US 10,567,753 B2Granted

Skip macroblock coding

AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC

InventorsSridhar Srinivasan, Pohsiang Hsu

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Abstract

Various techniques and tools for encoding and decoding (e.g., in a video encoder/decoder) binary information (e.g., skipped macroblock information) are described. In some embodiments, the binary information is arranged in a bit plane, and the bit plane is coded at the picture/frame layer. The encoder and decoder process the binary information and, in some embodiments, switch coding modes. For example, the encoder and decoder use normal, row-skip, column-skip, or differential modes, or other and/or additional modes. In some embodiments, the encoder and decoder define a skipped macroblock as a predicted macroblock whose motion is equal to its causally predicted motion and which has zero residual error. In some embodiments, the encoder and decoder use a raw coding mode to allow for low-latency applications.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer system comprising one or more processing units and memory, the computer system implementing a video encoder system comprising:

a video encoder, implemented using the one or more processing units and memory, configured to perform operations comprising encoding plural video pictures of a video sequence to produce encoded data, the plural video pictures including plural predicted macroblocks, wherein each block of the plural predicted macroblocks is predicted from no more than one reference video picture, wherein the encoding the plural video pictures includes:
selecting a coding mode from among plural available coding modes;
processing one or more skipped macroblocks among the plural predicted macroblocks, wherein each of the one or more skipped macroblocks uses causally predicted motion for the skipped macroblock based upon motion of one or more other predicted macroblocks around the skipped macroblock, and wherein each of the one or more skipped macroblocks lacks residual information;
and
encoding skipped macroblock information for the one or more skipped macroblocks for signaling at a layer in bitstream syntax, wherein the skipped macroblock information indicates skipped/not skipped status, the skipped macroblock information being encoded according to the coding mode selected from among the plural available coding modes;
and
a buffer configured to store the encoded data for output in a bitstream.

4 more elements

A computer system comprising one or more processing units and memory, the computer system implementing a video decoder system comprising:

a buffer configured to store encoded data in a bit stream for plural video pictures of a video sequence;
and
a video decoder, implemented using the one or more processing units and memory, configured to perform operations comprising decoding the plural video pictures, the plural video pictures including plural predicted macroblocks, wherein each block of the plural predicted macroblocks is predicted from no more than one reference video picture, and wherein the decoding the plural video pictures includes:
selecting a coding mode from among plural available coding modes;
for one or more skipped macroblocks among the plural predicted macroblocks, decoding skipped macroblock information signaled at a layer in bitstream syntax, the skipped macroblock information having been encoded according to the coding mode selected from among the plural available coding modes, wherein the skipped macroblock information indicates skipped/not skipped status;
and
processing the one or more skipped macroblocks, wherein each of the one or more skipped macroblocks uses causally predicted motion for the skipped macroblock based upon motion of one or more other predicted macroblocks around the skipped macroblock, and wherein each of the one or more skipped macroblocks lacks residual information.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/460,814Filed 2 Jul 2019 · continuation
Priority: 17 Dec 2001
Published: US 2019/0327464 A124 Oct 2019
Granted: 18 Feb 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

H04N 19/103
Characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding: selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
H04N 19/105
Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode: selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g.…
H04N 19/129
Characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding: scanning of coding units, e.g. zig-zag scan of…
H04N 19/132
Characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding: sampling, masking or truncation of coding…

Family

Application60/341,674Us provisional application · filed 17 Dec 2001
Application60/377,712Us provisional application · filed 3 May 2002
Application10/321,415Parent of this division · filed 16 Dec 2002
Application11/495,354Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Jul 2006
US 7,200,275 B2Parent of this division · filed 3 Apr 2007
Application12/495,481Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jun 2009
US 7,555,167 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jun 2009
Application13/866,918Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Apr 2013
US 8,428,374 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Apr 2013
Application14/292,540Parent of this continuation · filed 30 May 2014
US 8,781,240 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Jul 2014
Application14/746,594Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Jun 2015
US 9,088,785 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Jul 2015
Application15/342,790Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Nov 2016
US 9,538,189 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Jan 2017
Application15/699,925Parent of this continuation · filed 8 Sep 2017
US 9,774,852 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Sep 2017
US 2019/0327464 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Oct 2019
US 10,368,065 B2Parent of this continuation
Application11/495,354Parent of this division
US 2003/0113026 A1Published application
US 2006/0262979 A1Published application
US 2009/0262835 A1Published application
US 2013/0235932 A1Published application
US 2014/0286420 A1Published application
US 2015/0288962 A1Published application
US 2017/0078658 A1Published application
US 2017/0374362 A1Published application
US 10,567,753 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.