Video coding and decoding

A method comprising:

• storing a first picture and subsequent second picture both coded by a set of coding blocks, each coding block corresponding to at least one group of the elementary coding elements and the coding blocks having a predetermined alignment in relation to the area of the picture in question;
• decoding the second picture in a process comprising:
• determining at least one separate coding object of the second picture corresponding to at least one subset of the coding blocks defining at least one part of the second;
• determining as a background object the subset of the coding blocks that corresponds to the part of the second picture that excludes the at least one separate coding object of the second picture;
• decoding the at least one separate coding object;
• and
• decoding the background object by predicting at least one coding block of the background object from the first picture.

A video decoder comprising:

• a memory configured to store a first picture and a subsequent second picture both coded by a set of coding blocks, each coding block corresponding to at least one group of the elementary coding elements and the coding blocks having a predetermined alignment in relation to the area of the picture in question;
• and
• a processor configured to decode the second picture by:
• determining at least one separate coding object of the second picture corresponding to at least one subset of the coding blocks defining at least one part of the second picture;
• determining as a background object the subset of the coding blocks that corresponds to the part of the second picture that excludes the at least one separate coding object of the second picture;
• decoding the at least one separate coding object;
• and
• decoding the background object by predicting at least one coding block of the background object from the first picture.

A video encoder comprising a processor configured to:

• encode a first picture,
• divide a second picture into a set of regular shaped coding blocks having a predetermined alignment in relation to the area of the picture, each coding block corresponding to at least one group of elementary coding elements;
• determine at least one shape within the second picture;
• select at least one subset of the coding blocks defining at least one area covering the at least one determined shape;
• determine as at least one separate coding object the selected at least one subset of the coding blocks;
• determine as a background object the subset of the coding blocks that corresponds to the part of the second picture that excludes the at least one separate coding object;
• encode the at least one separate coding object;
• encode as one coding object the background object;
• and
• predict at least one coding block of the background object from the first picture.

A computer program product comprising computer executable program means embodied on a computer readable medium, the program produce comprising:

• computer executable program code for encoding a first picture,
• computer executable program code for dividing a second picture into a set of regular shaped coding blocks having a predetermined alignment in relation to the area of the picture, each coding block corresponding to at least one group of elementary coding elements;
• computer executable program code for determining at least one shape within the second picture;
• computer executable program code for selecting at least one subset of the coding blocks defining at least one area covering the at least one determined shape;
• computer executable program code for determining as at least one separate coding object the selected at least one subset of the coding blocks;
• computer executable program code for determining as a background object the subset of the coding blocks that corresponds to the part of the second picture that excludes the at least one separate coding object;
• computer executable program code for encoding the at least one separate coding object;
• computer executable program code for encoding as one coding object the background object;
• and
• computer executable program code for predicting at least one coding block of the background object from the first picture.

A computer program product comprising computer executable program means embodied on a computer readable medium, the program produce comprising:

• computer executable program code for storing a first picture and subsequent second picture both coded by a set of coding blocks, each coding block corresponding to at least one group of the elementary coding elements and the coding blocks having a predetermined alignment in relation to the area of the picture in question;
• computer executable program code for decoding the second picture in a process comprising:
• computer executable program code for determining at least one separate coding object of the second picture corresponding to at least one subset of the coding blocks defining at least one part of the second;
• computer executable program code for determining as a background object the subset of the coding blocks that corresponds to the part of the second picture that excludes the at least one separate coding object of the second picture;
• computer executable program code for decoding the at least one separate coding object;
• and
• computer executable program code for decoding the background object by predicting at least one coding block of the background object from the first picture.