# US 12,604,003 B2 · Encoding/decoding video picture partitioned in CTU grids > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,604,003 B2 - Document ID: US12604003B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/850,883 - Filed: 2023-02-22 - Published: 2025-07-03 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-31 - Assignees: Dolby International AB - Applicants: Dolby International AB - Inventors: Pierre Andrivon; Fabrice Leléannec - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12604003B2 ## CPC - H04N 19/119: Adaptive subdivision aspects, e.g. subdivision of a picture into rectangular or non-rectangular coding blocks - H04N 19/14: Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation (H04N19/146 takes precedence) - H04N 19/172: the region being a picture, frame or field - H04N 19/186: the unit being a colour or a chrominance component - H04N 19/70: characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards - H04N 19/96: Tree coding, e.g. quad-tree coding - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A method for encoding a video picture into a bitstream of encoded video picture data, includes: obtaining a grid of coding-tree units to split at least one component of the video picture into coding-tree units, each coding-tree unit being a picture area subdivided according to a coding tree; determining at least one shifting offset by aligning at least one boundary of the grid of coding-tree units with at least one boundary separating picture areas with low spatial activity from picture areas with high spatial activity of the video picture; shifting the grid of coding-tree units according to the at least one shifting offset; obtaining encoded video picture data by encoding at least one coding unit (CU) of a coding tree associated with each coding-tree unit (CTU) of the shifted grid of coding-tree units; and writing the encoded video picture data into the bitstream. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for encoding a video picture into a bitstream of encoded video picture data, wherein the method comprises: obtaining a grid of coding-tree units to split at least one component of the video picture into coding-tree units, each coding-tree unit being a picture area subdivided according to a coding tree; determining at least one shifting offset by aligning at least one boundary of the grid of coding-tree units with at least one boundary separating picture areas with low spatial activity from picture areas with high spatial activity of the video picture; shifting the grid of coding-tree units according to the at least one shifting offset; obtaining encoded video picture data by encoding at least one coding unit (CU) of a coding tree associated with each coding-tree unit (CTU) of the shifted grid of coding-tree units; and writing the encoded video picture data into the bitstream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a spatial activity of the video picture is determined by detecting vertical and horizontal edges from video picture content and the at least one boundary separating picture areas with low spatial activity from picture areas with high spatial activity of the video picture is a detected vertical or horizontal edge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one shifting offset is determined by minimizing a spatial distance between boundaries of the grid of coding-tree units and detected vertical or horizontal edges. ### Claim 4 A method of decoding a video picture from a bitstream of encoded video picture data, wherein the method comprises: determining a grid of coding-tree units representing a spatial partition of the video picture, each coding-tree unit representing a picture area of the video picture subdivided according to a coding tree; shifting the grid of coding-tree units according to at least one shifting offset; obtaining video picture data by decoding at least one coding unit (CU) of a coding tree associated with each coding tree unit (CTU) of the shifted grid of coding-tree units from the bitstream; and obtaining the video picture from the video picture data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: signaling into the bitstream syntax elements indicating whether the grid of coding-tree units is vertically shifted, horizontally shifted or both. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: signaling into the bitstream shifting information data comprising a binary data indicating if at least one shifting offset is present in the bitstream and signalling into the bitstream the at least one shifting offset if the shifting information data indicates that at least one shifting offset is present into the bitstream. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the shifting information data is signalled in a syntax element comprising a sequence parameter set, a picture parameter set or a picture header. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the video picture comprises a luma component comprising a set of luma samples, the at least one shifting offset is an integer multiple of a maximum between 8 and a minimum coded block size for luma samples. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one shifting offset is an integer multiple of 8 or is indexed in multiple of 8. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one shifting offset is lower than a size of a partial coding-tree unit size. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An apparatus for encoding a video picture into a bitstream of encoded video picture data, the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of claim 1. ### Claim 12 An apparatus for video decoding a video picture from a bitstream of encoded video picture data, the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform: determining a grid of coding-tree units representing a spatial partition of the video picture, each coding-tree unit representing a picture area of the video picture subdivided according to a coding tree; shifting the grid of coding-tree units according to at least one shifting offset; obtaining video picture data by decoding at least one coding unit (CU) of a coding tree associated with each coding tree unit (CTU) of the shifted grid of coding-tree units from the bitstream; and obtaining the video picture from the video picture data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A non-transitory storage medium carrying instructions of program code for executing the method of claim 1. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to perform: signaling into the bitstream syntax elements indicating whether the grid of coding-tree units is vertically shifted, horizontally shifted or both. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to perform: signaling into the bitstream shifting information data comprising a binary data indicating if at least one shifting offset is present in the bitstream and signalling into the bitstream the at least one shifting offset if the shifting information data indicates that at least one shifting offset is present into the bitstream. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the shifting information data is signalled in a syntax element comprising a sequence parameter set, a picture parameter set or a picture header. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the video picture comprises a luma component comprising a set of luma samples, the at least one shifting offset is an integer multiple of a maximum between 8 and a minimum coded block size for luma samples. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one shifting offset is an integer multiple of 8 or is indexed in multiple of 8. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one shifting offset is lower than a size of a partial coding-tree unit size. ### Claim 20 (depends on 4) A non-transitory storage medium carrying instructions of program code for executing the method of claim 4.