METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VIDEO CODING

• US 20140168362A1
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Hannuksela, Miska Matias, Rusanovskyy, Dmytro
• Granted Patent: US 9,736,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

There are disclosed various methods, apparatuses and computer program products for video encoding. In some embodiments the method for encoding comprises examining availability of a depth block co-located with a texture block, determining a prediction method for a texture block on the basis of availability of a co-located depth block; and deriving a first prediction block for the texture block on the basis of the availability of the co-located depth block. The method further comprises deriving a first prediction block for the texture block on the basis of the co-located depth block, if the co-located depth block is available, and otherwise deriving a second prediction block for the texture block without using the co-located depth block. There are also disclosed corresponding method for various methods, apparatuses and computer program products for video decoding

Claims

1. A method comprising:

examining availability of a depth block co-located with a texture block;

performing one of the following on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block;

determining a prediction method for a texture block on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block, the prediction method using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is available and the prediction method not using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is not available;

or

on the basis of a co-located depth sample within the co-located depth block being unavailable in said examining, padding or interpolating the co-located depth sample on the basis of one or more available depth samples and treating the co-located depth block as available and determining the prediction method to use the co-located depth block;

deriving a prediction block for the texture block on the basis of the prediction method.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising one of the following:

encoding the texture block on the basis of the derived prediction block to a bitstream, wherein the bitstream is being formed for comprising one or more encoded texture views and one or more encoded depth views;

decoding the texture block on the basis of the derived prediction block from a bitstream comprising one or more encoded texture views and one or more encoded depth views.

3. The method according to claim 2 comprising:

determining the prediction method for the derivation of the prediction block on the basis of one or more of the following;

the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded texture views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded depth views,

view component order of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

presence of a depth view component having a same sampling or output time as a texture view component including the texture block.

4. The method according to claim 2 comprising:

determining the availability of the co-located depth block on the basis of one or more of the following;

the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded texture views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded depth views,

view component order of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

presence of a depth view component having a same sampling or output time as a texture view component including the texture block,

a texture sampling grid for the texture block and a depth sampling grid for the depth block,

a position of the texture sampling grid and a position of the depth sampling grid,

a first spatial area covered by a texture view containing the texture block and a second spatial area covered by a depth view containing the depth block,

a location and area covered by the texture block within the second spatial area.

5. The method according to claim 2 comprising:

receiving one or more input texture views and one or more input depth views;

determining which input texture views and input depth views are to be encoded; and

encoding one or more indications of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views.

6. The method according to claim 2 comprising:

receiving in a bitstream one or more indications of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views; and

using the one or more indications to determine which input texture views and input depth views have been encoded in the bitstream.

7. 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:

examine availability of a depth block co-located with a texture block;

perform one of the following on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block;

determine a prediction method for a texture block on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block, the prediction method using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is available and the prediction method not using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is not available;

or

on the basis of a co-located depth sample within the co-located depth block being unavailable in said examining, pad or interpolate the co-located depth sample on the basis of one or more available depth samples and treat the co-located depth block as available and determine the prediction method to use the co-located depth block;

derive a prediction block for the texture block on the basis of the prediction method.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, said at least one memory stored with code thereon, which when executed by said at least one processor, further causes the apparatus to perform at least one of the following:

encode the texture block on the basis of the derived prediction block to a bitstream, wherein the bitstream is being formed for comprising one or more encoded texture views and one or more encoded depth views;

decode the texture block on the basis of the derived prediction block from a bitstream comprising one or more encoded texture views and one or more encoded depth views.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, said at least one memory stored with code thereon, which when executed by said at least one processor, further causes the apparatus to:

determine the prediction method for the derivation of the prediction block on the basis of one or more of the following;

the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded texture views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded depth views,

view component order of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, said at least one memory stored with code thereon, which when executed by said at least one processor, further causes the apparatus to:

determine the availability of the co-located depth block on the basis of one or more of the following;

the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded texture views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded depth views,

view component order of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

a texture sampling grid for a texture block and a depth sampling grid for a depth block,

a position of the texture sampling grid and a position of the depth sampling grid,

a spatial area covered by a texture view containing the texture block and a spatial area covered by a depth view containing the depth block.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, said at least one memory stored with code thereon, which when executed by said at least one processor, further causes the apparatus to:

receive one or more input texture views and one or more input depth views;

determine which input texture views and input depth views are to be encoded; and

encode one or more indications of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, said at least one memory stored with code thereon, which when executed by said at least one processor, further causes the apparatus to:

receive in a bitstream one or more indications of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views; and

use the one or more indications to determine which input texture views and input depth views have been encoded in the bitstream.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for examining availability of a depth block co-located with a texture block;

means for performing one of the following on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block;

determining a prediction method for a texture block on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block, the prediction method using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is available and the prediction method not using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is not available;

or

on the basis of a co-located depth sample within the co-located depth block being unavailable in said examining, padding or interpolating the co-located depth sample on the basis of one or more available depth samples and treating the co-located depth block as available and determining the prediction method to use the co-located depth block;

means for deriving a prediction block for the texture block on the basis of the prediction method.

14. A computer program product including one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following:

examine availability of a depth block co-located with a texture block;

perform one of the following on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block;

determine a prediction method for a texture block on the basis of availability of the co-located depth block, the prediction method using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is available and the prediction method not using the co-located depth block if the co-located depth block is not available;

or

on the basis of a co-located depth sample within the co-located depth block being unavailable in said examining, pad or interpolate the co-located depth sample on the basis of one or more available depth samples and treat the co-located depth block as available and determine the prediction method to use the co-located depth block;

derive a prediction block for the texture block on the basis of the prediction method.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14 further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least one of the following:

encode the texture block on the basis of the derived prediction block to a bitstream, wherein the bitstream is being formed for comprising one or more encoded texture views and one or more encoded depth views;

decode the texture block on the basis of the derived prediction block from a bitstream comprising one or more encoded texture views and one or more encoded depth views.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15 further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

determine the prediction method for the derivation of the prediction block on the basis of one or more of the following;

the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded texture views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded depth views,

view component order of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15 further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

determine the availability of the co-located depth block on the basis of one or more of the following;

the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded texture views,

inter-view prediction dependencies of the one or more encoded depth views,

view component order of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views,

a texture sampling grid for a texture block and a depth sampling grid for a depth block,

a position of the texture sampling grid and a position of the depth sampling grid,

a spatial area covered by a texture view containing the texture block and a spatial area covered by a depth view containing the depth block.

18. The computer program product according to claim 14 further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

receive one or more input texture views and one or more input depth views;

determine which input texture views and input depth views are to be encoded; and

encode one or more indications of the one or more encoded texture views and the one or more encoded depth views.