Nonlinear, prediction filter for hybrid video compression

Abstract

A method and apparatus for non-linear prediction filtering are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises performing motion compensation to generate a motion compensated prediction using a block from a previously coded frame, performing non-linear filtering on the motion compensated prediction in the transform domain with a non-linear filter as part of a fractional interpolation process to generate a motion compensated non-linear prediction, subtracting the motion compensated non-linear prediction from a block in a current frame to produce a residual frame, and coding the residual frame.

Description

PRIORITY [0001] The present patent application claims priority to and incorporates by reference the corresponding provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 692,767, titled, “A Nonlinear, Prediction Filter for Hybrid Video Compression,” filed on Jun. 21, 2005.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to the field of compression and decompression; more particularly, the present invention relates to non-linear prediction filtering in video compression and decompression processing. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Hybrid video compression consists of encoding an anchor video frame and then predicatively encoding a set of predicted frames. Predictive encoding uses motion compensated prediction with respect to previously coded frames in order to obtain a prediction error frame followed by the encoding of this prediction error frame (i.e., the residual frame). Anchor frames and prediction errors are encoded using transform coders. [0004]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a v...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The generic motion compensated prediction operation is limited to forming predictors for the current frame by using blocks from previously coded frames directly, or by using low-pass filter based interpolations of these blocks.

However, these solutions are restricted to very specific types of temporal evolutions in video frames and do not provide general solutions.

There are a number of drawbacks in related art solutions.

For example, prior solutions are limited to taking advantage of very specific types of temporal dependencies among video frames.

These unaccounted variations cause serious performance penalties as they produce motion compensated differentials that are very difficult to code with the transform coders employed in hybrid video coders.

Furthermore, some specific problematic temporal variations such as specific types of brightness variations have been incorporated into recent video compression standards.

However, these solutions are not valid beyond the specific problems for which they are designed.

Hence, they do not provide general and robust solutions.

Moreover, some related art typically proceeds with a piecewise smooth frame model under uniform translational motion assumptions and runs into problems whenever actual coded frames deviate from these assumptions.

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