Moving picture coding method and moving picture coding apparatus

• US 7,751,476 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Chujo, Takeshi, Tanizawa, Akiyuki, Koto, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks Harold; Marsha D
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBERTS, JESSICA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US11/016,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20050157784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.16, 375/240.24, 375/240.03
• US Class Current: 375/240.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/102 characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/105 Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/107 between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/147 according to rate distortion criteria rate-distortion as a criterion for motion estimation H04N19/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/15 by monitoring actual compressed data size at the memory before deciding storage at the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/174 the region being a slice, e.g. a line of blocks or a group of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/18 the unit being a set of transform coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/19 using optimisation based on Lagrange multipliers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/192 the adaptation method, adaptation tool or adaptation type being iterative or recursive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/48 using compressed domain processing techniques other than decoding, e.g. modification of transform coefficients, variable length coding [VLC] data or run-length data motion estimation in a transform domain H04N19/547; processing of decoded motion vectors H04N19/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/593 involving spatial prediction techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding

Abstract

In an embodiment of the invention, a method for coding a moving picture comprises: dividing an inputted picture signal into fractionized signals respectively corresponding a plurality of pixel blocks; generating a prediction signal and coding mode information from each of said fractionized signals, for each coding mode; generating a prediction residual signal, from the prediction signal and said each of fractionized signals; estimating a first-estimate coding cost that is for coding the prediction residual signals for said each coding mode, from the prediction residual signals and the coding mode information; determining a candidates'"'"' number in accordance with step width of quantizing; selecting the coding modes having smallest ones of the first-estimate coding costs as candidates; estimating a second-estimate coding cost by coding the inputted signal and thereby finding a coding distortion and a code amount; and employing one coding mode from the candidates on basis of the second-estimate coding cost.

Claims

1. A method for encoding a moving picture, comprising:

supplying the moving picture to a moving picture coding device;

generating from the moving picture a plurality of prediction signals of a pixel block in an input picture by performing prediction in accordance with a plurality of prediction modes;

generating a plurality of prediction residual signals between the pixel block and each of the plurality of prediction signals;

estimating a plurality of first coding costs from the plurality of prediction residual signals and code amounts of prediction mode information, the prediction mode information indicating the plurality of prediction modes, each of the plurality of first coding costs being estimated for each of the plurality of prediction modes;

selecting a plurality of prediction mode candidates from the plurality of prediction modes in ascending order of the plurality of first coding costs, the plurality of prediction mode candidates corresponding in number to a quantization step width;

obtaining a plurality of coding distortions and a plurality of code amounts for the plurality of prediction mode candidates by coding the plurality of pixel blocks in accordance with the prediction mode candidates;

estimating second coding costs for the prediction mode candidates based on the coding distortions and the code amounts for the prediction mode candidates; and

selecting a prediction mode from the prediction mode candidates based on the second coding costs, the pixel block being coded in accordance with the selected one prediction mode in order to produce an encoded moving picture from the moving picture coding device,

wherein the selecting the prediction mode candidates obtains the number of the prediction mode candidates by a relationship between the number of the prediction mode candidates and the quantization step width on the basis of correlation between the quantization step width and a coincident ratio of the first coding costs and the second coding costs.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of the prediction mode candidates increases or decreases in response of increasing or decreasing of the quantization step width.

3. A method for encoding a moving picture, comprising:

supplying the moving picture to a moving picture coding device;

generating from the moving picture a plurality of prediction signals of a pixel block in an input picture by performing prediction in accordance with a plurality of prediction modes;

generating a plurality of prediction residual signals between the pixel block and each of the plurality of prediction signals;

estimating a plurality of first coding costs from the plurality of prediction residual signals and code amounts of prediction mode information, the prediction mode information indicating the plurality of prediction modes, each of the plurality of first coding costs being estimated for each of the plurality of prediction modes;

selecting a plurality of prediction mode candidates from the plurality of prediction modes in ascending order of the plurality of first coding costs, the plurality of prediction mode candidates corresponding in number to a quantization step width;

obtaining a plurality of coding distortions and a plurality of code amounts for the plurality of prediction mode candidates by coding the plurality of pixel blocks in accordance with the prediction mode candidates;

estimating second coding costs for the prediction mode candidates based on the coding distortions and the code amounts for the prediction mode candidates; and

selecting a prediction mode from the prediction mode candidates based on the second coding costs, the pixel block being coded in accordance with the selected one prediction mode in order to produce an encoded moving picture from the moving picture coding device,

wherein the selecting the prediction mode candidates selects the prediction mode candidates having the second coding costs smaller than a threshold, the threshold being given by monotonic function of the quantization step width.

4. An apparatus for encoding a moving picture, comprising:

a prediction unit configured to generate a plurality of prediction signals of a pixel block in an input picture by performing prediction in accordance with a plurality of prediction modes;

a prediction residual generating unit configured to generate a plurality of prediction residual signals between the pixel block and each of the plurality of prediction signals;

a first cost estimating unit configured to estimate a plurality of first coding costs from the plurality of prediction residual signals and code amounts of prediction mode information, the prediction mode information indicating the plurality of prediction modes, each of the plurality of first coding costs being estimated for each of the plurality of prediction modes;

a first selecting unit configured to select a plurality of prediction mode candidates from the plurality of prediction modes in ascending order of the plurality of first coding costs, plurality of the prediction mode candidates corresponding in number to a quantization step width;

an encoding unit configured to obtaining a plurality of coding distortions and a plurality of code amounts for the plurality of prediction mode candidates by encoding the plurality of pixel blocks in accordance with the prediction mode candidates;

a second cost estimating unit configured to estimate second coding costs for the prediction mode candidates based on the coding distortions and the code amounts for the prediction mode candidates; and

a second selecting unit configured to select a prediction mode from the prediction mode candidates based on the second coding costs, the pixel block being coded in accordance with the selected one prediction mode,

wherein the first selecting unit obtains the number of the prediction mode candidates by a relationship between the number of the prediction mode candidates and the quantization step width on the basis of correlation between the quantization step width and a coincident ratio of the first coding costs and the second coding costs.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the number of the prediction mode candidates increases or decreases in response of increasing or decreasing of the quantization step width.

6. An apparatus for encoding a moving picture, comprising:

a prediction unit configured to generate a plurality of prediction signals of a pixel block in an input picture by performing prediction in accordance with a plurality of prediction modes;

a prediction residual generating unit configured to generate a plurality of prediction residual signals between the pixel block and each of the plurality of prediction signals;

a first cost estimating unit configured to estimate a plurality of first coding costs from the plurality of prediction residual signals and code amounts of prediction mode information, the prediction mode information indicating the plurality of prediction modes, each of the plurality of first coding costs being estimated for each of the plurality of prediction modes;

a first selecting unit configured to select a plurality of prediction mode candidates from the plurality of prediction modes in ascending order of the plurality of first coding costs, plurality of the prediction mode candidates corresponding in number to a quantization step width;

an encoding unit configured to obtaining a plurality of coding distortions and a plurality of code amounts for the plurality of prediction mode candidates by encoding the plurality of pixel blocks in accordance with the prediction mode candidates;

a second cost estimating unit configured to estimate second coding costs for the prediction mode candidates based on the coding distortions and the code amounts for the prediction mode candidates; and

a second selecting unit configured to select a prediction mode from the prediction mode candidates based on the second coding costs, the pixel block being coded in accordance with the selected one prediction mode,

wherein the selecting unit selects the prediction mode candidates having the second coding costs smaller than a threshold, the threshold being given by monotonic function of the quantization step width.