Joint Color and Depth Encoding for 3D Video Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current video coding standards, such as H.264, are sub-optimal for depth coding, leading to subpar three-dimensional video quality and high bandwidth requirements in stereo applications, as they are designed for natural scenes and not specifically for depth data.
Innovation Solution
A method for joint color and depth encoding that computes confidence values based on color data to differentiate between correlated and decorrelated portions of depth data, allowing for efficient encoding and decoding of depth data as per-pixel vergence angles, which can be integrated into existing encoders and decoders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional video coding standards (H.264) are used for depth coding, then the encoding process is simple and compatible with existing systems, but the compression efficiency is poor and bandwidth requirements are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments depth data encoding into two distinct parts: a correlated portion that can be predicted from color data and a decorrelated portion that requires explicit encoding. This segmentation allows the encoder to process only the essential depth information, significantly improving compression efficiency while maintaining compatibility with existing video coding frameworks through the residual encoding approach.
2Ease of operation
If conventional video coding standards (H.264) are used for depth coding, then implementation is straightforward, but three-dimensional video quality is subpar
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary depth prediction using color data before the main encoding process. By computing confidence values and generating predicted depth values in advance, the system prepares optimized data for the subsequent encoding stage, thereby improving 3D video quality while maintaining a straightforward implementation through modular integration with existing codecs.
3Manufacturing precision
If computer-graphics specific approaches are used for depth coding, then depth coding quality improves, but bandwidth requirements become prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the decorrelated portion of depth data that cannot be predicted from color information. By separating and encoding only this essential residual component rather than transmitting complete depth maps, the system achieves high depth coding quality while significantly reducing bandwidth requirements compared to full computer-graphics approaches.
4Loss of information
If full depth data is encoded without using color correlation, then depth information is complete, but compression efficiency is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces color data as an intermediary to facilitate depth prediction. By using color information as a mediator to generate predicted depth values and confidence maps, the system achieves efficient compression while preserving complete depth information through the residual encoding of prediction errors, thereby resolving the contradiction between information completeness and compression efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for performing joint color and depth encoding. Color data and depth data for an image is received. Based on the color data, confidence values are computed for the depth data and the depth data is encoded based on the confidence values to represent a correlated portion of the depth data and a decorrelated portion of the depth data. In one embodiment, the depth data comprises per-pixel vergence angles.