Sony United Kingdom Limited

Sony Corporation

Other

Sony Group Corporation

Sony Broadcast & Communications Limited

Nicholas Ian Saunders

Karl James Sharman

James Alexander Gamei

Paul James Silcock

Robert Mark Stefan Porter

James Edward Burns

Clive Henry Gillard

Robert Webb

David Berry

Michael John Ludgate

Stephen Mark Keating

Jonathan James Stone

Jason Charles Pelly

Teruhiko Suzuki

James Hedley Wilkinson

Magali Kimlee Miri Philippe

Matthew Compton

Jonathan Living

Stephen Charles Olday

Carl W Walters

Manish Devshi Pindoria

Timothy Stuart Roberts

A method of coding 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 video data comprises predicting luminance and/or chrominance samples of an image from other respective reference samples derived from the same image according to a prediction mode associated with a sample to be predicted, the prediction mode being selected for each of a plurality of blocks of samples, from a set of two or more candidate prediction modes; detecting differences between the samples and the respective predicted samples; selecting a frequency-separation transform from two or more candidate frequency separation transforms according to the prediction mode associated with a current block of samples using a mapping between transform and prediction mode, the mapping between different, as between chrominance and luminance samples, for at least the 4:4:4 format; and encoding the detected differences by frequency-separating the differences, using the selected frequency-separation transform.

Mode-dependent coefficient scanning and directional transforms for different colour sampling formats

A method of encoding image data, including: frequency-transforming input image data to generate an array of frequency-transformed input image coefficients by a matrix-multiplication process, according to a maximum dynamic range of the transformed data and using transform matrices having a data precision; and selecting the maximum dynamic range and/or the data precision of the transform matrices according to the bit depth of the input image data.

Selection of the maximum dynamic range of transformed data and the data precision of transform matrices according to the bit depth of input data

A video coding or decoding method using inter-image prediction to encode input video data in which each chrominance component has 1/Mth of the horizontal resolution and 1/Nth of the vertical resolution of the luminance component, where M and N are integers equal to 1 or more, including storing one or more images preceding a current image, interpolating a higher resolution version of prediction units of the stored images so that the luminance component has a horizontal resolution P times that of the corresponding portion of the stored image and a vertical resolution Q times that of the corresponding portion of the stored image, detecting inter-image motion between a current image and the one or more interpolated stored images so as to generate motion vectors between a prediction unit of the current image and areas of the one or more preceding images, and generating a motion compensated prediction.

Data encoding and decoding

A data encoding method for encoding an array of data values as data sets and escape codes for values not encoded by the data sets, an escape code including a unary coded portion and a non-unary coded portion, the method including: setting a coding parameter defining a minimum number of bits of a non-unary coded portion; adding an offset value of 1 or more to the coding parameter to define a minimum least significant data portion size; generating one or more data sets indicative of positions, relative to the array of data values, of data values of predetermined magnitude ranges, to encode the value of at least one least significant bit of each data value; generating respective complementary most-significant data portions and least-significant data portions; encoding the data sets; encoding the most significant data portions; and encoding the least-significant portions.

Encoding and decoding of significant coefficients in dependence upon a parameter of the significant coefficients

An apparatus includes: an image encoder to encode an image as a plurality of image regions, the image encoder selecting at least one of the size and the shape of each image region; and an intra-image predictor to predict a current sample of a current region of an image with respect to one or more reference samples of the same image according to a prediction direction between the current sample and a reference position amongst the reference samples; in which the prediction direction is selected from a set of candidate prediction directions; the intra-image predictor being configured to apply two or more different sets of candidate prediction directions in dependence upon an aspect of the image region, the aspect being one of more of: the region shape and the position of the region within the image. Optionally the aspect further includes the region size.

Intra encoding and decoding with variable intra prediction direction sets

A video coding or decoding method in which luminance and chrominance samples are predicted from other respective reference samples according to a prediction direction associated with a current sample to be predicted, the chrominance samples having a lower horizontal and/or vertical sampling rate than the luminance samples so that the ratio of luminance horizontal resolution to chrominance horizontal resolution is different than the ratio of luminance vertical resolution to chrominance vertical resolution, so that a block of luminance samples has a different aspect ratio to a corresponding block of chrominance samples, the method including: detecting a first prediction direction defined in relation to a first grid of a first aspect ratio in respect of a set of current samples to be predicted; and applying a direction mapping to the prediction direction to generate a second prediction direction defined in relation to a second grid of a different aspect ratio.

Intra prediction mode derivation for chrominance values

A method of video coding in respect of a 4:2:2 chroma subsampling format includes dividing image data into transform units. In a case of a non-square transform unit, the method includes splitting the non-square transform unit into square blocks prior to applying a spatial frequency transform. The method further includes applying a spatial frequency transform to the square blocks to generate corresponding sets of spatial frequency coefficients.

Method and apparatus for chrominance processing in video coding and decoding

A video coding or decoding method in which luminance and chrominance samples in a 4:4:4 format or a 4:2:2 format are predicted from other respective samples according to a prediction direction associated with blocks of samples to be predicted; comprises detecting a prediction direction in respect of a current block to be predicted; generating a predicted block of chrominance samples according to other chrominance samples defined by the prediction direction; if the detected prediction direction is substantially vertical, filtering the left column of samples in the predicted block of chrominance samples, or if the detected prediction direction is substantially horizontal, filtering the top row of samples in the predicted block of chrominance samples; and encoding a difference between the filtered predicted chrominance block and the actual chrominance block or applying a decoded difference to the filtered predicted chrominance block so as to encode or decode the block respectively.

Filtering of prediction units according to intra prediction direction

An image data encoding and/or decoding apparatus comprises a data processor to process an image data signal comprising successive arrays of data values according to respective data value processing orders associated with the arrays of data values; and a processing order selector to select a processing order for processing a current array of data values in dependence on one or more attributes of a plurality of arrays of data values in the image data signal already processed by the data processor.

Image data encoding and decoding

A video encoding method for encoding both the 4:2:0 video and 4:4:4 video formats. The method includes generating blocks of quantized spatial frequency data by quantizing coefficients and generating a matrix of data. The method further includes determining quantization matrices for use with at least two block sizes. The method further includes determining a first quantization matrix for a 32&#xd7;32 chroma block of samples with respect to a first modification of a first scaling list for quantization of a block of samples smaller than 32&#xd7;32, and determining, for blocks of another block size different than the 32&#xd7;32 chroma block of samples, a second quantization matrix by modifying a second scaling list according to a second modification. The second scaling list is different from the first scaling list, and the first scaling list is a reference scaling list for video in 4:2:0 video format.

Quantization for different color sampling schemes

A video coding or decoding method using inter-image prediction to encode input video data in which each chrominance component has 1/Mth of the horizontal resolution of the luminance component and 1/Nth of the vertical resolution of the luminance component, where M and N are integers equal to 1 or more, comprises: storing one or more images preceding a current image; interpolating a higher resolution version of prediction units of the stored images; detecting inter-image motion between a current image and the one or more interpolated stored images so as to generate motion vectors between a prediction unit of the current image and areas of the one or more preceding images; and generating a motion compensated prediction of the prediction unit of the current image with respect to an area of an interpolated stored image pointed to by a respective motion vector.

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Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Nicholas Ian Saunders