Method, apparatus, and computer program for coding video data

Abstract

To provide a method, a computer program, and a computer system for coding video data.SOLUTION: Video data is received that includes a current picture and one or more other pictures. A first flag is checked corresponding to whether the current picture is referenced by one or more other pictures in decoding order. A second flag is checked corresponding to whether a current picture is being output. The video data is decoded on the basis of values corresponding to the first flag and the second flag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 003,112, filed March 31, 2020, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 087,865, filed November 3, 2020, both of which are incorporated herein in their entireties.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to the field of data processing, and more particularly to video encoding and decoding. [Background technology]

[0003] Video coding and decoding using inter-picture prediction with motion compensation has been known for decades. Uncompressed digital video may consist of a series of pictures, each with spatial dimensions of, for example, 1920 x 1080 luma samples and associated chroma samples. The series of pictures may have a fixed or variable picture rate (also informally called a frame rate), for example, 60 pictures per second or 60 Hz. Uncompressed video has significant bitrate requirements. For example, 1080p60 4:2:0 video (1920 x 1080 luma sample resolution at a 60 Hz frame rate) with 8 bits per sample requires a bandwidth approaching 1.5 Gbit / s. One hour of such video requires more than 600 GB of storage space.

[0004] One goal of video coding and decoding can be to reduce redundancy in an input video signal through compression. Compression can help reduce the aforementioned bandwidth or storage requirements by two or more orders of magnitude, in some cases. Both lossless and lossy compression, as well as combinations of them, can be used. Lossless compression refers to techniques that can reconstruct an exact replica of the original signal from a compressed version. With lossy compression, the reconstructed signal may not be identical to the original signal, but the distortion between the original and reconstructed signal is small enough that the reconstructed signal is useful for the intended application. For video, lossy compression is widely adopted. The amount of acceptable distortion varies depending on the application. For example, users of certain consumer streaming applications may tolerate higher distortion than users of television posting applications. The achievable compression ratio may reflect that higher tolerance / tolerance distortion results in higher compression ratios.

[0005] Video encoders and decoders can utilize several broad categories of techniques, such as motion compensation, transforms, quantization, and entropy coding, some of which are introduced below.

[0006] Historically, video encoders and decoders have tended to operate mostly with a given picture size that remained constant and defined for a coded video sequence (CVS), group of pictures (GOP), or similar multi-picture time frame. For example, in MPEG-2, system designs have been known to change the horizontal resolution (and thus the picture size) depending on factors such as scene activity, but only in I-pictures and thus typically for GOPs. Resampling of reference pictures to use different resolutions within a CVS is known, for example, from ITU-T Rec. H.263 Annex P. However, here the picture size does not change; only the reference picture is resampled, and only a portion of the picture canvas may be used (in the case of downsampling) or only a portion of the scene may be captured (in the case of upsampling). Furthermore, H.263 Annex Q allows for resampling of individual macroblocks upward or downward by a factor of two (in each dimension). Again, the picture size remains the same. Because the macroblock size is fixed in H.263, it does not need to be signaled.

[0007] Resizing predicted pictures has become more mainstream in modern video coding. For example, VP9 allows for resampling of reference pictures and changing the resolution of the entire picture. Similarly, certain proposals for VVC (including, for example, Hendry et al., "On adaptive resolution change (ARC) for VVC," Joint Video Team document JVET-M0135-v1, January 9-19, 2019, which is incorporated herein in its entirety) allow for resampling of the entire reference picture to a different (higher or lower) resolution. That document proposes that different candidate resolutions be coded in the sequence parameter set and referenced by per-picture syntax elements in the picture parameter set. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0008]

[0003] Embodiments relate to a method, a system, and a computer-readable medium for coding video data. According to one aspect, a method for coding video data is provided. The method may include receiving video data including a current picture and one or more other pictures. A first flag corresponding to whether the current picture is referenced by one or more other pictures in decoding order is checked. A second flag corresponding to whether the current picture is to be output is checked. The video data is decoded based on values ​​corresponding to the first flag and the second flag.

[0009] According to another aspect, a computer system for coding video data is provided. The computer system may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored in at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, thereby enabling the computer system to perform a method. The method may include receiving video data including a current picture and one or more other pictures. A first flag corresponding to whether the current picture is referenced by one or more other pictures in decoding order is checked. A second flag corresponding to whether the current picture is to be output is checked. The video data is decoded based on values ​​corresponding to the first flag and the second flag.

[0010] According to yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium for coding video data is provided. The computer-readable medium may include one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions stored in at least one of the one or more tangible storage devices, the program instructions being executable by a processor. The program instructions are executable by the processor to perform a method that may include receiving video data including a current picture and one or more other pictures in response thereto. A first flag corresponding to whether the current picture is referenced by one or more other pictures in decoding order is checked. A second flag corresponding to whether the current picture is to be output is checked. The video data is decoded based on values ​​corresponding to the first flag and the second flag.

[0011] These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Various features of the drawings are not to scale, for clarity purposes only, to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art in conjunction with the detailed description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a simplified block diagram of a communication system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a simplified block diagram of a communication system according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a simplified block diagram of a decoder according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a simplified block diagram of an encoder according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of options for signaling ARC parameters according to prior art or embodiments; FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is an example of a syntax table according to one embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer system according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is an example of a prediction structure for scalability with adaptive resolution change. [Figure 9] 1 is an example of a syntax table according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] 1 is a simplified block diagram of syntax parsing and decoding of poc cycles per access unit and access unit count values; [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram of a video bitstream structure including multi-layer sub-pictures. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a display of a selected sub-picture with enhanced resolution. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a process for decoding and displaying a video bitstream containing multi-layered sub-pictures. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic diagram of a 360 video display with a sub-picture enhancement layer. [Figure 15] 1 is an example of layout information for a sub-picture and its corresponding layer and picture prediction structure. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of layout information for a sub-picture and its corresponding layer and picture prediction structure using local-region spatial scalability format. [Figure 17] 10 is an example of a syntax table of sub-picture layout information. [Figure 18] 10 is an example of a syntax table of an SEI message for subpicture layout information. [Figure 19] 10 is an example of a syntax table showing profile / tier / level information for output layers and each output layer set. [Figure 20] 10 is an example of a syntax table showing an output layer mode for each output layer set. [Figure 21] 10 is an example of a syntax table showing the current subpicture of each layer for each output layer set. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a syntax table of a video parameter set RBSP. [Figure 23] 10 is an example of a syntax table showing an output layer set in an output layer set mode. [Figure 24] 10 is an example of a syntax table of a picture header indicating output information of a picture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the claimed structures and methods, which may be embodied in various forms. However, these structures and methods may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.

[0014] As mentioned above, video encoders and decoders have most often tended to operate with a given picture size, defined and held constant for a coded video sequence (CVS), group of pictures (GOP), or similar multi-picture time frame. However, a picture may or may not be referenced by subsequent pictures for motion compensation or other parameter prediction. A picture may or may not be output. Therefore, it may be advantageous to signal reference information and picture output information in one or more parameter sets.

[0015] Aspects are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer-readable media according to various embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of a communication system (100) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system (100) may include at least two terminals (110-120) interconnected via a network (150). In the case of one-way data transmission, a first terminal (110) may locally encode video data for transmission to another terminal (120) via the network (150). The second terminal (120) may receive the other terminal's coded video data from the network (150), decode the coded data, and display the decoded video data. One-way data transmission may be common in media serving applications, for example.

[0017] 1 shows a second pair of terminals (130, 140) provided to support two-way transmission of coded video, such as may occur during a video conference. For two-way transmission of data, each terminal (130, 140) can code video data captured at a local location for transmission to the other terminal over the network (150). Each terminal (130, 140) can also receive coded video data transmitted by the other terminal, decode the coded data, and display the recovered video data on a local display device.

[0018] In the example of FIG. 1 , the terminal devices (110-140) may be depicted as servers, personal computers, and smartphones, although the principles of the present disclosure are not so limited. Embodiments of the present disclosure find application in laptop computers, tablet computers, media players, and / or dedicated videoconferencing equipment. The network (150) represents any number of networks that convey coded video data between the terminals (110-140), including, for example, wired and / or wireless communication networks. The communication network (150) may exchange data over circuit-switched and / or packet-switched channels. Exemplary networks include telecommunications networks, local area networks, wide area networks, and / or the Internet. For purposes of this discussion, the architecture and topology of the network (150) may not be important to the operation of the present disclosure, unless otherwise described herein.

[0019] 2 shows the arrangement of a video encoder and a video decoder in a streaming environment as an example of an application for the disclosed subject matter. The disclosed subject matter may be equally applicable to other video-enabled applications including, for example, video conferencing, digital TV, storage of compressed video on digital media including CDs, DVDs, memory sticks, etc.

[0020] The streaming system may include a capture subsystem (213), which may include a video source (201), such as a digital camera, that creates an uncompressed video sample stream (202). The sample stream (202) may be processed by an encoder (203) coupled to the camera (201), shown with a bold line to emphasize the large amount of data compared to an encoded video bitstream. The encoder (203) may include hardware, software, or a combination thereof to enable or implement aspects of the disclosed subject matter, as described in more detail below. The encoded video bitstream (204), shown with a thin line to emphasize the small amount of data compared to the sample stream, may be stored on a streaming server (205) for future use. One or more streaming clients (206, 208) may access the streaming server (205) to retrieve copies (207, 209) of the encoded video bitstream (204). The client (206) may include a video decoder (210) that decodes an incoming copy of an encoded video bitstream (207) and creates an outgoing video sample stream (211) that can be rendered on a display (212) or other rendering device (not shown). In some streaming systems, the video bitstreams (204, 207, 209) may be encoded according to a particular video coding / compression standard. Examples of these standards include ITU-T Recommendation H.265. A video coding standard informally known as Versatile Video Coding (VVC) is under development. The disclosed subject matter may be used in the context of VVC.

[0021] FIG. 3 may be a functional block diagram of a video decoder (210) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] The receiver (310) can receive one or more codec video sequences to be decoded by the decoder (210), in the same or other embodiments, one coded video sequence at a time, with the decoding of each coded video sequence being independent of the other coded video sequences. The coded video sequences can be received from a channel (312), which can be a hardware / software link to a storage device that stores the encoded video data. The receiver (310) can receive the encoded video data along with other data, such as coded audio data and / or auxiliary data streams, that can be forwarded to a respective using entity (not shown). The receiver (310) can separate the coded video sequences from other data. To combat network jitter, a buffer memory (315) can be coupled between the receiver (310) and the entropy decoder / parser (320) (hereinafter, "parser"). If the receiver (310) is receiving data from a store-and-forward device with sufficient bandwidth and controllability, or from an isosychronous network, the buffer (315) may not be needed or may be small. For use with best-effort packet networks such as the Internet, the buffer (315) may be needed and may be relatively large and advantageously adaptively sized.

[0023] The video decoder (210) may include a parser (320) for reconstructing symbols (321) from the entropy-coded video sequence. As shown in FIG. 2, these symbol categories potentially include information used to manage the operation of the decoder (210) and information for controlling a rendering device, such as a display (212), that is not an integral part of the decoder but may be coupled to it. The rendering device control information may be in the form of a Supplementary Enhancement Information (SEI) message or a Video Usability Information (VUI) parameter set fragment (not shown). The parser (320) may parse / entropy decode the received coded video sequence. The coding of the coded video sequence may be in accordance with a video coding technique or standard, and may be in accordance with principles well known to those skilled in the art, including variable length coding, Huffman coding, arithmetic coding, or the like, with or without context-sensitivity. The parser (320) can extract from the coded video sequence a set of subgroup parameters for at least one of the subgroups of pixels in the video decoder based on at least one parameter corresponding to the group. The subgroups may include Group of Pictures (GOPs), pictures, tiles, slices, macroblocks, coding units (CUs), blocks, transform units (TUs), prediction units (PUs), etc. The entropy decoder / parser can also extract from the coded video sequence information such as transform coefficients, quantization parameter values, motion vectors, etc.

[0024] The parser (320) can perform entropy decoding / parsing operations on the video sequence received from the buffer (315) to create symbols (321).

[0025] The reconstruction of the symbols (321) may involve several different units, depending on the type of coded video picture or portion thereof (e.g., inter-picture and intra-picture, inter-block and intra-block, etc.), and other factors. The units involved and how they are involved may be controlled by subgroup control information parsed from the coded video sequence by the parser (320). For clarity, the flow of such subgroup control information between the parser (320) and the following units is not shown.

[0026] In addition to the functional blocks already mentioned, decoder 210 may be conceptually subdivided into several functional units, as described below. In an actual implementation operating under commercial constraints, many of these units will interact closely with each other and may be at least partially integrated with each other. However, for purposes of describing the disclosed subject matter, the following conceptual subdivision into functional units is appropriate.

[0027] The first unit is a scalar / inverse transform unit (351), which receives quantized transform coefficients as symbols (321) from the parser (320), along with control information including which transform to use, block size, quantization coefficients, quantization scaling matrix, etc. The scalar / inverse transform unit (351) can output blocks containing sample values, which can be input to an aggregator (355).

[0028] In some cases, the output samples of the scaler / inverse transform (351) may relate to intra-coded blocks, i.e., blocks that do not use prediction information from a previously reconstructed picture but can use prediction information from a previously reconstructed portion of the current picture. Such prediction information may be provided by an intra-picture prediction unit (352). In some cases, the intra-picture prediction unit (352) generates blocks of the same size and shape as the block being reconstructed using surrounding already reconstructed information fetched from the current (partially reconstructed) picture (356). The aggregator (355) optionally adds, on a sample-by-sample basis, the prediction information generated by the intra-prediction unit (352) to the output sample information provided by the scaler / inverse transform unit (351).

[0029] In other cases, the output samples of the scalar / inverse transform unit (351) may relate to an inter-coded, potentially motion-compensated block. In such cases, the motion-compensated prediction unit (353) may access a reference picture memory (357) to fetch samples used for prediction. After motion-compensating the fetched samples according to the symbols (321) associated with the block, these samples may be added by an aggregator (355) to the output of the scalar / inverse transform unit to generate output sample information (in this case, referred to as residual samples or residual signals). The addresses in the reference picture memory from which the motion compensation unit fetches prediction samples may be controlled by motion vectors available to the motion compensation unit, for example, in the form of symbols (321) that may have X, Y, and reference picture components. Motion compensation may also include interpolation of sample values ​​fetched from the reference picture memory when sub-sample accurate motion vectors are used, motion vector prediction mechanisms, etc.

[0030] The output samples of the aggregator (355) may be subjected to various loop filtering techniques in the loop filter unit (356). Video compression techniques may include in-loop filter techniques controlled by parameters contained in the coded video bitstream and available to the loop filter unit (356) as symbols (321) from the parser (320), but may also be responsive to meta-information obtained during decoding of a coded picture or previous (in decode order) portion of a coded video sequence, or may be responsive to previously reconstructed and loop-filtered sample values.

[0031] The output of the loop filter unit (356) may be a sample stream that can be output to a rendering device (212) and stored in a reference picture memory (356) for use in future inter-picture prediction.

[0032] Once a particular coded picture is fully reconstructed, it may be used as a reference picture for future prediction. Once a coded picture is fully reconstructed and the coded picture is identified as a reference picture (e.g., by the parser (320)), the current reference picture (356) may become part of the reference picture buffer (357), and fresh current picture memory may be reallocated before beginning reconstruction of the next coded picture.

[0033] Video decoder 320 may perform decoding operations according to a predetermined video compression technology, which may be documented in a standard such as ITU-T Rec. H.265. A coded video sequence may conform to the syntax specified by the video compression technology or standard being used, in the sense of conforming to the syntax of the video compression technology or standard, and particularly to profile documents therein, as specified in a video compression technology document or standard. Compliance also requires that the complexity of the coded video sequence be within a range defined by the level of the video compression technology or standard. In some cases, the level limits the maximum picture size, maximum frame rate, maximum reconstruction sample rate (e.g., measured in megasamples per second), maximum reference picture size, etc. The limits set by the level may, in some cases, be further constrained by a Hypothetical Reference Decoder (HRD) specification and metadata for HRD buffer management signaled in the coded video sequence.

[0034] In one embodiment, the receiver (310) may receive additional (redundant) data along with the encoded video. The additional data may be included as part of the coded video sequence. The additional data may be used by the video decoder (320) to properly decode the data and / or more accurately reconstruct the original video data. The additional data may be in the form of, for example, temporal, spatial, or SNR enhancement layers, redundant slices, redundant pictures, forward error correction codes, etc.

[0035] FIG. 4 may be a functional block diagram of a video encoder (203) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] The encoder (203) may receive video samples from a video source (201) (not part of the encoder) that may capture video images that are coded by the encoder (203).

[0037] The video source (201) may provide the source video sequence to be coded by the encoder (203) in the form of a digital video sample stream, which may be of any suitable bit depth (e.g., 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, etc.), any color space (e.g., BT.601 YCrCB, RGB, etc.), and any suitable sampling structure (e.g., YCrCb 4:2:0, YCrCb 4:4:4). In a media serving system, the video source (201) may be a storage device that stores previously prepared video. In a video conferencing system, the video source (203) may be a camera that captures local image information as a video sequence. The video data may be provided as multiple individual pictures that, when viewed sequentially, create motion. The pictures themselves may be organized as a spatial array of pixels, each of which may contain one or more samples, depending on the sampling structure, color space, etc., in use. Those skilled in the art will readily understand the relationship between pixels and samples. The following discussion will focus on samples.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the encoder (203) may encode and compress pictures of a source video sequence into a coded video sequence (443) in real time or under any other time constraints, as required by the application. Enforcing the appropriate coding rate is one function of the controller (450). The controller controls and is operatively coupled to other functional units, as described below. For clarity, coupling is not depicted. Parameters set by the controller may include rate control-related parameters (e.g., picture skip, quantization, lambda values ​​for rate-distortion optimization techniques), picture size, group of pictures (GOP) layout, maximum motion vector search range, etc. Those skilled in the art will readily identify other functions of the controller (450) as they pertain to optimizing the video encoder (203) for a particular system design.

[0039] Some video encoders operate in a manner that those skilled in the art can easily recognize as a "coding loop." As an overly simplified explanation, the coding loop may consist of an encoding portion of the encoder (430) (hereinafter, the "source coder"), responsible for creating symbols based on the input picture to be coded and the reference picture, and a (local) decoder (433) embedded in the encoder (203), which reconstructs the symbols to create sample data that the (remote) decoder also creates (since the compression between the symbols and the coded video bitstream is lossless in the video compression techniques considered in the disclosed subject matter). The reconstructed sample stream is input to a reference picture memory (434). Because decoding the symbol stream yields bit-accurate results regardless of the decoder's location (local or remote), the reference picture buffer contents are also bit-accurate between the local and remote encoders. In other words, the predictive portion of the encoder "sees" the exact same sample values ​​for the reference picture samples that the decoder "sees" when using prediction during decoding. This basic principle of reference picture synchrony (and the drift that occurs when synchrony cannot be maintained, for example due to channel errors) is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0040] The operation of the "local" decoder (433) may be the same as the operation of the "remote" decoder (210), which has already been described in detail above in connection with Figure 3. However, with brief reference also to Figure 3, because symbols are available and the encoding / decoding of symbols into a coded video sequence by the entropy coder (445) and parser (320) may be lossless, the entropy decoding portion of the decoder (210), including the channel (312), receiver (310), buffer (315), and parser (320), may not be fully implemented in the local decoder (433).

[0041] An observation that can be made at this point is that any decoder technology, with the exception of parser / entropy decoding, that is present in the decoder must also be present in substantially identical functional form in the corresponding encoder. For this reason, the disclosed subject matter focuses on the operation of the decoder. A description of the encoder technology can be omitted, as it is the reverse of the decoder technology that has been comprehensively described. Only in certain areas is more detailed description required and is provided below.

[0042] As part of its operation, the source coder (430) may perform motion-compensated predictive coding, which predictively codes an input frame with reference to one or more previously coded frames from the video sequence designated as “reference frames.” In this manner, the coding engine (432) codes differences between pixel blocks of the input frame and pixel blocks of reference frames that may be selected as predictive references for the input frame.

[0043] The local video decoder (433) may decode coded video data of frames that may be designated as reference frames based on symbols created by the source coder (430). The operation of the coding engine (432) may advantageously be a lossy process. When the coded video data is decoded by a video decoder (not shown in FIG. 4), the reconstructed video sequence may typically be a replica of the source video sequence, possibly with some errors. The local video decoder (433) may replicate the decoding process that may be performed by the video decoder on the reference frames and store the reconstructed reference frames in a reference picture cache (434). In this way, the encoder (203) may locally store replicas of reconstructed reference frames that have common content with reconstructed reference frames obtained by the far-end video decoder (when there are no transmission errors).

[0044] The predictor (435) may perform the prediction search of the coding engine (432). That is, for a new frame to be coded, the predictor (435) may search the reference picture memory (434) for sample data (as candidate reference pixel blocks) or specific metadata that can serve as appropriate prediction references for the new picture, such as the reference picture's motion vectors, block shape, etc. The predictor (435) may operate on a sample block-pixel block basis to find appropriate prediction references. In some cases, as determined by the search results obtained by the predictor (435), the input picture may have prediction references drawn from multiple reference pictures stored in the reference picture memory (434).

[0045] The controller (450) may manage the coding operations of the video coder (430), including, for example, setting parameters and subgroup parameters used to encode the video data.

[0046] The output of all the aforementioned functional units may undergo entropy coding in an entropy coder (445), which converts the symbols produced by the various functional units into a coded video sequence by losslessly compressing the symbols according to techniques known to those skilled in the art, such as Huffman coding, variable length coding, arithmetic coding, etc.

[0047] The transmitter (440) can buffer the coded video sequence created by the entropy coder (445) and prepare it for transmission over a communication channel (460), which can be a hardware / software link to a storage device that stores the encoded video data. The transmitter (440) can merge the coded video data from the video coder (430) with other data to be transmitted, such as coded audio data and / or auxiliary data streams (sources not shown).

[0048] The controller (450) may manage the operation of the encoder (203). During coding, the controller (450) may assign a particular coded picture type to each coded picture, which may affect the coding technique that may be applied to the respective picture. For example, pictures may often be assigned as one of the following frame types:

[0049] An intra-picture (I-picture) is one that can be coded and decoded without using other frames in the sequence as a source of prediction. Some video codecs allow for various types of intra-pictures, such as Independent Decoder Refresh Pictures. Those skilled in the art are aware of these variations of I-pictures and their respective uses and characteristics.

[0050] A predictive picture (P picture) may be coded and decoded using intra- or inter-prediction, which uses at most one motion vector and reference index to predict the sample values ​​of each block.

[0051] Bidirectionally predicted pictures (B-pictures) may be coded and decoded using intra- or inter-prediction, which uses up to two motion vectors and reference indices to predict the sample values ​​of each block. Similarly, multiple predicted pictures may use more than two reference pictures and associated metadata for the reconstruction of a single block.

[0052] A source picture is typically spatially subdivided into multiple sample blocks (e.g., blocks of 4x4, 8x8, 4x8, or 16x16 samples each) and may be coded block by block. Blocks may be predictively coded with reference to other (already coded) blocks, as determined by the coding assignment applied to the block's respective picture. For example, blocks of an I-picture may be nonpredictively coded, or they may be predictively coded with reference to already coded blocks of the same picture (spatial prediction or intra-prediction). Pixel blocks of a P-picture may be nonpredictively coded via spatial prediction or via temporal prediction with reference to one previously coded reference picture. Blocks of a B-picture may be nonpredictively coded via spatial prediction or via temporal prediction with reference to one or two previously coded reference pictures.

[0053] The video coder (203) may perform coding operations in accordance with a predetermined video coding technique or standard, such as ITU-T Rec. H.265. In its operations, the video coder (203) may perform various compression operations, including predictive coding operations that exploit temporal and spatial redundancy in the input video sequence. Thus, the coded video data may conform to a syntax specified by the video coding technique or standard being used.

[0054] In one embodiment, the transmitter (440) may transmit additional data along with the encoded video. The video coder (430) may include such data as part of the coded video sequence. The additional data may include temporal, spatial, or SNR enhancement layers, other forms of redundant data such as redundant pictures or slices, Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) messages, Visual Usability Information (VUI) parameter set fragments, etc.

[0055] Before describing particular aspects of the disclosed subject matter in more detail, it is necessary to introduce certain terms that will be referenced in the remainder of this description.

[0056] Hereinafter, a subpicture may refer to a rectangular arrangement of samples, blocks, macroblocks, coding units, or similar entities that can be semantically grouped and coded independently at varying resolutions. There may be one or more subpictures per picture. One or more coded subpictures may form a coded picture. One or more subpictures may be assembled into a picture, and one or more subpictures may be extracted from a picture. In certain circumstances, one or more coded subpictures may be assembled in the compressed domain without transcoding the coded picture to the sample level. In the same or certain other cases, one or more coded subpictures may be extracted from a coded picture in the compressed domain.

[0057] Hereinafter, adaptive resolution change (ARC) refers to a mechanism that enables changing the resolution of pictures or sub-pictures in a coded video sequence, for example, by resampling of reference pictures. Hereinafter, ARC parameters refer to the control information needed to perform adaptive resolution change, which may include, for example, filter parameters, scaling factors, output picture and / or reference picture resolutions, various control flags, etc.

[0058] The above description focuses on the coding and decoding of a single, semantically independent coded video picture. Before describing the implications of coding / decoding multiple sub-pictures with independent ARC parameters and the additional complexity that they imply, options for signaling the ARC parameters can be described.

[0059] Referring to Figure 5, several novel options for signaling ARC parameters are shown. As noted for each option, they have certain advantages and disadvantages in terms of coding efficiency, complexity, and architecture. A video coding standard or technology may select one or more of these options, or options known from the prior art, for signaling ARC parameters. It is contemplated that the options may not be mutually exclusive and may be interchanged based on application needs, related standard technologies, or encoder choice.

[0060] The classes of ARC parameters may include:

[0061] -Up / downsample factors, separated or combined in the X and Y dimensions.

[0062] -Up / downsample factor with an added time dimension, indicating a constant speed zoom in / out for a given number of pictures.

[0063] - Either of the above two may involve the coding of one or more possibly short syntax elements that can point to a table containing the coefficients.

[0064] Resolution of the X or Y dimension in units of sample, block, macroblock, CU, or any other suitable granularity for the input picture, output picture, reference picture, coded picture, combined picture, or separate. If there are two or more resolutions (e.g., one for the input picture, one for the reference picture, etc.), in certain cases one set of values ​​can be inferred from another set of values. This can be gated, for example, by using flags. See below for more detailed examples.

[0065] - "Warping" coordinates are of appropriate granularity, as described above, similar to those used in H.263 Annex P. H.263 Annex P defines one efficient way of coding such warping coordinates, but other, potentially more efficient ways are possible. For example, the variable-length, lossless "Huffman"-style coding of Annex P warping coordinates could be replaced by appropriate-length binary coding, where the length of the binary codeword could be derived, for example, from the maximum picture size, possibly multiplied by a specific factor, and offset by a specific value to allow "warping" outside the bounds of the maximum picture size.

[0066] - Upsample or downsample filter parameters. In the simplest case, there may be only a single filter for upsampling and / or downsampling. However, in some cases it may be advantageous to allow more flexibility in filter design, which may require signaling of filter parameters. Such parameters may be selected via an index in a list of possible filter designs, the filter may be fully specified (e.g., via a list of filter coefficients using an appropriate entropy coding technique), the filter may be selected implicitly via the up / downsample ratio, which is signaled according to any of the mechanisms described above, and so on.

[0067] In the following, the description assumes coding of a finite set of up / downsample coefficients (the same coefficients used in both the X and Y dimensions) indicated by a codeword. The codeword can advantageously be variable-length coded, for example, using Ext-Golomb codes common to certain syntax elements in video coding specifications such as H.264 and H.265. One suitable mapping of values ​​to up / downsample coefficients can, for example, follow the table below:

[0068] [Table 1]

[0069] Many similar mappings can be devised depending on the needs of the application and the capabilities of the upscaling and downscaling mechanisms available in the video compression technology or standard. The table can be expanded to include more values. The values ​​may also be represented by entropy coding mechanisms other than Ext-Golomb codes, for example, using binary coding. This may have certain advantages when the resampling factor is a concern outside the video processing engine itself (foremost, the encoder and decoder), for example, by MANE. Note that in the (probably) most common case where no resolution change is required, a short Ext-Golomb code may be chosen. In the above table, there is only one bit. This may have coding efficiency advantages over using binary codes in the most common case.

[0070] The number of entries in a table, as well as their semantics, may be fully or partially configurable. For example, a basic overview of the table may be conveyed in a "high" parameter set, such as a sequence or decoder parameter set. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more such tables may be defined in a video coding technology or standard and may be selected, for example, via a decoder or sequence parameter set.

[0071] The following describes how the upsample / downsample coefficients (ARC information) coded as described above can be included in a video coding technique or standard syntax. Similar considerations can also apply to one or several codewords that control an up / downsample filter. See below for a description of when a filter or other data structure requires a relatively large amount of data.

[0072] H.263 Annex P includes ARC information 502 in the form of four warping coordinates within the picture header 501, specifically within the H.263 PLUSPTYPE (503) header extension. This can be a wise design choice when a) there is a picture header available and b) frequent changes to the ARC information are expected. However, the overhead when using H.263-style signaling can be very high, and because picture headers can be transient in nature, scaling factors may not be relevant across picture boundaries.

[0073] The above-cited JVCET-M 135-v1 includes an ARC reference (505) (index) located in a picture parameter set (504), which indexes a table (506) containing target resolutions located in a sequence parameter set (507). The placement of possible resolutions in table (506) within sequence parameter sets (507) can be justified by using SPS as a negotiation point for interoperability during capability exchange, according to oral statements made by the authors. Resolution can vary within the limits set by the values ​​in table (506) on a picture-by-picture basis by referencing the appropriate picture parameter set (504).

[0074] 5, the following additional options may exist for conveying ARC information in a video bitstream: Each of these options has certain advantages over existing techniques, as discussed above. Options may coexist in the same video coding technology or standard.

[0075] In one embodiment, ARC information (509), such as a resampling (zoom) factor, can be present in a slice header, a GOB header, a tile header, or a tile group header (hereafter, tile group header) (508). This may be appropriate when the ARC information is small, such as a single variable-length ue(v) or a fixed-length codeword of a few bits, as shown above. Having the ARC information directly in the tile group header has the added advantage that the ARC information may be applicable to, for example, the sub-picture represented by that tile group, rather than the entire picture. See also below. Additionally, even if a video compression technology or standard only assumes whole-picture adaptive resolution changes (e.g., as opposed to tile-group-based adaptive resolution changes), placing the ARC information in the tile group header has certain advantages from an error resilience perspective.

[0076] In the same or other embodiments, the ARC information (512) itself may reside in an appropriate parameter set (511), such as a picture parameter set, a header parameter set, a tile parameter set, an adaptive parameter set, etc. (adaptive parameter set shown). The scope of the parameter set may advantageously be a picture, e.g., a tile group, or smaller. The use of the ARC information is implicit by the activation of the associated parameter set. For example, if a video coding technology or standard contemplates only picture-based ARC, a picture parameter set or equivalent may be appropriate.

[0077] In the same or other embodiments, the ARC reference information (513) may be present in a tile group header (514) or similar data structure, and may point to a subset of the ARC information (515) available in a parameter set (516) that spans more than a single picture, such as a sequence parameter set or a decoder parameter set.

[0078] The implicit activation of the additional level of indirection of PPS from the tile group header, PPS, and SPS used in JVET-M 0135-v1 seems unnecessary, since picture parameter sets, like sequence parameter sets, can be used for capability negotiation or announcement (and have in certain standards, such as RFC 3984). However, if the ARC information should be applicable to, for example, subpictures also represented by tile groups, a parameter set with activation scope limited to the tile group, such as an adaptation parameter set or a header parameter set, may be a better choice. Also, if the ARC information is of non-negligible size, for example, if it contains filter control information such as a large number of filter coefficients, parameterization may be a better choice than using the header (508) directly from the perspective of coding efficiency, because these settings can be reused by future pictures or subpictures by referencing the same parameter set.

[0079] When using a sequence parameter set or another higher parameter set with a scope spanning multiple pictures, certain considerations may apply.

[0080] 1. The parameter set for storing the ARC information table (516) may be a sequence parameter set in some cases, but a decoder parameter set is advantageous in other cases. A decoder parameter set can have multiple CVSs, i.e., activation ranges for all coded video bits in the coded video stream, i.e., from session start to session end. Such ranges may be more appropriate because possible ARC factors may be decoder functions implemented in hardware, and hardware capabilities tend not to change with CVS (at least in some entertainment systems, Group of Pictures of length 1 / 2 or less). However, placing the table in a sequence parameter set is clearly included in the placement options described herein, especially in connection with point 2 below.

[0081] 2. The ARC reference information (513) can advantageously be placed directly in the picture / slice / tile / GOB / tile group header (hereafter referred to as the tile group header) (514) rather than in the picture parameter set as in JVCET-M 0135-v1. This is because if an encoder wants to change a single value in a picture parameter set, such as the ARC reference information, it must create a new PPS and reference the new PPS. Suppose only the ARC reference information changes, but other information in the PPS, such as quantization matrix information, remains. Such information can be significant in size and must be retransmitted to complete the new PPS. The ARC reference information can be a single codeword, such as an index into the table (513), and since it is the only value that changes, retransmitting all of the quantization matrix information, for example, would be cumbersome and wasteful. To that extent, it can be significantly more efficient from the perspective of coding efficiency to avoid the indirection through the PPS, as proposed in JVET-M 0135-v1. Similarly, putting the ARC reference information in the PPS has the further disadvantage that, since the scope of the picture parameter set activation is the picture, the ARC information referenced by the ARC reference information (513) must apply to the entire picture and not necessarily to a subpicture.

[0082] In the same or other embodiments, signaling of ARC parameters may follow a detailed example as outlined in Figure 6, which shows a syntax diagram of the representation used in video coding standards since at least 1993. The notation in such syntax diagrams loosely follows C-style programming. Bold lines indicate syntax elements present in the bitstream, while non-bold lines often indicate control flow or variable settings.

[0083] The tile group header (601), an example syntax structure for a header applicable to a (possibly rectangular) portion of a picture, can conditionally contain the variable-length Exp-Golomb coding syntax element dec_pic_size_idx (602) (shown in bold). The presence of this syntax element in the tile group header can be gated using the value of the adaptive resolution (603) flag, not shown here in bold, which means that the flag is present in the bitstream at the point where it occurs in the syntax diagram. Whether adaptive resolution is used for this picture or part of it can be signaled in any high-level syntax structure, inside or outside the bitstream. In the example shown, it is signaled in the sequence parameter set, as outlined below.

[0084] Continuing with reference to FIG. 6, an excerpt of a sequence parameter set (610) is also shown. The first syntax element shown is adaptive_pic_resolution_change_flag (611). When true, the flag can indicate the use of adaptive resolution, which may require specific control information. In this example, such control information is conditionally present based on the value of the flag based on an if() statement in the parameter set (612) and the tile group header (601).

[0085] When adaptive resolution is used, what is coded, in this example, is the output resolution in samples (613). Reference numeral 613 refers to both output_pic_width_in_luma_samples and output_pic_height_in_luma_samples, which together can define the resolution of the output picture. Elsewhere in a video coding technology or standard, specific restrictions on either value can be defined. For example, a level definition can limit the number of total output samples that can be the product of the values ​​of those two syntax elements. Also, a particular video coding technology or standard, or an external technology or standard such as a system standard, can limit the numbering range (e.g., one or both dimensions must be divisible by a power of two) or the aspect ratio (e.g., width and height must have a relationship such as 4:3 or 16:9). Such restrictions may be introduced to facilitate hardware implementation or for other reasons and are well known in the art.

[0086] In certain applications, it may be desirable for an encoder to instruct a decoder to use a particular reference picture size rather than implicitly assuming that size is the output picture size. In this example, the syntax element reference_pic_size_present_flag (614) gates the conditional presence of the reference picture dimensions (615) (again, the numbers refer to both width and height).

[0087] Finally, a table of possible decoded picture widths and heights is shown. Such a table can be represented, for example, by the table directive (num_dec_pic_size_in_luma_samples_minus1) (616). "minus1" can refer to the interpretation of the value of that syntax element. For example, if the coded value is 0, there is one table entry. If the value is 5, there are six table entries. For each "line" in the table, the width and height of the decoded picture are included in the syntax (617).

[0088] The presented table entries (617) can be indexed using the syntax element dec_pic_size_idx (602) in the tile group header, allowing for different decode sizes, and in fact zoom factors, per tile group.

[0089] Some video coding technologies or standards, such as VP9, ​​support spatial scalability by implementing a form of reference picture resampling (signaled quite differently than the disclosed subject matter) in conjunction with temporal scalability to enable spatial scalability. In particular, certain reference pictures can be upsampled to higher resolutions using ARC-style techniques to form the base of spatial enhancement layers. These upsampled pictures can then be refined using normal prediction mechanisms at higher resolutions to add detail.

[0090] The disclosed subject matter can be used in such environments. In some cases, in the same or other embodiments, values ​​in the NAL unit header, e.g., a Temporal ID field, can be used to indicate not only temporal layers but also spatial layers. Doing so has certain advantages in certain system designs. For example, existing selective forwarding units (SFUs) created and optimized for temporal layer selective forwarding based on NAL unit header Temporal ID values ​​can be used without modification for scalable environments. To enable this, there may be a requirement for a mapping between coded picture sizes and temporal layers, which is indicated by the Temporal ID field in the NAL unit header.

[0091] In some video coding techniques, an access unit (AU) can refer to a coded picture, slice, tile, NAL unit, etc. that is captured and composed into a respective picture / slice / tile / NAL unit bitstream at a given instance in time, which may be composition time.

[0092] In HEVC and certain other video coding technologies, a picture order count (POC) value can be used to indicate a reference picture selected from multiple reference pictures stored in the decoded picture buffer (DPB). When an access unit (AU) contains one or more pictures, slices, or tiles, each picture, slice, or tile belonging to the same AU can have the same POC value, from which it can be derived that they were created from content with the same composition time. In other words, in a scenario where two pictures / slices / tiles carry the same given POC value, it can indicate two pictures / slices / tiles that belong to the same AU and have the same composition time. Conversely, two pictures / tiles / slices with different POC values ​​can indicate pictures / slices / tiles that belong to different AUs and have different composition times.

[0093] In one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, the aforementioned strict relationship can be relaxed in that an access unit can contain pictures, slices, or tiles with different POC values. By allowing different POC values ​​within an AU, it becomes possible to use the POC values ​​to identify potentially independently decodable pictures / slices / tiles that have the same presentation time. This can enable support for multiple scalable layers without modifying reference picture selection signaling (e.g., reference picture set signaling or reference picture list signaling), as described in more detail below.

[0094] However, it is still desirable to be able to identify the AU to which a picture / slice / tile belongs, relative to other pictures / slices / tiles with different POC values, from the POC value alone. This can be achieved as described below.

[0095] In the same or other embodiments, the access unit count (AUC) may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure such as a NAL unit header, a slice header, a tile group header, an SEI message, a parameter set, or an AU delimiter. The AUC value may be used to identify which NAL unit, picture, slice, or tile belongs to a given AU. The AUC value may correspond to a distinct compositing time instance. The AUC value may be equal to a multiple of the POC value. The AUC value can be calculated by dividing the POC value by an integer value. In some cases, the division operation may impose a certain burden on the decoder implementation. In such cases, the division operation can be replaced with a shift operation due to the small constraints on the numbering space of the AUC values. For example, the AUC value may be equal to the most significant bit (MSB) value of the POC value range.

[0096] In the same embodiment, the value of the POC cycle per AU (poc_cycle_au) may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure such as a NAL unit header, a slice header, a tile group header, an SEI message, a parameter set, or an AU delimiter. poc_cycle_au may indicate how many different consecutive POC values ​​can be associated with the same AU. For example, if the value of poc_cycle_au is equal to 4, pictures, slices, or tiles with POC values ​​greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to −3 are associated with an AU with an AUC value equal to 0, and pictures, slices, or tiles with POC values ​​greater than or equal to 4 and less than or equal to −7 are associated with an AU with an AUC value equal to 1. Thus, the value of AUC can be inferred by dividing the POC value by the value of poc_cycle_au.

[0097] In the same or other embodiments, the value of poc_cycle_au may be derived from information identifying the number of spatial or SNR layers in the coded video sequence, for example, located in a video parameter set (VPS). A brief description of such a relationship follows. While the derivation described above can save a few bits in the VPS and thus improve coding efficiency, it may be advantageous to explicitly code poc_cycle_au in a high-level syntax structure appropriate hierarchically below the video parameter set to minimize poc_cycle_au for a given small portion of the bitstream, such as a picture. This optimization can save more bits than can be saved through the derivation process described above, because the POC value (and / or the values ​​of syntax elements that indirectly reference the POC) can be coded in a lower-level syntax structure.

[0098] The techniques for signaling adaptive resolution parameters described above can be implemented as computer software using computer-readable instructions and physically stored on one or more computer-readable media. For example, Figure 7 illustrates a computer system 700 suitable for implementing certain embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0099] Computer software can be coded using any suitable machine code or computer language and can be subject to assembly, compilation, linking, or similar mechanisms to create code containing instructions that can be executed by a computer central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), etc., directly, or through interpretation, execution of microcode, etc.

[0100] The instructions may be executed on various types of computers or components thereof, including, for example, personal computers, tablet computers, servers, smartphones, gaming devices, Internet of Things devices, and the like.

[0101] 7 for computer system 700 are exemplary in nature and are not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the computer software implementing embodiments of the present disclosure, nor should the arrangement of components be interpreted as having a dependency or requirement related to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of computer system 700.

[0102] The computer system 700 may include certain human interface input devices. Such human interface input devices may respond to input by one or more users, such as, for example, tactile input (e.g., keystrokes, swipes, data glove movements), audio input (e.g., voice, clapping), visual input (e.g., gestures), olfactory input (not shown), etc. The human interface devices may also be used to capture certain media that are not necessarily directly related to conscious human input, such as audio (e.g., speech, music, ambient sounds), images (e.g., scanned images, photographic images obtained from a still image camera), and video (e.g., two-dimensional video, three-dimensional video including stereoscopic video).

[0103] The input human interface devices may include one or more of a keyboard 701, a mouse 702, a trackpad 703, a touchscreen 710, a data glove 704, a joystick 705, a microphone 706, a scanner 707, and a camera 708 (only one of each is shown).

[0104] The computer system 700 may also include certain human interface output devices. Such human interface output devices may stimulate one or more of the human user's senses, for example, through tactile output, sound, light, and smell / taste. Such human interface output devices may include haptic output devices (e.g., haptic feedback via a touchscreen 710, data gloves 704, or joystick 705, although some haptic feedback devices may not function as input devices), audio output devices (e.g., speakers 709, headphones (not shown), etc.), visual output devices (e.g., screens 710, including CRT screens, LCD screens, plasma screens, and OLED screens, each with or without touchscreen input capability, each with or without haptic feedback capability, some of which may output two-dimensional visual output or three-dimensional or higher-dimensional output by means of stereographic output, virtual reality glasses (not shown), holographic displays, and smoke tanks (not shown), and printers (not shown).

[0105] The computer system 700 may also include human-accessible storage and associated media such as optical media 721, such as CD / DVD ROM / RW 720, including CDs / DVDs, thumb drives 722, removable hard drives or solid state drives 723, legacy magnetic media such as tape and floppy disks (not shown), and specialized ROM / ASIC / PLD-based devices such as security dongles (not shown).

[0106] Those skilled in the art should also understand that the term "computer-readable medium" as used in connection with the subject matter disclosed herein does not encompass transmission media, carrier waves, or other transitory signals.

[0107] The computer system 700 may also include interfaces to one or more communication networks. Networks may be, for example, wireless, wired, or optical. Networks may further be local, wide-area, metropolitan, vehicular, industrial, real-time, delay-tolerant, etc. Examples of networks include local area networks such as Ethernet, WLAN, and cellular networks including GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, etc.; TV wired or wireless wide-area digital networks including cable television, satellite television, and terrestrial broadcast television; and vehicular and industrial networks including CANbus, etc. Certain networks generally require an external network interface adapter connected to a particular general-purpose data port or peripheral bus (749) (e.g., a USB port on the computer system 700), while others are generally integrated into the core of the computer system 700 by connecting to a system bus, as described below (e.g., an Ethernet interface to a PC computer system or a cellular network interface to a smartphone computer system). Using any of these networks, the computer system 700 can communicate with other entities. Such communication may be one-way, receive only (e.g., broadcast TV), one-way transmit only (e.g., from the CANbus to a particular CANbus device), or two-way, e.g., to other computer systems using local area digital networks or wide area digital networks. Specific protocols and protocol stacks may be used with each of these networks and network interfaces, as described above.

[0108] The aforementioned human interface devices, human-accessible storage devices, and network interfaces may be connected to core 740 of computer system 700 .

[0109] The core 740 may include specialized programmable processing devices in the form of one or more central processing units (CPUs) 741, graphics processing units (GPUs) 742, field programmable gate areas (FPGAs) 743, hardware accelerators for specific tasks 744, etc. These devices may be connected via a system bus 748, along with read-only memory (ROM) 745, random access memory 746, and internal mass storage devices 747, such as a non-user-accessible internal hard drive or SSD. In some computer systems, the system bus 748 may be accessible in the form of one or more physical plugs, allowing expansion with additional CPUs, GPUs, etc. Peripheral devices may be connected to the core's system bus 748 directly or via a peripheral bus 749. Peripheral bus architectures include PCI, USB, etc.

[0110] The CPU 741, GPU 742, FPGA 743, and accelerator 744 may execute certain instructions that, in combination, may constitute the aforementioned computer code. That computer code may be stored in ROM 745 or RAM 746. Transient data may also be stored in RAM 746, while persistent data may be stored, for example, in internal mass storage device 747. Cache memory, which may be closely associated with one or more of the CPU 741, GPU 742, mass storage device 747, ROM 745, RAM 746, etc., may be used to enable fast storage and retrieval from any memory device.

[0111] The computer-readable medium may bear computer code for performing various computer-implemented operations. The medium and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present disclosure, or they may be of the type well known and available to those skilled in the computer software arts.

[0112] By way of example and not limitation, a computer system having architecture 700, and in particular core 740, can provide functionality as a result of a processor (including a CPU, GPU, FPGA, accelerator, etc.) executing software embodied in one or more tangible computer-readable media. Such computer-readable media may be the user-accessible mass storage devices introduced above, as well as media associated with specific storage devices of the core 740 that are non-transitory in nature, such as the core internal mass storage device 747 or the ROM 745. Software implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure may be stored on such devices and executed by the core 740. The computer-readable media may include one or more memory devices or chips according to particular needs. The software may cause the core 740, and in particular the processor therein (including a CPU, GPU, FPGA, etc.), to perform particular processes or particular portions of particular processes described herein, including defining data structures stored in RAM 746 and modifying such data structures according to software-defined operations. Additionally, or alternatively, a computer system may provide functionality as a result of logic hardwired or otherwise embodied in circuitry (e.g., accelerator 744), which may operate in place of or in conjunction with software to perform specific operations or portions of specific operations described herein. References to software may include logic, and vice versa, as appropriate. References to computer-readable media may encompass circuitry (such as an integrated circuit (IC)) that stores software for execution, circuitry that embodies logic for execution, or both, as appropriate. The present disclosure encompasses any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0113] FIG. 8 shows an example of a video sequence structure with a combination of temporal_id, layer_id, POC, and AUC values ​​with adaptive resolution change. In this example, a picture, slice, or tile in the first AU with AUC=0 may have temporal_id=0 and layer_id=0 or 1, while a picture, slice, or tile in the second AU with AUC=1 may have temporal_id=1 and layer_id=0 or 1, respectively. Regardless of the values ​​of temporal_id and layer_id, the value of POC increases by 1 for each picture. In this example, the value of poc_cycle_au may be equal to 2. Preferably, the value of poc_cycle_au may be set equal to the number of (spatial scalability) layers. Thus, in this example, the value of POC increases by 2 and the value of AUC increases by 1.

[0114] In the above embodiments, all or a subset of the inter-picture or inter-layer prediction structure and reference picture indication may be supported by using the existing reference picture set (RPS) signaling or reference picture list (RPL) signaling in HEVC. In RPS or RPL, a selected reference picture is indicated by signaling a value of POC or a delta value of POC between the current picture and the selected reference picture. For the disclosed subject matter, RPS and RPL may be used to indicate the inter-picture or inter-layer prediction structure without changing the signaling, but with the following restrictions: If the value of the temporal_id of a reference picture is greater than the value of the temporal_id of the current picture, the current picture may not use the reference picture for motion compensation or other prediction. If the value of the layer_id of a reference picture is greater than the value of the layer_id of the current picture, the current picture may not use the reference picture for motion compensation or other prediction.

[0115] In the same embodiment and other embodiments, the scaling of motion vectors based on POC differences for temporal motion vector prediction can be disabled across multiple pictures in an access unit. Thus, although each picture may have a different POC value within an access unit, the motion vectors are not scaled and are not used for temporal motion vector prediction within the access unit. This is because reference pictures with different POCs within the same AU are considered to be reference pictures with the same time instance. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the reference picture belongs to the AU associated with the current picture, the motion vector scaling function can return 1.

[0116] In the same and other embodiments, if the spatial resolution of the reference picture is different from the spatial resolution of the current picture, scaling of the motion vector based on the POC difference for temporal motion vector prediction can be optionally disabled across multiple pictures. If motion vector scaling is allowed, the motion vector is scaled based on both the POC difference and the spatial resolution ratio between the current picture and the reference picture.

[0117] In the same or other embodiments, motion vectors may be scaled based on the AUC difference instead of the POC difference for temporal motion vector prediction, especially when poc_cycle_au has non-uniform values ​​(when vps_contant_poc_cycle_per_au==0). Otherwise (when vps_contant_poc_cycle_per_au==1), the scaling of motion vectors based on the AUC difference may be identical to the scaling of motion vectors based on the POC difference.

[0118] In the same or other embodiments, when a motion vector is scaled based on the AUC difference, reference motion vectors within the same AU (having the same AUC value) as the current picture are not scaled based on the AUC difference and are used for motion vector prediction without scaling or with scaling based on the spatial resolution ratio between the current picture and the reference picture.

[0119] In the same and other embodiments, the AUC value is used to identify AU boundaries and is used for hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) operations that require input and output timing with AU granularity. In most cases, the decoded picture with the highest layer within the AU can be output for display. The AUC value and layer_id value can be used to identify the output picture.

[0120] In one embodiment, a picture may consist of one or more subpictures. Each subpicture may cover a local area or the entire area of ​​the picture. The area supported by a subpicture may or may not overlap with the area supported by another subpicture. The area comprised by one or more subpictures may or may not cover the entire area of ​​the picture. When a picture consists of subpictures, the area supported by the subpicture is the same as the area supported by the picture.

[0121] In the same embodiment, a sub-picture may be coded by a coding method similar to that used for a coded picture. A sub-picture may be coded independently or may be coded dependent on another sub-picture or coded picture. A sub-picture may or may not have a syntax parsing dependency from another sub-picture or coded picture.

[0122] In the same embodiment, coded subpictures may be included in one or more layers. The coded subpictures within a layer may have different spatial resolutions. The original subpictures may be spatially resampled (upsampled or downsampled), coded with different spatial resolution parameters, and included in the bitstream corresponding to the layer.

[0123] In the same or other embodiments, a sub-picture having (W, H) can be coded and included in the coded bitstream corresponding to layer 0, where W denotes the width of the sub-picture and H denotes the height of the sub-picture, while (W*S w、k , H*S h、k ) can be coded and included in the coded bitstream corresponding to layer k, and w、k , S h、k denotes the horizontal and vertical resampling ratio. S w、k , S h、k If the value of is greater than 1, resampling is equivalent to upsampling. On the other hand, if S w、k , S h、k If the value of is less than 1, resampling is equivalent to downsampling.

[0124] In the same or other embodiments, a coded subpicture within a layer may have a different visual quality than a coded subpicture within another layer, either within the same subpicture or a different subpicture. For example, subpicture i within layer n may have a quantization parameter Q i、n and subpicture j in layer m is coded with quantization parameter Q j、m is coded in

[0125] In the same or other embodiments, coded subpictures within a layer may be independently decodable without a syntax parsing or decoding dependency from coded subpictures in another layer of the same local region. A subpicture layer that may be independently decodable without reference to another subpicture layer of the same local region is an independent subpicture layer. Coded subpictures within an independent subpicture layer may or may not have a decoding or syntax parsing dependency from previously coded subpictures in the same subpicture layer, but the coded subpictures may not have any dependency from coded pictures in another subpicture layer.

[0126] In the same or other embodiments, coded subpictures within a layer may be dependently decodable, with any syntax parsing or decoding dependency from coded subpictures in another layer of the same local region. A subpicture layer that may be dependently decodable by reference to another subpicture layer of the same local region is a dependent subpicture layer. Coded subpictures within a dependent subpicture may reference coded subpictures belonging to the same subpicture, previously coded subpictures in the same subpicture layer, or both.

[0127] In the same or other embodiments, a coded subpicture consists of one or more independent subpicture layers and one or more dependent subpicture layers. However, there may be at least one independent subpicture layer for a coded subpicture. An independent subpicture layer may have a value of a layer identifier (layer_id), which may be present in the NAL unit header or another higher-level syntax structure, equal to 0. A subpicture layer with layer_id equal to 0 is a base subpicture layer.

[0128] In the same or other embodiments, a picture can consist of one or more foreground subpictures and one background subpicture. The area supported by a background subpicture may be equal to the area of ​​the picture. The area supported by a foreground subpicture may overlap with the area supported by a background subpicture. The background subpicture may be a base subpicture layer, and the foreground subpicture may be a non-base (enhancement) subpicture layer. One or more non-base subpicture layers can reference the same base layer for decoding. Each non-base subpicture layer with layer_id equal to a can reference a non-base subpicture layer with layer_id equal to b, where a is greater than b.

[0129] In the same or other embodiments, a picture can consist of one or more foreground subpictures, with or without background subpictures. Each subpicture can have its own base subpicture layer and one or more non-base (enhancement) layers. Each base subpicture layer can be referenced by one or more non-base subpicture layers. Each non-base subpicture layer with layer_id equal to a can reference a non-base subpicture layer with layer_id equal to b, where a is greater than b.

[0130] In the same or other embodiments, a picture can consist of one or more foreground subpictures, with or without background subpictures. Each coded subpicture in a (base or non-base) subpicture layer can be referenced by one or more non-base layer subpictures that belong to the same subpicture, and by one or more non-base layer subpictures that do not belong to the same subpicture.

[0131] In the same or other embodiments, a picture can consist of one or more foreground subpictures, with or without background subpictures. A subpicture in layer a can be further divided into multiple subpictures within the same layer. One or more coded subpictures in layer b can reference divided subpictures in layer a.

[0132] In the same or other embodiments, a coded video sequence (CVS) may be a group of coded pictures. A CVS may consist of one or more coded subpicture sequences (CSPS), where a CSPS may be a group of coded subpictures covering the same local region of a picture. A CSPS may have the same or different temporal resolution as the coded video sequence.

[0133] In the same or other embodiments, a CSPS may be coded and included in one or more layers. A CSPS may consist of one or more CSP layers. Decoding one or more CSP layers corresponding to a CSPS can reconstruct a sequence of subpictures corresponding to the same local region.

[0134] In the same or other embodiments, the number of CSP layers corresponding to a CSPS may be the same as or different from the number of CSP layers corresponding to another CSPS.

[0135] In the same or other embodiments, a CSP layer may have a different temporal resolution (e.g., frame rate) than another CSP layer, and the original (uncompressed) subpicture sequence may be temporally resampled (upsampled or downsampled), coded with different temporal resolution parameters, and included in the bitstream corresponding to the layer.

[0136] In the same or other embodiments, a sub-picture sequence having a frame rate F may be coded and included in the coded bitstream corresponding to layer 0, where F*S t、k A temporally upsampled (or downsampled) sub-picture sequence from the original sub-picture sequence having t、k denotes the temporal sampling ratio of layer k. S t、k If the value of is greater than 1, the temporal resampling process is equivalent to frame rate up-conversion. t、k If the value of is less than 1, the temporal resampling process is equivalent to a frame rate down conversion.

[0137] In the same or other embodiments, when a subpicture with CSP layer a is referenced by a subpicture with CSP layer b for motion compensation or any inter-layer prediction, if the spatial resolution of CSP layer a differs from the spatial resolution of CSP layer b, the decoded pixels in CSP layer a are resampled and used for the reference. The resampling process may require upsampling filtering or downsampling filtering.

[0138] In the same or other embodiments, Figure 9 shows an example of a syntax table for signaling the vps_poc_cycle_au syntax element in the VPS (or SPS), which indicates the poc_cycle_au used for all pictures / slices in the coded video sequence, and the slice_poc_cycle_au syntax element, which indicates the poc_cycle_au of the current slice in the slice header. If the POC value increases uniformly per AU, vps_contant_poc_cycle_per_au in the VPS is set to 1, and vps_poc_cycle_au is signaled in the VPS. In this case, slice_poc_cycle_au is not explicitly signaled, and the AUC value per AU is calculated by dividing the POC value by vps_poc_cycle_au. If the POC value does not increase uniformly per AU, vps_contant_poc_cycle_per_au in the VPS is set to 0. In this case, vps_access_unit_cnt is not signaled, and slice_access_unit_cnt is signaled in the slice header for each slice or picture. Each slice or picture may have a different value of slice_access_unit_cnt. The AUC value per AU is calculated by dividing the POC value by slice_poc_cycle_au. Figure 10 shows a block diagram illustrating the related work flow.

[0139] In the same or other embodiments, pictures, slices, or tiles corresponding to AUs with the same AUC value may be associated with the same decoding or output time instance, even if the POC values ​​of the pictures, slices, or tiles are different. Thus, all or a subset of pictures, slices, or tiles associated with the same AU can be decoded in parallel and output simultaneously, without dependency between syntax parsing / decoding across pictures, slices, or tiles within the same AU.

[0140] In the same or other embodiments, pictures, slices, or tiles corresponding to AUs with the same AUC value may be associated with the same composition / display time instance, even if the POC values ​​of the pictures, slices, or tiles are different. If composition time is included in the container format, pictures may be displayed at the same time instance if they have the same composition time, even if they correspond to different AUs.

[0141] In the same or other embodiments, each picture, slice, or tile may have the same temporal identifier (temporal_id) within the same AU. All or a subset of pictures, slices, or tiles corresponding to a time instance may be associated with the same temporal sublayer. In the same or other embodiments, each picture, slice, or tile may have the same or different spatial layer ID (layer_id) within the same AU. All or a subset of pictures, slices, or tiles corresponding to a time instance may be associated with the same or different spatial layers.

[0142] Figure 11 shows an example video stream containing a background video CSPS with layer_id equal to 0 and multiple foreground CSP layers. A coded subpicture may consist of one or more CSP layers, but background regions that do not belong to any foreground CSP layer may consist of the base layer. The base layer may contain background and foreground regions, while the enhancement CSP layer contains foreground regions. The enhancement CSP layer may have better visual quality than the base layer in the same region. The enhancement CSP layer may reference the reconstructed pixels and motion vectors of the base layer that correspond to the same region.

[0143] In the same or other embodiments, the video bitstream corresponding to the base layer is included in a track, and the CSP layers corresponding to each sub-picture are included in separate tracks within the video file.

[0144] In the same or other embodiments, the video bitstream corresponding to the base layer is included in a track, and the CSP layers having the same layer_id are included in separate tracks. In this example, the track corresponding to layer k includes only the CSP layer corresponding to layer k.

[0145] In the same or other embodiments, each CSP layer of each subpicture is stored in a separate track. Each track may or may not have any syntax analysis or decoding dependencies from one or more other tracks.

[0146] In the same or other embodiments, each track can include a bitstream corresponding to layer i to layer j of the CSP layers of all or a subset of the subpictures, where 0 < i <= j <= k and k is the top layer of the CSPS.

[0147] In the same or other embodiments, a picture consists of one or more associated media data including a depth map, an alpha map, 3D geometry data, an occupancy map, etc. Such associated time-limited media data can be divided into one or more data substreams each corresponding to one subpicture.

[0148] In the same or other embodiments, FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a video conference based on a multi-layer subpicture method. The video stream includes one base layer video bitstream corresponding to a background picture and one or more enhancement layer video bitstreams corresponding to foreground subpictures. Each enhancement layer bitstream corresponds to a CSP layer. On the display, the picture corresponding to the base layer is displayed by default. This includes one or more user's picture-in-picture (PIP). When a specific user is selected through client control, the enhancement CSP layer corresponding to the selected user is decoded and displayed with enhanced quality or spatial resolution. FIG. 13 illustrates an operational diagram.

[0149] In the same or other embodiments, a network intermediate box (such as a router) can select a subset of layers to send to a user depending on its bandwidth. Picture / subpicture organization can be used for bandwidth adaptation. For example, if a user does not have the bandwidth, the router will strip out layers or select some subpictures due to their importance or based on the settings used; this can be done dynamically to adopt bandwidth.

[0150] Figure 14 illustrates a use case for 360 video. When a spherical 360 picture is projected onto a planar picture, the projected 360 picture can be divided into multiple sub-pictures as a base layer. Enhancement layers for specific sub-pictures can be coded and transmitted to the client. The decoder can decode both the base layer containing all sub-pictures and the enhancement layers for selected sub-pictures. If the current viewport is the same as the selected sub-picture, the displayed picture can have higher quality with the decoded sub-picture with the enhancement layers. Otherwise, the decoded picture with the base layer can be displayed with lower quality.

[0151] In the same or other embodiments, any layout information for display may be present in the file as auxiliary information (such as an SEI message or metadata). One or more decoded subpictures may be rearranged and displayed according to the signaled layout information. The layout information may be signaled by a streaming server or broadcaster, regenerated by a network entity or cloud server, or determined by a user's customized settings.

[0152] In one embodiment, when an input picture is divided into one or more (rectangular) sub-regions, each sub-region may be coded as an independent layer. Each independent layer corresponding to a local region may have a unique layer_id value. For each independent layer, sub-picture size and position information may be signaled, such as picture size (width, height), and offset information of the top-left corner (x_offset, y_offset). Figure 15 shows an example of a layout of divided sub-pictures, their sub-picture size and position information, and their corresponding picture prediction structure. Layout information, including sub-picture size(s) and sub-picture position(s), may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure, such as parameter set(s), slice or tile group header, or SEI message.

[0153] In the same embodiment, each sub-picture corresponding to an independent layer may have its unique POC value within the AU. When indicating reference pictures among pictures stored in the DPB using syntax elements of the RPS or RPL structure, the POC value of each sub-picture corresponding to a layer may be used.

[0154] In the same or other embodiments, the layer_id may not be used and the POC (delta) value may be used to indicate the (inter-layer) prediction structure.

[0155] In the same embodiment, a sub-picture with a POC value equal to N corresponding to a layer (or local region) may or may not be used as a reference picture for a sub-picture with a POC value equal to N+K corresponding to the same layer (or the same local region) for motion compensation prediction. In most cases, the value of the number K may be equal to the maximum number of (independent) layers, which may be the same as the number of sub-regions.

[0156] In the same or other embodiments, Figure 16 shows an extended case of Figure 15. When an input picture is divided into multiple (e.g., four) sub-regions, each local region may be coded with one or more layers. In this case, the number of independent layers may be equal to the number of sub-regions, and one or more layers may correspond to a sub-region. Thus, each sub-region may be coded with one or more independent layers and zero or more independent layers.

[0157] In the same embodiment, in Figure 16, the input picture may be divided into four sub-regions. The top right sub-region may be coded as two layers, Layer 1 and Layer 4, and the bottom right sub-region may be coded as two layers, Layer 3 and Layer 5. In this case, Layer 4 may refer to Layer 1 for motion compensation prediction, and Layer 5 may refer to Layer 3 for motion compensation.

[0158] In the same or other embodiments, in-loop filtering across layer boundaries (such as a deblocking filter, adaptive in-loop filter, reshaper, bilateral filter, or any deep learning-based filtering) can be (optionally) disabled.

[0159] In the same or other embodiments, motion compensated prediction or intra-block copying across layer boundaries may (optionally) be disabled.

[0160] In the same or other embodiments, boundary padding for motion-compensated prediction or in-loop filtering at sub-picture boundaries may be optionally processed. A flag indicating whether boundary padding is processed or not may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure, such as a parameter set (VPS, SPS, PPS, or APS), a slice or tile group header, or an SEI message.

[0161] In the same or other embodiments, layout information for sub-regions (or sub-pictures) may be signaled in the VPS or SPS. Figure 17 shows an example of syntax elements for the VPS and SPS. In this example, vps_sub_picture_dividing_flag is signaled in the VPS. The flag may indicate whether the input picture is divided into multiple sub-regions. When the value of vps_sub_picture_dividing_flag is equal to 0, the input picture in the coded video sequence corresponding to the current VPS may not be divided into multiple sub-regions. In this case, the input picture size may be equal to the coded picture size (pic_width_in_luma_samples, pic_height_in_luma_samples) signaled in the SPS. When the value of vps_sub_picture_dividing_flag is equal to 1, the input picture may be divided into multiple sub-regions. In this case, the syntax elements vps_full_pic_width_in_luma_samples and vps_full_pic_height_in_luma_samples are signaled in the VPS. The values ​​of vps_full_pic_width_in_luma_samples and vps_full_pic_height_in_luma_samples may be equal to the width and height of the input picture, respectively.

[0162] In the same embodiment, the values ​​of vps_full_pic_width_in_luma_samples and vps_full_pic_height_in_luma_samples may not be used for decoding, but may be used for synthesis and display.

[0163] In the same embodiment, when the value of vps_sub_picture_dividing_flag is equal to 1, the syntax elements pic_offset_x and pic_offset_y may (a) be signaled in the SPS corresponding to a specific layer(s). In this case, the coded picture size (pic_width_in_luma_samples, pic_height_in_luma_samples) signaled in the SPS may be equal to the width and height of the sub-region corresponding to a specific layer. Also, the location of the upper-left corner of the sub-region (pic_offset_x, pic_offset_y) may be signaled in the SPS.

[0164] In the same embodiment, the position information (pic_offset_x, pic_offset_y) of the top left corner of the sub-region may not be used for decoding, but may be used for compositing and display.

[0165] In the same or other embodiments, layout information (size and position) of all or a subset of sub-regions of an input picture, as well as inter-layer dependency information, may be signaled in a parameter set or SEI message. Figure 18 shows an example of syntax elements indicating information about the layout of sub-regions, inter-layer dependencies, and relationships between sub-regions and one or more layers. In this example, the syntax element num_sub_region indicates the number of (rectangular) sub-regions in the current coded video sequence. The syntax element num_layers indicates the number of layers in the current coded video sequence. The value of num_layers may be greater than or equal to the value of num_sub_region. If any sub-region is coded as a single layer, the value of num_layers may be equal to the value of num_sub_region. When one or more sub-regions are coded as multiple layers, the value of num_layers may be greater than the value of num_sub_region. The syntax element direct_dependency_flag[ i ][ j ] indicates the dependency of the jth layer to the ith layer. num_layers_for_region[i] indicates the number of layers associated with the i-th subregion. sub_region_layer_id[i][j] indicates the layer_id of the j-th layer associated with the i-th subregion. sub_region_offset_x[i] and sub_region_offset_y[i] indicate the horizontal and vertical positions of the top left corner of the i-th subregion, respectively. sub_region_width[i] and sub_region_height[i] indicate the width and height of the i-th subregion, respectively.

[0166] In one embodiment, one or more syntax elements specifying an output layer set to indicate one of multiple layers to be output with or without profile-tier-layer-level information may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure, such as a VPS, DPS, SPS, PPS, APS, or SEI message. Referring to Figure 19, a syntax element num_output_layer_sets indicating the number of output layer sets (OLSs) in a coded video sequence referencing a VPS may be signaled in the VPS. For each output layer set, output_layer_flag may be signaled in the same number as the number of output layers.

[0167] In the same embodiment, output_layer_flag[ i ] equal to 1 specifies that the i-th layer is output. vps_output_layer_flag[ i ] equal to 0 specifies that the i-th layer is not output.

[0168] In the same or other embodiments, one or more syntax elements specifying profile-tier-level information for each output layer set may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure, such as a VPS, DPS, SPS, PPS, APS, or SEI message. Further referring to FIG. 19 , a syntax element num_profile_tile_level indicating the number of profile-tier-level information per OLS in a coded video sequence referencing a VPS may be signaled within the VPS. For each output layer set, a set of profile-tier-level information syntax elements, or an index indicating a specific profile-tier-level information among the entries within the profile-tier-level information, may be signaled in the same number as the number of output layers.

[0169] In the same embodiment, profile_tier_level_idx[ i ][ j ] specifies the index of the profile_tier_level() syntax structure that applies to the jth layer of the ith OLS within the list of profile_tier_level() syntax structures in the VPS.

[0170] In the same or other embodiments, referring to FIG. 20, if the maximum number of layers is greater than 1 (vps_max_layers_minus1>0), the syntax elements num_profile_tile_level and / or num_output_layer_sets may be signaled.

[0171] In the same or other embodiments, referring to FIG. 20, a syntax element vps_output_layers_mode[ i ] may be present in the VPS to indicate the mode of output layer signaling for the i-th output layer set.

[0172] In the same embodiment, vps_output_layers_mode[ i ] equal to 0 specifies that only the top layer is output in the i output layer set. vps_output_layer_mode[ i ] equal to 1 specifies that all layers are output in the i output layer set. vps_output_layer_mode[ i ] equal to 2 specifies that the layer to be output is the layer with vps_output_layer_flag[ i ][ j ] equal to 1 set for the i output layer. More values ​​may be reserved.

[0173] In the same embodiment, output_layer_flag[i][j] may or may not be signaled depending on the value of vps_output_layers_mode[i] for the i-th output layer set.

[0174] In the same or other embodiments, referring to Figure 20, there may be a flag vps_ptl_signal_flag[i] for the i-th output layer set. Depending on the value of vps_ptl_signal_flag[i], the profile tier level information for the i-th output layer set may or may not be signaled.

[0175] In the same or other embodiments, referring to FIG. 21, the number of sub-pictures in the current CVS, max_subpics_minus1, may be signaled in a high-level syntax structure, such as a VPS, DPS, SPS, PPS, APS, or SEI message.

[0176] In the same embodiment, referring to FIG. 21, if the number of sub-pictures is greater than 1 (max_subpics_minus1>0), the sub-picture identifier sub_pic_id[ i ] of the i-th sub-picture may be signaled.

[0177] In the same or other embodiments, one or more syntax elements indicating the sub-picture identifiers belonging to each layer of each output layer set may be signaled in the VPS. Referring to Figures 22 and 23, sub_pic_id_layer[i][j][k] indicates the kth sub-picture present in the jth layer of the ith output layer set. Using this information, the decoder can know which sub-pictures can be decoded and output for each layer of a particular output layer set.

[0178] In one embodiment, a picture header (PH) is a syntax structure that contains syntax elements that apply to all slices of a coded picture. A picture unit (PU) is a set of NAL units that are associated with each other according to specified classification rules, are consecutive in decoding order, and contain exactly one coded picture. A PU may contain a picture header (PH) and one or more VCL NAL units that make up a coded picture.

[0179] In one embodiment, the SPS (RBSP) is available to the decoding process before being referenced and may be included in at least one AU with TemporalId equal to 0 or provided via external means.

[0180] In one embodiment, the SPS (RBSP) may be available to the decoding process before being referenced, may be included in at least one AU with TemporalId equal to 0 in the CVS that contains one or more PPSs that reference the SPS, or may be provided via external means.

[0181] In one embodiment, the SPS (RBSP) may be available to the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PPSs contained in at least one PU having a nuh_layer_id equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of a PPS NAL unit that references the SPS in the CVS, including one or more PPSs that reference the SPS, or provided via external means.

[0182] In one embodiment, the SPS (RBSP) may be available to the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PPSs contained in at least one PU with TemporalId equal to 0 and nuh_layer_id equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of a PPS NAL unit that references the SPS NAL unit or is provided via external means.

[0183] In one embodiment, the SPS (RBSP) may be available to the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PPSs, or may be provided via external means, or may be provided via external means, including one or more PPSs that reference the SPS, and included in at least one PU whose PPS NAL units referencing the SPS NAL units in the CVS have TemporalId equal to 0 and whose nuh_layer_id is equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value.

[0184] In the same or other embodiments, pps_seq_parameter_set_id specifies the value of sps_seq_parameter_set_id of the referenced SPS. The value of pps_seq_parameter_set_id may be the same in all PPSs referenced by coded pictures within a CLVS.

[0185] In the same or other embodiments, all SPS NAL units with a particular value of sps_seq_parameter_set_id in the CVS may have the same content.

[0186] In the same or other embodiments, regardless of the nuh_layer_id value, SPS NAL units may share the same value space for sps_seq_parameter_set_id.

[0187] In the same or other embodiments, the nuh_layer_id value of an SPS NAL unit may be equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of the PPS NAL unit that references the SPS NAL unit.

[0188] In one embodiment, when an SPS with nuh_layer_id equal to m is referenced by one or more PPSs with nuh_layer_id equal to n, the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to m may be the same as the (direct or indirect) referenced layer of the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to n or the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to m.

[0189] In one embodiment, the PPS (RBSP) may be included in at least one AU with a TemporalId equal to the TemporalId of the PPS NAL unit or may be available to the decoding process before being referenced, provided via external means.

[0190] In one embodiment, the PPS (RBSP) may be available to the decoding process before being referenced, either contained in at least one AU with a TemporalId equal to the TemporalId of the PPS NAL unit in the CVS, which contains one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) that reference the PPS, or provided via external means.

[0191] In one embodiment, a PPS (RBSP) may be available for the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) contained in at least one PU having a nuh_layer_id equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of a coded slice NAL unit that references a PPS NAL unit in a CVS, which contains one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) that reference the PPS, or that is provided via external means.

[0192] In one embodiment, a PPS (RBSP) may be available for the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) contained in at least one PU having a TemporalId equal to the TemporalId of the PPS NAL unit and a nuh_layer_id equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of the coded slice NAL units, which contain one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) that reference the PPS, or which are provided via external means and refer to a PPS NAL unit in a CVS.

[0193] In the same or other embodiments, the ph_pic_parameter_set_id of the PH specifies the value of the pps_pic_parameter_set_id of the reference PPS in use. The value of pps_seq_parameter_set_id may be the same in all PPSs referenced by coded pictures in the CLVS.

[0194] In the same or other embodiments, all PPS NAL units with a particular value of pps_pic_parameter_set_id within a PU may have the same content.

[0195] In the same or other embodiments, PPS NAL units may share the same value space for pps_pic_parameter_set_id regardless of the nuh_layer_id value.

[0196] In the same or other embodiments, the nuh_layer_id value of a PPS NAL unit may be equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of a coded slice NAL unit that references a NAL unit that references the PPS NAL unit.

[0197] In one embodiment, when a PPS with nuh_layer_id equal to m is referenced by one or more coded slice NAL units with nuh_layer_id equal to n, the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to m may be the same as the (direct or indirect) reference layer of the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to n or the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to m.

[0198] In one embodiment, the PPS (RBSP) may be included in at least one AU with a TemporalId equal to the TemporalId of the PPS NAL unit or may be available to the decoding process before being referenced, provided via external means.

[0199] In one embodiment, the PPS (RBSP) may be available to the decoding process before being referenced, either contained in at least one AU with a TemporalId equal to the TemporalId of the PPS NAL unit in the CVS, which contains one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) that reference the PPS, or provided via external means.

[0200] In one embodiment, a PPS (RBSP) may be available for the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) contained in at least one PU having a nuh_layer_id equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of a coded slice NAL unit that references a PPS NAL unit in a CVS, which contains one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) that reference the PPS, or that is provided via external means.

[0201] In one embodiment, a PPS (RBSP) may be available for the decoding process before being referenced by one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) contained in at least one PU having a TemporalId equal to the TemporalId of the PPS NAL unit and a nuh_layer_id equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of the coded slice NAL units, which contain one or more PHs (or coded slice NAL units) that reference the PPS, or which are provided via external means and refer to a PPS NAL unit in a CVS.

[0202] In the same or other embodiments, the ph_pic_parameter_set_id of the PH specifies the value of the pps_pic_parameter_set_id of the reference PPS in use. The value of pps_seq_parameter_set_id may be the same in all PPSs referenced by coded pictures in the CLVS.

[0203] In the same or other embodiments, all PPS NAL units with a particular value of pps_pic_parameter_set_id within a PU may have the same content.

[0204] In the same or other embodiments, PPS NAL units may share the same value space for pps_pic_parameter_set_id regardless of the nuh_layer_id value.

[0205] In the same or other embodiments, the nuh_layer_id value of a PPS NAL unit may be equal to the lowest nuh_layer_id value of a coded slice NAL unit that references a NAL unit that references the PPS NAL unit.

[0206] In one embodiment, when a PPS with nuh_layer_id equal to m is referenced by one or more coded slice NAL units with nuh_layer_id equal to n, the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to m may be the same as the (direct or indirect) reference layer of the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to n or the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to m.

[0207] The output layer indicates the layer of the output layer set that will be output. The output layer set (OLS) indicates a set of layers consisting of a specified set of layers, where one or more layers in the set of layers are designated as output layers. The output layer set (OLS) layer index is the index of a layer in the OLS into the list of layers in the OLS.

[0208] A sublayer indicates a temporal scalable layer of a temporal scalable bitstream, consisting of VCL NAL units and associated non-VCL NAL units with a particular value of the TemporalId variable. A sublayer representation indicates a subset of a bitstream consisting of NAL units of a particular sublayer and lower sublayers.

[0209] The VPS RBSP is available to the decoding process before being referenced and may be included in at least one AU with TemporalId equal to 0 or provided via external means. All VPS NAL units with a particular value of vps_video_parameter_set_id in a CVS may have the same content.

[0210] The vps_video_parameter_set_id provides an identifier for the VPS for reference by other syntax elements. The value of vps_video_parameter_set_id may be greater than 0.

[0211] vps_max_layers_minus1+1 specifies the maximum number of layers allowed in each CVS that references the VPS.

[0212] vps_max_sublayers_minus1+1 specifies the maximum number of temporal sublayers that can exist in a layer in each CVS that references the VPS. The value of vps_max_sublayers_minus1 may range from 0 to 6, inclusive.

[0213] vps_all_layers_same_num_sublayers_flag equal to 1 specifies that the number of temporal sublayers is the same for all layers in each CVS that references the VPS. vps_all_layers_same_num_sublayers_flag equal to 0 specifies that layers in each CVS that references the VPS may or may not have the same number of temporal sublayers. If not present, the value of vps_all_layers_same_num_sublayers_flag is inferred to be equal to 1.

[0214] vps_all_independent_layers_flag equal to 1 specifies that all layers in the CVS are coded independently without using inter-layer prediction. vps_all_independent_layers_flag equal to 0 specifies that one or more layers in the CVS may use inter-layer prediction. If not present, the value of vps_all_independent_layers_flag is inferred to be equal to 1.

[0215] vps_layer_id[i] specifies the value of nuh_layer_id for the i-th layer. For any two non-negative integer values ​​of m and n, when m is less than n, the value of vps_layer_id[m] can be less than vps_layer_id[n].

[0216] vps_independent_layer_flag[ i ] equal to 1 specifies that the layer with index i does not use inter-layer prediction. vps_independent_layer_flag[ i ] equal to 0 specifies that the layer with index i can use inter-layer prediction and that the syntax element vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[ i ][ j ], with j in the range 0 to i-1, inclusive, is present in the VPS. If not present, the value of vps_independent_layer_flag[ i ] is inferred to be equal to 1.

[0217] vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[i][j] equal to 0 specifies that the layer with index j is not a direct reference layer for the layer with index i. vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[i][j] equal to 1 specifies that the layer with index j is a direct reference layer for the layer with index i. For i and j in the range 0 to vps_max_layers_minus1, inclusive, vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[i][j] is inferred to be equal to 0 if not present. When vps_independent_layer_flag[i] is equal to 0, there may be at least one value of j in the range 0 to i-1, inclusive, such that the value of vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[i][j] is equal to 1.

[0218] The variables NumDirectRefLayers[i], DirectRefLayerIdx[i][d], NumRefLayers[i], RefLayerIdx[i][r], and LayerUsedAsRefLayerFlag[j] are derived as follows: for(i=0;i <=vps_max_layers_minus1;i++){ for(j=0;j <=vps_max_layers_minus1;j++){ dependencyFlag[ i ][ j ]=vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[ i ][ j ] for(k=0;k <i;k++) if(vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[ i ][ k ]&&dependencyFlag[ k ][ j ]) dependencyFlag[ i ][ j ]=1 } LayerUsedAsRefLayerFlag[ i ]=0 } for(i=0;i <=vps_max_layers_minus1;i++){ for(j=0, d=0, r=0;j <=vps_max_layers_minus1;j++){ if(vps_direct_ref_layer_flag[ i ][ j ]){ DirectRefLayerIdx[ i ][ d++]=j LayerUsedAsRefLayerFlag[ j ]=1 } if(dependencyFlag[ i ][ j ]) RefLayerIdx[ i ][ r++]=j } NumDirectRefLayers[ i ]=d NumRefLayers[ i ]=r }

[0219] The variable GeneralLayerIdx[i], which specifies the layer index of the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to vps_layer_id[i], is derived as follows: for(i=0;i <=vps_max_layers_minus1;i++) GeneralLayerIdx[ vps_layer_id[ i ] ]=i

[0220] It is a bitstream conformance requirement that for any two distinct values ​​of both i and j in the range from 0 to vps_max_layers_minus1, when dependencyFlag[i][j] is equal to 1, the values ​​of chroma_format_idc and bit_depth_minus8 applied to the i-th layer can be equal to the values ​​of chroma_format_idc and bit_depth_minus8 applied to the j-th layer, respectively.

[0221] max_tid_ref_present_flag[ i ] equal to 1 specifies that the syntax element max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ] is present. max_tid_ref_present_flag[ i ] equal to 0 specifies that the syntax element max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ] is not present.

[0222] max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ] equal to 0 specifies that inter-layer prediction is not used for non-IRAP pictures of the i-th layer. max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ] greater than 0 specifies that pictures with TemporalId greater than max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ]-1 are not used as ILRP for decoding pictures of the i-th layer. If not present, the value of max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ] is inferred to be equal to 7.

[0223] each_layer_is_an_ols_flag equal to 1 specifies that each OLS contains only one layer, each layer in the CVS that references the VPS is itself an OLS, and the single contained layer is the only output layer. When each_layer_is_an_ols_flag is equal to 0, an OLS may contain more than one layer. If vps_max_layers_minus1 is equal to 0, the value of each_layer_is_an_ols_flag is inferred to be equal to 1. Otherwise, when vps_all_independent_layers_flag is equal to 0, the value of each_layer_is_an_ols_flag is inferred to be equal to 0.

[0224] ols_mode_idc equal to 0 specifies that the total number of OLSs specified by the VPS is equal to vps_max_layers_minus1+1, where the i-th OLS includes layers with layer indices 0 to i, inclusive, and for each OLS, only the top layer of the OLS is output.

[0225] ols_mode_idc equal to 1 specifies that the total number of OLSs specified by the VPS is equal to vps_max_layers_minus1+1, where the i-th OLS contains layers with layer indices ≥ 0 and <= i, and for each OLS, all layers in the OLS are output.

[0226] ols_mode_idc equal to 2 specifies that the total number of OLSs specified by the VPS is explicitly signaled, the output layer is explicitly signaled for each OLS, and other layers are direct or indirect reference layers of the output layer of the OLS.

[0227] The value of ols_mode_idc may range from 0 to 2, inclusive. The value 3 for ols_mode_idc is reserved for future use by ITU-T|ISO / IEC.

[0228] If vps_all_independent_layers_flag is equal to 1 and each_layer_is_an_ols_flag is equal to 0, the value of ols_mode_idc is inferred to be equal to 2.

[0229] num_output_layer_sets_minus1 plus1 specifies the total number of OLSs specified by the VPS when ols_mode_idc is equal to 2.

[0230] The variable TotalNumOlss, which specifies the total number of OLSs specified by the VPS, is derived as follows: if(vps_max_layers_minus1==0) TotalNumOlss=1 else if(each_layer_is_an_ols_flag | | ols_mode_idc==0 | | ols_mode_idc==1) TotalNumOlss=vps_max_layers_minus1+1 else if(ols_mode_idc==2) TotalNumOlss=num_output_layer_sets_minus1+1

[0231] ols_output_layer_flag[ i ][ j ] being 1 specifies that the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to vps_layer_id[ j ] is the output layer of the i-th OLS when ols_mode_idc is equal to 2, and ols_output_layer_flag[ i ][ j ] being 0 specifies that the layer with nuh_layer_id equal to vps_layer_id[ j ] is not the output layer of the i-th OLS when ols_mode_idc is equal to 2.

[0232] The variable NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ] that specifies the number of output layers in the i-th OLS, the variable NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ j ] that specifies the number of sublayers in the j-th layer in the i-th OLS, the variable OutputLayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ] that specifies the nuh_layer_id value of the j-th output layer in the i-th OLS, and the variable LayerUsedAsOutputLayerFlag[ k ] that specifies whether the k-th layer is used as an output layer in at least one OLS are derived as follows: NumOutputLayersInOls

[0000] =1 OutputLayerIdInOls

[0000]

[0000] =vps_layer_id

[0000] NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS

[0000]

[0000] =vps_max_sub_layers_minus1+1 LayerUsedAsOutputLayerFlag

[0000] =1 for(i=1, i <=vps_max_layers_minus1;i++){ if(each_layer_is_an_ols_flag | | ols_mode_idc<2) LayerUsedAsOutputLayerFlag[ i ]=1 else / *(!each_layer_is_an_ols_flag&&ols_mode_idc==2)* / LayerUsedAsOutputLayerFlag[ i ]=0 } for(i=1;i <TotalNumOlss;i++) if(each_layer_is_an_ols_flag | | ols_mode_idc==0){ NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ]=1 OutputLayerIdInOls[ i ]

[0000] =vps_layer_id[ i ] for(j=0;j<i&&(ols_mode_idc==0);j++) NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ j ]=max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ i ] NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ i ]=vps_max_sub_layers_minus1+1 } else if(ols_mode_idc==1){ NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ]=i+1 for(j=0;j<NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ];j++){ OutputLayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ]=vps_layer_id[ j ] NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ j ]=vps_max_sub_layers_minus1+1 } } else if(ols_mode_idc==2){ for(j=0;j <=vps_max_layers_minus1;j++){ layerIncludedInOlsFlag[ i ][ j ]=0 NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ j ]=0 } for(k=0,j=0;k <=vps_max_layers_minus1;k++)(40) if(ols_output_layer_flag[ i ][ k ]){ layerIncludedInOlsFlag[ i ][ k ]=1 LayerUsedAsOutputLayerFlag[ k ]=1 OutputLayerIdx[ i ][ j ]=k OutputLayerIdInOls[ i ][ j++]=vps_layer_id[ k ] NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ j ]=vps_max_sub_layers_minus1+1 } NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ]=j for(j=0;j <NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ];j++){ idx=OutputLayerIdx[ i ][ j ] for(k=0;k <NumRefLayers[ idx ];k++){ layerIncludedInOlsFlag[ i ][ RefLayerIdx[ idx ][ k ] ]=1 if(NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ RefLayerIdx[ idx ][ k ] ] < max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ OutputLayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ] ]) NumSubLayersInLayerInOLS[ i ][ RefLayerIdx[ idx ][ k ] ]= max_tid_il_ref_pics_plus1[ OutputLayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ] ] } } }

[0233] For each value of i in the range 0 to vps_max_layers_minus1, inclusive, the values ​​of LayerUsedAsRefLayerFlag[ i ] and LayerUsedAsOutputLayerFlag[ i ] may not all be equal to 0. In other words, there may be no layers that are not the output layer of at least one OLS or a direct reference layer of another layer.

[0234] For each OLS, there can be at least one layer that is an output layer, i.e., for any value of i in the range 0 to TotalNumOlss-1, inclusive, the value of NumOutputLayersInOls[ i ] can be 1 or greater.

[0235] The variable NumLayersInOls[i] that specifies the number of layers in the i-th OLS and the variable LayerIdInOls[i][j] that specifies the nuh_layer_id value of the j-th layer in the i-th OLS are derived as follows: NumLayersInOls

[0000] =1 LayerIdInOls

[0000]

[0000] =vps_layer_id

[0000] for(i=1;i <TotalNumOlss;i++){ if(each_layer_is_an_ols_flag){ NumLayersInOls[ i ]=1 LayerIdInOls[ i ]

[0000] =vps_layer_id[ i ] } else if(ols_mode_idc==0 | | ols_mode_idc==1){ NumLayersInOls[ i ]=i+1 for(j=0;j <NumLayersInOls[ i ];j++) LayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ]=vps_layer_id[ j ] } else if(ols_mode_idc==2){ for(k=0,j=0;k <=vps_max_layers_minus1;k++) if(layerIncludedInOlsFlag[ i ][ k ]) LayerIdInOls[ i ][ j++]=vps_layer_id[ k ] NumLayersInOls[ i ]=j } }

[0236] The variable OlsLayerIdx[i][j], which specifies the OLS layer index of the layer whose nuh_layer_id is equal to LayerIdInOls[i][j], is derived as follows: for(i=0;i <TotalNumOlss;i++) for j=0;j <NumLayersInOls[ i ];j++) OlsLayerIdx[ i ][ LayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ] ]=j

[0237] The lowest layer in each OLS may be an independent layer, i.e., the value of vps_independent_layer_flag[ GeneralLayerIdx[ LayerIdInOls[ i ]

[0000] ] ] may be 1 for each i in the range 0 to TotalNumOlss-1.

[0238] Each layer may be included in at least one OLS specified by the VPS. In other words, for k in the range 0 to vps_max_layers_minus1, inclusive, for each layer for which a particular value of nuh_layer_id nuhLayerId is equal to one of vps_layer_id[ k ], there may be at least one pair of values ​​of i and j such that the value of LayerIdInOls[ i ][ j ] is equal to nuhLayerId, where i is in the range 0 to TotalNumOlss-1, inclusive, and j is in the range NumLayersInOls[ i ]-1, inclusive.

[0239] In one embodiment, the decoding process operates as follows for the current picture, CurrPic. -PictureOutputFlag is set as follows: - PictureOutputFlag is set equal to 0 if one of the following conditions is true: The current picture is an RASL picture and the associated IRAP picture's NoOutputBeforeRecoveryFlag is equal to 1. - gdr_enabled_flag is equal to 1 and the current picture is a GDR picture with NoOutputBeforeRecoveryFlag equal to 1. - gdr_enabled_flag is equal to 1, the current picture is associated with a GDR picture whose NoOutputBeforeRecoveryFlag is equal to 1, and the current picture's PicOrderCntVal is less than the associated GDR picture's RpPicOrderCntVal. - sps_video_parameter_set_id is greater than 0, ols_mode_idc is equal to 0, and the current AU contains a picture picA that satisfies all of the following conditions: -PicA's PictureOutputFlag is 1. -PicA has a larger nuh_layer_id nuhLid than the current picture. - PicA belongs to the output layer of OLS (i.e., OutputLayerIdInOls [ TargetOlsIdx ]

[0000] is equal to nuhLid). -sps_video_parameter_set_id is greater than 0, ols_mode_idc is equal to 2, and ols_output_layer_flag [ TargetOlsIdx ][ GeneralLayerIdx [ nuh_layer_id ] ] is equal to 0. Otherwise, PictureOutputFlag is set equal to pic_output_flag.

[0240] After all slices of the current picture have been decoded, the current decoded picture is marked as "used for short-term reference" and each ILRP entry in RefPicList

[0000] or RefPicList

[0001] is marked as "used for short-term reference".

[0241] In the same or other embodiments, if each layer is an output layer set, PictureOutputFlag is set equal to pic_output_flag regardless of the value of ols_mode_idc.

[0242] In the same or other embodiments, PictureOutputFlag is set equal to 0 if sps_video_parameter_set_id is greater than 0, each_layer_is_an_ols_flag is equal to 0, ols_mode_idc is equal to 0, and the current AU contains a picture picA that satisfies all of the following conditions: PicA has PictureOutputFlag equal to 1, PicA has a nuh_layer_id nuhLid greater than that of the current picture, and PicA belongs to the output layer of OLS (i.e., OutputLayerIdInOls[ TargetOlsIdx ]

[0000] is equal to nuhLid).

[0243] In the same or other embodiments, PictureOutputFlag is set equal to 0 if sps_video_parameter_set_id is greater than 0, each_layer_is_an_ols_flag is equal to 0, ols_mode_idc is equal to 2, and ols_output_layer_flag [ TargetOlsIdx ][ GeneralLayerIdx [ nuh_layer_id ] ] is equal to 0.

[0244] A picture may or may not be referenced in decoding order by one or more subsequent pictures for motion compensation or parameter prediction. A flag indicating whether the current picture is referenced by a following picture may be explicitly signaled in the picture header or slice header.

[0245] For example, in Figure 24, non_reference_picture_flag is signaled in the picture header. non_reference_picture_flag equal to 1 specifies that the picture associated with the PH is never used as a reference picture. non_reference_picture_flag equal to 0 specifies that the picture associated with the PH may or may not be used as a reference picture.

[0246] When a picture is cropped and may or may not be output for display or other purposes: A flag indicating whether the current picture is to be cropped and output may be explicitly signaled in the picture header or slice header.

[0247] For example, in Figure 24, pic_output_flag is signaled in the picture header. pic_output_flag equal to 1 indicates that the current picture may be cropped and output. pic_output_flag equal to 0 indicates that the current picture may not be cropped and output.

[0248] When the current picture is a non-reference picture that may not be referenced by subsequent pictures in decoding order and the value of non_reference_picture_flag is equal to 1, the value of pic_output_flag may be equal to 1, because any picture that is not referenced by subsequent pictures and is not output may not be included in the video bitstream at the decoder side.

[0249] In the same or other embodiments, when the current picture is a non-reference picture (ie, non_reference_picture_flag is equal to 1), pic_output_flag is not explicitly signaled and is inferred to be equal to 1.

[0250] On the encoder side, non-reference pictures that are not output may not be coded into the coded bitstream.

[0251] At intermediate system elements, coded pictures with non_reference_picture_flag equal to 1 and pic_output_flag equal to 0 may be discarded from the coded bitstream.

[0252] While this disclosure has described several exemplary embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and various substitute equivalents that fall within the scope of this disclosure. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems and methods that, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure and are therefore within its spirit and scope. [Explanation of symbols]

[0253] 210 decoder 320 Video Decoder 360 spherical, projection 501 Picture Header 502 ARC information 700 Computer Systems 701 Keyboard 702 Mouse 703 Trackpad 704 Data Gloves 705 Joystick 706 Mike 707 Scanner 708 Camera 709 Speaker 710 Touchscreen 721 Optical Media 722 thumb drive 723 Solid State Drive 740 cores 741 CPU 743 FPGA 744 Hardware Accelerator 745 ROM 746 RAM 747 Mass Storage Device 748 System Bus 749 Peripheral Bus

Claims

1. A method for generating an encoded bitstream having a data structure that can be executed by a processor, A step of generating a non_ref_pic_flag and setting the value of the generated non_ref_pic_flag, wherein the value is set to 1 if the picture is never used as a reference picture, and to 0 if it may or may not be used. The steps include signaling the generated non_ref_pic_flag and the set value in a high-level syntax structure, If the value of the generated non_ref_pic_flag is set to 0, the steps are to generate a pic_output_flag and signal it in the high-level syntax structure, or A method comprising the step of not signaling pic_output_flag in the high-level syntax structure if the value of the generated non_ref_pic_flag is set to 1.

2. A method for encoding video data, which can be executed by a processor, A step of generating a non_ref_pic_flag and setting the value of the generated non_ref_pic_flag, wherein the current picture is never used as a reference picture, and the value is set to 1, and the current picture may or may not be used as a reference picture, and the step of setting it to 0. The steps include signaling the generated non_ref_pic_flag and the generated value in a high-level syntax structure, If the value of the generated non_ref_pic_flag is set to 0, the steps are to generate a pic_output_flag and signal it in the high-level syntax structure, or If the value of the generated non_ref_pic_flag is set to 1, the step of not signaling pic_output_flag in the high-level syntax structure is: Methods that include...

3. A method for decoding video data, which can be executed by a processor, A step of receiving a signaled non_ref_pic_flag and its value in a high-level syntax structure, wherein if non_ref_pic_flag is 1, it indicates that the current picture will never be used as a reference picture, and if non_ref_pic_flag is 0, it indicates that the current picture may or may not be used as a reference picture. If the value of non_ref_pic_flag is 0, further in the high-level syntax structure, the step of receiving pic_output_flag, or A method comprising the step of not receiving and estimating pic_output_flag to 1 in the high-level syntax structure if the value of non_ref_pic_flag is 1.

Images