Video coding using multi-dimensional amplitude coding and 2-D non-zero/zero cluster position coding

A carrier medium carrying machine readable code including instructions for performing, when executed by a processor, a method for processing an ordered series of digital signals that each have an amplitude from a finite set of amplitudes consisting of the most-likely-to-occur amplitude and at least one other amplitude, the processing to reduce the amount of data used to represent the digital signals and to form codewords such that the more likely-to-occur values or sequences of values of digital signals are represented by relatively short codewords and the less likely-to-occur values or sequences of values of digital signals are represented by relatively long codewords, the method comprising:

• for a first contiguous region in the series:
• identifying events that each includes a run one or more consecutive signals having any value other than the most-likely-to-occur amplitude;
• for each identified event, encoding the event with a codeword that for at least some events, relatively more likely-to-occur events are encoded by a shorter codeword than relatively less likely-to-occur events;
• and
• for each identified event, jointly encoding a plurality of consecutive values in the run of consecutive signals having other than the most-likely-to-occur amplitude, the joint encoding according to an amplitude coding method,
• such that relatively short codewords are formed to represent values or sequences of values that are relatively more likely-to-occur, and relatively long codewords are formed to represent values or sequences of values that are relatively less likely-to-occur.

An apparatus for processing an ordered series of digital signals that each have an amplitude from a finite set of amplitudes consisting of the most-likely-to-occur amplitude and at least one other amplitude, the processing to reduce the amount of data used to represent the digital signals and to form codewords such that the more likely-to-occur values or sequences of values of digital signals are represented by relatively short codewords and the less likely-to-occur values or sequences of values of digital signals are represented by relatively long codewords, the apparatus comprising:

• means for identifying, in a first contiguous region in the series, events that each includes a run one or more consecutive signals having any value other than the most-likely-to-occur amplitude;
• means for encoding, for each identified event, the event with a codeword that for at least some events, relatively more likely-to-occur events are encoded by a shorter codeword than relatively less likely-to-occur events;
• and
• means for jointly encoding, for each identified event, a plurality of consecutive values in the run of consecutive signals having other than the most-likely-to-occur amplitude, the joint encoding according to an amplitude coding method,
• such that relatively short codewords are formed to represent values or sequences of values that are relatively more likely-to-occur, and relatively long codewords are formed to represent values or sequences of values that are relatively less likely-to-occur.

An apparatus including a processing system, the apparatus to accept an ordered series of digital signals that each have an amplitude from a finite set of amplitudes consisting of the most-likely-to-occur amplitude and at least one other amplitude, the apparatus to perform a method for processing an ordered series of digital signals to reduce the amount of data used to represent the digital signals and to form codewords such that the more likely-to-occur values or sequences of values of digital signals are represented by relatively short codewords and the less likely-to-occur values or sequences of values of digital signals are represented by relatively long codewords, the method comprising:

• for a first contiguous region in the series:
• identifying events that each includes a run of one or more consecutive signals having any value other than the most-likely-to-occur amplitude;
• for each identified event, encoding the event with a codeword that for at least some events, relatively more likely-to-occur events are encoded by a shorter codeword than relatively less likely-to-occur events;
• and
• for each identified event, jointly encoding a plurality of consecutive values in the run of consecutive signals having other than the most-likely-to-occur amplitude, the joint encoding according to an amplitude coding method,
• such that relatively short codewords are formed to represent values or sequences of values that are relatively more likely-to-occur, and relatively long codewords are formed to represent values or sequences of values that are relatively less likely-to-occur.