HEVC Video Decoding Parallelism Negotiation

The patent extracts the parallelization functionality from the regular slice structure by introducing wavefront parallel processing (WPP) as a separate, dedicated mechanism. This allows parallel decoding to be achieved without the overhead of multiple regular slice headers, as WPP uses a single slice structure with internal row-based partitioning that enables parallel processing while maintaining prediction efficiency.

The patent segments the picture into multiple rows of treeblocks for WPP processing, allowing independent parallel decoding of each row while maintaining a single continuous bitstream. This segmentation enables both MTU size matching through controlled row boundaries and high parallelization efficiency, as each row can be processed independently without the overhead of multiple slice headers.

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing the wavefront offset values in the bitstream during encoding. This allows the decoder to determine the exact data dependencies between rows in advance, enabling efficient inter-processor communication by having each processing element know exactly what data it needs from neighboring rows before starting decoding, thus reducing communication overhead while maintaining high parallelization efficiency.