Method and apparatus for video coding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11272203-B2
Application number	US-202016932937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2020
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for video encoding/decoding. In some examples, an apparatus for video decoding includes receiving circuitry and processing circuitry. For example, the processing circuitry decodes prediction information of a current block in a current picture from a coded video bitstream. The prediction information is indicative of a prediction mode that uses a first optical flow refinement coding tool. The first optical flow refinement coding tool uses a grid structure that is used additionally by at least a second optical flow refinement coding tool during operations of optical flow refinement. Then, the processing circuitry calculates, using the first optical flow refinement coding tool, refinements to predictions of samples of the current block based on the grid structure, and reconstructs the samples of the current block based on the refinements and the predictions of the samples.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for video decoding in a decoder, comprising:
decoding, by a processor, prediction information of a current block in a current picture from a coded video bitstream, the prediction information being indicative of a prediction mode that uses a selected optical flow refinement coding tool from candidate tools implemented by the decoder including a bi-directional optical flow (BDOF) based coding tool and an affine prediction refinement with optical flow (PROF) based coding tool;
calculating, by the processor and using the selected optical flow refinement coding tool in units of sub-blocks of the current block, refinements to predictions of samples of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool, each sub-block of the sub-blocks having a unified sub-block size for the BDOF based coding tool and the PROF based coding tool; and
reconstructing, by the processor, the samples of the current block based on the refinements and the predictions of the samples.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
applying, by the processor and according to the selected optical flow refinement coding tool, a motion compensation on each sub-block of the sub-blocks of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating, by the processor and according to the selected optical flow refinement coding tool, a respective gradient for each sub-block of the sub-blocks of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating, by the processor and according to the selected optical flow refinement coding tool, a respective motion vector refinement for each sub-block of the sub-blocks of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and
the method further comprises:
applying a deblocking filter according to a first boundary strength on an edge of the current block; and
applying the deblocking filter according to a second boundary strength less than the first boundary strength on at least an internal edge between the sub-blocks within the current block.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and the method further comprises:
applying a deblocking filter on an edge of the current block; and
disabling application of the deblocking filter on internal edges between the sub-blocks within the current block.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and
the method further comprises:
applying a deblocking filter on an edge of the current block;
comparing a motion vector difference on two sides of an internal edge between two of the sub-blocks within the current block with a threshold value; and
disabling application of the deblocking filter on the internal edge in response to the motion vector difference being less than the threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and
the method further comprises:
applying a deblocking filter on an edge of the current block;
comparing a maximum motion vector difference of internal edges between the sub-blocks within the current block with a threshold value; and
disabling application of the deblocking filter on the internal edges in response to the maximum motion vector difference being less than the threshold value.

9. An apparatus for video decoding, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
decode prediction information of a current block in a current picture from a coded video bitstream, the prediction information being indicative of a prediction mode that uses a selected optical flow refinement coding tool from candidate tools implemented by the decoder including a bi-directional optical flow (BDOF) based coding tool and an affine prediction refinement with optical flow (PROF) based coding tool;
calculate, using the selected optical flow refinement coding tool in units of sub-blocks of the current block, refinements to predictions of samples of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool, each sub-block of the sub-blocks having a unified sub-block size for the BDOF based coding tool and the PROF based coding tool; and
reconstruct the samples of the current block based on the refinements and the predictions of the samples.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
apply, according to the selected optical flow refinement coding tool, a motion compensation on each sub-block of the sub-blocks of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
calculate, according to the selected optical flow refinement coding tool, a respective gradient for each sub-block of the sub-blocks of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
calculate, according to the selected optical flow refinement coding tool, a respective motion vector refinement for each sub-block of the sub-blocks of the current block regardless of the selected optical flow refinement coding tool being the BDOF based coding tool or the PROF based coding tool.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein
the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to:
apply a deblocking filter according to a first boundary strength on an edge of the current block; and
apply the deblocking filter according to a second boundary strength less than the first boundary strength on at least an internal edge between the sub-blocks within the current block.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein
the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to:
apply a deblocking filter on an edge of the current block; and
disable application of the deblocking filter on internal edges between the sub-blocks within the current block.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein
the selected optical flow refinement coding tool is the PROF based coding tool, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to:
apply a deblocking filter on an edge of the current block;
compare a motion vector difference on two sides of an internal edge between two of the sub-blocks within the current block with a threshold value; and
disable application of the deblocking filter on the internal edge in response to the motion vector difference being less than the threshold value.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer for video

Assignees

• Tencent America LLC

Inventors

• Li Guichun
• Li Xiang
• Xu Xiaozhong
• Liu Shan

Classifications

• H04N19/577

  Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures · CPC title

• H04N19/54 Primary

  using feature points or meshes · CPC title

• H04N19/60

  using transform coding · CPC title

• H04N19/513 Primary

  Processing of motion vectors · CPC title

• H04N19/50 Primary

  using predictive coding (H04N19/61 takes precedence) · CPC title