picture being predicted from a picture preceding the random access position;

start the decoding from the first random access position;

decode the first coded picture;

decode one or more subsequent coded pictures from the first view.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, said at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to

conclude a second random access position from the at least one bitstream, the second random access position being followed by a second access unit comprising a third coded picture from the first view and a fourth coded picture from the second view, the fourth coded picture being intra coded;

decode the third coded picture; and

decode the fourth coded picture.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first sequence represents a first view and the second sequence represents a second view and the at least one memory includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine a set of views to be correctly decodable when decoding is started from the random access position.

20. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is a decoder, a wireless communication device, or a client device.

21. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program according to some example embodiments comprising instructions causing, when executed on at least one processor, at least one apparatus to

conclude a first random access position from at least one bitstream, the first random access position being followed by a first access unit comprising a first coded picture from a first view and a second coded picture from a second view, the first coded picture being intra coded and the second coded picture being predicted from a picture preceding the random access position;

start the decoding from the first random access position;

decode the first coded picture;

decode one or more subsequent coded pictures from the first view.

22. A computer program according to claim 21 comprising instructions causing, when executed on at least one processor, the at least one apparatus to

conclude a second random access position from the at least one bitstream, the second random access position being followed by a second access unit comprising a third coded picture from the first view and a fourth coded picture from the second view, the fourth coded picture being intra coded;

decode the third coded picture; and

decode the fourth coded picture.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for encoding a first picture from a first sequence and a second picture from a second sequence into a first access unit of at least one bitstream;

means for determining a random access position for the at least one bitstream; and

means for encoding a third picture from the first sequence and a fourth picture from the second sequence into a second access unit of the at least one bitstream, the second access unit following the random access position, the third picture being intra coded and the fourth picture being predicted from the second picture.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for concluding a first random access position from at least one bitstream, the first random access position being followed by a first coded picture from a first view and a second coded picture from a second view, the first coded picture being intra coded and the second coded picture being predicted from a picture prior to the random access position, and the first coded picture and the second coded picture representing a first moment of time;

means for starting the decoding from the first random access position;

means for decoding the first coded picture;

means for decoding one or more subsequent coded pictures from the first view.