Band offset for attenuation map

Abstract

A device (e.g., a decoder) may receive a band-based attenuation indication. The device may obtain attenuation information associated with a coding tree block based on the band-based attenuation indication. The device may apply the attenuation information to a picture that includes the coding tree block. In examples, the band-based attenuation indication may be received in a header associated with the coding tree block. The band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset parameter associated with the attenuation information. In some examples, the device may receive multiple band-based attenuation indications. For example, a first band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band position parameter. A second band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset value parameter. In examples, the attenuation information may include a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM). The device may generate a band- based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band-based attenuation indication and obtain the PWAM based on the BAM.

Description

BAND OFFSET FOR ATTENUATION MAPCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of European Provisional Application No. 23306653.9, filed October 2, 2023, the contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND

[0002] Video coding systems may be used to compress digital video signals, e.g., to reduce the storage and / or transmission bandwidth needed for such signals. Video coding systems may include, for example, block-based, wavelet-based, and / or object-based systems.SUMMARY

[0003] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for a device configured to send or receive one or more band-based parameters.

[0004] In examples, a device (e.g., a decoder) may receive a band offset parameter associated with map information of a video block (e.g., in a header associated with the video block). The device may obtain the map information of the video block based on the band offset parameter. The device may decode, based on the map information of the video block, a picture that comprises the video block. The map information, for example, may include attenuation information. In some examples, the map information may include a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM). The video block may be an image block or a coding tree block (CTB). The device may generate a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band offset parameter and obtain a PWAM based on the BAM.

[0005] In examples, a device (e.g., an encoder) may obtain map information of a video block. The device may determine a band offset parameter associated with the map information of the video block. The device may include the band offset parameter in video data. The map information, for example, may include attenuation information. In some examples, the map information may include a PWAM. The video block may be an image block or a CTB. For example, the device may generate a CTB by partitioning a picture, and the device may determine the band offset parameter based on the CTB. The device may perform a header update to include the band offset parameter in a header associated with the CTB.

[0006] In examples, the device may generate a BAM based on the PWAM, and the device may generate the band offset parameter based on the BAM. The device may generate a band positionparameter and / or a band offset sign parameter based on the map information. The device may include the band position parameter and / or the band offset sign parameter in the video data.

[0007] In examples, the device may obtain a plurality of component sample values. The device may determine, using uniform splitting, a plurality of bands based on the plurality of component sample values. The device may determine that a band of the plurality of bands comprises a component sample value. The device may determine the band offset parameter and / or a band position parameter using the band.

[0008] In examples, the device may determine, using a visual increment threshold, a plurality of delineation points associated with intensity values of a CTB. The derive may determine two or more non-uniformly split regions based on the plurality of delineation points. The device may determine the band offset parameter using a non-uniformly split region of the two or more non-uniformly split regions.

[0009] In examples, the device may determine a subset of a plurality of component sample values associated with a CTB. The device may determine, based on the map information and the subset of the plurality of component sample values, an energy reduction associated with a uniform-splitting approach and an energy reduction associated with a nonuniform-splitting approach. The device may select one of the uniform-splitting approach and the nonuniform-splitting approach based on the energy reduction associated with the uniform-splitting approach and the energy reduction associated with the nonuniform-splitting approach. The device may determine the band offset parameter using the selected one of the uniform-splitting approach and the nonuniform-splitting approach.

[0010] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve a decoder. In some examples, the systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve an encoder. In some examples, the systems, methods, and instrumentalities described herein may involve a signal (e.g., from an encoder and / or received by a decoder). A computer-readable medium may include instructions for causing one or more processors to perform methods described herein. A computer program product may include instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processors, may cause the one or more processors to carry out the methods described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0012] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1 A according to an embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates an example video encoder.

[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates an example video decoder.

[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a system in which various aspects and examples may be implemented.

[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates examples of multi type tree.

[0019] FIG. 6 illustrates an example comparison diagram of CU divisions (e.g., for different codecs) (a) CU divisions using a first codec (b) CU divisions using a second codec.

[0020] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of determination of the reconstructed sample category in case of EC mode.

[0021] FIG. 8 illustrates an example where the pixel range from 0..255 (in 8-bits) may be uniformly split into 32 bands, in case of BO mode.

[0022] FIG. 9 illustrates an example where attenuation information is sent as a band offset (e.g., in a header of a CTU).

[0023] FIG. 10 illustrates a set of example attenuation maps (e.g., composed of spatially-variant positive offsets).

[0024] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a band offset SAO.

[0025] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of normal distribution.

[0026] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of Weber Fechner law.

[0027] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of non-uniform split using an adaptative histogram.

[0028] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an architecture based on a lightweight deep network for generating a dimming map (e.g., a PWAM).

[0029] FIG. 16 illustrates an example where attenuation information is sent as a band offset (e.g., in a header of a CTU).DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0031] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a ON 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0033] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114bare each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0034] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0035] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0036] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0037] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0038] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0039] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0040] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0041] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0042] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile locationbased services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0043] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0044] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1 A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0045] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0046] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to thetransceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0047] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 1 16. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0048] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0049] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0050] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), readonly memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0051] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0052] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0053] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0054] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0055] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0056] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0057] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode- Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0058] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0059] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0060] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0061] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0062] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional landline communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0063] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1 A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0064] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0065] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (ST As) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11 z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0066] When using the 802.11 ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If theprimary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0067] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0068] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0069] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11 ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0070] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11 ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (whichsupports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0071] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0072] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0073] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0074] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0075] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without alsoaccessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0076] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0077] The CN 115 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0078] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 182 may provide a control plane function for switchingbetween the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0079] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0080] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0081] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0082] In view of Figures 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0083] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or moreemulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0084] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0085] This application describes a variety of aspects, including tools, features, examples, models, approaches, etc. Many of these aspects are described with specificity and, at least to show the individual characteristics, are often described in a manner that may sound limiting. However, this is for purposes of clarity in description, and does not limit the application or scope of those aspects. Indeed, all of the different aspects may be combined and interchanged to provide further aspects. Moreover, the aspects may be combined and interchanged with aspects described in earlier filings as well.

[0086] The aspects described and contemplated in this application may be implemented in many different forms. FIGS. 5-16 described herein may provide some examples, but other examples are contemplated. The discussion of FIGS. 5-16 does not limit the breadth of the implementations. At least one of the aspects generally relates to video encoding and decoding, and at least one other aspect generally relates to transmitting a bitstream generated or encoded. These and other aspects may be implemented as a method, an apparatus, a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for encoding or decoding video data according to any of the methods described, and / or a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a bitstream generated according to any of the methods described.

[0087] In the present application, the terms “reconstructed” and “decoded” may be used interchangeably, the terms “pixel” and “sample” may be used interchangeably, the terms “image,” “picture” and “frame” may be used interchangeably.

[0088] Various methods are described herein, and each of the methods comprises one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. Unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the method, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be modified or combined. Additionally, terms such as “first”, “second”, etc. may be used in various examples to modify an element, component, step, operation, etc., such as, for example, a “first decoding” and a “second decoding”. Use of such terms does not imply an ordering to the modified operations unless specifically required. So, in this example, the first decoding need not be performed before the second decoding, and may occur, for example, before, during, or in an overlapping time period with the second decoding.

[0089] Various methods and other aspects described in this application may be used to modify modules, for example, decoding modules, of a video encoder 200 shown in FIG. 2 and a video decoder 300 as FIG. 3. Moreover, the subject matter disclosed herein may be applied, for example, to any type, format or version of video coding, whether described in a standard or a recommendation, whether pre-existing or future-developed, and extensions of any such standards and recommendations. Unless indicated otherwise, or technically precluded, the aspects described in this application may be used individually or in combination.

[0090] Various numeric values are used in examples described the present application, for example, 4, 5, 8, 255 etc. These and other specific values are for purposes of describing examples and the aspects described are not necessarily limited to these specific values.

[0091] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example video encoder. Variations of example encoder 200 are contemplated, but the encoder 200 is described below for purposes of clarity without describing all expected variations.

[0092] Before being encoded, the video sequence may go through pre-encoding processing (201), for example, applying a color transform to the input color picture (e.g., conversion from RGB 4:4:4 to YCbCr 4:2:0), or performing a remapping of the input picture components in order to get a signal distribution more resilient to compression (for instance using a histogram equalization of one of the color components). Metadata may be associated with the pre-processing, and attached to the bitstream.

[0093] In the encoder 200, a picture is encoded by the encoder elements as described below. The picture to be encoded is partitioned (202) and processed in units of, for example, coding units (CUs). Each unit is encoded using, for example, either an intra or inter mode. When a unit is encoded in an intra mode, it performs intra prediction (260). In an inter mode, motion estimation (275) and compensation (270) are performed. The encoder decides (205) which one of the intra mode or inter mode to use for encoding the unit, and indicates the intra / inter decision by, for example,a prediction mode flag. Prediction residuals are calculated, for example, by subtracting (210) the predicted block from the original image block.

[0094] The prediction residuals are then transformed (225) and quantized (230). The quantized transform coefficients, as well as motion vectors and other syntax elements, are entropy coded (245) to output a bitstream. The encoder can skip the transform and apply quantization directly to the nontransformed residual signal. The encoder can bypass both transform and quantization, i.e., the residual is coded directly without the application of the transform or quantization processes.

[0095] The encoder decodes an encoded block to provide a reference for further predictions. The quantized transform coefficients are de-quantized (240) and inverse transformed (250) to decode prediction residuals. Combining (255) the decoded prediction residuals and the predicted block, an image block is reconstructed. In-loop filters (265) are applied to the reconstructed picture to perform, for example, deblocking / SAO (Sample Adaptive Offset) filtering to reduce encoding artifacts. The filtered image is stored at a reference picture buffer (280).

[0096] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a video decoder. In example decoder 300, a bitstream is decoded by the decoder elements as described below. Video decoder 300 generally performs a decoding pass reciprocal to the encoding pass as described in FIG. 2. The encoder 200 also generally performs video decoding as part of encoding video data.

[0097] In particular, the input of the decoder includes a video bitstream, which may be generated by video encoder 200. The bitstream is first entropy decoded (330) to obtain transform coefficients, motion vectors, and other coded information. The picture partition information indicates how the picture is partitioned. The decoder may therefore divide (335) the picture according to the decoded picture partitioning information. The transform coefficients are de-quantized (340) and inverse transformed (350) to decode the prediction residuals. Combining (355) the decoded prediction residuals and the predicted block, an image block is reconstructed. The predicted block may be obtained (370) from intra prediction (360) or motion-compensated prediction (i.e., inter prediction) (375). In-loop filters (365) are applied to the reconstructed image. The filtered image is stored at a reference picture buffer (380).

[0098] The decoded picture can further go through post-decoding processing (385), for example, an inverse color transform (e.g. conversion from YCbCr 4:2:0 to RGB 4:4:4) or an inverse remapping performing the inverse of the remapping process performed in the pre-encoding processing (201). The post-decoding processing can use metadata derived in the pre-encoding processing and signaled in the bitstream. In an example, the decoded images (e.g., after application of the in-loop filters (365) and / or after post-decoding processing (385), if post-decoding processing is used) may be sent to a display device for rendering to a user.

[0099] An example context adaptive binary arithmetic coder (e.g., encoder and / or decoder) with dynamic model switch and / or parametrization may be used.

[0100] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a system in which various aspects and examples described herein may be implemented. System 400 may be embodied as a device including the various components described below and is configured to perform one or more of the aspects described in this document. Examples of such devices, include, but are not limited to, various electronic devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, digital multimedia set top boxes, digital television receivers, personal video recording systems, connected home appliances, and servers. Elements of system 400, singly or in combination, may be embodied in a single integrated circuit (IC), multiple ICs, and / or discrete components. For example, in at least one example, the processing and encoder / decoder elements of system 400 are distributed across multiple ICs and / or discrete components. In various examples, the system 400 is communicatively coupled to one or more other systems, or other electronic devices, via, for example, a communications bus or through dedicated input and / or output ports. In various examples, the system 400 is configured to implement one or more of the aspects described in this document.

[0101] The system 400 includes at least one processor 410 configured to execute instructions loaded therein for implementing, for example, the various aspects described in this document. Processor 410 can include embedded memory, input output interface, and various other circuitries as known in the art. The system 400 includes at least one memory 420 (e.g., a volatile memory device, and / or a non-volatile memory device). System 400 includes a storage device 440, which can include non-volatile memory and / or volatile memory, including, but not limited to, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), flash, magnetic disk drive, and / or optical disk drive. The storage device 440 can include an internal storage device, an attached storage device (including detachable and non-detachable storage devices), and / or a network accessible storage device, as non-limiting examples.

[0102] System 400 includes an encoder / decoder module 430 configured, for example, to process data to provide an encoded video or decoded video, and the encoder / decoder module 430 can include its own processor and memory. The encoder / decoder module 430 represents module(s) that may be included in a device to perform the encoding and / or decoding functions. As is known, a device can include one or both of the encoding and decoding modules. Additionally, encoder / decoder module 430 may be implemented as a separate element of system 400 or may beincorporated within processor 410 as a combination of hardware and software as known to those skilled in the art.

[0103] Program code to be loaded onto processor 410 or encoder / decoder 430 to perform the various aspects described in this document may be stored in storage device 440 and subsequently loaded onto memory 420 for execution by processor 410. In accordance with various examples, one or more of processor 410, memory 420, storage device 440, and encoder / decoder module 430 can store one or more of various items during the performance of the processes described in this document. Such stored items can include, but are not limited to, the input video, the decoded video or portions of the decoded video, the bitstream, matrices, variables, and intermediate or final results from the processing of equations, formulas, operations, and operational logic.

[0104] In some examples, memory inside of the processor 410 and / or the encoder / decoder module 430 is used to store instructions and to provide working memory for processing that is needed during encoding or decoding. In other examples, however, a memory external to the processing device (for example, the processing device may be either the processor 410 or the encoder / decoder module 430) is used for one or more of these functions. The external memory may be the memory 420 and / or the storage device 440, for example, a dynamic volatile memory and / or a non-volatile flash memory. In several examples, an external non-volatile flash memory is used to store the operating system of, for example, a television. In at least one example, a fast external dynamic volatile memory such as a RAM is used as working memory for video encoding and decoding operations.

[0105] The input to the elements of system 400 may be provided through various input devices as indicated in block 445. Such input devices include, but are not limited to, (i) a radio frequency (RF) portion that receives an RF signal transmitted, for example, over the air by a broadcaster, (ii) a Component (COMP) input terminal (or a set of COMP input terminals), (iii) a Universal Serial Bus (USB) input terminal, and / or (iv) a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) input terminal. Other examples, not shown in FIG. 4, include composite video.

[0106] In various examples, the input devices of block 445 have associated respective input processing elements as known in the art. For example, the RF portion may be associated with elements suitable for (i) selecting a desired frequency (also referred to as selecting a signal, or bandlimiting a signal to a band of frequencies), (ii) downconverting the selected signal, (iii) band-limiting again to a narrower band of frequencies to select (for example) a signal frequency band which may be referred to as a channel in certain examples, (iv) demodulating the downconverted and bandlimited signal, (v) performing error correction, and / or (vi) demultiplexing to select the desired stream of data packets. The RF portion of various examples includes one or more elements to performthese functions, for example, frequency selectors, signal selectors, band-limiters, channel selectors, filters, downconverters, demodulators, error correctors, and demultiplexers. The RF portion can include a tuner that performs various of these functions, including, for example, downconverting the received signal to a lower frequency (for example, an intermediate frequency or a near-baseband frequency) or to baseband. In one set-top box example, the RF portion and its associated input processing element receives an RF signal transmitted over a wired (for example, cable) medium, and performs frequency selection by filtering, downconverting, and filtering again to a desired frequency band. Various examples rearrange the order of the above-described (and other) elements, remove some of these elements, and / or add other elements performing similar or different functions. Adding elements can include inserting elements in between existing elements, such as, for example, inserting amplifiers and an analog-to-digital converter. In various examples, the RF portion includes an antenna.

[0107] The USB and / or HDMI terminals can include respective interface processors for connecting system 400 to other electronic devices across USB and / or HDMI connections. It is to be understood that various aspects of input processing, for example, Reed-Solomon error correction, may be implemented, for example, within a separate input processing IC or within processor 410 as necessary. Similarly, aspects of USB or HDMI interface processing may be implemented within separate interface ICs or within processor 410 as necessary. The demodulated, error corrected, and demultiplexed stream is provided to various processing elements, including, for example, processor 410, and encoder / decoder 430 operating in combination with the memory and storage elements to process the datastream as necessary for presentation on an output device.

[0108] Various elements of system 400 may be provided within an integrated housing, Within the integrated housing, the various elements may be interconnected and transmit data therebetween using suitable connection arrangement 425, for example, an internal bus as known in the art, including the I nter-IC (I2C) bus, wiring, and printed circuit boards.

[0109] The system 400 includes communication interface 450 that enables communication with other devices via communication channel 460. The communication interface 450 can include, but is not limited to, a transceiver configured to transmit and to receive data over communication channel 460. The communication interface 450 can include, but is not limited to, a modem or network card and the communication channel 460 may be implemented, for example, within a wired and / or a wireless medium.

[0110] Data is streamed, or otherwise provided, to the system 400, in various examples, using a wireless network such as a Wi-Fi network, for example IEEE 802.11 (IEEE refers to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The Wi-Fi signal of these examples is received over thecommunications channel 460 and the communications interface 450 which are adapted for Wi-Fi communications. The communications channel 460 of these examples is typically connected to an access point or router that provides access to external networks including the Internet for allowing streaming applications and other over-the-top communications. Other examples provide streamed data to the system 400 using a set-top box that delivers the data over the HDMI connection of the input block 445. Still other examples provide streamed data to the system 400 using the RF connection of the input block 445. As indicated above, various examples provide data in a nonstreaming manner. Additionally, various examples use wireless networks other than Wi-Fi, for example a cellular network or a Bluetooth® network.

[0111] The system 400 can provide an output signal to various output devices, including a display 475, speakers 485, and other peripheral devices 495. The display 475 of various examples includes one or more of, for example, a touchscreen display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a curved display, and / or a foldable display. The display 475 may be for a television, a tablet, a laptop, a cell phone (mobile phone), or other device. The display 475 can also be integrated with other components (for example, as in a smart phone), or separate (for example, an external monitor for a laptop). The other peripheral devices 495 include, in various examples, one or more of a standalone digital video disc (or digital versatile disc) (DVD, for both terms), a disk player, a stereo system, and / or a lighting system. Various examples use one or more peripheral devices 495 that provide a function based on the output of the system 400. For example, a disk player performs the function of playing the output of the system 400.

[0112] In various examples, control signals are communicated between the system 400 and the display 475, speakers 485, or other peripheral devices 495 using signaling such as AV. Link, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), or other communications protocols that enable device-to- device control with or without user intervention. The output devices may be communicatively coupled to system 400 via dedicated connections through respective interfaces 470, 480, and 490. Alternatively, the output devices may be connected to system 400 using the communications channel 460 via the communications interface 450. The display 475 and speakers 485 may be integrated in a single unit with the other components of system 400 in an electronic device such as, for example, a television. In various examples, the display interface 470 includes a display driver, such as, for example, a timing controller (T Con) chip.

[0113] The display 475 and speakers 485 can alternatively be separate from one or more of the other components, for example, if the RF portion of input 445 is part of a separate set-top box. In various examples in which the display 475 and speakers 485 are external components, the outputsignal may be provided via dedicated output connections, including, for example, HDMI ports, USB ports, or COMP outputs.

[0114] The examples may be carried out by computer software implemented by the processor 410 or by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software. As a non-limiting example, the examples may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits. The memory 420 may be of any type appropriate to the technical environment and may be implemented using any appropriate data storage technology, such as optical memory devices, magnetic memory devices, semiconductorbased memory devices, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. The processor 410 may be of any type appropriate to the technical environment, and can encompass one or more of microprocessors, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, and processors based on a multi-core architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0115] Various implementations involve decoding. “Decoding”, as used in this application, can encompass all or part of the processes performed, for example, on a received encoded sequence in order to produce a final output suitable for display. In various examples, such processes include one or more of the processes typically performed by a decoder, for example, entropy decoding, inverse quantization, inverse transformation, and differential decoding. In various examples, such processes also, or alternatively, include processes performed by a decoder of various implementations described in this application, for example, receiving one or more band-based attenuation indications; obtaining attenuation information associated with a coding tree block based on one or more bandbased attenuation indications; applying the attenuation information to a picture that includes the coding tree block; receiving a band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with the coding tree block; determining a band position parameter using a first band-based attenuation indication; determining a band offset value parameter using a second band-based attenuation indication; determining a band offset sign parameter using a third band-based attenuation indication; generating a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band-based attenuation indication; obtaining a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM) based on the BAM; etc.

[0116] As further examples, in one example “decoding” refers only to entropy decoding, in another example “decoding” refers only to differential decoding, and in another example “decoding” refers to a combination of entropy decoding and differential decoding. Whether the phrase “decoding process” is intended to refer specifically to a subset of operations or generally to the broader decoding process will be clear based on the context of the specific descriptions and is believed to be well understood by those skilled in the art.

[0117] Various implementations involve encoding. In an analogous way to the above discussion about “decoding”, “encoding” as used in this application can encompass all or part of the processesperformed, for example, on an input video sequence in order to produce an encoded bitstream. In various examples, such processes include one or more of the processes typically performed by an encoder, for example, partitioning, differential encoding, transformation, quantization, and entropy encoding. In various examples, such processes also, or alternatively, include processes performed by an encoder of various implementations described in this application, for example, obtaining attenuation information associated with a coding tree block; generating one or more band-based attenuation indications based on the attenuation information; including one or more band-based attenuation indications in video data; including the band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with the coding tree block; generating the coding tree block based on partitioning a picture; generating a band-based attenuation indication based on the coding tree block; performing a header update to include the band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with the coding tree block; using a first band-based attenuation indication to indicate a band position parameter; using a second band-based attenuation indication to indicate a band offset value parameter; using a third band-based attenuation indication to indicate a band offset sign parameter; uniformly splitting a range of component sample values associated with the coding tree block into multiple bands; determining a set of sample values associated with a subset of consecutive bands of the multiple bands; determining the band position parameter based on at least one sample of the plurality of sample values; determining the band offset value parameter using the plurality of sample values; determining a BAM based on the PWAM; generating one or more band-based attenuation indication based on the BAM; etc.

[0118] As further examples, in one example “encoding” refers only to entropy encoding, in another example “encoding” refers only to differential encoding, and in another example “encoding” refers to a combination of differential encoding and entropy encoding. Whether the phrase “encoding process” is intended to refer specifically to a subset of operations or generally to the broader encoding process will be clear based on the context of the specific descriptions and is believed to be well understood by those skilled in the art.

[0119] Note that syntax elements as used herein, for example, am_offset_abs, am_offset_sign, am_band_position, bam_merge_left_flag, bam_merge_up_flag, bam_type_idx_luma, bam_type_idx_chroma, etc., are descriptive terms. As such, they do not preclude the use of other syntax element names.

[0120] When a figure is presented as a flow diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a block diagram of a corresponding apparatus. Similarly, when a figure is presented as a block diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a flow diagram of a corresponding method / process.

[0121] The implementations and aspects described herein may be implemented in, for example, a method or a process, an apparatus, a software program, a data stream, or a signal. Even if only discussed in the context of a single form of implementation (for example, discussed only as a method), the implementation of features discussed can also be implemented in other forms (for example, an apparatus or program). An apparatus may be implemented in, for example, appropriate hardware, software, and firmware. The methods may be implemented in, for example, a processor, which refers to processing devices in general, including, for example, a computer, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a programmable logic device. Processors also include communication devices, such as, for example, computers, cell phones, portable / personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), and other devices that facilitate communication of information between end-users.

[0122] Reference to “one example” or “an example” or “one implementation” or “an implementation”, as well as other variations thereof, means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described in connection with the example is included in at least one example. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one example” or “in an example” or “in one implementation” or “in an implementation”, as well any other variations, appearing in various places throughout this application are not necessarily all referring to the same example.

[0123] Additionally, this application may refer to “determining” various pieces of information. Determining the information can include one or more of, for example, estimating the information, calculating the information, predicting the information, or retrieving the information from memory. Obtaining may include receiving, retrieving, constructing, generating, and / or determining.

[0124] Further, this application may refer to “accessing” various pieces of information. Accessing the information can include one or more of, for example, receiving the information, retrieving the information (for example, from memory), storing the information, moving the information, copying the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0125] Additionally, this application may refer to “receiving” various pieces of information. Receiving is, as with “accessing”, intended to be a broad term. Receiving the information can include one or more of, for example, accessing the information, or retrieving the information (for example, from memory). Further, “receiving” is typically involved, in one way or another, during operations such as, for example, storing the information, processing the information, transmitting the information, moving the information, copying the information, erasing the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0126] It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following ”, “and / or”, and “at least one of’, for example, in the cases of “A / B”, “A and / or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended toencompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A and B). As a further example, in the cases of ‘A, B, and / or C” and “at least one of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listed option (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listed options (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listed options (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listed options (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and B and C). This may be extended, as is clear to one of ordinary skill in this and related arts, for as many items as are listed.

[0127] Also, as used herein, the word “signal” refers to, among other things, indicating something to a corresponding decoder. Encoder signals may include, for example, pps_bam_info_in_ph_flag, sps_bam_enabled, ph_bam_chroma_enabled_flag, slice_bam_chroma_flag etc. In this way, in an example the same parameter is used at both the encoder side and the decoder side. Thus, for example, an encoder can transmit (explicit signaling) a particular parameter to the decoder so that the decoder can use the same particular parameter. Conversely, if the decoder already has the particular parameter as well as others, then signaling may be used without transmitting (implicit signaling) to simply allow the decoder to know and select the particular parameter. By avoiding transmission of any actual functions, a bit savings is realized in various examples. It is to be appreciated that signaling may be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, one or more syntax elements, flags, and so forth are used to signal information to a corresponding decoder in various examples. While the preceding relates to the verb form of the word “signal”, the word “signal” can also be used herein as a noun.

[0128] As will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the art, implementations may produce a variety of signals formatted to carry information that may be, for example, stored or transmitted. The information can include, for example, instructions for performing a method, or data produced by one of the described implementations. For example, a signal may be formatted to carry the bitstream of a described example. Such a signal may be formatted, for example, as an electromagnetic wave (for example, using a radio frequency portion of spectrum) or as a baseband signal. The formatting may include, for example, encoding a data stream and modulating a carrier with the encoded data stream. The information that the signal carries may be, for example, analog or digital information. The signal may be transmitted over a variety of different wired or wireless links, as is known. The signal may be stored on, or accessed or received from, a processor-readable medium.

[0129] Many examples are described herein. Features of examples may be provided alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types. Further, examples may include one ormore of the features, devices, or aspects described herein, alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types. For example, features described herein may be implemented in a bitstream or signal that includes information generated as described herein. The information may allow a decoder to decode a bitstream, the encoder, bitstream, and / or decoder according to any of the embodiments described. For example, features described herein may be implemented by creating and / or transmitting and / or receiving and / or decoding a bitstream or signal. For example, features described herein may be implemented a method, process, apparatus, medium storing instructions, medium storing data, or signal. For example, features described herein may be implemented by a TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device that performs decoding. The TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device may display (e.g., using a monitor, screen, or other type of display) a resulting image (e.g., an image from residual reconstruction of the video bitstream). The TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device may receive a signal including an encoded image and perform decoding.

[0130] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for a device configured to send or receive one or more band-based parameters.

[0131] In examples, a device (e.g., a decoder) may receive a band offset parameter associated with map information of a video block (e.g., in a header associated with the video block). The device may obtain the map information of the video block based on the band offset parameter. The device may decode, based on the map information of the video block, a picture that comprises the video block. The map information, for example, may include attenuation information. In some examples, the map information may include a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM). The video block may be an image block or a coding tree block (CTB). The device may generate a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band offset parameter and obtain a PWAM based on the BAM.

[0132] In examples, a device (e.g., an encoder) may obtain map information of a video block. The device may determine a band offset parameter associated with the map information of the video block. The device may include the band offset parameter in video data. The map information, for example, may include attenuation information. In some examples, the map information may include a PWAM. The video block may be an image block or a CTB. For example, the device may generate a CTB by partitioning a picture, and the device may determine the band offset parameter based on the CTB. The device may perform a header update to include the band offset parameter in a header associated with the CTB.

[0133] In examples, the device may generate a BAM based on the PWAM, and the device may generate the band offset parameter based on the BAM. The device may generate a band positionparameter and / or a band offset sign parameter based on the map information. The device may include the band position parameter and / or the band offset sign parameter in the video data.

[0134] In examples, the device may obtain a plurality of component sample values. The device may determine, using uniform splitting, a plurality of bands based on the plurality of component sample values. The device may determine that a band of the plurality of bands comprises a component sample value. The device may determine the band offset parameter and / or a band position parameter using the band.

[0135] In examples, the device may determine, using a visual increment threshold, a plurality of delineation points associated with intensity values of a CTB. The derive may determine two or more non-uniformly split regions based on the plurality of delineation points. The device may determine the band offset parameter using a non-uniformly split region of the two or more non-uniformly split regions.

[0136] In examples, the device may determine a subset of a plurality of component sample values associated with a CTB. The device may determine, based on the map information and the subset of the plurality of component sample values, an energy reduction associated with a uniform-splitting approach and an energy reduction associated with a nonuniform-splitting approach. The device may select one of the uniform-splitting approach and the nonuniform-splitting approach based on the energy reduction associated with the uniform-splitting approach and the energy reduction associated with the nonuniform-splitting approach. The device may determine the band offset parameter using the selected one of the uniform-splitting approach and the nonuniform-splitting approach.

[0137] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed for a device configured to send or receive one or more band-based attenuation indications.

[0138] In examples, a device (e.g., a decoder) may receive a band-based attenuation indication. The device may obtain attenuation information associated with a coding tree block based on the band-based attenuation indication. The device may apply the attenuation information to a picture that includes the coding tree block. In examples, the band-based attenuation indication may be received in a header associated with the coding tree block. The band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset parameter associated with the attenuation information. In some examples, the device may receive multiple band-based attenuation indications. For example, a first band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band position parameter. A second band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset value parameter. A third band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset sign parameter. In examples, the attenuation information may include a pixelwise attenuation map (PWAM). The device may generate a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band-based attenuation indication and obtain the PWAM based on the BAM.

[0139] In examples, a device (e.g., an encoder) may obtain attenuation information associated with a coding tree block. The device may generate a band-based attenuation indication based on the attenuation information. The device may include the band-based attenuation indication in video data. In examples, the device may include the band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with the coding tree block. The band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset parameter associated with the attenuation information. In some examples, the device may generate the coding tree block based on partitioning a picture, generate the band-based attenuation indication based on the coding tree block and / or the BAM, and perform a header update to include the band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with the coding tree block. In some examples, the device may include multiple band-based attenuation indications in the video data. For example, a first band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band position parameter. A second band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset value parameter. A third band-based attenuation indication may indicate a band offset sign parameter. In examples, the device may uniformly split a range of component sample values associated with the coding tree block into multiple bands. The device may determine a set of sample values associated with a subset of consecutive bands of the multiple bands. The device may determine a band position parameter based on at least one sample of the plurality of sample values, and the device may determine the band offset value parameter using the plurality of sample values. In examples, the attenuation information may include a PWAM, and the device may determine a BAM based on the PWAM and generate the band-based attenuation indication based on the BAM.

[0140] One or more examples herein may be related to the energy consumption and, for example, the transmission of attenuation information (e.g., an attenuation map) in the encoding bitstream.

[0141] One or more examples herein may be used for video compression. For example, one or more examples herein may provide signaling mechanism(s) to enable a display to control its energy usage and / or rendered video quality.

[0142] Attenuation information (e.g., an attenuation map) may be used by an encoder and / or a decoder to reduce energy consumption. Reducing the energy consumption of electronic devices may be desirable (and / or required in some instances) for electronic devices manufacturers and / or in terms of limiting, as much as possible, the environmental impact and contributing to the emergence of a sustainable display industry.

[0143] In some examples, the increase in the display resolution from SD to HD to 4K and soon to 8K and beyond, as well as the introduction of high dynamic range imaging, may have brought about a corresponding increase in energy requirements of display devices, which, for example, may not be consistent with the global need to reduce energy consumption.

[0144] Displays (e.g., whether it be for battery-powered devices such as smartphones or in the global video distribution chain) may constitute a source of energy consumption (e.g., a significant source of energy consumption.

[0145] In some examples, organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays are finding more and more widespread use (e.g., because of OLED’s numerous advantages compared to transmissive displays such as Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Displays (TFT-LCDs)). OLED displays may be composed of LEDs as image pixels (e.g., rather than using a uniform backlight). OLEDs power consumption may be correlated to (e.g., highly correlated to) the image content. OLEDs power consumption may be determined (e.g., readily estimated) by considering the luminance level of the displayed image pixels. Although OLED displays consume energy in a controllable manner, they may still be a significant (e.g., the most important) source of energy consumption in a video transmission chain.

[0146] In examples, energy-aware images (e.g., those that will need less energy when displayed on CE displays, notably OLED displays) may be used. In one or more examples herein, energy- aware images (e.g., including a dimming map (e.g., PWAM) may be generated, for example, using a lightweight deep learning network. The lightweight deep learning network may be based on a reduced set of parameters so that the amount of energy required for handling the deep network is kept as small as possible. The generated dimming map may target the preservation of visual similarity. The dimming map may be conditioned (e.g., explicitly conditioned) to have specific properties to respect at least one constraint (e.g., a first constraint is related to smoothness: making the dimming map as smooth as possible allows to be robust to further processing such as downsampling; a second constraint is to guarantee that the downscaling / upscaling operation is seamlessly invertible). The dimming map may be used for different energy reduction factors (e.g., different from the energy reduction factor used for training the network). In some examples, the targeted energy consumption may not be directly embedded in the model of the deep learning network through specific layers.

[0147] A process for building energy-aware image(s) may be applied at one or more of various stages in video processing (e.g., in a video coding chain). One or more of the stages may be considered: at the encoder, at the decoder, or at the display side. In some examples, when the computation (e.g., the process for building energy-aware image(s)) is applied at the encoder side, information associated with the energy-aware image(s) and / or the process for building energy-aware image(s) may be required to transmit to the decoder side.

[0148] In examples, a technique to construct energy-aware images may be used to learn attenuation information (e.g., an attenuation map with good properties such as a smoothness, codingand scalable properties). The attenuation information and / or the properties associated with the attenuation information may be used in the context of the video coding chain. FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an architecture based on a lightweight deep network for generating a dimming map (e.g., a PWAM). The architecture may be built around a lightweight deep network that has been trained to generate a dimming map for input images according to a combination of loss functions with at least one constraint. Loss functions may operate on differences between characteristics of an input image and characteristics of the corresponding output image. The constraint may apply to the dimming map itself. The reduction of the pixel values of the image may be done by modifying the luminance of the pixels of the image. An original image may be first split into luminance data and UV data, for example using a RGB2YUV function. The luminance data may be provided to the lightweight deep network that generates a dimming map. The dimming map may then be combined with the luminance data to determine the dimmed luminance. The dimmed luminance may then be combined with the UV data to form the resulting dimmed image, for example, using a YUV2RGB function. In examples, this resulting image may be perceptually similar to the original image, thus preserving the quality of experience. The luminance of the resulting image (e.g., its light level) may be decreased so that displaying this image may require less energy than displaying the original image. In some examples, spatial attention and / or channel attention mechanism may also be incorporated into the example in FIG. 15.

[0149] The lightweight deep learning network architecture may include nine layers (e.g., no more than nine layers, wherein most layers use 4 or 8 channels, and where the model is trained with less than 2000 trainable parameters). In examples, a total number of trainable parameters of 1865 may be used. The size needed to store the complete model, when using 32 bits per parameter, may be around 12kbytes.

[0150] In some examples, the combination between the dimming map and the input luminance may be done through an addition. In this case, the dimming map may include negative values so that the result of the combination may be a reduction of the luminance. The dimming map may be generated accordingly to output values for example in the range [-1 , 0] in the case of normalized values or in the range of [-(2X- 1), 0] in the case of integer luminance values expressed on x bits. In some examples, the combination between the dimming map and the input luminance may be done through subtraction. In this case, the dimming map may include positive values so that the result of the combination may be a reduction of the luminance. The dimming map may be generated accordingly to output values for example in the range [0, 1] in the case of normalized values or in the range of [0, 2X- 1] in the case of integer luminance values expressed on x bits. In some examples, the combination 230 between the dimming map and the input luminance may be done throughmultiplication (e.g., scaling). In this case, the dimming map may include values for example in the range [0; 1 ] so that the result of the combination may be a reduction of the luminance.

[0151] The training of the model of the lightweight deep network architecture may be for example performed based on 4 content losses: a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) loss LMAE, a perceptual error loss LVGG, a power loss Lpowand a total variation (TV) loss LTV. The training may be done over a set of images representative of a great variety of images. In some examples, 300 images may be used. In the description of losses, the term image may be used as a shortcut representing either the luminance part of the image or the color components of the image or a combination of luminance and chrominance of the image.

[0152] The Mean Absolute Error (MAE) loss LMAEmay be determined as following:

[0153] Where i is the spatial coordinate of the pixel, Y is the original image and H Js the modified image, N the total number of pixels in the image. This loss characterizes the difference of luminance between an original image and the corresponding modified image for one or more (e.g., all) the pixels of the images.

[0154] The perceptual error loss LVGGmay be determined as following:

[0155] where (pj(Y) represents the activation at the jth layer of the VGG16 network, represents the number of channels of this layer, Hj and IT7,- represent the height and the width of the layer respectively, J is the set of rel u2_2 layers in the VGG16 network from which the visual features are extracted. This model may be be used for extracting image features and evaluating the degree of similarity between two images. In this context, features extracted may be for example horizontal or vertical contours, interest points, texture information, specific shapes with different levels of semantic meaning. For this loss, a VGG16 network that comprises 16 layers may be used. This loss may characterize the differences between extracted features of an original image and the features of the corresponding modified image.

[0156] The power loss Lpowmay be based on the assumption that there is a linear relationship between emitted light (e.g., thus the luminance of the pixels of the image) and power consumption. It may be determined as following:

[0157] It may be assumed that PY=where y, equal to 2.2, is used to perform the gamma correction, the predicted power is PYrange 0 to 1 , is the amount of energy reduction to be achieved. This loss characterizes the difference of power between an original image and the corresponding modified image for one or more (e.g., all) the pixels of the images.

[0158] The total variation loss LTVmay be determined as following:

[0159] where Vvandhrepresent the vertical and horizontal gradients respectively, M is the dimming map. Although it is expressed as a loss function, LTVmay be used to express a constraint corresponding to block 250 of figure 2. This function may be operated on the dimming map (e.g., the dimming map only, without any relationship to an input or output image). This loss may characterize the smoothness of the dimming map.

[0160] A weighted linear combination of these four losses may be used for training (e.g., the network).

[0161] Examples of values for weights are: aMAE=1-0^VGG=0.0625

[0162] Block partitioning to generate one or more CTUs.

[0163] In examples, one picture is divided or partitioned into multiple non-overlapping Coding Tree Units (CTU). A CTU size may be set up to 128x128 for luma samples.

[0164] A coding tree unit (CTU) (e.g., each CTU) may be processed as one coding unit or split into multiple coding units (CUs), for example, by one or more recursive quaternary tree (QTBT) partitions followed by one or more recursive multi-type tree splits (e.g., Binary Tree (BT) or Ternary Tree (TT). Multi-type tree splits may include horizontal binary tree split, vertical binary tree split, horizontal ternary tree split, or vertical ternary tree split). A CTU dual tree for intra-coded slices maybe described on top of the block partitioning structure, which may separate coding trees for luma and chroma.

[0165] The splits (e.g., QTBT, BT orTT), applied to a (e.g., each) CTU, resulting in one or multiple CUs, may have square and rectangular shapes. They may allow a fit (e.g., a better fit) to local picture content characteristics and / or features. FIG. 5 illustrates examples of Multi type Tree. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of partitioning.

[0166] FIG. 6 illustrates an example comparison diagram of CU divisions (e.g., for different codecs) (a) CU divisions using a first codec (b) CU divisions using a second codec.

[0167] Sample-adaptive offset (SAC) may be used, for example, to reduce mean sample distortion associated with a region. In examples, SAC may be used to reduce mean sample distortion of a region by first classifying the region samples into multiple categories with a selected classifier, obtaining an offset for a (e.g., each) category, and then adding the offset to a sample (e.g., each sample) of the category, where the classifier index and the offsets of the region may be encoded (e.g., in the bitstream) and / or decoded. In SAC, offsets and / or parameters may be signaled (e.g., at CTU level). In some examples, SAC (e.g., SAC Palette, for example, as a SAC AdvanceMerge or SAC multiple_regions_palette) may be signaled at a picture level.

[0168] When SAC is enabled (e.g., for a CTU), the CTU may be coded (e.g., encoded or decoded) with one or more of the following 3 SAC modes (e.g., as indicated by a SAC type parameter SaoTypeldx): inactive (OFF), Edge Offset (EO), or Band Offset (BO). In case of EO or BO, a set of parameters (e.g., one set of parameters per channel (Y,U,V)) may be coded, possibly shared with neighboring CTUs (e.g., as indicated by a an SAO merge indication SAO MERGE flag). In examples, the SAO mode may be the same for Cb and Cr components.

[0169] In case of EO, a reconstructed sample (e.g., each reconstructed sample) may be classified into NC=5 categories (e.g., as indicated by an SAO EO class parameter sao_eo_class), depending on the local gradients following one direction signaled per CTU (e.g., EO_0, EO_90, EO_135 or EO_45 corresponding to directions deg., 90 deg., 135 deg. or 45 deg.), as depicted in FIG. 7. Offset values for one or more of the categories (e.g., the category NC-1) may be coded (e.g., one offset value for each category, and one category may have an offset equal to zero). The offset sign may be determined (e.g., implicitly derived) from the category. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of determination of the reconstructed sample category in case of EO mode.

[0170] In case of BO, the sample range of values for component ‘c’ (e.g., 0..255, in 8-bits) may be uniformly split into N(c)=32 bands and the sample values belonging to (NC-1)=4 consecutive bands may be modified by adding an offset, off(n). FIG. 8 illustrates an example of 4 consecutive bands. (NC-1) signed offset values and / or the starting band may be coded (e.g., one for each of the(NC-1) bands, and the remaining bands may have offset equal to zero). FIG. 8 illustrates an example where the pixel range from 0..255 (in 8-bits) may be uniformly split into 32 bands, in case of BO mode.

[0171] A look-up table (LUT) may be used to include the offsets (e.g., utsAo[c]’ containing the offsets for each band may be built for each component ‘c’). The LUT may contain zero except for the NC-1 consecutives that contain offsets to be added to the reconstructed samples, for example, as the following recsAo[x] = rec[x] + lutsAo[c][ rec[x] » s ] ,

[0172] where rec[x] is used to represent the reconstructed samples at position ‘x’ for the current component(c), before applying SAG, s is equal to (BD(c) - 5), and lutsAo[c] contains the offsets for the component ‘c’, BD(c) is used to represent the bit-depth of the component ‘c’.

[0173] In case of EG or BO, the SAO mode and / or offsets may not be coded (e.g., the SAO mode and / or offsets may be copied from the neighboring above or left CTU (Merge mode)).

[0174] SAO indication(s) (e.g., the SAO flag) may be transmitted / or signaled using one or more parameters shown in Table 1 .Table 1 shows examples parameters used for SAO transmission(s).

[0175] Examples of coding unit syntax may be shown in Table 2 and Table 3.Table 2 shows examples of coding unit syntax.Table 3 shows examples of coding unit syntax.

[0176] Sample adaptive offset semantic (e.g., corresponding to the coding unit syntax shown in Table 2 and 3) may be provided in the following.

[0177] A syntax element sao_merge_left_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that the syntax elements sao_type_idx_luma, sao_type_idx_chroma, sao_band_position, sao_eo_class_luma, sao_eo_class_chroma, sao_offset_abs and sao_offset_sign are derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the left CTB. The syntax element sao_merge_left_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that these syntax elements are not derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the left CTB. When the syntax element sao_merge_left_flag is not present, it may be inferred to be equal to 0.

[0178] A syntax element sao_merge_up_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that the syntax elements sao_type_idx_luma, sao_type_idx_chroma, sao_band_position, sao_eo_class_luma, sao_eo_class_chroma, sao_offset_abs and sao_offset_sign are derived from the correspondingsyntax elements of the above CTB. The syntax element sao_merge_up_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that these syntax elements are not derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the above CTB. When sao_merge_up_flag is not present, it may be inferred to be equal to 0.

[0179] A syntax element sao_type_idx_luma may be used to specify the offset type for the luma component. The array SaoTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be used to specify the offset type as specified in one or more examples herein for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx. The value of SaoTypeldx

[0000] [ rx ][ ry ] is derived as follows, shown in Table 4.Table 4 shows an example for determining the value of syntax element SaoTypeldx

[0000] [ rx ][ ry ].

[0180] A syntax element sao_type_idx_chroma may be used to specify the offset type for the chroma components. The values of SaoTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be derived as follows for cldx equal to 1 ..2, shown in Table 5.Table 5 shows an example for determining the value of syntax element SaoTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ].

[0181] Table 6 shows an example specification of the SAO type

[0182] A syntax element sao_offset_abs[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] may be used to specify the offset value of i-th category for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx.

[0183] When sao_offset_abs[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] is not present, it may be inferred as follows, as shown in Table 7.Table 7 shows an example for determining the value of syntax element sao_offset_abs[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ].

[0184] A syntax element sao_offset_sign[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] may be used to specify the sign of the offset value of i-th category for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx.

[0185] When sao_offset_sign[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] is not present, it may be inferred as follows, as shown in Table 8.Table 8 shows an example for determining the value of syntax element sao_offset_sign[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ].

[0186] The variable log2OffsetScale may be derived as follows, as shown in Table 9.Table 9 shows an example for determining the value of a variable log2OffsetScale.

[0187] The list SaoOffsetVal[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] for i ranging from 0 to 4, inclusive, may be derived as follows: SaoOffsetVal[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ]

[0000] = 0 for( i = 0; i < 4; i++ ) SaoOffsetVal[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i + 1 ] = ( 1 - 2 * sao_offset_sign[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] ) * (7-72) sao_offset_abs[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] « log2OffsetScale

[0188] A syntax element sao_band_position[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be used to specify the displacement of the band offset of the sample range when SaoTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] is equal to 1 .

[0189] When sao_band_position[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] is not present, it may be inferred as follows, shown in Table 10.Table 10 shows an example for determining the value of a syntax element sao_band_position[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ].

[0190] A syntax element sao_eo_class_luma may be used to specify the edge offset class for the luma component. The array SaoEoClass[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be used to specify the offset type as specified i n one or more examples herein for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx. The value of SaoEoClass

[0000] [ rx ][ ry ] may be derived as follows, shown in Table 11 . Table 11 shows an example for determining the value of a syntax element SaoEoClass

[0000] [ rx ][ ry ].

[0191] A syntax element sao_eo_class_chroma may be used to specify the edge offset class for the chroma components. The values of SaoEoClass[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be derived as follows for cldx equal to 1..2, as shown in Table 12.Table 12 shows an example for determining the value of a syntax element SaoEoClass[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ].Table 13 shows an example specification of the SAO edge.

[0192] In one or more examples herein, attenuation information (e.g., one or more attenuation map parameters) may be included in video data (e.g., transmitted into the bitstream) at the encoder stage. The attenuation information may be decoded at the decoder stage and / or be applied (e.g., on the fly) at the decoding stage (e.g., in the loop and not at a post filter). Partitioning may be performed, and the attenuation information may be added in the CTU header. Such parameter(s) may indicate the amount of reduction that is to be applied. The amount of reduction may include, for example, a set of offsets in consecutive bands.

[0193] The attenuation information (e.g., PWAM) may be transmitted along the network (e.g., auxiliary data, green metadata tracks, and / or SEI message(s)).

[0194] One or more examples herein may be used to manage energy consumption of display devices. The energy consumption of display devices may be reduced. Attenuation information (e.g., an attenuation map) may be used to determine (e.g., infer) the amount of reduction that can be performed. In one or more examples herein, the attenuation information may be included in a header associated with a CTU (e.g., as a band offset within the header of the CTU). In some examples, the attenuation information may not be signaled in the header associated with a CTU (e.g., the attenuation information may be transmitted along the network). FIG. 9 illustrates an example where attenuation information is sent as a band offset (e.g., in a header of a CTU).

[0195] The example of FIG. 9 may include block 902 for pre-analysis, block 904 for partitioning, block 908 for header update, block 906 for transforming PWAM to BAM, block 910 for attenuation band offset extraction from CTU header, block 912 for pixel-wise attenuation map extrapolation, and block 914 for attenuation map application. In examples, one or more blocks 902-914 implemented as a module (e.g., software or hardware), a computing block, a processing unit, etc. Although FIG. 9 shows that an encoder may include 904 for partitioning, 908 for header update, and 906 for transforming PWAM to BAM, the encoder may include any one or any combination of two or more from 902-908. Although FIG. 9 shows that a decoder includes 910 for attenuation band offset extraction from CTU header, the decoder may include any or any combination of 910-914. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the decoder may include 910 and 914. As shown in FIG. 16, the band offset attenuation map (BAM) may be applied (e.g., directly applied, for example, BAM may not be extrapolated to PWAM in the decoding stage) by / in the decoder (e.g., using one or more features used for SAG). In some examples, an example shown in FIG. 16 may enable a fast and direct process that is performed in the decoder (e.g., refinement / extrapolation may be skipped).

[0196] In examples described herein, the information that is sent via a band-based indication (e.g., in a header) may be an attenuation indication (e.g., an attenuation indication that indicates a parameter associated with a PWAM and / or a BAM). It will be appreciated that the band-based indication indicating other types of information (e.g., map information, for example, depth map, saliency map, etc.,) may likewise be generated and / or transmitted consistent with one or more examples disclosed herein. For example, a depth map may be represented by a grey-level image indicating the distance between a camera and an actual object. A depth map may represent the basic geometry of a captured video scene. A depth map may correspond to a texture picture of a video content and may include a dense monochrome picture of the same resolution as the luma picture. A depth map may have the same resolution or a different resolution than a luma picture. For example, a depth map (e.g., a pixel-wised depth map) may be transformed to a band-based map, according to systems, methods, and instrumentalities associated with 906 in FIG. 9.

[0197] At 902, attenuation information may be obtained, for example, using one or more examples herein (e.g., the example architecture in FIG. 15 and the training method used in association with FIG. 15). For example, a PWAM may be generated at 902 according to one or more examples herein. At 904, partitioning may be performed, for example, using one or more examples herein. One or more CTU may be generated through the partitioning at 904, for example, as described in one or more examples herein. A CTU generated using the partitioning at 904 may be associated with a header. For example, a header update may be performed based on one or more examples herein (e.g., the example shown in Table 16, Table 18, or Table 18). At 906, a pixel-wise attenuation map(PWAM) may be transformed to a band-based attenuation map (BAM). In examples, a PWAM may be computed (e.g., at the encoder side, for example, as part of the preanalysis) and transformed into a BAM (e.g., to be encoded in the bitstream and read at the decoder side in order to be applied at the decoding stage). A PWAM (e.g., a pixel-wise full-resolution attenuation map) may be obtained (e.g., computed) based on an input image, for example, using one or more examples herein (e.g., the example architecture in FIG. 15 and the training method used in association with FIG. 15).

[0198] At 910, attenuation band offset(s) may be extracted from a header associated with a CTU (e.g., a CTU header), for example, by parsing and / or decoding one or more band-based attenuation indications (e.g., slice_bam_luma_flag, bam_typejdx_luma, bam_offset_abs, bam_offset_abs, bam_offset_sign, bam_band_position, etc.). At 912, the PWAM may be extrapolated (e.g., following a reverse process based on the process / example shown for transforming PWAM to BAM). At 914, the attenuation map may be applied to a picture (e.g., following a reverse process based on the process / example shown for obtaining PWAM based on an input image).

[0199] An attenuation map may include a pixel-wise map (e.g., where each pixel represents an amount of reduction). This reduction (e.g., the amount of reduction) may be indicated by an offset (e.g., a positive or negative offset) or a scaling value. FIG. 10 illustrates a set of example attenuation maps (e.g., composed of spatially-variant positive offsets). As shown in FIG. 10, four attenuation maps are presented with a target reduction of 5%, 10%, 20% and 40%. The attenuation maps in FIG. 10 may be computed using one or more examples herein.

[0200] The block (e.g., 906, as shown in FIG. 9) may enable a transformation from a PWAM to a BAM. In some examples, a band offset attenuation map may be generated using one or more approaches that are used to generate SAG Band Offset (BO). In one or more examples herein, BO may be adapted (e.g., to differentiate from the BO used in SAO) to manage attenuation map as a band offset. The parameters of BAM may include a band position parameter (e.g., indicated by am_band_position), an offset parameter (e.g., an offset value parameter (e.g., indicated by am_offset_abs) and an offset sign parameter (e.g., indicated by am_offset_sign). The band position parameter (e.g., indicated by am_band_position) may indicate a displacement of the band offset of a sample range. The band position parameter am_band_position may be referred to as a start band position.

[0201] The offset parameter am_offset may be determined using an offset value parameter am_offset_abs and an offset sign parameter am_offset_sign. The offset value parameter am_offset_abs may indicate (e.g., specify) the offset value of a band offset attenuation map of a selected category for a CTB. The offset sign parameter am_offset_sign may indicate (e.g., specify) the sign of the offset value of the selected category for the CTB.

[0202] In examples, the offset parameter am_offset parameter may be derived in am_offset_abs and am_offset_sign, as shown in one or more examples described in associated with SAO.

[0203] The band position parameter am_band_position may be obtained (e.g., computed) as one or more examples herein.

[0204] In examples, uniform split may be used to obtain the band position parameter am_band_position. For example, the sample range of values for component ‘c’ (e.g., 0..255, in 8- bits) may be uniformly split into N(c)=32 bands and the sample values belonging to (NC-1)=4 consecutive bands may be modified by adding an offset (e.g., am_offset or off(n)). Although the sample range of values for component ‘c’ is split into 4 uniform bands, other ways to uniformly split the sample range of values for component ‘c’ may be used, for example, based on the tradeoff between rate and accuracy of the band attenuation map. The component ‘c’ may be luma or Cr / Cb. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a band offset SAO. The example in FIG. 11 may be used to perform the uniform split as shown in one or more examples herein.

[0205] A first band position (e.g., as indicated by the band position parameter am_band_position) may be selected using one or more examples herein (e.g., using a strategy that is the same or different from the example shown in FIG. 11).

[0206] The first band position may be selected based on a determination of whether and / or when the first band or start band position includes at least one pixel. In examples, it may be determined when the first band or start band position (am_band_position) contains at least 1 pixel. In some examples, (e.g., a variant from the at least one pixel approach) a minimum number of pixels and / or a minimum percentage of pixels in the CTU may be used and / or defined. For example, this approach may be indicated using a band offset uniform split minimum indication bo_ufs_min. The offset off(n) of the nth band (e.g., each band) may be, for example, the mean of the attenuation map for this band. The offsets may be indicated using (e.g., decomposed in the offset value parameter am_offset_abs and an offset sign parameter am_offset_sign).

[0207] The first band position may be selected based on the distribution of pixel density (e.g., based on an assumption that the distribution of pixel density is a normal distribution). In examples, the distribution of pixel intensity may be considered as a normal distribution in a CTU. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of normal distribution.

[0208] In examples, the mean pixel intensity and / or the variance (sigma) pixel intensity in a CTU may be determined (e.g., computed). The start band position (e.g., indicated by the band position parameter am_band_position) may be determined at mean-2*sigma (e.g., 95.45% of pixels between mean-2*sigma and mean+2*sigma when centered in mean). Larger or smaller bands (e.g., mean- alpha*sigma, where alpha defines the size of the band or the dynamic of the band) may be used.This approach may be indicated using a band offset uniform split normal distribution indication bo_ufs_nd. The offset off(n) of the nth band (e.g., each band) may be the mean of the attenuation map for this band. The offsets may be indicated using (e.g., decomposed in the offset value parameter am_offset_abs and an offset sign parameter am_offset_sign).

[0209] In examples, non-uniform split may be used to obtain the band position parameter am_band_position. For example, the sample range of values for component ‘c’ (e.g., 0..255, in 8- bits) may be non-uniformly split into 4 bands may be modified by adding an offset (e.g., am_offset or off(n)). In one or more examples herein, the pixel intensity range may be split using a non-uniform split (e.g., split into 4 non uniform bands).

[0210] In examples, the non-uniform split may be performed based on a human perception model (e.g., a human perception model given by the Weber-Fechner law). The model may be used to describe the impact of a pixel intensity modification on the intensity region of this pixel (e.g., the importance of a pixel intensity modification regarding the intensity region of this pixel). In examples, a pixel modification in black intensities may have a greater impact (e.g., be more perceptible) than a pixel modification in white intensities. For example, the visual increment threshold may indicate, be determined based on, or be defined as the amount of light necessary to add to a visual field of intensity B (e.g., the intensity black) to become visible. This threshold may be determined (e.g., be approximated by piecewise linear functions), and / or the minimum amount may be computed as low intensities region, for example, as shown in Table 14.Table 14: an example showing different regions including low intensities region

[0211] As shown in Table 14, x1 ; x2; x3 may be used to determine the boundaries of the different regions, and K1 ;K2;K3 may be constants of proportionality. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of WeberFechner law. For example, with A1 =0.1 , A2=0.3, A3=0.9, BETA=0.04, BMAX=2.05, X1 ,X2,X3 and K1 ,K2,K3 are the following, for a pixel luminance in 8 bits: X1 = (255 * A1) = 25; X2 = (255 * A2) = 76; X3 = (255 * A3) = 229; K1 = (BETA * BMAX); K2 = (K1 * sqrt(X2)); K3 = (K1 * (1.0 / X3)).

[0212] The 4 regions delimited by the 3 pixel intensity X1,X2,X3 may be used as the non uniform split. For a region (e.g., each region), the mean of attenuation map may be computed and stored as an offset off(n). The offset of a band (e.g., each band) may be the mean of the attenuation map for this band. The offsets off(n) may be indicated using (e.g., decomposed in the offset value parameter am_offset_abs and an offset sign parameter am_offset_sign). The start band position (e.g., indicated by the band position parameter am_band_position) in this case may be equal to 0. This approach may be indicated using a band offset non-uniform split weber indication bo_nufs_weber.

[0213] In examples, the non-uniform split may be performed based on an adaptative histogram.

[0214] Cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the histogram of pixels may be used to determine how to split (e.g., how to split the pixel intensity into 4 bins). For example, for a distribution of pixels along the full range [0-255], the CDF of this histogram may be computed. The 4 bins may be split at pixel intensity when the CDF reaches 25%, 50%, and 75%. In some examples, the number of elements per bin may be uniform (e.g., but the split may be done at different values of pixel intensities). For a region or bin (e.g., each region or bin), the mean of attenuation map may be computed and / or stored as an offset off(n). The offsets off(n) may be indicated using (e.g., decomposed in the offset value parameter am_offset_abs and an offset sign parameter am_offset_sign). The start band position (e.g., indicated by the band position parameter am_band_position) in this case may be equal to 0. This approach may be indicated using a band offset non-uniform split adaptive histogram indication bo_nufs_ah. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of non-uniform split using an adaptative histogram.

[0215] In some example (e.g., a variant to the adaptive histogram approach) may be to consider the start band position (e.g., indicated by the band position parameter am_band_position) at pixel intensity 0 (e.g., but when the first band contains at least 1 pixel).

[0216] An attenuation map optimization (AMO) may be used to select a model (e.g., the best model among the examples as described herein).

[0217] AMO may be used to find the best model among {bo_ufs_min, bo_ufs_nd, bo_nufs_weber,bo_nufs_ah} for this CTU. AMO may be used to generate the best cost / energy consumption reduction for this CTU, for example, using a function below. am_method[4] = { bo_ufs_min, bo_ufs_nd , bo_nufs_weber , bo_nufs_ah } .

[0218] The function amjnethod may be used to determine the offset off(n) (e.g., the function amjnethod returns the offset off(n) corresponding to the selected band n for the selected method). An intensity may map to a band (e.g., each intensity of the component C(i,j) maps to a band n).Table 15: an example of determining a best method using AMO

[0219] As shown in Table 15, OAC may be used to represent the attenuated component (e.g., the attenuated component computed with the original attenuation map for this CTU). OAC may be used to provide the energy reduction (e.g., may be used to give the best energy reduction, for example, as shown in Eq. 1.OAC(i, ) = C(i,j') + AMc(i,j') Eq. 1

[0220] Eq. 2 may be used to determine cost (e.g., with C representing the component Luma, Cr, Cb and AMCrepresenting the original attenuation map for this component at pixel (i,j) and (i, j) e CTU).

[0221] The BAM indications (e.g., flags) may be transmitted and / or signaled using one or more parameters including, for example, as shown in Table 16.Table 16 showing example parameters used for signaling BAM* Picture Header: if sps_bam_enabled_flag && pps_bam_info_in_ph_flag : ph_bam_luma_enabled_flag if Chroma format ! = 400: ph_bam_chroma_enabled_flag* Slice Header: if pps_bam_info_in_ph_flag && !sps_bam_enabled_flag slice_bam_luma_flag if chroma enable: slice_bam_chroma_flagWhere: pps_no_pic_partition_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that no picture partitioning is applied to each picture referring to the PPS. pps_no_pic_partition_flag equal to 0 specifies that each picture referring to the PPS might be partitioned into more than one tile or slice. pps_bam_info_in_ph_flag: equal to 1 may be used to specify that BAM information could be present in the PH syntax structure and not present in slice headers referring to the PPS that do not contain a PH syntax structure. pps_sao_info_in_ph_flag equal to 0 specifies that BAM information is not present in the PH syntax structure and could be present in slice headers referring to the PPS. When not present, the value of pps_bam_info_in_ph_flag is inferred to be equal to 0. picture parameter set (PPS): A syntax structure containing syntax elements that apply to zero or more entire coded pictures as determined by a syntax element found in each picture header sps_bam_enabled_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that BAM is enabled for the coded layer video sequence. sps_bam_enabled_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that BAM is disabled for the coded layer video sequence sequence parameter set (SPS): A syntax structure containing syntax elements that apply to zero or more entire coded layer video sequence as determined by the content of a syntax element found in the PPS referred to by a syntax element found in each picture header.When present, ph_bam_luma_enabled_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that BAM is enabled for the luma component of the current picture, and ph_bam_luma_enabled_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that BAM is disabled for the luma component of the current picture. When ph_bam_luma_enabled_flag is not present, it is inferred to be equal to 0.When present, ph_bam_chroma_enabled_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that BAM is enabled for the chroma component of the current picture, and ph_sao_chroma_enabled_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that BAM is disabled for the chroma component of the current picture. When ph_bam_chroma_enabled_flag is not present, it may be inferred to be equal to 0 slice_bam_luma_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that BAM is used for the luma component in the current slice. slice_bam_luma_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that BAM is not used for the luma component in the current slice. slice_bam_chroma_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that BAM is used for the chroma component in the current slice. slice_bam_chroma_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that BAM is not used for the chroma component in the current slice.

[0222] Coding Tree Unit syntax (e.g., shown in Table 17 and Table 18) may be used for BAM transmission.Table 17 showing example parameters used for signaling BAMTable 18 showing example parameters used for signaling BAM

[0223] One or more of the following semantic BAM may be used in association with Table 17 andTable 18.

[0224] A syntax element bam_merge_left_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that the syntax elements bam_typejdx_luma,bam_type_idx_chroma, band_band_position, bam_offset_abs andbam_offset_sign are derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the left CTB. The syntax element bam_merge_left_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that these syntax elements are not derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the left CTB. When bam_merge_left_flag is not present, it is inferred to be equal to 0.

[0225] A syntax element bam_merge_up_flag equal to 1 may be used to specify that the syntax elements bam_typejdx_luma, bam_type_idx_chroma, bam_band_position, bam_offset_abs and bam_offset_sign are derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the above CTB. The syntax element bam_merge_up_flag equal to 0 may be used to specify that these syntax elements are not derived from the corresponding syntax elements of the above CTB. When bam_merge_up_flag is not present, it is inferred to be equal to 0.

[0226] A syntax element bam_type_idx_luma may be used to specify the offset type for the luma component. The array BamTypeldx[ cldx][ rx][ ry ] may be used to specify the offset type as specified in next Table for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx. The value of BamTypeldx

[0000] [ rx ][ ry ] may be derived as shown in Table 19. Table 19 showing an example of determining the value of a syntax element BamTypeldx

[0000] [ rx ][ ry ]

[0227] A syntax element bam_type_idx_chroma may be used to specify the offset type for the chroma components. The values of BamTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be derived as follows for cldx equal to 1 ..2:, for example, as shown in Table 20.Table 20 showing an example of determining the value of a syntax element BamTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ]Table 21 showing an example Specification of the BAM type(s)

[0228] A syntax element bam_offset_abs[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] may be used to specify the offset value of i-th category for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx.

[0229] A syntax element bam_offset_sign[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ][ i ] may be used to specify the sign of the offset value of i-th category for the CTB at the location ( rx, ry ) for the colour component cldx.

[0230] A syntax element bam_band_position[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] may be used to specify the displacement of the band offset of the sample range when BamTypeldx[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] is equal to 1.

[0231] When the syntax element bam_band_position[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ] is not present, it may be inferred as follows, for example, as shown in Table 22.Table 22 showing an example of determining the value of a syntax element bam_band_position[ cldx ][ rx ][ ry ]

[0232] Decoding tools and techniques (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 3) including, for example, one or more of entropy decoding, inverse quantization, inverse transformation, and differential decoding may be used to enable one or more examples as described herein in a decoder. For example, these decoding tools and techniques may be used to enable one or more of: receiving one or more bandbased indications (e.g., associated with one or more of an attenuation map, a depth map, a saliency map, etc.); receiving one or more band-based indications (e.g., associated with one or more of an attenuation map, a depth map, a saliency map, etc.) in a header; receiving one or more band-based attenuation indications; receiving one or more band-based attenuation indications in a header; receiving attenuation information in a header; obtaining attenuation information associated with a coding tree block based on one or more band-based attenuation indications; sending the attenuation information; applying attenuation information to a picture; applying attenuation information to a coding tree block; receiving a band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with a coding tree block; receiving a band-based attenuation indication in a header associated with a picture, slice,etc.; determining a band position parameter using a first band-based attenuation indication; determining a band offset value parameter using a second band-based attenuation indication; determining a band offset sign parameter using a third band-based attenuation indication; generating a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band-based attenuation indication; obtaining a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM) based on a BAM; obtaining a BAM associated with a coding tree block based on the band-based attenuation indication and applying the BAM to the coding tree block; etc.

[0233] Encoding tools and techniques (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2) including one or more of quantization, entropy coding, inverse quantization, inverse transformation, and differential coding may be used to enable one or more examples as described herein in the encoder. For example, these encoding tools and techniques may be used to enable one or more of obtaining attenuation information associated with a coding tree block; generating one or more band-based attenuation indications based on attenuation information; including one or more band-based attenuation indications in video data; including one or more band-based attenuation indications in a header; including one or more band-based attenuation indications in a header associated with a coding tree block; including one or more band-based attenuation indications in a header associated with a picture, slice etc.; generating a coding tree block based on partitioning a picture; generating a bandbased attenuation indication based on a coding tree block; performing a header update to include one or more band-based attenuation indications in a header associated with a coding tree block; using a first band-based attenuation indication to indicate a band position parameter; using a second band-based attenuation indication to indicate a band offset value parameter; using a third bandbased attenuation indication to indicate a band offset sign parameter; uniformly splitting a range of component sample values associated with a coding tree block into multiple bands; nonuniformly splitting a range of component sample values associated with a coding tree block into multiple bands; determining a set of sample values associated with a subset of consecutive bands of multiple bands; determining a band position parameter based on at least one sample of a plurality of sample values; determining a band offset value parameter using a plurality of sample values; determining a BAM based on a PWAM; generating one or more band-based attenuation indications based on a BAM; including one or more band-based indications (e.g., associated with one or more of an attenuation map, a depth map, a saliency map, etc.) in video data; including one or more band-based indications (e.g., associated with one or more of an attenuation map, a depth map, a saliency map, etc.) in a header; etc.

[0234] A method, process, apparatus, a TV, a set-top box, a cell phone, a tablet, medium storing instructions, medium storing data, a syntax element, a bitstream, or signal may be used for one ormore of encoding, decoding, storing, displaying, transmitting, and / or receiving data according to one or more of the examples described herein. Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A device for video decoding, comprising: a processor configured to: receive a band offset parameter associated with map information of a video block; obtain the map information of the video block based on the band offset parameter; and decode, based on the map information of the video block, a picture that comprises the video block.

2. A device for video encoding, comprising: a processor configured to: obtain map information of a video block; determine a band offset parameter associated with the map information of the video block; and include the band offset parameter in video data.

3. A method for video decoding, comprising: receiving a band offset parameter associated with map information of a video block; obtaining the map information of the video block based on the band offset parameter; and decoding, based on the map information of the video block, a picture that comprises the video block.

4. A method for video encoding, comprising: obtaining map information of a video block; determining a band offset parameter associated with the map information of the video block; and including the band offset parameter in video data.

5. The device of claim 1 or claim 2 or the method of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the map information comprises attenuation information.

6. The device of claim 1 or claim 2 or the method of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the map information comprises a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM), and wherein the video block is an image block or a coding tree block (CTB).

7. The device of claim 1 or the method of claim 3, wherein the band offset parameter is received in a header associated with the video block.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on the band offset parameter; and obtain a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM) based on the BAM.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive at least one of a band position parameter or a band offset sign parameter.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the video block is a coding tree block (CTB), wherein the processor is further configured to: generate the CTB by partitioning a picture, wherein the band offset parameter is determined based on the CTB; and perform a header update to include the band offset parameter in a header associated with the CTB.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a band-based attenuation map (BAM) based on a pixel-wise attenuation map (PWAM), and wherein the band offset parameter is generated based on the BAM.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a band position parameter and a band offset sign parameter based on the map information; and include the band position parameter and the band offset sign parameter in the video data.

13. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain a plurality of component sample values; determine, using uniform splitting, a plurality of bands based on the plurality of component sample values; and determine that a band of the plurality of bands comprises a component sample value, wherein the band offset parameter and a band position parameter are determined using the band.

14. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine, using a visual increment threshold, a plurality of delineation points associated with intensity values of a coding tree block; anddetermine two or more non-uniformly split regions based on the plurality of delineation points, wherein the band offset parameter is determined using a non-uniformly split region of the two or more non- uniformly split regions.

15. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a subset of a plurality of component sample values associated with a coding tree block; determine, based on the map information and the subset of the plurality of component sample values, an energy reduction associated with a uniform-splitting approach and an energy reduction associated with a nonuniform-splitting approach; and select one of the uniform-splitting approach and the nonuniform-splitting approach based on the energy reduction associated with the uniform-splitting approach and the energy reduction associated with the nonuniform-splitting approach, wherein the band offset parameter is determined using the selected one of the uniform-splitting approach and the nonuniform-splitting approach.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing data content generated according to the method of any one of claims 3-7.

17. A computer readable medium including instructions for causing one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 3-7.18 A computer program product comprising instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 3-7 when executed by one or more processors.

19. A bitstream comprising information representative of an encoded output generated according to the method of any one of claims 3-7.

20. The device according to any one of claims 1 -2 and 5-15, comprising: a TV, a cell phone, a tablet, or a set-top box (STB).

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