# US 10,455,243 B2 · Transmission device, transmission method, reception device, and reception method for a first stream having encoded image data of pictures on a low-level side and a second stream having encoded image data of pictures on a high-level side > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,243 B2 - Document ID: US10455243B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/119,582 - Filed: 2015-02-16 - Published: 2017-02-23 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2014-03-07 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Ikuo Tsukagoshi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455243B2 ## CPC - H04N 19/30: using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability (H04N19/63 takes precedence) - H04N 19/188: {the unit being a video data packet, e.g. a network abstraction layer [NAL] unit} - H04N 19/70: characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards - H04N 21/234327: {by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers} - H04N 21/234381: {by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping} - H04N 21/440227: {by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers} - H04N 21/440281: {by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping (television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783)} - H04N 21/4516: {involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available} - H04N 21/85406: {involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An image data of pictures constituting moving image data is encoded to generate an encoded video stream. In this case, the image data of the pictures constituting the moving image data is classified into a plurality of levels and encoded to generate a video stream having the image data of the pictures at the respective levels. Hierarchical composition is equalized between a low-level side and a high-level side, and corresponding pictures on the low-level side and the high-level side are combined into one set and are sequentially encoded. This allows a reception side to decode the encoded image data of the pictures on the low-level side and the high-level side with a smaller buffer size and a reduced decoding delay. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A transmission device comprising: an encoder configured to: perform hierarchical encoding on image data of pictures constituting moving image data to generate a first stream having encoded image data of pictures on a low-level side and a second stream having encoded image data of pictures on a high-level side, the encoded image data having a network abstraction layer (NAL) unit structure, and insert a level specified value of the first stream together with a level specified value of a bit stream formed from a combination of the first stream and the second stream into a sequence parameter set (SPS) NAL unit of the first stream, the level specified value of the first stream being discrete from the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream; a multiplexer configured to: multiplex the first stream and the second stream generated by the image encoding unit to obtain a container in a predetermined format, insert a first descriptor describing the level specified value of the first stream into the container at a first position other than in the SPS NAL unit and in correspondence with the first stream, and insert a second descriptor describing the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream into the container at a second position other than in the SPS NAL unit and in correspondence with the second stream; and a transmitter configured to transmit the container in the predetermined format obtained by the multiplexer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the first descriptor further describes maximum and minimum information on the levels of the pictures contained in the first stream, and the second descriptor further describes maximum and minimum information on the levels of the pictures contained in the second stream. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the container is a transport stream, and the first descriptor and the second descriptor are inserted under a program map table. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The transmission device according to claim 1, wherein flag information indicative of insertion of the level specified value of the first stream is further inserted into the SPS. ### Claim 5 A transmission method comprising: performing hierarchical encoding on image data of pictures constituting moving image data to generate a first stream having encoded image data of pictures on a low-level side and a second stream having encoded image data of pictures on a high-level side, the encoded image data having a network abstraction layer (NAL) unit structure; inserting a level specified value of the first stream together with a level specified value of a bit stream formed from a combination of the first stream and the second stream into a sequence parameter set (SPS) NAL unit of the first stream, the level specified value of the first stream being discrete from the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream; and multiplexing the first stream and the second stream generated at the image encoding to obtain a container in a predetermined format; inserting a first descriptor describing the level specified value of the first stream into the container at a first position other than in the SPS NAL unit and in correspondence with the first stream; inserting a second descriptor describing the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream into the container at a second position other than in the SPS NAL unit and in correspondence with the second stream; and transmitting the container in the predetermined format obtained at the multiplexing. ### Claim 6 A reception device comprising: a receiver configured to receive a container in a predetermined format containing: a first stream having encoded image data of pictures on a low-level side and a second stream having encoded image data of pictures on a high-level side generated by performing hierarchical encoding on image data of pictures constituting moving image data, and a first descriptor describing a level specified value of the first stream positioned at a first position other than in a sequence parameter set (SPS) network abstraction layer (NAL) unit of the first stream and in correspondence with the first stream and a second descriptor describing a level specified value of a bit stream formed from a combination of the first stream and the second stream positioned at a second position other than in the SPS NAL unit and in correspondence with the second stream, wherein the encoded image data has a NAL unit structure, and the level specified value of the first stream is inserted together with the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream into the SPS NAL unit of the first stream, the level specified value of the first stream being discrete from the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream; and a processor configured to decode the first stream or both the first stream and the second stream contained in the received container depending on a decoding capability to obtain the image data of the pictures constituting moving image data. ### Claim 7 A reception method comprising: receiving a container in a predetermined format containing a first stream having encoded image data of pictures on a low-level side and a second stream having encoded image data of pictures on a high-level side generated by performing hierarchical encoding on image data of pictures constituting moving image data, and a first descriptor describing a level specified value of the first stream positioned at a first position other than in a sequence parameter set (SPS) network abstraction layer (NAL) unit of the first stream and in correspondence with the first stream and a second descriptor describing a level specified value of a bit stream formed from a combination of the first stream and the second stream positioned at a second position other than in the SPS NAL unit and in correspondence with the second stream, wherein the encoded image data has a NAL unit structure, and the level specified value of the first stream is inserted together with the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream into the SPS NAL unit of the first stream, the level specified value of the first stream being discrete from the level specified value of the bit stream formed from the combination of the first stream and the second stream; and decoding the first stream or both the first stream and the second stream contained in the received container depending on a decoding capability to obtain the image data of the pictures constituting moving image data.