Reference Picture Management in Video Coding

A decoding device, comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the decoding device to:
• obtain a first reference picture list structure and a second reference picture list structure represented in a bitstream, wherein each reference picture list structure contains a number of entries;
• and
• derive, based on the first reference picture list structure, a first reference picture list of a current slice, and deriving, based on the second reference picture list structure, a second reference picture list of the current slice, wherein the current slice is an intra (I) slice, a uni-predictive (P) slice, or a bi-predictive (B) slice,
• wherein an order of entries in the first reference picture list structure is the same as an order of corresponding reference pictures in the first reference picture list, or an order of entries in the second reference picture list structure is the same as an order of corresponding reference pictures in the second reference picture list.

A method of generating a bitstream, the method comprising:

• determining a first reference picture list structure and a second reference picture list structure for a current slice, wherein the first reference picture list structure contains a number of entries used to derive entries in a first reference picture list, and the second reference picture list structure contains a number of entries used to derive entries in a second reference picture list, wherein the current slice is an intra (I) slice, a uni-predictive (P) slice, or a bi-predictive (B) slice;
• and
• encoding the first reference picture list structure and the second reference picture list structure for the current slice into the bitstream,
• wherein an order of the entries in the first reference picture list structure is the same as an order of corresponding reference pictures in the first reference picture list, or an order of the entries in the second reference picture list structure is the same as an order of corresponding reference pictures in the second reference picture list.

An encoding device, comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the encoding device to:
• determine a first reference picture list structure and a second reference picture list structure for a current slice, wherein the first reference picture list structure contains a number of entries used to derive entries in a first reference picture list, and the second reference picture list structure contains a number of entries used to derive entries in a second reference picture list, wherein the current slice is an intra (I) slice, a uni-predictive (P) slice, or a bi-predictive (B) slice;
• and
• encode the first reference picture list structure and the second reference picture list structure for the current slice into a bitstream,
• wherein an order of the entries in the first reference picture list structure is the same as an order of corresponding reference pictures in the first reference picture list, or an order of the entries in the second reference picture list structure is the same as an order of corresponding reference pictures in the second reference picture list.