Methods and apparatus for adaptive geometric partitioning for video decoding

Abstract

There are provided methods and apparatus for adaptive geometric partitioning for video encoding and decoding. An apparatus includes an encoder for encoding image data corresponding to pictures by adaptively partitioning at least portions of the pictures responsive to at least one parametric model. The at least one parametric model involves at least one of implicit and explicit formulation of at least one curve.

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a decoder for decoding image data corresponding to pictures by reconstructing at least portions of the pictures partitioned using at least one parametric model, wherein the at least one parametric model involves at least one of implicit and explicit formulation of at least one curve.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve is derived from a geometric signal model. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve describe at least one of, one or more image contours, and, one or more motion boundaries. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one polynomial is used as at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a first order polynomial model is used as at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the first order polynomial model includes an angle parameter and a distance parameter. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one parametric model for a given image portion is adaptively decoded depending on a set of models when more than one parametric model is available. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said decoder performs explicit or implicit decoding of a precision of parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve using at least one high level syntax element. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one high level syntax element is decoded from at least one of a slice header level, a Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) level, a picture parameter set level, a sequence parameter set level and a network abstraction layer unit header level 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a precision of parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve is adapted in order to control at least one of decompression efficiency and decoder complexity. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the precision of the parameters of the at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve is adapted depending on a decompression quality parameter. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein predictor data, associated with at least one partition of at least one of the pictures, is predicted from at least one of spatial neighboring blocks and temporal neighboring blocks. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein partition model parameters for at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve are predicted from at least one of spatial neighboring blocks and temporal neighboring blocks. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said decoder determines prediction values for pixels that, according to at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve, lay partly in more than one partition, using at least one of an anti-aliasing procedure, a combination of a part of prediction values for corresponding positions of the pixels, a totality of the prediction values for the corresponding positions of the pixels, a neighborhood, predictors of different partitions, from among the more than one partition, where the pixel is deemed to partly lay. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said decoder is an extended version of an existing hybrid predictive decoder of an existing video coding standard or video coding recommendation. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said decoder applies parametric model based partitions to at least one of macroblocks and sub-macroblocks of the pictures as coding modes for at least one of the macroblocks and the sub-macroblocks, respectively. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein parametric model-based coding modes are inserted within existing macroblock and sub-macroblock coding modes of an existing video coding standard or video coding recommendation. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said decoder decodes model parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve to determine the parametric model-based partitions along with partitions prediction data. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein pixels of at least one of the pictures that overlap at least two parametric model-based partitions are a weighted linear average from at least one of, predictions of the at least two parametric model-based partitions and neighboring pixels from at least one of the predictions of one of the at least two parametric model-based partitions, 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein partition predictions are of at least one of the type inter and intra. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said decoder selectively uses parameter predictions for at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve for partition model parameters coding. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein a prediction for a current block of a particular one of the pictures is based on curve extrapolation from neighboring blocks into the current block. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said decoder uses different contexts or coding tables to decode the image data depending on whether or not parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve are predicted. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said decoder is an extended version of a decoder for the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG-4) Part 10 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard/International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector (ITU-T) H.264 recommendation. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said decoder applies at least one of deblocking filtering and reference frame filtering adapted to handle transform-size blocks affected by at least one parametric mode based partition due to non-tree-based partitioning of the at least one of the macroblocks and the sub-macroblocks when parametric model based partition modes are used, and wherein the deblocking filtering and the reference frame filtering is dependent upon at least one of whichever one of the at least one parametric model-based partition is used and a selected shape of the at least one parametric model-based partition. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said decoder adapts at least one of an inverse residual transform and a de-quantization procedure depending on the selected parametric model-based partition if this is in use. 
     
     
         27 . A method, comprising:
 decoding image data corresponding to pictures by reconstructing at least portions of the pictures partitioned using at least one parametric model, wherein the at least one parametric model involves at least one of implicit and explicit formulation of at least one curve.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve is derived from a geometric signal model. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve describe at least one of, one or more image contours, and, one or more motion boundaries. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein at least one polynomial is used as at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein a first order polynomial model is used as at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the first order polynomial model includes an angle parameter and a distance parameter. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the parametric model for a given image portion is adaptively decoded depending on a set of models when more than one parametric model is available. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein said decoding step performs explicit or implicit decoding of a precision of parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve using at least one high level syntax element. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the at least one high level syntax element is decoded from at least one of a slice header level, a Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) level, a picture parameter set level, a sequence parameter set level and a network abstraction layer unit header level. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein a precision of parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve is adapted in order to control at least one of decompression efficiency and decoder complexity. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the precision of the parameters of the at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve is adapted depending on a decompression quality parameter. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein predictor data, associated with at least one partition of at least one of the pictures, is predicted from at least one of spatial neighboring blocks and temporal neighboring blocks. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein partition model parameters for at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve are predicted from at least one of spatial neighboring blocks and temporal neighboring blocks. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein said decoding step determines prediction values for pixels that, according to at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve, lay partly in more than one partition, using at least one of an anti-aliasing procedure, a combination of a part of prediction values for corresponding positions of the pixels, a totality of the prediction values for the corresponding positions of the pixels, a neighborhood, predictors of different partitions, from among the more than one partition, where the pixel is deemed to partly lay. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the decoding step is performed in an extended version of an existing hybrid predictive decoder of an existing video coding standard or video coding recommendation. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said decoding step applies parametric model based partitions to at least one of macroblocks and sub-macroblocks of the pictures as coding modes for at least one of the macroblocks and the sub-macroblocks, respectively. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein parametric model-based coding modes are inserted within existing macroblock and sub-macroblock coding modes of an existing video coding standard or video coding recommendation. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein said decoding step decodes model parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve to determine the parametric model-based partitions along with partitions prediction data. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein pixels of at least one of the pictures that overlap at least two parametric model-based partitions are a weighted linear average from at least one of, predictions of the at least two parametric model-based partitions and neighboring pixels from at least one of the predictions of one of the at least two parametric model-based partitions. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein partition predictions are of at least one of the type inter and intra. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein said decoding step selectively uses parameter predictions for at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve for partition model parameters coding. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein a prediction for a current block of a particular one of the pictures is based on curve extrapolation from neighboring blocks into the current block. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein said decoding step uses different contexts or coding tables to decode the image data depending on whether or not parameters of at least one of the at least one parametric model and the at least one curve are predicted. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein said decoding step is performed in an extended version of a decoder for the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG-4) Part 10 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard/International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector (ITU-T) H.264 recommendation. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein said decoding step applies at least one of deblocking filtering and reference frame filtering adapted to handle transform-size blocks affected by at least one parametric mode based partition due to non-tree-based partitioning of the at least one of the macroblocks and the sub-macroblocks when parametric model based partition modes are used, and wherein the deblocking filtering and the reference frame filtering is dependent upon at least one of whichever one of the at least one parametric model-based partition is used and a selected shape of the at least one parametric model-based partition. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein said decoding step adapts at least one of an inverse residual transform and a de-quantization procedure depending on the selected parametric model-based partition if this is in use. 
     
     
         53 . A storage media having video signal data encoded thereupon, comprising:
 image data corresponding to pictures encoded by adaptively partitioning at least portions of the pictures responsive to at least one parametric model, wherein the at least one parametric model involves at least one of implicit and explicit formulation of at least one curve.