Video decoder and decoding method which decodes a code string having a plurality of components which are arranged in a descending order of importance

• US 6,025,881 A
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Toshiaki, Ida, Takashi, Chujoh, Takeshi, Kikuchi, Yoshihiro, Dachiku, Kenshi, Yamaguchi, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu
• Application Number:
  US09/223,785
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 348/402, 348/407-408, 348/412-416, 348/422, 348/397-398, 382/236, 382/233, 382/238, 382/240, 382/246, 386/27, 386/33, 386/37, 386/109, 386/111
• US Class Current: 375/240.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/107 between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/20 using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/517 by encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/543 using regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A video coding/decoding apparatus comprises a prediction circuit that divides an input video signal into large regions and small regions in a hierarchical fashion and produces a prediction signal by performing prediction region by region, a subtracter for generating a prediction error signal for a prediction signal at the lowest level, a DCT circuit for coding a prediction error signal, a quantization circuit and a variable-length encoder, a variable-length encoder for coding the prediction mode and motion vector information obtained at each level from the prediction circuit, and a multiplexer for multiplexing the code strings obtained from the variable-length encoder and dividing them into the upper-layer and lower-layer code strings to output the code strings obtained at the variable-length encoder particularly as upper-layer code strings.

Claims

1. A video decoding method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an encoded video stream including a code string including a synchronization code, a group of coded coding mode information, a group of coded motion vectors and a group of coded prediction error information, which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information, the group of coded motion vectors, and the group of the coded prediction error information;

creating a prediction error signal for an image using one of the group of the coded prediction error information; and

combining the prediction error signal with a prediction signal for the image and producing a reconstructed video signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of creating a prediction error signal comprises:

comparing a previously reconstructed video signal with a video signal predicted using the motion vector corresponding to the image.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the step of receiving comprises receiving the code string which includes a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a first size, a group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the first size, a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a second size which are contained in the blocks of the first size and are smaller than the blocks of the first size, and a group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the second size, which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

the obtaining step comprises obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the first size, the group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the first size, the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the second size, and the group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the second size; and

the step of creating comprises creating a prediction error signal for the image using a motion vector for a block of the first size and a motion vector of a block of the second size.

4. A video decoding method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an encoded video stream including a code string including a synchronization code, a group of coded coding mode information, and a group of coded prediction error information, which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information, and the group of the coded prediction error information;

creating a prediction error signal for an image using one of the group of the coded prediction error information; and

combining the prediction error signal with a prediction signal for the image and producing a reconstructed video signal.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of receiving comprises receiving the code string which includes a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a first size, and a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a second size which are contained in the blocks of the first size and are smaller than the blocks of the first size which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

the obtaining step comprises obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the first size, and the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the second size; and

the step of creating comprises creating a prediction error signal for the image using the coded coding mode information for the block of the first size and using the coded coding mode information for the block of the second size.

6. A video decoding apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving an encoded video stream including a code string including a synchronization code, a group of coded coding mode information, a group of coded motion vectors and a group of coded prediction error information, which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

means for obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information, the group of coded motion vectors, and the group of the coded prediction error information;

means for creating a prediction error signal for an image using one of the group of the coded prediction error information; and

means for combining the prediction error signal with a prediction signal for the image and producing a reconstructed video signal.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the means for creating a prediction error signal comprises:

means for comparing a previously reconstructed video signal with a video signal predicted using the motion vector corresponding to the image.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the means for receiving comprises means for receiving the code string which includes a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a first size, a group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the first size, a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a second size which are contained in the blocks of the first size and are smaller than the blocks of the first size, and a group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the second size, which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

the means for obtaining comprises means for obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the first size, the group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the first size, the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the second size, and the group of coded motion vectors for the blocks of the second size; and

the means for creating comprises creating a prediction error signal for the image using a motion vector for a block of the first size and a motion vector of a block of the second size.

9. A video decoding apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving an encoded video stream including a code string including a synchronization code, a group of coded coding mode information, and a group of coded prediction error information, which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

means for obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information, and the group of the coded prediction error information;

means for creating a prediction error signal for an image using one of the group of the coded prediction error information; and

means for combining the prediction error signal with a prediction signal for the image and producing a reconstructed video signal.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the means for receiving comprises means for receiving the code string which includes a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a first size, and a group of coded coding mode information for blocks of a second size which are contained in the blocks of the first size and are smaller than the blocks of the first size which are arranged in this order corresponding to a descending order of importance in decoding;

the means for obtaining comprises obtaining from the code string the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the first size, and the group of coded coding mode information for the blocks of the second size; and

the means for creating comprises means for creating a prediction error signal for the image using the coded coding mode information for the block of the first size and using the coded coding mode information for the block of the second size.