360 Video Boundary Artifact Prevention via Guard Margin Signaling

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In 360° video rendering, packed projections often exhibit discontinuities at region boundaries due to texel interpolation, leading to boundary artifacts, which existing solutions like guard margins or texel extension either increase data redundancy or decoder complexity.

Innovation Solution

A signaling mechanism is introduced to indicate the use of a guard margin or padding at region boundaries, allowing for flexible implementation and preventing boundary artifacts by transmitting metadata that specifies whether a guard margin is used, and if so, its extent, enabling the rendering device to adjust accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a guard margin is used at region boundaries to prevent boundary artifacts, then boundary artifacts are prevented, but redundant texels are introduced in the transmitted video

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveboundary artifact preventionVSAvoidredundant texels
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing boundary texel values in a buffer before rendering. This allows the rendering device to quickly retrieve and use these pre-prepared boundary values during texel interpolation, preventing boundary artifacts without requiring guard margins in the transmitted video data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary buffer that stores boundary texel values between the video data and the rendering process. This buffer acts as a mediator that provides the necessary boundary information for interpolation without requiring the main video data to contain redundant guard margin information

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If texels are extended at region boundaries to prevent boundary artifacts, then boundary artifacts are prevented, but decoder complexity increases if texel extension is not supported in rendering hardware

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveboundary artifact preventionVSAvoiddecoder complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables the rendering device to self-serve by providing it with the necessary boundary texel values through metadata and buffer mechanisms. The rendering device uses these provided values directly in its interpolation process without requiring complex decoder-side texel extension operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The boundary texel values are pre-calculated and made available to the rendering device before rendering occurs. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex real-time texel extension operations during decoding or rendering

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If a signaling mechanism is introduced to indicate guard margin usage, then implementation flexibility is provided, but metadata complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplementation flexibilityVSAvoidmetadata overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing boundary texel information selectively only where needed at region boundaries, rather than uniformly across the entire video data. This targeted approach provides the necessary flexibility without adding excessive metadata overhead

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3510770B1System and method to prevent boundary artifacts
Publication Date: 2022.06.08 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3510770B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3510770B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4A
  • EP3510770B1 patent drawingFigure 4B~5

AI summary

A method for processing 360° video is disclosed. The method comprising receiving video data and metadata for processing the video data, the video includes a plurality of regions, determining when the metadata includes an indication that at least one region from the plurality of regions includes a guard margin along at least one boundary of the at least one region, and when the indication indicates that the at least one region includes the guard margin, processing the video data based on the received metadata.