Layer ID signaling using extension mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11616964-B2
Application number	US-202017082096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2020
Priority date	Jul 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

A signaling of the layer ID is described which each of the packets of a multi-layered video signal is associated with. In particular, an efficient way of signaling this layer association is achieved, with nevertheless maintaining the backward compatibility with codecs according to which a certain value of the base layer-ID field is restricted to be non-extendable such as base layer-ID value 0 in the base layer-ID field. Instead of circumventing this restriction specifically with respect to this non-extendable base layer-ID value, the layer-ID of portions of the multi-layer data stream is signaled in an extendable manner by sub-dividing the base layer-ID field into a first sub-field and a second sub-field: whenever the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field fulfills a predetermined criterion, an extension layer-ID field is provided, and if the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field does not fulfill the predetermined criterion, the extension layer-ID field is omitted.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A device configured to process a data stream representing video data, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a multi-layered data stream that represents a video coded into a plurality of layers and includes a plurality of packets, each of which is associated with one of the plurality of layers; and
a processor, which when executes instructions, is configured to:
for each of the plurality of packets,
read a base layer-ID field from the multi-layered data stream, the base layer-ID field including a first sub-field and a second sub-field,
responsive to a determination that the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field fulfills a predetermined criterion, read an extension layer-ID field from the multi-layered data stream, and derive an extension value using the extension layer-ID field,
responsive to a determination that the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field does not fulfill the predetermined criterion, set an extension value to a value disjoint to a subset of a domain of extension values,
derive a cluster value based on the second sub-field, and
determine an index value for the layer with which the respective packet is associated based on the cluster and extension values, and
reconstruct at least a portion of the video based on inter-layer prediction using inter-layer prediction dependencies according to the index values of the plurality of layers and prediction residual extracted from the plurality of packets.

2. The device according to 1 , wherein the multi-layered data stream has the video coded thereinto at the plurality of layers using the inter-layer prediction such that any layer inter-layer predicted from another layer adds one or more of
further views;
depth information;
alpha blending information;
color component information;
spatial resolution refinement; and
SNR resolution refinement.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to read the predetermined criterion from the multi-layered data stream.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first sub-field is formed by one bit of the base layer-ID field, and the second sub-field is formed by one or more bits of the base layer-ID field other than the one bit.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to derive the extension value using the extension layer-ID field by adopting the extension layer-ID field as binary representation of the extension value directly, and in setting the extension value to the value disjoint to the subset, set the extension value equal to 0.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to perform a mapping from a domain of possible values of the second sub-field onto a domain of cluster values to obtain the cluster value.

7. The device according claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to perform the mapping from the domain of possible values of the first sub-field onto a domain of cluster values in both cases—the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field does not fulfill the predetermined criterion as well as the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field fulfills the predetermined criterion—by adopting the base layer-ID field as a binary representation of the cluster value directly.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the index value by concatenating the cluster and extension values.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the index value by using the cluster value to set a more significant digit and the extension value to set a lower significant digit of the index value.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a video decoder configured to select packets of the multi-layered data stream for decoding based on the index values.

11. A method for decoding a data stream representing video data, the method comprising:
receiving a multi-layered data stream that represents a video coded into a plurality of layers and includes a plurality of packets, each of which is associated with one of the plurality of layers;
for each of the plurality of packets, reading a base layer-ID field from the multi-layered data stream, the base layer-ID field including a first sub-field and a second sub-field,
responsive to a determination that the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field fulfills a predetermined criterion, reading an extension layer-ID field from the multi- layered data stream, and derive an extension value using the extension layer-ID field,
responsive to a determination that the first sub-field of the base layer-ID field does not fulfill the predetermined criterion, setting an extension value to a value disjoint to a subset of a domain of extension values,
deriving a cluster value based on the second sub-field, and
determining an index value for the layer with which the respective packet is associated based on the cluster and extension values; and
reconstructing at least a portion of the video based on inter-layer prediction using inter-layer prediction dependencies according to the index values of the plurality of layers and prediction residual extracted from the plurality of packets.

12. The method according to 11 , wherein the multi-layered data stream has the video coded thereinto at the plurality of layers using the inter-layer prediction such that any layer inter-layer predicted from another layer adds one or more of:
further views;
depth information;
alpha blending information;
color component information;
spatial resolution refinement; and
SNR resolution refinement.

13. The method according to 11 , further comprising reading the predetermined criterion from the multi-layered data stream.

14. The method according to 11 , wherein the first sub-field is formed by one bit of the base layer-ID field, and the second sub-field is formed by one or more bits of the base layer-ID field other than the one bit.

15. The method according to 11 , further comprising performing a mapping from a domain of possible values of the second sub-field onto a domain of cluster values to obtain the cluster value.

16. The method according to 11 , further comprising determining the index value by concatenating the cluster and extension values.

17. The method according to 11 , further comprising determining the index value by using the cluster value to set a more significant digit and the extension value to set a lower significant digit of the index value.

18. An encoder configured to encode a video into a multi-layered data stream, the encoder comprising:
a processor, which when executes instructions, is configured to:
encode at least a portion of the video into a plurality of layers based on inter-layer prediction using inter-layer prediction dependencies according to index values associated with the plurality of layers and generate prediction residual,
wherein the multi-layered data stream includes a plurality of packets, each of which is associated with one of the plurality of layers, wherein the layer with which the respective packet is associated is uniquely determined by a cluster value and an extension value, the cluster and extension values associated with one of the index values;
for each of the plurality of packets,
insert a base layer-ID field into the multi-layered data stream, the base layer-ID field including a first sub-field and a second sub-field, wherein the cluster value is used to set the second sub-field and the first sub-field is set so as to fulfill a predetermined criterion, and insert an

Assignees

• Ge Video Compression Llc

Inventors

• Suehring Karsten
• Schierl Thomas
• Marpe Detlev
• Skupin Robert
• Sanchez De La Fuente Yago
• Tech Gerhard

Classifications

• H04N19/30 Primary

  using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability (H04N19/63 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N19/70 Primary

  characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards · CPC title

• H04N19/187

  the unit being a scalable video layer · CPC title

• H04N19/33

  in the spatial domain · CPC title

• H04N19/44

  Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder · CPC title