ENCODING APPARATUS, DECODING APPARATUS, ENCODING METHOD, AND DECODING METHOD

• US 20140119670A1
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: ARAI, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US14/061,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/233
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4092 Image resolution transcoding, e.g. by using client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression

Abstract

An encoding apparatus includes: a base image generation unit to down-convert an input image at a predetermined first magnification to generate a base image; a first image component generation unit to generate first image component information, the first image component information being used to down-convert the input image at a predetermined second magnification different from the first magnification and being part of information used to restore the input image from the base image; a second image component generation unit to generate second image component information, the second image component information being used to down-convert the input image at a predetermined third magnification different from the first magnification and the second magnification and being used together with the first image component information to restore the input image from the base image; and an output unit to output the base image, the first image component information, and the second image component information.

Claims

1. An encoding apparatus, comprising:

a base image generation unit configured to down-convert an input image at a predetermined first magnification to generate a base image;

a first image component generation unit configured to generate first image component information, the first image component information being used to down-convert the input image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification and being part of information used to restore the input image from the base image;

a second image component generation unit configured to generate second, image component information, the second image component information being used to down-convert the input image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification and being used together with the first image component information to restore the input image from the base image; and

an output unit configured to output the base image, the first image component Information, and the second image component information.

2. The encoding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a coding unit configured to

calculate a first offset value between the first image component information and each pixel of the base image to code the first offset value, and

calculate a second offset value between the second image component information and each pixel of the base image to code the second offset value, wherein

the output unit is configured to output the base image, the coded first offset value, and the coded second offset value.

3. The encoding apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

an image quality adjustment unit configured to uniformly adjusting an image quality for all pixels of the base image, wherein

the coding unit is configured to calculate the first offset value and the second offset value from the base image with an adjusted image quality.

4. The encoding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the input image has a vertical resolution of 2160,

the first magnification is ⅓

-fold,

the second magnification is ½

-fold, and

the third magnification is ⅔

-fold.

5. A decoding apparatus, comprising:

an input unit configured to input

a base image obtained by down-converting an original image at a predetermined first magnification,

first image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification, the first image component information being part of information used to restore the original image from the base image, and

second image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification, the second image component information being used together with the first image component, information to restore the original image from the base image; and

an output unit configured to output the input base image.

6. The decoding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the base image output from the output unit has a vertical resolution of 720.

7. A decoding apparatus, comprising:

an input unit configured to input

a base image obtained by down-converting an original image at a predetermined first magnification,

first image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification, the first image component information being part of information used to restore the original image from the base image, and

second image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification, the second image component information being used together with the first image component information to restore the original image from the base image;

a down-conversion unit configured to generate a down-converted image corresponding to the original image down-converted at the second magnification by using the input first image component information; and

an output unit configured, to output the down-converted image.

8. The decoding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the image output from the output unit has a vertical resolution of 1080.

9. A decoding apparatus, comprising:

an input unit configured to input

a base image obtained by down-converting an original image at a predetermined first magnification,

first image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification, the first image component information being part of information used to restore the original image from the base image, and

second image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification, the second image component information being used together with the first image component information to restore the original image from the base image;

a down-conversion unit configured to generate a down-converted image corresponding to the original image down-converted at the third magnification by using the input base image and the input second image component information; and

an output unit configured to output the down-converted image.

10. The decoding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the image output from the output unit has a vertical resolution of 1440.

11. A decoding apparatus, comprising:

an input unit configured to input

a base image obtained by down-converting an original image at a predetermined first magnification,

first image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification, the first image component information being part of information used to restore the original image from the base image, and

second image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification, the second image component information being used together with the first image component, information to restore the original image from the base image;

a restoration unit configured to restore the original image by using the input base image, the input first image component information, and the input second image component information; and

an output unit configured to output the restored original image.

12. The decoding apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the image output from the output unit has a vertical resolution of 2160.

13. A decoding apparatus, comprising:

an input unit configured to input

a base image obtained by down-converting an original image at a predetermined first magnification,

first image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification, the first image component information being part of information used to restore the original image from the base image, and

second image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification, the second image component information being used together with the first image component information to restore the original image from the base image;

a first down-conversion unit configured to generate a first down-converted image corresponding to the original image down-converted at the second magnification by using the input first image component information;

a second down-conversion unit configured to generate a second down-converted image corresponding to the original image down-converted at the third magnification by using the input base image and the input second image component information;

a restoration unit configured to restore the original image by using the input base image, the input first image component information, and the input second image component information; and

an output unit configured to output the input base image, the first down-converted image, the second down-converted image, and the restored original image.

14. The decoding apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the base image output from the output unit has a vertical resolution of 720,

the first down-converted image has a vertical resolution of 1080,

the second down-converted image has a vertical resolution of 1440, and

the restored original image has a vertical resolution of 2160.

15. An encoding method, comprising:

down-converting an input image at a predetermined first magnification to generate a base image;

generating first image component information, the first image component information being used to down-convert the input image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification and being part of information used to restore the input image from the base image; and

generating second image component information, the second image component information being used to down-convert the input image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification and being used together with the first image component information to restore the input image from the base image.

16. A decoding method, comprising:

receiving

a base image obtained by down-converting an original image at a predetermined first magnification,

first image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined second magnification that is different from the first magnification, the first image component information being part of information used to restore the original image from the base image, and

second image component information used to down-convert the original image at a predetermined third magnification that is different from the first magnification and the second magnification, the second image component information being used together with the first image component information to restore the original image from the base image;

generating a down-converted image corresponding to the original image down-converted at the second magnification by using the first, image component information;

generating a down-converted image corresponding to the original image down-converted at the third magnification by using the base image and the second image component information; and

restoring the original image by using the base image, the first image component information, and the second image component information.