Depth-Based Texture Block Partitioning for 3D Video Coding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D video coding methods face inefficiencies due to the high bitrate of texture data compared to depth data, and conventional block partitioning methods often require complex signaling and do not effectively utilize depth information for texture coding.
Innovation Solution
The method employs depth-based block partitioning, where texture blocks are coded using partitions determined by depth information, allowing for arbitrary, non-regular shapes that reduce bitrate and signaling overhead, and enables efficient encoding and decoding by determining partition shapes at the decoder using prior knowledge of depth information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional block partitioning methods are used for texture coding, then the encoding process is straightforward, but the bitrate and signaling overhead remain high without effective utilization of depth information
Solution Approach 1:
The texture block is divided into multiple partitions based on depth information, where each partition corresponds to a specific depth range. This segmentation allows selective encoding of different texture regions according to their depth characteristics, reducing the overall bitrate by avoiding redundant encoding in occluded or less important regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Depth information is processed beforehand to generate a partitioning mask that defines the texture block partitions. This preliminary action enables the encoder to pre-determine which regions require encoding and at what quality level, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving coding efficiency without adding complex runtime processing.
2Productivity
If arbitrary non-regular partition shapes are used based on depth information, then coding efficiency improves, but signaling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different partitions of the texture block are encoded with different qualities and parameters based on their depth characteristics. Regions corresponding to foreground objects or important depth ranges receive higher quality encoding, while background or occluded regions use lower quality settings, optimizing overall coding efficiency without uniform complexity throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The partitioning mask is generated in advance from depth information, pre-defining the arbitrary shapes of partitions before the actual texture encoding process. This eliminates the need to signal complex partition boundaries during texture encoding, as the decoder can independently reconstruct the same partitions using the same depth-based logic.
3Measurement precision
If depth-based block partitioning is implemented, then texture areas are more accurately represented and prediction errors are reduced, but computational complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
Depth information serves as an intermediary that guides the partitioning process. Instead of directly analyzing complex texture patterns to determine partitions, the system uses the simpler depth map as a mediator to define partition boundaries, which then guide the texture encoding process. This reduces computational complexity while improving accuracy by leveraging the correlation between depth and texture structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The partitioning mask is computed beforehand from depth information, performing the computationally intensive segmentation task in advance. This preliminary computation allows the actual texture encoding to proceed with simpler operations, reducing real-time computational complexity while maintaining high representation accuracy through depth-informed partition boundaries.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for decoding an encoded texture block of a texture image, the decoding apparatus comprising: a partitioner (510) adapted to determine a partitioning mask (332) for the encoded texture block (312′) based on depth information (322) associated to the encoded texture block, wherein the partitioning mask (332) is adapted to define a plurality of partitions (P1, P2) and to associate a texture block element of the encoded texture block to a partition of the plurality of partitions of the encoded texture block; and a decoder (720) adapted to decode the partitions of the plurality of partitions of the encoded texture block based on the partitioning mask.