Merge candidate list for gradual decoding refresh

A method comprising:

• accessing a current coding unit of a picture;
• generating a merge candidate list comprising a plurality of coding unit representations in a predefined order;
• determining whether a particular coding unit representation within the merge candidate list is representative of a coding unit within a dirty area of the picture;
• and
• in accordance with a determination that the particular coding unit representation within the merge candidate list is representative of a coding unit within a dirty area of the picture:
• preventing the particular coding unit representation and one or more coding unit representations following the particular coding unit in the predefined order from being selected as a merge candidate for the current coding unit.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions configured, upon execution, to:

• access a current coding unit of a picture;
• generate a merge candidate list comprising a plurality of coding unit representations in a predefined order;
• determine whether a particular coding unit representation within the merge candidate list is representative of a coding unit within a dirty area of the picture;
• and
• in accordance with a determination that the particular coding unit representation within the merge candidate list is representative of a coding unit within a dirty area of the picture:
• prevent the particular coding unit representation and one or more coding unit representations following the particular coding unit in the predefined order from being selected as a merge candidate for the current coding unit.

An apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
• access a current coding unit of a picture;
• analyze a plurality of coding units associated with the current coding unit to determine whether one or more coding units of the plurality of coding units are within a dirty area of the picture;
• in accordance with a determination that one or more coding units of the plurality of coding units are within a dirty area of the picture, prevent the one or more coding units within the dirty area of the picture from being included in a merge candidate list;
• and
• generate a merge candidate list comprising only one or more coding unit representations representative of one or more coding units not within the dirty area of the picture.

A method comprising:

• accessing a current coding unit of a picture;
• analyzing a plurality of coding units associated with the current coding unit to determine whether one or more coding units of the plurality of coding units are within a dirty area of the picture;
• in accordance with a determination that one or more coding units of the plurality of coding units are within a dirty area of the picture, preventing the one or more coding units within the dirty area of the picture from being included in a merge candidate list;
• and
• generating a merge candidate list comprising only one or more coding unit representations representative of one or more coding units not within the dirty area of the picture.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions configured, upon execution, to:

• access a current coding unit of a picture;
• analyze a plurality of coding units associated with the current coding unit to determine whether one or more coding units of the plurality of coding units are within a dirty area of the picture;
• in accordance with a determination that one or more coding units of the plurality of coding units are within a dirty area of the picture, prevent the one or more coding units within the dirty area of the picture from being included in a merge candidate list;
• and
• generate a merge candidate list comprising only one or more coding unit representations representative of one or more coding units not within the dirty area of the picture.