Frame-compatible full-resolution stereoscopic 3D video delivery with symmetric picture resolution and quality

A method using a processor, the method comprising:

• receiving a 3D image represented by a first multiplexed image frame and a second multiplexed image frame, the first multiplexed image frame comprising first spatial frequency content unfiltered in a vertical direction including first high spatial frequency content in the vertical direction and first reduced resolution content in a horizontal direction, and the second multiplexed image frame comprising second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the horizontal direction including second high spatial frequency content in the horizontal direction and second reduced resolution content in the vertical direction;
• wherein one of the first multiplexed image frame or the second multiplexed image frame comprises residual image data, wherein the residual image data has been generated by subtracting reference image data generated based on the other of the first multiplexed image frame or the second multiplexed image frame from input image data derived from a LE input image frame and a RE input image frame;
• wherein the first spatial frequency content unfiltered in the vertical direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the vertical direction;
• wherein the first high spatial frequency content in the vertical direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the vertical direction;
• wherein the first reduced resolution content in the horizontal direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the horizontal direction;
• wherein the second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the horizontal direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the horizontal direction;
• wherein the second high spatial frequency content in the horizontal direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the horizontal direction;
• wherein the second reduced resolution content in the vertical direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the vertical direction;
• wherein one of the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame comprises a residual image frame and a carrier image frame;
• wherein all the carrier image frame comprises pixel values of the same fixed value;
• generating, based on the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame, a left eye (LE) image frame and a right eye (RE) image frame, the LE image frame comprising LE high spatial frequency content in both horizontal and vertical directions, and the RE image frame comprising RE high spatial frequency content in both horizontal and vertical directions;
• and
• rendering the 3D image by rendering the LE image frame and the RE image frame.

A system, comprising:

• an encoder configured to
• receive an input 3D image, the input 3D image comprising a left eye (LE) input image frame and a right eye (RE) input image frame;
• generate, based on the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, a first multiplexed image frame comprising first spatial frequency content unfiltered in a vertical direction including first high spatial frequency content in the vertical direction and first reduced resolution content in a horizontal direction;
• wherein the first spatial frequency content unfiltered in the vertical direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the vertical direction;
• wherein the first high spatial frequency content in the vertical direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the vertical direction;
• wherein the first reduced resolution content in the horizontal direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the horizontal direction;
• generate, based on the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, a second multiplexed image frame comprising second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the horizontal direction including second high spatial frequency content in the horizontal direction and second reduced resolution content in the vertical direction;
• wherein one of the first multiplexed image frame or the second multiplexed image frame comprises residual image data in combination with carrier image data, wherein the residual image data is generated by subtracting reference image data generated based on the other of the first multiplexed image frame or the second multiplexed image frame from input image data derived from the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame;
• wherein all the carrier image data comprises pixel values of the same fixed value;
• wherein the second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the horizontal direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the horizontal direction;
• wherein the second high spatial frequency content in the horizontal direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the horizontal direction;
• wherein the second reduced resolution content in the vertical direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the vertical direction;
• and
• encode and outputting the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame to represent the input 3D image;
• a decoder configured to:
• receive the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame in a plurality of video bitstreams;
• wherein one of the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame comprises the residual image data in combination with carrier image data;
• wherein all the carrier image data comprises pixel values of the same fixed value;
• generate, based on the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame, a left eye (LE) image frame and a right eye (RE) image frame, the LE image frame comprising LE high spatial frequency content in both horizontal and vertical directions, and the RE image frame comprising RE high spatial frequency content in both horizontal and vertical directions;
• and
• render the LE image frame and the RE image frame.

A method for encoding 3D frame compatible full resolution (FCFR) images using a processor, the method comprising:

• receiving an input 3D image, the input 3D image comprising a left eye (LE) input image frame and a right eye (RE) input image frame;
• generating, based on the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, a first multiplexed image frame comprising first spatial frequency content unfiltered in a first direction including first high spatial frequency content in the first direction and first reduced resolution content in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction;
• wherein the first spatial frequency content unfiltered in the vertical first spatial direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the vertical first spatial direction;
• wherein the first high spatial frequency content in the first spatial direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the first spatial direction;
• wherein the first reduced resolution content in the second spatial direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the second spatial direction;
• generating, based on the first multiplexed image frame, reference image data and carrier image data;
• subtracting the reference image data from the input 3D image data to generate residual image data;
• generating, based on the residual image data and the carrier image data, a second multiplexed image frame comprising second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the second direction including second high spatial frequency content in the second direction and second reduced spatial frequency content in the first direction;
• wherein the second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the second spatial direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the second spatial direction;
• wherein the second high spatial frequency content in the second spatial direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the second spatial direction;
• and
• encoding and outputting the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame to represent the input 3D image, wherein generating the carrier image data comprises:
• applying a first spatial filtering in a first direction of a base layer image frame to down-sample the base layer image frame and generate an intermediate image, the base layer image based at least in part on the first multiplexed image frame;
• and
• applying a second spatial filtering in a second direction to the intermediate image to up-sample the intermediate image to generate the carrier image data, wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction;
• wherein all the carrier image data comprise pixel values of the same fixed value.

A method using a processor for decoding 3D signals coded in a frame compatible full resolution (FCFR) format, the method comprising:

• receiving a 3D image represented by a first multiplexed image frame and second multiplexed image frame, the first multiplexed image frame comprising first spatial frequency content unfiltered in a first spatial direction including first high spatial frequency content in the first spatial direction and first reduced resolution content in a second spatial direction, and the second multiplexed image frame comprising second high spatial frequency content in the second spatial direction and second reduced resolution content in the first spatial direction, wherein the second spatial direction is orthogonal to the first spatial direction;
• wherein the first spatial frequency content unfiltered in the first spatial direction comprises spatial frequency content of an LE input image frame and an RE input image frame, unfiltered in the first spatial direction;
• wherein the first high spatial frequency content in the first spatial direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the first spatial direction;
• wherein the first reduced resolution content in the second spatial direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the second spatial direction;
• wherein the second spatial frequency content unfiltered in the second spatial direction comprises spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, unfiltered in the second spatial direction;
• wherein the second high spatial frequency content in the second spatial direction comprises high spatial frequency content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the second spatial direction;
• wherein the second reduced resolution content in the first spatial direction comprises reduced resolution content of the LE input image frame and the RE input image frame, in the first spatial direction;
• generating based on the first multiplexed image frame a frame-compatible pair of image frames (FC-L, FC-R) comprising the first spatial frequency content unfiltered in the second direction including the first high spatial frequency content in the first spatial direction and the first reduced spatial frequency content in the second spatial direction;
• and
• generating based on the first multiplexed image frame and the second multiplexed image frame a full-resolution pair of frames (FR-LE, FR-RE) comprising high spatial frequency content in both the first spatial direction and the second spatial direction, wherein the second multiplexed image frame comprises a residual image frame combined with a carrier image frame and wherein the carrier image frame is generated based on the first multiplexed image frame and then subtracted from the second multiplexed image frame to generate the residual image frame;
• wherein all the carrier image frame comprises pixel values of the same fixed value.