Configurable positions for auxiliary information input into a picture data processing neural network

A method for processing a picture with a neural network comprising a plurality of neural network layers to generate a bitstream, the method comprising:

• processing the picture with the neural network, wherein for each of one or more preconfigured positions within the neural network, the processing the picture comprises:
• determining, based on a gathering condition, whether to gather auxiliary data for processing by a layer at the preconfigured position,
• in response to determining to gather the auxiliary data, processing the picture with the layer at the preconfigured position based on the auxiliary data;
• and
• inserting into the bitstream data obtained through processing the picture by the neural network.

An apparatus for processing picture feature data from a bitstream using a neural network comprising a plurality of neural network layers, the apparatus comprising:

• a processing circuitry configured to:
• obtain the picture feature data from the bitstream;
• process the picture feature data using the neural network, wherein for each of one or more preconfigured positions within the neural network, the processing the picture feature data comprises:
• determine, based on a gathering condition, whether to gather auxiliary data for processing by one of the plurality of neural network layers at the preconfigured position,
• in response to determining to gather the auxiliary data, process the picture feature data with the neural network layer at the preconfigured position based on the auxiliary data.

An apparatus for processing a picture with a neural network comprising a plurality of neural network layers to generate a bitstream, the apparatus comprising:

• a processing circuitry configured to:
• process the picture with the neural network, wherein for each of one or more preconfigured positions within the neural network, the processing the picture comprises:
• determine, based on a gathering condition, whether to gather auxiliary data for processing by a layer at the preconfigured position,
• in response to determining to gather the auxiliary data, process the picture with the layer at the preconfigured position based on the auxiliary data;
• and
• insert into the bitstream data obtained through processing the picture by the neural network.