Palette Table and Index Map Coding for Screen Content Compression

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current screen content coding techniques, such as pseudo string match and color palette coding, face challenges in complexity and efficiency, particularly with fixed block decomposition and increased encoder complexity, limiting their performance in lossless and lossy coding modes.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves advanced screen content coding using improved palette table and index map coding methods, including pixel representation, palette table compression, color index map compression, and residual compression, which are integrated with the HEVC Range Extension to enhance coding efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If intra block copy with fixed block decomposition is used, then coding performance is bounded, but device complexity increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoding performanceVSAvoidencoder complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the screen content into multiple layers including a foreground layer and a background layer. Each layer is independently coded with its own palette table and index map, allowing selective processing of different content regions and reducing overall encoding complexity while maintaining coding performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimension of color space representation by using multiple palette tables for different layers instead of a single palette table. This dimensional expansion in color representation allows more efficient coding of diverse screen content without increasing block decomposition complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If pseudo string match is used for lossless coding, then coding gain is highest, but complexity overhead is significant

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelossless coding gainVSAvoidcomplexity overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the coding process into multiple stages: palette table generation, index map creation, and residual coding. This segmentation allows the lossless pseudo string match technique to be applied selectively to the index map rather than the entire image, reducing complexity overhead while maintaining lossless coding gain.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial string matching only to the index map data rather than the full image data. This partial action approach achieves most of the lossless coding benefit with significantly reduced computational complexity compared to full image-level string matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Loss of information

If color palette coding is used, then compression efficiency improves for screen content, but performance is limited for continuous color tones

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompression efficiencyVSAvoidcolor tone adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the color representation into multiple palette tables, each optimized for specific content regions or layers. This allows the system to use discrete palette coding for regions with limited colors while maintaining the ability to represent continuous color tones through multiple specialized palettes, improving both compression efficiency and color adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite coding structure that combines multiple palette tables with different color characteristics. This composite approach allows the system to leverage the strengths of palette coding for screen content while extending adaptability to handle continuous color tones through the combination of multiple specialized color tables.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP3053339B1Advanced screen content coding with improved palette table and index map coding methods
Publication Date: 2020.11.25 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3053339B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3053339B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3053339B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An apparatus is configured to perform a method for screen content encoding. The method includes deriving a palette table and a color index map based on a coding unit (CU). The method also includes encoding the palette table and encoding the color index map. The method further includes combining the encoded palette table and the encoded color index map for transmission to a receiver, where the palette table and index map are decoded to reconstruct a pixel block.