JP7804408B2 - Transmitting device, receiving device, transmitting method, and receiving method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to video coding, and more particularly to systems, components, and methods for encoding and decoding moving images.

Video coding technology has progressed from H.261 and MPEG-1 to H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding), MPEG-LA, H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), and H.266/VVC (Versatile Video Codec). With this progress, there is a constant need to provide improvements and optimizations in video coding technology to handle the ever-increasing amounts of digital video data in various applications. This disclosure relates to further advances, improvements, and optimizations in video coding.

Note that Non-Patent Document 1 relates to an example of a conventional standard for the above-mentioned video coding technology.

H. 265 (ISO/IEC 23008-2 HEVC)/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)

Regarding the above-mentioned encoding methods, it is desirable to propose new methods to improve encoding efficiency, improve image quality, reduce processing volume, reduce circuit scale, or appropriately select elements or operations such as filters, block sizes, motion vectors, reference pictures or reference blocks.

The present disclosure provides configurations or methods that can contribute to one or more of the following: improved coding efficiency, improved image quality, reduced processing volume, reduced circuit size, improved processing speed, and appropriate selection of elements or operations. Note that the present disclosure may also include configurations or methods that can contribute to benefits other than those mentioned above.

For example, a transmitting device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a circuit and a memory connected to the circuit, and in operation, the circuit vertically divides a picture included in a moving image into a plurality of rectangular slices, encodes the plurality of rectangular slices to generate encoded data, and transmits the encoded data, the plurality of rectangular slices including a first slice having a predetermined number of lines and a second slice having a fewer number of lines than the first slice, the first slices and the second slices being arranged alternately in the picture, and the difference between the number of lines of the bottom slice, which is the slice arranged at the bottom of the second slices, and the number of lines of the second slices other than the bottom slice is smaller than the difference between the number of lines of the first slice and the number of lines of the second slices other than the bottom slice .

Each of the embodiments of the present disclosure, or a partial configuration or method thereof, enables at least one of, for example, improved encoding efficiency, improved image quality, reduced encoding/decoding processing volume, reduced circuit size, or improved encoding/decoding processing speed. Alternatively, each of the embodiments of the present disclosure, or a partial configuration or method thereof, enables appropriate selection of components/operations such as filters, blocks, sizes, motion vectors, reference pictures, and reference blocks during encoding and decoding. Note that the present disclosure also includes disclosure of configurations or methods that may provide benefits other than those described above. For example, a configuration or method that improves encoding efficiency while minimizing increases in processing volume.

Further advantages and benefits of certain aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. While such advantages and/or benefits may be achieved by several embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, not all of them necessarily need to be provided to achieve one or more advantages and/or benefits.

These general or specific aspects may be realized as a system, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

A configuration or method according to one aspect of the present disclosure may contribute to one or more of the following: improved coding efficiency, improved image quality, reduced processing volume, reduced circuit size, improved processing speed, and appropriate selection of elements or operations. Note that a configuration or method according to one aspect of the present disclosure may also contribute to benefits other than those mentioned above.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a transmission system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hierarchical structure of data in a stream. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a slice configuration. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a tile configuration. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a coding structure for scalable coding. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a coding structure for scalable coding. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an encoding device according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of an implementation of an encoding device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall encoding process performed by the encoding device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of block division. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the dividing unit. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a division pattern. FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a syntax tree of a division pattern. FIG. 13B is a diagram showing another example of a syntax tree of a division pattern. FIG. 14 is a table showing the transformation basis functions corresponding to each transformation type. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an SVT. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the conversion unit. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the process performed by the conversion unit. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the quantization unit. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of quantization by the quantization unit. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entropy coding unit. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the flow of CABAC in the entropy coding unit. FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the loop filter unit. FIG. 23A is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a filter used in an adaptive loop filter (ALF). FIG. 23B is a diagram showing another example of the shape of the filter used in ALF. FIG. 23C is a diagram showing another example of the shape of the filter used in ALF. FIG. 23D is a diagram showing an example in which a Y sample (first component) is used for the Cb CCALF and the Cr CCALF (multiple components different from the first component). FIG. 23E is a diagram illustrating a diamond-shaped filter. FIG. 23F is a diagram showing an example of JC-CCALF. FIG. 23G is a diagram showing examples of weight_index candidates of JC-CCALF. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of a loop filter unit functioning as a DBF. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a deblocking filter having filter characteristics that are symmetric with respect to block boundaries. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a block boundary on which deblocking filtering is performed. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the Bs value. FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the encoding device. FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing performed by the prediction unit of the encoding device. FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing performed by the prediction unit of the encoding device. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of 67 intra prediction modes in intra prediction. FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the intra prediction unit. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of each reference picture. FIG. 34 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a reference picture list. FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the basic process flow of inter prediction. FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of MV derivation. FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing another example of MV derivation. FIG. 38A is a diagram showing an example of classification of each mode of MV derivation. FIG. 38B is a diagram showing an example of classification of each mode of MV derivation. FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal inter mode. FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal merge mode. FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of MV derivation processing in the normal merge mode. FIG. 42 is a diagram for explaining an example of MV derivation processing in HMVP (History-based Motion Vector Prediction/Predictor) mode. FIG. 43 is a flowchart showing an example of FRUC (frame rate up conversion). FIG. 44 is a diagram for explaining an example of pattern matching (bilateral matching) between two blocks along a motion trajectory. FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating an example of pattern matching (template matching) between a template in a current picture and a block in a reference picture. FIG. 46A is a diagram for explaining an example of derivation of MVs in sub-block units in affine mode using two control points. FIG. 46B is a diagram for explaining an example of derivation of MVs in sub-block units in affine mode using three control points. FIG. 47A is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of MV derivation of a control point in affine mode. FIG. 47B is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of MV derivation of a control point in affine mode. FIG. 47C is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of MV derivation of a control point in affine mode. FIG. 48A is a diagram illustrating an affine mode having two control points. FIG. 48B is a diagram illustrating an affine mode having three control points. FIG. 49A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a method for deriving MVs of control points when the number of control points differs between an already-encoded block and a current block. FIG. 49B is a conceptual diagram illustrating another example of a method for deriving MVs of control points when the number of control points differs between an already-encoded block and a current block. FIG. 50 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the affine merge mode. FIG. 51 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the affine inter mode. FIG. 52A is a diagram for explaining generation of predicted images of two triangles. FIG. 52B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a first portion of a first partition, and a first and second sample sets. FIG. 52C is a conceptual diagram showing the first portion of the first partition. FIG. 53 is a flowchart showing an example of the triangle mode. FIG. 54 is a diagram showing an example of an ATMVP (Advanced Temporal Motion Vector Prediction/Predictor) mode in which MVs are derived for each subblock. FIG. 55 is a diagram showing the relationship between merge mode and DMVR (dynamic motion vector refreshing). FIG. 56 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a DMVR. FIG. 57 is a conceptual diagram for explaining another example of DMVR for determining MV. FIG. 58A is a diagram showing an example of motion estimation in a DMVR. FIG. 58B is a flowchart showing an example of motion estimation in a DMVR. FIG. 59 is a flowchart showing an example of generation of a predicted image. FIG. 60 is a flowchart showing another example of generation of a predicted image. FIG. 61 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a predictive image correction process using OBMC (overlapped block motion compensation). FIG. 62 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a predictive image correction process using OBMC. FIG. 63 is a diagram for explaining a model assuming uniform linear motion. FIG. 64 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction according to BIO. FIG. 65 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an inter prediction unit that performs inter prediction according to BIO. FIG. 66A is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for generating a predicted image using luminance correction processing by LIC (local illumination compensation). FIG. 66B is a flowchart showing an example of a method for generating a predicted image using luminance correction processing by LIC. FIG. 67 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a decoding device according to an embodiment. FIG. 68 is a block diagram showing an example of implementation of a decoding device. FIG. 69 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall decoding process by the decoding device. FIG. 70 is a diagram showing the relationship between the division determination unit and other components. FIG. 71 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entropy decoding unit. FIG. 72 is a diagram showing the flow of CABAC in the entropy decoding unit. FIG. 73 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inverse quantization unit. FIG. 74 is a flowchart showing an example of inverse quantization by the inverse quantization unit. FIG. 75 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the inverse conversion unit. FIG. 76 is a flowchart showing another example of processing by the inverse transform unit. FIG. 77 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the loop filter unit. FIG. 78 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the decoding device. FIG. 79 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing performed by the prediction unit of the decoding device. FIG. 80A is a flowchart showing part of another example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the decoding device. FIG. 80B is a flowchart showing the remaining part of another example of processing performed in the prediction unit of the decoding device. FIG. 81 is a diagram showing an example of processing by the intra prediction unit of the decoding device. FIG. 82 is a flowchart showing an example of MV derivation in a decoding device. FIG. 83 is a flowchart showing another example of MV derivation in a decoding device. FIG. 84 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal inter mode in a decoding device. FIG. 85 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal merge mode in a decoding device. FIG. 86 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in FRUC mode in a decoding device. FIG. 87 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in affine merge mode in a decoding device. FIG. 88 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in affine inter mode in a decoding device. FIG. 89 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in triangle mode in a decoding device. FIG. 90 is a flowchart showing an example of motion estimation by DMVR in a decoding device. FIG. 91 is a flowchart showing a detailed example of motion estimation by DMVR in a decoding device. FIG. 92 is a flowchart showing an example of generation of a predicted image in a decoding device. FIG. 93 is a flowchart showing another example of generation of a predicted image in a decoding device. FIG. 94 is a flowchart showing an example of correction of a predicted image by OBMC in a decoding device. FIG. 95 is a flowchart showing an example of correction of a predicted image by BIO in a decoding device. FIG. 96 is a flowchart showing an example of correction of a predicted image by LIC in a decoding device. FIG. 97 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between subpictures, slices, and tiles. FIG. 98 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between tiles and slices. FIG. 99 is a flowchart showing the processing in the first example of picture division control. FIG. 100 is a diagram showing an example of picture division corresponding to the first example of picture division control. FIG. 101 is a diagram illustrating an example of values of syntax elements set by the first example of picture division control. FIG. 102 is a flowchart showing the processing in the second example of picture division control. FIG. 103 is a diagram showing an example of picture division corresponding to the second example of picture division control. FIG. 104 is a diagram illustrating an example of values of syntax elements set by the second example of picture division control. FIG. 105 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positions of equal-quadrant boundaries in the second example of picture division control. FIG. 106 is a diagram for explaining another example of the positions of the equal-quadrant boundaries in the second example of picture division control. FIG. 107 is a diagram illustrating yet another example of the positions of the equal-quadrant boundaries in the second example of picture division control. FIG. 108 is a flowchart showing the operation performed by the encoding device according to the embodiment. FIG. 109 is a flowchart showing the operation performed by the decoding device according to the embodiment. FIG. 110 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a content supply system that realizes a content distribution service. FIG. 111 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a web page. FIG. 112 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a web page. FIG. 113 is a diagram showing an example of a smartphone. FIG. 114 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a smartphone.

Introduction
In encoding and decoding of a moving image, each of a plurality of pictures constituting the moving image is divided into various regions, and encoding and decoding are performed for each of the various regions. For example, a picture may be divided into a plurality of coding tree units (CTUs), a plurality of tiles, a plurality of slices, or a plurality of sub-pictures. Dividing a region into a plurality of sub-regions corresponds to allocating a plurality of sub-regions to the region.

For example, a CTU corresponds to a square region of a fixed size. A tile is a rectangular region defined according to one or more rows in a picture, one or more columns in a picture, or both. A slice corresponds to a NAL unit, which is one packet, and corresponds to one or more tiles or one or more consecutive CTUs in a tile. A subpicture is a rectangular region corresponding to one or more slices.

However, dividing each of the multiple pictures that make up a video into various regions can complicate the encoding and decoding processes. This can increase the amount of processing and the circuit size.

For example, an encoding device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a circuit and a memory connected to the circuit, and the circuit, in operation, directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and encodes the one or more rectangular slices.

This may enable the encoding device to control picture division so that sub-pictures are not included within the picture, potentially simplifying the picture division structure. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections, potentially reducing the amount of processing required. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating the one or more rectangular slices to each of the plurality of pictures, the circuit allocates N regions, which are two or more substantially equal regions, to the picture, and allocates at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions.

This allows the encoding device to potentially divide each picture into multiple, approximately equal regions according to the multiple rectangular slices. The encoding device may then be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in approximately equal processing time. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Also, for example, the N regions are four regions that are approximately equal in size.

This may enable the encoding device to prevent an excessive number of roughly equal regions. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections. Furthermore, the encoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in four or two parallel systems while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating the one or more rectangular slices to each of the plurality of pictures, if the size of the picture is larger than a first threshold size, the circuit allocates the N regions to the picture and assigns the at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions; and if the size of the picture is not larger than the first threshold size, the circuit does not allocate the N regions to the picture and assigns the one or more rectangular slices to the picture.

This allows the encoding device to potentially simplify picture division for small pictures compared to large pictures. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to reduce the amount of processing required for small pictures that do not require parallel processing by dividing them into N regions compared to large pictures.

The encoding device may then be able to divide a large picture into multiple, approximately equal regions. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel for large pictures while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating the one or more rectangular slices to each of the plurality of pictures, if the size of the picture is 8K, the circuit allocates the N regions to the picture and assigns the at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions; if the size of the picture is not 8K, the circuit does not allocate the N regions to the picture and assigns the one or more rectangular slices to the picture.

As a result, for non-8K size pictures, which do not require dividing into N regions for parallel processing, the encoding device may be able to simplify picture division compared to 8K size pictures, potentially reducing the amount of processing. Furthermore, for 8K size pictures, the encoding device may be able to divide the picture into multiple, approximately equal regions, potentially enabling multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions to be performed in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions according to the size of a coding tree unit (CTU), which is a block that constitutes a picture to which the N regions are assigned.

This may enable the encoding device to divide each picture into N more equal regions according to the CTU size. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel, more efficiently, while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Also, for example, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions so that the boundaries of the N regions align with the boundaries of multiple CTUs defined according to the size of the CTU.

This may enable the encoding device to efficiently perform processing corresponding to each region in units of CTUs.

Furthermore, for example, when the size of the CTU is smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions so that multiple regions among the N regions, excluding the bottommost region, have the same size; and when the size of the CTU is not smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions so that multiple regions among the N regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N and multiple regions among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value are arranged vertically alternately.

This may enable the encoding device to simplify processing when the CTU size is small. Furthermore, the encoding device may be able to prevent the size difference between regions from becoming too large when the CTU size is large.

Furthermore, for example, the number of one or more areas among the N regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N is equal to the number of one or more areas among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value.

This may enable the encoding device to reduce size bias among the N regions, potentially reducing bias in the amount of processing.

Also, for example, among the N regions, a plurality of regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N, and a plurality of regions among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value, are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

As a result, even when N regions are processed sequentially, the encoding device may be able to reduce imbalances in the amount of processing because multiple large regions requiring a large amount of processing are not consecutive. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, the circuit assigns, for each of the plurality of pictures, one tile to that picture having an area equal to the area of that picture.

This may enable the encoding device to simplify tile allocation. Furthermore, the encoding device may be able to control picture division so that tile boundaries are not included within the picture, potentially simplifying the picture division structure. Therefore, the encoding device may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections, potentially reducing the amount of processing. This may in turn enable a reduction in circuit size.

Also, for example, a decoding device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a circuit and a memory connected to the circuit, and the circuit, in operation, directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and decodes the one or more rectangular slices.

This may enable the decoding device to control picture division so that sub-pictures are not included within the picture, potentially simplifying the picture division structure. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections, potentially reducing the amount of processing required. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating the one or more rectangular slices to each of the plurality of pictures, the circuit allocates N regions, which are two or more substantially equal regions, to the picture, and allocates at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions.

This allows the decoding device to potentially divide each picture into multiple, approximately equal regions according to the multiple rectangular slices. The decoding device may then be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in approximately equal processing time. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Also, for example, the N regions are four regions that are approximately equal in size.

This may enable the decoding device to prevent an excessive number of roughly equal regions. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections. Furthermore, the decoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in four or two parallel systems while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating the one or more rectangular slices to each of the plurality of pictures, if the size of the picture is larger than a first threshold size, the circuit allocates the N regions to the picture and assigns the at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions; and if the size of the picture is not larger than the first threshold size, the circuit does not allocate the N regions to the picture and assigns the one or more rectangular slices to the picture.

This allows the decoding device to potentially simplify picture division for small pictures compared to large pictures. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to reduce the amount of processing required for small pictures that do not require parallel processing by dividing them into N regions compared to large pictures.

The decoding device may then be able to divide a large picture into multiple, approximately equal regions. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel for large pictures while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating the one or more rectangular slices to each of the plurality of pictures, if the size of the picture is 8K, the circuit allocates the N regions to the picture and assigns the at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions; if the size of the picture is not 8K, the circuit does not allocate the N regions to the picture and assigns the one or more rectangular slices to the picture.

As a result, the decoding device may be able to simplify picture division for non-8K size pictures, which do not require dividing into N regions and processing in parallel, compared to 8K size pictures, potentially reducing the amount of processing. Furthermore, the decoding device may be able to divide 8K size pictures into multiple, approximately equal regions, potentially enabling multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions to be performed in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions according to the size of a coding tree unit (CTU), which is a block that constitutes a picture to which the N regions are assigned.

This may enable the decoding device to divide each picture into N more equal regions according to the CTU size. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel, more efficiently, while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Also, for example, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions so that the boundaries of the N regions align with the boundaries of multiple CTUs defined according to the size of the CTU.

This may enable the decoding device to efficiently perform processing corresponding to each region in units of CTUs.

Furthermore, for example, when the size of the CTU is smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions so that multiple regions among the N regions, excluding the bottommost region, have the same size; and when the size of the CTU is not smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit determines the size of each of the N regions so that multiple regions among the N regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N and multiple regions among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value are arranged vertically alternately.

This may enable the decoding device to simplify processing when the CTU size is small. Furthermore, the decoding device may be able to prevent the size difference between regions from becoming too large when the CTU size is large.

Furthermore, for example, the number of one or more areas among the N regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N is equal to the number of one or more areas among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value.

This may enable the decoding device to reduce size bias among the N regions, potentially reducing bias in the amount of processing required.

Also, for example, among the N regions, a plurality of regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N, and a plurality of regions among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value, are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

As a result, even when N regions are processed sequentially, the decoding device may be able to reduce imbalances in the amount of processing because multiple large regions requiring a large amount of processing are not consecutive. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, the circuit assigns, for each of the plurality of pictures, one tile to that picture having an area equal to the area of that picture.

This may enable the decoding device to simplify tile allocation. Furthermore, the decoding device may be able to control picture division so that tile boundaries are not included within the picture, potentially simplifying the picture division structure. Therefore, the decoding device may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections, potentially reducing the amount of processing. This may in turn enable a reduction in circuit size.

Furthermore, for example, an encoding method according to one aspect of the present disclosure directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image, without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and encodes the one or more rectangular slices.

This may make it possible to control picture division so that sub-pictures are not included within a picture, and may simplify the picture division structure. Therefore, it may be possible to prevent pictures from being divided into complex parts, and may reduce the amount of processing. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Furthermore, for example, a decoding method according to one aspect of the present disclosure directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image, without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and decodes the one or more rectangular slices.

This may make it possible to control picture division so that sub-pictures are not included within a picture, and may simplify the picture division structure. Therefore, it may be possible to prevent pictures from being divided into complex parts, and may reduce the amount of processing. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, an encoding device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an input unit, a division unit, an intra prediction unit, an inter prediction unit, a loop filter unit, a transform unit, a quantization unit, an entropy encoding unit, and an output unit.

The input unit receives the current picture. The division unit divides the current picture into multiple blocks.

The intra prediction unit generates a prediction signal for the current block included in the current picture using a reference image included in the current picture. The inter prediction unit generates a prediction signal for the current block included in the current picture using a reference image included in a reference picture other than the current picture. The loop filter unit applies a filter to a reconstructed block for the current block included in the current picture.

The transform unit transforms a prediction error between an original signal of a current block included in the current picture and a prediction signal generated by the intra prediction unit or the inter prediction unit to generate transform coefficients. The quantization unit quantizes the transform coefficients to generate quantized coefficients. The entropy coding unit applies variable-length coding to the quantized coefficients to generate an encoded bitstream. The output unit then outputs the encoded bitstream, which includes the quantized coefficients to which variable-length coding has been applied and control information.

Furthermore, for example, in operation, the entropy coding unit directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image, without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and encodes the one or more rectangular slices.

Also, for example, a decoding device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an input unit, an entropy decoding unit, an inverse quantization unit, an inverse transform unit, an intra prediction unit, an inter prediction unit, a loop filter unit, and an output unit.

An encoded bitstream is input to the input unit. The entropy decoding unit applies variable length decoding to the encoded bitstream to derive quantized coefficients. The inverse quantization unit inversely quantizes the quantized coefficients to derive transform coefficients. The inverse transform unit inversely transforms the transform coefficients to derive prediction errors.

The intra prediction unit generates a prediction signal for the current block included in the current picture using a reference image included in the current picture. The inter prediction unit generates a prediction signal for the current block included in the current picture using a reference image included in a reference picture other than the current picture.

The loop filter unit applies a filter to the reconstructed block of the current block included in the current picture. The current picture is then output from the output unit.

Furthermore, for example, in operation, the entropy decoding unit directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image, without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and decodes the one or more rectangular slices.

Furthermore, these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, device, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, device, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

[Definition of terms]
As an example, each term may be defined as follows:

(1) Image: A unit of data made up of a set of pixels, consisting of pictures or blocks smaller than pictures, and includes both moving images and still images.

(2) Picture: A processing unit of an image composed of a set of pixels, and is sometimes called a frame or field.

(3) Block: A processing unit for a set containing a specific number of pixels, and can be named anything, as shown in the following examples. It can also be shaped anything, including, for example, a rectangle made up of M×N pixels, a square made up of M×M pixels, a triangle, a circle, or any other shape.

(Example of a block)
Slice/tile/brick CTU/superblock/basic division unit VPDU/hardware processing division unit CU/processing block unit/prediction block unit (PU)/orthogonal transform block unit (TU)/unit Sub-block

(4) Pixel/Sample A pixel/sample is a minimum unit point that constitutes an image, and includes not only pixels at integer positions but also pixels at decimal positions generated based on pixels at integer positions.

(5) Pixel Value/Sample Value: A value inherent to a pixel, including not only brightness value, color difference value, and RGB gradation, but also depth value or binary values of 0 and 1.

(6) Flags: In addition to one bit, flags may be multi-bit, for example, parameters or indexes of two or more bits. In addition, flags may be multi-valued using other bases as well as two values using binary numbers.

(7) Signal: A signal that is symbolized or coded to transmit information, including discrete digital signals as well as analog signals that take continuous values.

(8) Stream/Bitstream: A digital data string or flow. A stream/bitstream may consist of a single stream or multiple streams divided into multiple layers. It also includes transmission by serial communication over a single transmission path as well as transmission by packet communication over multiple transmission paths.

(9) Difference/Difference In the case of scalar quantities, in addition to simple difference (x-y), it is sufficient to include difference calculations, including absolute value of difference (|x-y|), squared difference (x^2-y^2), square root of difference (√(x-y)), weighted difference (ax-by: a, b are constants), and offset difference (x-y+a: a is an offset).

(10) Sum In the case of a scalar quantity, in addition to simple sum (x + y), it is sufficient if a sum operation is included, including the absolute value of the sum (|x + y|), sum of squares (x^2 + y^2), square root of the sum (√(x + y)), weighted sum (ax + by: a, b are constants), and offset sum (x + y + a: a is an offset).

(11) Based on
This also includes cases where factors other than the target element are taken into account. In addition to cases where a direct result is sought, it also includes cases where a result is sought via an intermediate result.

(12) used, using
This includes cases where factors other than the target element are taken into account. It also includes cases where results are obtained directly or via intermediate results.

(13) Prohibit (forbid)
This can be rephrased as "not permitted." Also, not prohibiting or being permitted does not necessarily mean obligation.

(14) Limit (limit, restriction/restrict/restricted)
This can be rephrased as "not permitted." Also, not being prohibited or being permitted does not necessarily mean that it is an obligation. Furthermore, it is sufficient if something is partially prohibited in terms of quantity or quality, and it also includes cases where it is completely prohibited.

(15) Color difference (chroma)
It is an adjective, denoted by the symbols Cb and Cr, that specifies that a sample array or a single sample represents one of two color difference signals associated with a primary color. Instead of the term chroma, the term chrominance can also be used.

(16) Luminance (luma)
It is an adjective, denoted by the symbol or subscript Y or L, that specifies that the sample array or single sample represents a monochrome signal associated with a primary color. Instead of the term luma, the term luminance can also be used.

[Explanation regarding the description]
In the drawings, the same reference numbers indicate the same or similar elements, and the sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection, steps, and step relationships and order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

Embodiments of encoding devices and decoding devices are described below. The embodiments are examples of encoding devices and decoding devices to which the processes and/or configurations described in each aspect of the present disclosure can be applied. The processes and/or configurations can also be implemented in encoding devices and decoding devices that are different from the embodiments. For example, the processes and/or configurations applied to the embodiments may be implemented in any of the following ways:

(1) Any of the multiple components of the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiments described in each aspect of the present disclosure may be replaced with or combined with other components described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure.

(2) In the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiments, any changes may be made to the functions or processes performed by some of the multiple components of the encoding device or decoding device, such as adding, replacing, or deleting functions or processes. For example, any function or process may be replaced with or combined with another function or process described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure.

(3) In the method implemented by the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiment, some of the multiple processes included in the method may be arbitrarily modified, such as by addition, replacement, or deletion. For example, any process in the method may be replaced with or combined with another process described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure.

(4) Some of the components constituting the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiments may be combined with components described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure, may be combined with components having some of the functionality described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure, or may be combined with components that perform some of the processing performed by the components described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure.

(5) Components having some of the functions of the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiments, or components that perform some of the processing of the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiments, may be combined or replaced with components described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure, components having some of the functions described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure, or components that perform some of the processing described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure.

(6) In the method implemented by the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiment, any of the multiple processes included in the method may be replaced or combined with the process described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure or any similar process.

(7) Some of the processes included in the method implemented by the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiment may be combined with the processes described in any of the aspects of the present disclosure.

(8) The manner in which the processes and/or configurations described in each aspect of the present disclosure are implemented is not limited to the encoding device or decoding device of the embodiments. For example, the processes and/or configurations may be implemented in a device used for a purpose other than the video encoding or video decoding disclosed in the embodiments.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transmission system according to this embodiment.

The transmission system Trs is a system that transmits streams generated by encoding images and decodes the transmitted streams. Such a transmission system Trs includes, for example, an encoding device 100, a network Nw, and a decoding device 200, as shown in FIG. 1.

An image is input to the encoding device 100. The encoding device 100 generates a stream by encoding the input image and outputs the stream to the network Nw. The stream contains, for example, the encoded image and control information for decoding the encoded image. The image is compressed by this encoding.

The original image input to the encoding device 100 before encoding is also called the original image, original signal, or original sample. The image may be a video or a still image. The image is a broader concept than sequences, pictures, and blocks, and is not limited in spatial or temporal domain unless otherwise specified. An image consists of an array of pixels or pixel values, and the signal representing the image, or the pixel values, is also called a sample. A stream may also be called a bitstream, coded bitstream, compressed bitstream, or coded signal. The encoding device may also be called an image encoding device or video encoding device, and the encoding method used by the encoding device 100 may also be called an encoding method, image coding method, or video coding method.

The network Nw transmits the stream generated by the encoding device 100 to the decoding device 200. The network Nw may be the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or a combination of these. The network Nw is not necessarily limited to a two-way communication network, but may also be a one-way communication network that transmits broadcast waves such as terrestrial digital broadcasting or satellite broadcasting. The network Nw may also be replaced by a storage medium on which streams are recorded, such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a BD (Blu-Ray Disc (registered trademark)).

The decoding device 200 generates a decoded image, which is, for example, an uncompressed image, by decoding the stream transmitted over the network Nw. For example, the decoding device decodes the stream according to a decoding method that corresponds to the encoding method used by the encoding device 100.

Note that the decoding device may also be called an image decoding device or a video decoding device, and the decoding method performed by the decoding device 200 may also be called a decoding method, an image decoding method, or a video decoding method.

[Data Structure]
2 is a diagram showing an example of a hierarchical structure of data in a stream. The stream includes, for example, a video sequence. This video sequence includes, for example, a video parameter set (VPS), a sequence parameter set (SPS), a picture parameter set (PPS), supplemental enhancement information (SEI), and multiple pictures, as shown in (a) of FIG. 2.

For video images that are composed of multiple layers, the VPS includes coding parameters that are common to multiple layers, as well as coding parameters related to multiple layers or individual layers included in the video image.

The SPS includes parameters used for the sequence, i.e., the encoding parameters that the decoding device 200 references to decode the sequence. For example, the encoding parameters may indicate the width or height of a picture. Note that there may be multiple SPSs.

The PPS includes parameters used for a picture, i.e., encoding parameters referenced by the decoding device 200 to decode each picture in the sequence. For example, the encoding parameters may include a reference value for the quantization width used in decoding the picture and a flag indicating the application of weighted prediction. Note that there may be multiple PPSs. Furthermore, the SPS and PPS may sometimes simply be referred to as parameter sets.

A picture may include a picture header and one or more slices, as shown in Figure 2(b). The picture header includes coding parameters that the decoding device 200 references to decode the one or more slices.

As shown in (c) of Figure 2, a slice includes a slice header and one or more bricks. The slice header includes coding parameters that the decoding device 200 references to decode the one or more bricks.

A brick contains one or more CTUs (Coding Tree Units), as shown in Figure 2(d).

Note that a picture may not contain slices, but may instead contain tile groups. In this case, a tile group contains one or more tiles. Also, a brick may contain slices.

A CTU is also called a superblock or a basic division unit. As shown in (e) of Figure 2, such a CTU includes a CTU header and one or more CUs (Coding Units). The CTU header includes coding parameters that the decoding device 200 references to decode one or more CUs.

A CU may be divided into multiple smaller CUs. As shown in (f) of Figure 2, a CU includes a CU header, prediction information, and residual coefficient information. The prediction information is information for predicting the CU, and the residual coefficient information is information indicating the prediction residual, which will be described later. A CU is essentially the same as a PU (Prediction Unit) and a TU (Transform Unit), but may include multiple TUs smaller than the CU, for example, in an SBT, which will be described later. A CU may also be processed for each VPDU (Virtual Pipeline Decoding Unit) that makes up the CU. A VPDU is a fixed unit that can be processed in one stage, for example, when performing pipeline processing in hardware.

Note that a stream may not have some of the layers shown in FIG. 2. The order of these layers may be changed, or some layers may be replaced with other layers. The picture currently being processed by a device such as encoding device 100 or decoding device 200 is called the current picture. If the processing is encoding, the current picture is synonymous with the picture to be encoded, and if the processing is decoding, the current picture is synonymous with the picture to be decoded. The block currently being processed by a device such as encoding device 100 or decoding device 200, such as a CU or CU, is called the current block. If the processing is encoding, the current block is synonymous with the block to be encoded, and if the processing is decoding, the current block is synonymous with the block to be decoded.

[Picture Composition: Slices/Tiles]
In order to decode pictures in parallel, the pictures may be organized into slices or tiles.

A slice is the basic coding unit that makes up a picture. A picture, for example, consists of one or more slices. A slice, in turn, consists of one or more consecutive CTUs.

Figure 3 shows an example of the structure of a slice. For example, a picture contains 11 x 8 CTUs and is divided into four slices (slices 1-4). Slice 1 consists of, for example, 16 CTUs, slice 2 consists of, for example, 21 CTUs, slice 3 consists of, for example, 29 CTUs, and slice 4 consists of, for example, 22 CTUs. Here, each CTU in a picture belongs to one of the slices. The shape of a slice is obtained by dividing the picture horizontally. Slice boundaries do not need to be at the edges of the screen and can be anywhere among the CTU boundaries within the screen. The processing order (encoding order or decoding order) of CTUs within a slice is, for example, raster scan order. Furthermore, a slice includes a slice header and coded data. The slice header may describe the characteristics of the slice, such as the address of the CTU at the start of the slice and the slice type.

A tile is a rectangular area that makes up a picture. Each tile may be assigned a number called a TileId in raster scan order.

Figure 4 shows an example of a tile configuration. For example, a picture contains 11 x 8 CTUs and is divided into four rectangular tiles (tiles 1-4). When tiles are used, the processing order of the CTUs is changed compared to when tiles are not used. When tiles are not used, multiple CTUs in a picture are processed, for example, in raster scan order. When tiles are used, at least one CTU in each of multiple tiles is processed, for example, in raster scan order. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the processing order of the multiple CTUs included in tile 1 is from the left end of the first column of tile 1 to the right end of the first column of tile 1, and then from the left end of the second column of tile 1 to the right end of the second column of tile 1.

Note that one tile may contain one or more slices, and one slice may contain one or more tiles.

Note that a picture may be composed of tile sets. A tile set may include one or more tile groups, and may include one or more tiles. A picture may be composed of only one of tile sets, tile groups, and tiles. For example, the order in which multiple tiles for each tile set are scanned in raster order is defined as the basic coding order for the tiles. A collection of one or more tiles in each tile set whose basic coding order is consecutive is defined as a tile group. Such a picture may be composed by the division unit 102 (see Figure 7), which will be described later.

[Scalable Coding]
5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the structure of a scalable stream.

As shown in FIG. 5, the encoding device 100 may generate a temporally/spatially scalable stream by encoding each of multiple pictures into one of multiple layers. For example, the encoding device 100 may encode each picture layer by layer, achieving scalability with an enhancement layer above a base layer. This coding of each picture is called scalable coding. This allows the decoding device 200 to change the image quality of the image displayed by decoding the stream. That is, the decoding device 200 determines up to which layer to decode based on internal factors such as its own performance and external factors such as the state of the communication bandwidth. As a result, the decoding device 200 can freely switch between low-resolution and high-resolution content and decode the same content. For example, a user of the stream may watch part of a video stream on a smartphone while on the move, and then watch the rest of the video on a device such as an Internet TV after returning home. Note that the above-mentioned smartphone and device each incorporate a decoding device 200 with the same or different performance. In this case, if the device decodes up to the upper layers of the stream, the user will be able to watch high-quality video when they return home. This eliminates the need for the encoding device 100 to generate multiple streams with the same content but different image qualities, thereby reducing the processing load.

Furthermore, the enhancement layer may include meta-information based on image statistics, etc. The decoding device 200 may generate high-quality video by super-resolution of the base layer pictures based on the meta-information. Super-resolution may mean either improving the signal-to-noise (SN) ratio at the same resolution or increasing the resolution. The meta-information may include information for specifying linear or non-linear filter coefficients to be used in the super-resolution process, or information for specifying parameter values in the filter process, machine learning, or least-squares calculation to be used in the super-resolution process.

Alternatively, the picture may be divided into tiles or the like depending on the meaning of each object in the picture. In this case, the decoding device 200 may decode only a portion of the picture by selecting tiles to be decoded. Furthermore, the attributes of the object (person, car, ball, etc.) and its position within the picture (coordinate position within the same picture, etc.) may be stored as meta information. In this case, the decoding device 200 can identify the position of the desired object based on the meta information and determine the tile containing that object. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the meta information is stored using a data storage structure different from that of image data, such as SEI in HEVC. This meta information indicates, for example, the position, size, or color of the main object.

Meta information may also be stored in units consisting of multiple pictures, such as streams, sequences, or random access units. This allows the decoding device 200 to obtain information such as the time at which a specific person appears in a video, and by using this time and picture-by-picture information, it can identify the picture in which the object exists and the position of the object within that picture.

[Encoding device]
Next, a description will be given of a coding device 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the coding device 100 according to an embodiment. The coding device 100 codes an image in units of blocks.

As shown in FIG. 7, the encoding device 100 is a device that encodes an image on a block-by-block basis, and includes a division unit 102, a subtraction unit 104, a transformation unit 106, a quantization unit 108, an entropy encoding unit 110, an inverse quantization unit 112, an inverse transformation unit 114, an addition unit 116, a block memory 118, a loop filter unit 120, a frame memory 122, an intra prediction unit 124, an inter prediction unit 126, a prediction control unit 128, and a prediction parameter generation unit 130. Note that the intra prediction unit 124 and the inter prediction unit 126 are each configured as part of a prediction processing unit.

[Example of implementation of encoding device]
8 is a block diagram showing an example implementation of the encoding device 100. The encoding device 100 includes a processor a1 and a memory a2. For example, several components of the encoding device 100 shown in FIG. 7 are implemented by the processor a1 and the memory a2 shown in FIG. 8.

Processor a1 is a circuit that processes information and can access memory a2. For example, processor a1 is a dedicated or general-purpose electronic circuit that encodes images. Processor a1 may be a processor such as a CPU. Processor a1 may also be a collection of multiple electronic circuits. For example, processor a1 may fulfill the roles of multiple components of the encoding device 100 shown in FIG. 7, excluding the component for storing information.

Memory a2 is a dedicated or general-purpose memory that stores information used by processor a1 to encode images. Memory a2 may be an electronic circuit and may be connected to processor a1. Memory a2 may also be included in processor a1. Memory a2 may also be a collection of multiple electronic circuits. Memory a2 may also be a magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and may also be referred to as storage or recording medium, etc. Memory a2 may also be non-volatile memory or volatile memory.

For example, memory a2 may store an image to be encoded, or a stream corresponding to the encoded image. Memory a2 may also store a program that processor a1 uses to encode the image.

Also, for example, memory a2 may serve as a component for storing information among the multiple components of encoding device 100 shown in FIG. 7. Specifically, memory a2 may serve as block memory 118 and frame memory 122 shown in FIG. 7. More specifically, memory a2 may store a reconstructed image (specifically, a reconstructed block or a reconstructed picture, etc.).

Note that the encoding device 100 does not necessarily have to implement all of the components shown in FIG. 7, and does not necessarily have to perform all of the processes described above. Some of the components shown in FIG. 7 may be included in another device, and some of the processes described above may be performed by another device.

Below, we will explain the overall processing flow of the encoding device 100, and then explain each component included in the encoding device 100.

[Overall flow of encoding process]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall encoding process performed by the encoding device 100.

First, the division unit 102 of the encoding device 100 divides the picture included in the original image into multiple fixed-size blocks (128 x 128 pixels) (step Sa_1). Then, the division unit 102 selects a division pattern for the fixed-size blocks (step Sa_2). In other words, the division unit 102 further divides the fixed-size blocks into multiple blocks that constitute the selected division pattern. Then, the encoding device 100 performs the processes of steps Sa_3 to Sa_9 for each of the multiple blocks.

The prediction processing unit, consisting of the intra prediction unit 124 and the inter prediction unit 126, and the prediction control unit 128 generate a predicted image of the current block (step Sa_3). Note that the predicted image is also called a predicted signal, predicted block, or predicted sample.

Next, the subtraction unit 104 generates the difference between the current block and the predicted image as a prediction residual (step Sa_4). Note that the prediction residual is also called a prediction error.

Next, the transform unit 106 and the quantization unit 108 transform and quantize the predicted image to generate multiple quantized coefficients (step Sa_5).

Next, the entropy coding unit 110 generates a stream by performing coding (specifically, entropy coding) on the multiple quantization coefficients and prediction parameters related to generating a predicted image (step Sa_6).

Next, the inverse quantization unit 112 and the inverse transform unit 114 perform inverse quantization and inverse transform on the multiple quantized coefficients to restore the prediction residual (step Sa_7).

Next, the adder 116 reconstructs the current block by adding the predicted image to the restored prediction residual (step Sa_8). This generates a reconstructed image. Note that the reconstructed image is also called a reconstructed block, and in particular, the reconstructed image generated by the encoding device 100 is also called a locally decoded block or a locally decoded image.

Once this reconstructed image is generated, the loop filter unit 120 performs filtering on the reconstructed image as necessary (step Sa_9).

Then, the encoding device 100 determines whether encoding of the entire picture is complete (step Sa_10), and if it determines that encoding is not complete (No in step Sa_10), it repeats the process from step Sa_2.

In the above example, the encoding device 100 selects one division pattern for fixed-size blocks and encodes each block according to that division pattern, but it may also encode each block according to multiple division patterns. In this case, the encoding device 100 may evaluate the cost for each of the multiple division patterns and select, for example, the stream obtained by encoding according to the division pattern with the smallest cost as the final output stream.

Furthermore, the processing of these steps Sa_1 to Sa_10 may be performed sequentially by the encoding device 100, or some of these processes may be performed in parallel, or the order may be changed.

The encoding process performed by this encoding device 100 is hybrid encoding that combines predictive encoding and transform encoding. Furthermore, predictive encoding is performed by an encoding loop consisting of a subtraction unit 104, a transform unit 106, a quantization unit 108, an inverse quantization unit 112, an inverse transform unit 114, an addition unit 116, a loop filter unit 120, a block memory 118, a frame memory 122, an intra prediction unit 124, an inter prediction unit 126, and a prediction control unit 128. In other words, the prediction processing unit consisting of the intra prediction unit 124 and the inter prediction unit 126 forms part of the encoding loop.

[Divided part]
The partitioning unit 102 divides each picture included in the original image into multiple blocks and outputs each block to the subtraction unit 104. For example, the partitioning unit 102 first divides the picture into blocks of a fixed size (e.g., 128x128 pixels). These fixed-size blocks may be called coding tree units (CTUs). The partitioning unit 102 then divides each of the fixed-size blocks into blocks of a variable size (e.g., 64x64 pixels or less), for example, based on recursive quadtree and/or binary tree block partitioning. That is, the partitioning unit 102 selects a partitioning pattern. These variable-size blocks may be called coding units (CUs), prediction units (PUs), or transform units (TUs). Note that in various implementation examples, CUs, PUs, and TUs do not need to be distinguished, and some or all of the blocks in a picture may be the processing unit of a CU, PU, or TU.

Figure 10 shows an example of block division in an embodiment. In Figure 10, solid lines represent block boundaries based on quadtree block division, and dashed lines represent block boundaries based on binary tree block division.

Here, block 10 is a square block of 128x128 pixels. This block 10 is first divided into four square blocks of 64x64 pixels (quadtree block division).

The upper left 64x64 pixel square block is further divided vertically into two rectangular blocks of 32x64 pixels each, and the left 32x64 pixel rectangular block is further divided vertically into two rectangular blocks of 16x64 pixels each (binary tree block division). As a result, the upper left 64x64 pixel square block is divided into two 16x64 pixel rectangular blocks 11 and 12, and a 32x64 pixel rectangular block 13.

The 64x64 pixel square block in the upper right corner is divided horizontally into two rectangular blocks 14 and 15, each consisting of 64x32 pixels (binary tree block division).

The lower-left 64x64 square block is divided into four 32x32 pixel square blocks (quadtree block division). Of the four 32x32 pixel square blocks, the upper-left and lower-right blocks are further divided. The upper-left 32x32 pixel square block is divided vertically into two 16x32 pixel rectangular blocks, and the right 16x32 pixel rectangular block is further divided horizontally into two 16x16 pixel square blocks (binary tree block division). The lower-right 32x32 pixel square block is divided horizontally into two 32x16 pixel rectangular blocks (binary tree block division). As a result, the lower left 64x64 pixel square block is divided into a 16x32 pixel rectangular block 16, two 16x16 pixel square blocks 17 and 18, two 32x32 pixel square blocks 19 and 20, and two 32x16 pixel rectangular blocks 21 and 22.

The bottom right block 23, consisting of 64x64 pixels, is not divided.

As shown above, in Figure 10, block 10 is divided into 13 variable-sized blocks 11-23 based on recursive quad-tree and binary tree block division. This type of division is sometimes called QTBT (quad-tree plus binary tree) division.

Note that while Figure 10 shows one block divided into four or two blocks (quadtree or binary tree block division), division is not limited to this. For example, one block may be divided into three blocks (ternary tree block division). Divisions that include such ternary tree block division are sometimes called MBT (multi type tree) divisions.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the division unit 102. As shown in Figure 11, the division unit 102 may include a block division determination unit 102a. The block division determination unit 102a may perform the following processing, as an example.

The block division determination unit 102a collects block information, for example, from the block memory 118 or the frame memory 122, and determines the above-mentioned division pattern based on that block information. The division unit 102 divides the original image according to that division pattern and outputs one or more blocks obtained by that division to the subtraction unit 104.

The block partition determination unit 102a also outputs, for example, parameters indicating the above-mentioned partition pattern to the transform unit 106, the inverse transform unit 114, the intra prediction unit 124, the inter prediction unit 126, and the entropy coding unit 110. The transform unit 106 may transform the prediction residual based on the parameters, and the intra prediction unit 124 and the inter prediction unit 126 may generate a predicted image based on the parameters. The entropy coding unit 110 may also perform entropy coding on the parameters.

For example, parameters related to the splitting pattern may be written to the stream as follows:

Figure 12 shows examples of division patterns. Examples of division patterns include quartering (QT), which divides a block into two parts horizontally and vertically; thirding (HT or VT), which divides a block in the same direction at a 1:2:1 ratio; bisection (HB or VB), which divides a block in the same direction at a 1:1 ratio; and no division (NS).

Note that in the case of 4-division and no division, the division pattern does not have a block division direction, but in the case of 2-division and 3-division, the division pattern has division direction information.

13A and 13B show examples of syntax trees for splitting patterns. In the example of FIG. 13A, first there is information indicating whether splitting is to be performed (S: Split flag), followed by information indicating whether splitting into four parts (QT: QT flag). Next there is information indicating whether splitting into three or two parts is to be performed (TT: TT flag or BT: BT flag), and finally there is information indicating the split direction (Ver: Vertical flag or Hor: Horizontal flag). Note that further splitting may be applied repeatedly using a similar process to each of one or more blocks obtained by splitting using such a splitting pattern. That is, as an example, it is possible to recursively determine whether splitting is to be performed, whether splitting into four parts is to be performed, whether the splitting method is horizontal or vertical, and whether splitting into three or two parts is to be performed, and then encode the results of these determinations into a stream according to the encoding order disclosed in the syntax tree shown in FIG. 13A.

In addition, in the syntax tree shown in Figure 13A, the information is arranged in the order S, QT, TT, Ver, but the information may also be arranged in the order S, QT, Ver, BT. That is, in the example of Figure 13B, first there is information indicating whether or not splitting will be performed (S: Split flag), then there is information indicating whether or not splitting will be performed into four (QT: QT flag). Next there is information indicating the split direction (Ver: Vertical flag or Hor: Horizontal flag), and finally there is information indicating whether splitting will be performed into two or three (BT: BT flag or TT: TT flag).

Note that the division patterns described here are just examples, and division patterns other than those described may be used, or only some of the division patterns described may be used.

[Subtraction section]
The subtraction unit 104 subtracts the predicted image (the predicted image input from the prediction control unit 128) from the original image, input from the division unit 102, for each block divided by the division unit 102. That is, the subtraction unit 104 calculates the prediction residual of the current block. Then, the subtraction unit 104 outputs the calculated prediction residual to the conversion unit 106.

The original image is the input signal of the encoding device 100, and is, for example, a signal representing the image of each picture that makes up a moving image (e.g., a luminance (luma) signal and two color difference (chroma) signals).

[Conversion section]
The transform unit 106 transforms the spatial domain prediction residual into frequency domain transform coefficients and outputs the transform coefficients to the quantization unit 108. Specifically, the transform unit 106 performs, for example, a predetermined discrete cosine transform (DCT) or discrete sine transform (DST) on the spatial domain prediction residual.

The transform unit 106 may adaptively select a transform type from among multiple transform types and convert the prediction residuals into transform coefficients using a transform basis function corresponding to the selected transform type. Such a transform is sometimes called an explicit multiple core transform (EMT) or an adaptive multiple transform (AMT). The transform basis function is sometimes simply called a basis.

The multiple transform types include, for example, DCT-II, DCT-V, DCT-VIII, DST-I, and DST-VII. These transform types may also be expressed as DCT2, DCT5, DCT8, DST1, and DST7, respectively. Figure 14 is a table showing the transform basis functions corresponding to each transform type. In Figure 14, N represents the number of input pixels. Selection of a transform type from among these multiple transform types may depend, for example, on the type of prediction (such as intra prediction or inter prediction) or on the intra prediction mode.

Information indicating whether such EMT or AMT is applied (e.g., referred to as an EMT flag or an AMT flag) and information indicating the selected transformation type are typically signaled at the CU level. However, signaling of this information does not need to be limited to the CU level, and may also be at other levels (e.g., sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level).

The transform unit 106 may also retransform the transform coefficients (i.e., the transform results). Such retransformation is sometimes called adaptive secondary transform (AST) or non-separable secondary transform (NSST). For example, the transform unit 106 performs retransformation for each sub-block (e.g., a 4x4 pixel sub-block) included in a block of transform coefficients corresponding to intra-prediction residuals. Information indicating whether to apply NSST and information regarding the transform matrix used for NSST are typically signaled at the CU level. Note that signaling of this information does not need to be limited to the CU level and may also be at other levels (e.g., the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level).

The transform unit 106 may apply both separable and non-separable transforms. A separable transform is a method in which the transform is performed multiple times, separating the input into directions equal to the number of dimensions. A non-separable transform is a method in which, when the input is multidimensional, two or more dimensions are treated as a single dimension and transformed together.

For example, one example of a non-separable transformation would be one in which, if the input is a 4x4 pixel block, it is treated as a single array with 16 elements, and a 16x16 transformation matrix is used to perform transformation processing on that array.

Another example of a non-separable transformation is to treat a 4x4 pixel input block as a single array with 16 elements, and then perform a transformation (Hypercube Givens Transform) on that array by performing Givens rotation multiple times.

The transformation performed by the transformation unit 106 can also switch the transformation type of the transformation basis function used to transform into the frequency domain depending on the region within the CU. One example is SVT (Spatially Varying Transform).

Figure 15 shows an example of SVT.

In SVT, as shown in FIG. 15, a CU is divided into two equal parts horizontally or vertically, and only one of the two regions is transformed into the frequency domain. The transform type may be set for each region; for example, DST7 and DCT8 may be used. For example, of the two regions obtained by dividing a CU into two equal parts vertically, DST7 and DCT8 may be used for the region at position 0. Alternatively, DST7 may be used for the region at position 1. Similarly, of the two regions obtained by dividing a CU into two equal parts horizontally, DST7 and DCT8 may be used for the region at position 0. Alternatively, DST7 may be used for the region at position 1. In the example shown in FIG. 15, only one of the two regions within the CU is transformed, and the other is not, but transformation may also be performed on each of the two regions. Furthermore, the division method may be not only halving, but also quartering. It is also possible to make it more flexible by encoding information indicating the partitioning method and signaling it in the same way as CU partitioning. SVT is also sometimes called SBT (Sub-block Transform).

The aforementioned AMT and EMT may also be referred to as MTS (Multiple Transform Selection). When MTS is applied, a transform type such as DST7 or DCT8 can be selected, and information indicating the selected transform type may be encoded as index information for each CU. On the other hand, there is a process called IMTS (Implicit MTS), which selects the transform type to be used for orthogonal transform based on the shape of the CU without encoding index information. When IMTS is applied, for example, if the shape of the CU is rectangular, the short sides of the rectangle are orthogonally transformed using DST7, and the long sides are orthogonally transformed using DCT2. For example, if the shape of the CU is square, if MTS is enabled in the sequence, DCT2 is used, and if MTS is disabled, DST7 is used. DCT2 and DST7 are merely examples; other transform types may be used, and different combinations of transform types may also be used. IMTS may be available only for intra-predicted blocks, or for both intra-predicted and inter-predicted blocks.

The above describes three selection processes—MTS, SBT, and IMTS—that selectively switch the transform type used for orthogonal transform. However, all three selection processes may be enabled, or only some of the selection processes may be selectively enabled. Whether an individual selection process is enabled can be identified by flag information in a header, such as SPS. For example, if all three selection processes are enabled, one of the three selection processes is selected for each CU to perform the orthogonal transform. Note that the selection process that selectively switches the transform type may use a selection process different from the three selection processes listed above, as long as it achieves at least one of the following four functions [1] to [4], or each of the three selection processes may be replaced with a different process. Function [1] is a function that performs an orthogonal transform on the entire range within a CU and encodes information indicating the transform type used for the transform. Function [2] is a function that performs an orthogonal transform on the entire range of a CU and determines the transform type based on a predetermined rule without encoding information indicating the transform type. Function [3] is a function that performs an orthogonal transform on a portion of a CU and encodes information indicating the transform type used for the transform. Function [4] is a function that performs an orthogonal transform on a portion of a CU and determines the transform type based on a predetermined rule without encoding information indicating the transform type used for the transform.

Note that whether or not to apply MTS, IMTS, and SBT may be determined for each processing unit. For example, whether or not to apply may be determined for each sequence, picture, brick, slice, CTU, or CU.

Note that the tool for selectively switching transformation types in this disclosure may also be referred to as a method for adaptively selecting a basis to be used in a transformation process, a selection process, or a process for selecting a basis. Also, the tool for selectively switching transformation types may also be referred to as a mode for adaptively selecting a transformation type.

Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the conversion unit 106.

For example, the transform unit 106 determines whether to perform an orthogonal transform (step St_1). If the transform unit 106 determines to perform an orthogonal transform (Yes in step St_1), it selects a transform type to be used for the orthogonal transform from among multiple transform types (step St_2). Next, the transform unit 106 performs an orthogonal transform by applying the selected transform type to the prediction residual of the current block (step St_3). The transform unit 106 then outputs information indicating the selected transform type to the entropy coding unit 110, thereby causing the entropy coding unit 110 to encode the information (step St_4). On the other hand, if the transform unit 106 determines not to perform an orthogonal transform (No in step St_1), it outputs information indicating that an orthogonal transform will not be performed to the entropy coding unit 110, thereby causing the entropy coding unit 110 to encode the information (step St_5). Note that the determination of whether to perform an orthogonal transform in step St_1 may be based on, for example, the size of the transform block, the prediction mode applied to the CU, etc. Alternatively, the information indicating the transform type used for the orthogonal transform may not be coded, and the orthogonal transform may be performed using a predefined transform type.

Figure 17 is a flowchart showing another example of processing by the transform unit 106. Note that, like the example shown in Figure 16, the example shown in Figure 17 is an example of orthogonal transform in which a method of selectively switching the transform type used for orthogonal transform is applied.

As an example, the first group of transform types may include DCT2, DST7, and DCT8. Also, as another example, the second group of transform types may include DCT2. Furthermore, the transform types included in the first group of transform types and the second group of transform types may partially overlap, or may all be different transform types.

Specifically, the transform unit 106 determines whether the transform size is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step Su_1). If it is determined that the transform size is equal to or less than the predetermined value (Yes in step Su_1), the transform unit 106 performs an orthogonal transform on the prediction residual of the current block using a transform type included in the first transform type group (step Su_2). Next, the transform unit 106 outputs information indicating which transform type to use from one or more transform types included in the first transform type group to the entropy coding unit 110, thereby causing the information to be coded (step Su_3). On the other hand, if the transform unit 106 determines that the transform size is not equal to or less than the predetermined value (No in step Su_1), the transform unit 106 performs an orthogonal transform on the prediction residual of the current block using a second transform type group (step Su_4).

In step Su_3, the information indicating the transform type used for the orthogonal transform may be information indicating a combination of a transform type to be applied in the vertical direction and a transform type to be applied in the horizontal direction of the current block. Alternatively, the first transform type group may include only one transform type, and the information indicating the transform type to be used for the orthogonal transform may not be encoded. The second transform type group may include multiple transform types, and the information indicating the transform type to be used for the orthogonal transform, from among one or more transform types included in the second transform type group, may be encoded.

Alternatively, the transform type may be determined based solely on the transform size. Note that as long as the process determines the transform type to be used for orthogonal transform based on the transform size, it is not limited to determining whether the transform size is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.

[Quantization section]
The quantization unit 108 quantizes the transform coefficients output from the transform unit 106. Specifically, the quantization unit 108 scans the multiple transform coefficients of the current block in a predetermined scanning order and quantizes the scanned transform coefficients based on quantization parameters (QPs) corresponding to the scanned transform coefficients. The quantization unit 108 then outputs the multiple quantized transform coefficients of the current block (hereinafter referred to as quantized coefficients) to the entropy coding unit 110 and the inverse quantization unit 112.

The predetermined scanning order is the order for quantizing/dequantizing the transform coefficients. For example, the predetermined scanning order is defined as ascending order of frequency (from low frequency to high frequency) or descending order (from high frequency to low frequency).

The quantization parameter (QP) is a parameter that defines the quantization step (quantization width). For example, as the value of the quantization parameter increases, the quantization step also increases. In other words, as the value of the quantization parameter increases, the error in the quantized coefficient (quantization error) increases.

Quantization may also involve the use of quantization matrices. For example, several types of quantization matrices may be used depending on frequency transform sizes such as 4x4 and 8x8, prediction modes such as intra-prediction and inter-prediction, and pixel components such as luma and chroma. Quantization refers to the process of digitizing values sampled at predetermined intervals by associating them with predetermined levels, and in this technical field, it may also be referred to as rounding, scaling, or other similar expressions.

There are two methods for using a quantization matrix: one is to use a quantization matrix that is set directly on the encoding device 100 side, and the other is to use a default quantization matrix (default matrix). By directly setting a quantization matrix on the encoding device 100 side, it is possible to set a quantization matrix that suits the characteristics of the image. However, this has the disadvantage that the amount of code increases when the quantization matrix is encoded. Note that instead of using the default quantization matrix or an encoded quantization matrix as is, a quantization matrix to be used for quantizing the current block may be generated based on the default quantization matrix or an encoded quantization matrix.

On the other hand, there is also a method that does not use a quantization matrix and quantizes the coefficients of both high-frequency and low-frequency components in the same way. Note that this method is equivalent to using a quantization matrix in which all coefficients have the same value (a flat matrix).

Quantization matrices may be coded, for example, at the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level.

When using a quantization matrix, the quantization unit 108 scales, for example, the quantization width calculated from the quantization parameter for each transform coefficient using the value of the quantization matrix. Quantization processing performed without using a quantization matrix may be processing in which the transform coefficients are quantized based on the quantization width calculated from the quantization parameter. Note that in quantization processing performed without using a quantization matrix, the quantization width may be multiplied by a predetermined value that is common to all transform coefficients in the block.

Figure 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the quantization unit 108.

The quantization unit 108 includes, for example, a differential quantization parameter generation unit 108a, a predicted quantization parameter generation unit 108b, a quantization parameter generation unit 108c, a quantization parameter storage unit 108d, and a quantization processing unit 108e.

Figure 19 is a flowchart showing an example of quantization by the quantization unit 108.

As an example, the quantization unit 108 may perform quantization for each CU based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 19. Specifically, the quantization parameter generation unit 108c determines whether or not to perform quantization (step Sv_1). Here, if it is determined that quantization is to be performed (Yes in step Sv_1), the quantization parameter generation unit 108c generates a quantization parameter for the current block (step Sv_2) and stores the quantization parameter in the quantization parameter storage unit 108d (step Sv_3).

Next, the quantization processing unit 108e quantizes the transform coefficients of the current block using the quantization parameter generated in step Sv_2 (step Sv_4). Then, the predicted quantization parameter generation unit 108b acquires a quantization parameter for a processing unit different from that of the current block from the quantization parameter storage unit 108d (step Sv_5). The predicted quantization parameter generation unit 108b generates a predicted quantization parameter for the current block based on the acquired quantization parameter (step Sv_6). The differential quantization parameter generation unit 108a calculates the difference between the quantization parameter for the current block generated by the quantization parameter generation unit 108c and the predicted quantization parameter for the current block generated by the predicted quantization parameter generation unit 108b (step Sv_7). A differential quantization parameter is generated by calculating this difference. The differential quantization parameter generation unit 108a outputs the differential quantization parameter to the entropy coding unit 110, causing the differential quantization parameter to be coded (step Sv_8).

The differential quantization parameter may be coded at the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level. The initial value of the quantization parameter may also be coded at the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level. In this case, the quantization parameter may be generated using the initial value of the quantization parameter and the differential quantization parameter.

The quantization unit 108 may be equipped with multiple quantizers and may apply dependent quantization, which quantizes transform coefficients using a quantization method selected from multiple quantization methods.

[Entropy coding unit]
FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entropy coding unit 110.

The entropy coding unit 110 generates a stream by entropy coding the quantization coefficients input from the quantization unit 108 and the prediction parameters input from the prediction parameter generation unit 130. For this entropy coding, for example, CABAC (Context-based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding) is used. Specifically, the entropy coding unit 110 includes, for example, a binarization unit 110a, a context control unit 110b, and a binary arithmetic coding unit 110c. The binarization unit 110a performs binarization, converting multi-value signals such as the quantization coefficients and prediction parameters into binary signals. Examples of binarization methods include Truncated Rice Binarization, Exponential Golomb Codes, and Fixed Length Binarization. The context control unit 110b derives a context value, i.e., the probability of occurrence of a binary signal, based on the characteristics of the syntax element or the surrounding circumstances. Methods for deriving this context value include, for example, bypassing, referencing syntax elements, referencing upper and left adjacent blocks, referencing hierarchical information, and others. The binary arithmetic coding unit 110c performs arithmetic coding on the binarized signal using the derived context value.

Figure 21 shows the flow of CABAC in the entropy coding unit 110.

First, initialization is performed in the CABAC in the entropy coding unit 110. This initialization involves initialization of the binary arithmetic coding unit 110c and setting of initial context values. Then, the binarization unit 110a and the binary arithmetic coding unit 110c perform binarization and arithmetic coding, for example, sequentially on each of the multiple quantized coefficients of a CTU. At this time, the context control unit 110b updates the context values each time arithmetic coding is performed. Then, as post-processing, the context control unit 110b saves the context values. This saved context value is used, for example, as the initial context value for the next CTU.

[Dequantization section]
The inverse quantization unit 112 inverse quantizes the quantized coefficients input from the quantization unit 108. Specifically, the inverse quantization unit 112 inverse quantizes the quantized coefficients of the current block in a predetermined scanning order. The inverse quantization unit 112 then outputs the inverse quantized transform coefficients of the current block to the inverse transform unit 114.

[Inverse conversion section]
The inverse transform unit 114 reconstructs the prediction residual by inverse transforming the transform coefficients input from the inverse quantization unit 112. Specifically, the inverse transform unit 114 reconstructs the prediction residual of the current block by performing an inverse transform on the transform coefficients corresponding to the transform performed by the transform unit 106. Then, the inverse transform unit 114 outputs the reconstructed prediction residual to the adder 116.

Note that the restored prediction residual usually does not match the prediction error calculated by the subtraction unit 104 because information is lost due to quantization. In other words, the restored prediction residual usually contains quantization error.

[Adder]
The adder 116 reconstructs the current block by adding the prediction residual input from the inverse transformer 114 and the predicted image input from the prediction control unit 128. As a result, a reconstructed image is generated. The adder 116 then outputs the reconstructed image to the block memory 118 and the loop filter unit 120.

[Block memory]
The block memory 118 is a storage unit for storing, for example, blocks in the current picture that are referenced in intra prediction. Specifically, the block memory 118 stores the reconstructed image output from the adder 116.

[Frame memory]
The frame memory 122 is a storage unit for storing, for example, reference pictures used in inter prediction, and is sometimes called a frame buffer. Specifically, the frame memory 122 stores the reconstructed image filtered by the loop filter unit 120.

[Loop filter section]
The loop filter unit 120 performs loop filtering on the reconstructed image output from the adder 116, and outputs the filtered reconstructed image to the frame memory 122. The loop filter is a filter (in-loop filter) used within the encoding loop, and includes, for example, an adaptive loop filter (ALF), a deblocking filter (DF or DBF), and a sample adaptive offset (SAO).

Figure 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the loop filter unit 120.

As shown in FIG. 22, the loop filter unit 120 includes a deblocking filter processing unit 120a, an SAO processing unit 120b, and an ALF processing unit 120c. The deblocking filter processing unit 120a performs the deblocking filter processing described above on the reconstructed image. The SAO processing unit 120b performs the SAO processing described above on the reconstructed image after the deblocking filter processing. The ALF processing unit 120c applies the ALF processing described above to the reconstructed image after the SAO processing. Details of the ALF and deblocking filter will be described later. The SAO processing improves image quality by reducing ringing (a phenomenon in which pixel values around edges appear wavy) and correcting pixel value deviations. Examples of this SAO processing include edge offset processing and band offset processing. Note that the loop filter unit 120 does not need to include all of the processing units disclosed in FIG. 22, and may include only some of the processing units. Furthermore, the loop filter unit 120 may be configured to perform the above-described processes in an order different from the processing order disclosed in FIG. 22.

[Loop filter section > Adaptive loop filter]
In ALF, a least squared error filter is applied to remove coding artifacts, for example, for each 2x2 pixel sub-block in the current block, one filter selected from among multiple filters based on local gradient direction and activity is applied.

Specifically, first, subblocks (e.g., 2x2 pixel subblocks) are classified into multiple classes (e.g., 15 or 25 classes). Subblocks are classified, for example, based on the gradient direction and activity. In a specific example, a classification value C (e.g., C = 5D + A) is calculated using the gradient direction value D (e.g., 0 to 2 or 0 to 4) and the gradient activity value A (e.g., 0 to 4). Then, the subblocks are classified into multiple classes based on the classification value C.

The gradient direction value D is derived, for example, by comparing gradients in multiple directions (e.g., horizontal, vertical, and two diagonal directions). The gradient activity value A is derived, for example, by adding gradients in multiple directions and quantizing the result.

Based on the results of this classification, a filter for the subblock is selected from multiple filters.

The filter shape used in ALF is, for example, a circularly symmetrical shape. Figures 23A to 23C are diagrams showing several examples of filter shapes used in ALF. Figure 23A shows a 5x5 diamond-shaped filter, Figure 23B shows a 7x7 diamond-shaped filter, and Figure 23C shows a 9x9 diamond-shaped filter. Information indicating the filter shape is typically signaled at the picture level. Note that signaling of information indicating the filter shape does not need to be limited to the picture level, and may also be at other levels (e.g., sequence level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, or CU level).

Whether ALF is on or off may be determined, for example, at the picture level or CU level. For example, whether or not to apply ALF for luminance may be determined at the CU level, and whether or not to apply ALF for chrominance may be determined at the picture level. Information indicating whether ALF is on or off is typically signaled at the picture level or CU level. Note that signaling of information indicating whether ALF is on or off does not need to be limited to the picture level or CU level, and may also be at other levels (for example, the sequence level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level).

Also, as described above, one filter is selected from multiple filters to perform ALF processing on a subblock. For each of the multiple filters (e.g., up to 15 or 25 filters), a coefficient set consisting of multiple coefficients used in that filter is typically signaled at the picture level. Note that signaling of the coefficient set does not need to be limited to the picture level, and may also be at other levels (e.g., sequence level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, CU level, or subblock level).

[Loop Filter > Cross Component Adaptive Loop Filter]
Fig. 23D shows an example where a Y sample (first component) is used for the Cb CCALF and the Cr CCALF (multiple components different from the first component), and Fig. 23E shows a diamond-shaped filter.

One example of CC-ALF operates by applying a linear diamond-shaped filter (Figures 23D and 23E) to the luma channel of each chroma component. For example, the filter coefficients are transmitted in APS, scaled by a factor of 2^10, and rounded to a fixed-point representation. The application of the filter is controlled by variable block sizes and signaled by context-coded flags received for each block of samples. The block size and CC-ALF enable flag are received at the slice level for each chroma component. The syntax and semantics of CC-ALF are provided in the Appendix. Contributions support block sizes of 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, and 128x128 (for chroma samples).

[Loop Filter > Joint Chroma Cross Component Adaptive Loop Filter]
Fig. 23F is a diagram showing an example of JC-CCALF, and Fig. 23G is a diagram showing an example of weight_index candidates of JC-CCALF.

One example of JC-CCALF uses only one CCALF filter to generate a single CCALF filter output as a color difference adjustment signal for only one color component, and applies an appropriately weighted version of the same color difference adjustment signal to the other color component. In this way, the complexity of existing CCALFs is roughly halved.

The weight value is coded into a sign flag and a weight index. The weight index (denoted weight_index) is coded into 3 bits and specifies the magnitude of the JC-CCALF weight JcCcWeight. It cannot be equal to 0. The magnitude of JcCcWeight is determined as follows:

-If weight_index is 4 or less, JcCcWeight is equal to weight_index >> 2.

- Otherwise, JcCcWeight is equal to 4/(weight_index-4).

There are separate block-level on/off controls for Cb and Cr ALF filtering. This is the same as CCALF, where two separate sets of block-level on/off control flags are coded. Here, unlike CCALF, the Cb and Cr on/off control block sizes are the same, so only one block size variable is coded.

[Loop filter section > Deblocking filter]
In the deblocking filtering process, the loop filter unit 120 reduces distortion occurring at the block boundaries of the reconstructed image by filtering the block boundaries.

Figure 24 is a block diagram showing an example of the detailed configuration of the deblocking filter processing unit 120a.

The deblocking filter processing unit 120a includes, for example, a boundary determination unit 1201, a filter determination unit 1203, a filter processing unit 1205, a processing determination unit 1208, a filter characteristics determination unit 1207, and switches 1202, 1204, and 1206.

The boundary determination unit 1201 determines whether the pixel to be deblocking filtered (i.e., the target pixel) is located near a block boundary. The boundary determination unit 1201 then outputs the determination result to the switch 1202 and the processing determination unit 1208.

If the boundary determination unit 1201 determines that the target pixel is located near a block boundary, the switch 1202 outputs the image before filtering to the switch 1204. Conversely, if the boundary determination unit 1201 determines that the target pixel is not located near a block boundary, the switch 1202 outputs the image before filtering to the switch 1206. Note that the image before filtering is an image consisting of the target pixel and at least one surrounding pixel located around the target pixel.

The filter determination unit 1203 determines whether or not to perform deblocking filtering on the target pixel based on the pixel value of at least one surrounding pixel around the target pixel. The filter determination unit 1203 then outputs the result of this determination to the switch 1204 and the processing determination unit 1208.

When the filter determination unit 1203 determines that deblocking filtering is to be performed on the target pixel, the switch 1204 outputs the pre-filtering image acquired via the switch 1202 to the filter processing unit 1205. Conversely, when the filter determination unit 1203 determines that deblocking filtering is not to be performed on the target pixel, the switch 1204 outputs the pre-filtering image acquired via the switch 1202 to the switch 1206.

When the filter processing unit 1205 acquires the pre-filtered image via the switches 1202 and 1204, it performs deblocking filtering on the target pixel using the filter characteristics determined by the filter characteristics determination unit 1207. The filter processing unit 1205 then outputs the filtered pixel to the switch 1206.

The switch 1206 selectively outputs pixels that have not been deblocking filtered and pixels that have been deblocking filtered by the filter processing unit 1205, depending on the control of the processing determination unit 1208.

The processing determination unit 1208 controls the switch 1206 based on the determination results of the boundary determination unit 1201 and the filter determination unit 1203. That is, if the boundary determination unit 1201 determines that the target pixel is located near a block boundary and the filter determination unit 1203 determines that deblocking filtering should be performed on the target pixel, the processing determination unit 1208 causes the switch 1206 to output a pixel that has been deblocking filtered. In cases other than those described above, the processing determination unit 1208 causes the switch 1206 to output a pixel that has not been deblocking filtered. By repeatedly outputting pixels in this manner, the filtered image is output from the switch 1206. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 24 is an example of the configuration of the deblocking filtering unit 120a, and the deblocking filtering unit 120a may have other configurations.

Figure 25 shows an example of a deblocking filter with filter characteristics that are symmetric with respect to block boundaries.

In deblocking filtering, for example, pixel values and quantization parameters are used to select one of two deblocking filters with different characteristics: a strong filter and a weak filter. In the strong filter, as shown in Figure 25, when pixels p0-p2 and pixels q0-q2 exist on either side of a block boundary, the pixel values of pixels q0-q2 are changed to pixel values q'0-q'2 by performing the calculation shown in the following formula:

q'0=(p1+2×p0+2×q0+2×q1+q2+4)/8
q'1=(p0+q0+q1+q2+2)/4
q'2=(p0+q0+q1+3×q2+2×q3+4)/8

In the above equations, p0 to p2 and q0 to q2 are the pixel values of pixels p0 to p2 and q0 to q2, respectively. q3 is the pixel value of pixel q3, which is adjacent to pixel q2 on the opposite side of the block boundary. On the right-hand side of each of the above equations, the coefficients used in the deblocking filter process by which the pixel values of each pixel are multiplied are the filter coefficients.

Furthermore, in the deblocking filter process, clipping may be performed to prevent the pixel value after calculation from changing beyond a threshold. In this clipping process, the pixel value after calculation using the above formula is clipped to "the pixel value before calculation ±2 × threshold" using a threshold determined from the quantization parameter. This prevents excessive smoothing.

Figure 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a block boundary where deblocking filtering is performed. Figure 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a BS value.

The block boundaries on which deblocking filtering is performed are, for example, the boundaries of CU, PU, or TU in 8x8 pixel blocks as shown in Figure 26. Deblocking filtering is performed, for example, in units of four rows or four columns. First, the Bs (Boundary Strength) values are determined for blocks P and Q shown in Figure 26, as shown in Figure 27.

Depending on the Bs value in Figure 27, it may be determined whether to perform deblocking filter processing of different strengths even on block boundaries belonging to the same image. Deblocking filter processing on color difference signals is performed when the Bs value is 2. Deblocking filter processing on luminance signals is performed when the Bs value is 1 or greater and certain conditions are met. Note that the conditions for determining the Bs value are not limited to those shown in Figure 27, and may be determined based on other parameters.

[Prediction unit (intra prediction unit, inter prediction unit, prediction control unit)]
28 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the encoding device 100. Note that, as an example, the prediction unit is made up of all or some of the components of the intra prediction unit 124, the inter prediction unit 126, and the prediction control unit 128. The prediction processing unit includes, for example, the intra prediction unit 124 and the inter prediction unit 126.

The prediction unit generates a predicted image of the current block (step Sb_1). The predicted image may be, for example, an intra-predicted image (intra-predicted signal) or an inter-predicted image (inter-predicted signal). Specifically, the prediction unit generates the predicted image of the current block using a reconstructed image that has already been obtained by generating predicted images for other blocks, generating prediction residuals, generating quantization coefficients, restoring the prediction residuals, and adding the predicted images.

The reconstructed image may be, for example, an image of a reference picture, or an image of an already coded block (i.e., the other block mentioned above) in the current picture, which is a picture that includes the current block. The already coded block in the current picture is, for example, a neighboring block of the current block.

Figure 29 is a flowchart showing another example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the encoding device 100.

The prediction unit generates a predicted image using a first method (step Sc_1a), a second method (step Sc_1b), and a third method (step Sc_1c). The first, second, and third methods are different methods for generating predicted images and may be, for example, an inter-prediction method, an intra-prediction method, or another prediction method. These prediction methods may use the reconstructed image described above.

Next, the prediction unit evaluates the predicted images generated in steps Sc_1a, Sc_1b, and Sc_1c (step Sc_2). For example, the prediction unit calculates a cost C for each predicted image generated in steps Sc_1a, Sc_1b, and Sc_1c, and evaluates the predicted images by comparing the costs C of these predicted images. Note that the cost C is calculated using an R-D optimization model formula, for example, C = D + λ × R. In this formula, D is the coding distortion of the predicted image and is expressed, for example, by the sum of absolute differences between pixel values of the current block and pixel values of the predicted image. Furthermore, R is the bit rate of the stream. Furthermore, λ is, for example, Lagrange's undetermined multiplier.

Next, the prediction unit selects one of the predicted images generated in steps Sc_1a, Sc_1b, and Sc_1c (step Sc_3). That is, the prediction unit selects a method or mode for obtaining a final predicted image. For example, the prediction unit selects the predicted image with the smallest cost C based on the costs C calculated for those predicted images. Alternatively, the evaluation in step Sc_2 and the selection of the predicted image in step Sc_3 may be performed based on parameters used in the encoding process. The encoding device 100 may signal information identifying the selected predicted image, method, or mode in the stream. This information may be, for example, a flag. This allows the decoding device 200 to generate a predicted image according to the method or mode selected by the encoding device 100 based on that information. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 29, the prediction unit generates predicted images using each method and then selects one of the predicted images. However, the prediction unit may select a method or mode based on parameters used in the encoding process before generating those predicted images, and then generate a predicted image according to that method or mode.

For example, the first and second methods may be intra prediction and inter prediction, respectively, and the prediction unit may select a final predicted image for the current block from predicted images generated according to these prediction methods.

Figure 30 is a flowchart showing another example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the encoding device 100.

First, the prediction unit generates a predicted image by intra prediction (step Sd_1a), and then generates a predicted image by inter prediction (step Sd_1b). Note that a predicted image generated by intra prediction is also called an intra predicted image, and a predicted image generated by inter prediction is also called an inter predicted image.

Next, the prediction unit evaluates each of the intra-predicted image and the inter-predicted image (step Sd_2). The above-mentioned cost C may be used for this evaluation. The prediction unit may then select, from the intra-predicted image and the inter-predicted image, the predicted image for which the smallest cost C has been calculated as the final predicted image for the current block (step Sd_3). In other words, a prediction method or mode for generating a predicted image for the current block is selected.

[Intra prediction unit]
The intra prediction unit 124 generates a predicted image (i.e., an intra predicted image) of the current block by performing intra prediction (also referred to as intra-screen prediction) of the current block with reference to blocks in the current picture stored in the block memory 118. Specifically, the intra prediction unit 124 generates the intra predicted image by performing intra prediction with reference to pixel values (e.g., luminance values, chrominance values) of blocks adjacent to the current block, and outputs the intra predicted image to the prediction control unit 128.

For example, the intra prediction unit 124 performs intra prediction using one of a plurality of predefined intra prediction modes. The plurality of intra prediction modes typically includes one or more non-directional prediction modes and a plurality of directional prediction modes.

The one or more non-directional prediction modes include, for example, the planar prediction mode and DC prediction mode specified in the H.265/HEVC standard.

The multiple directional prediction modes include, for example, the 33 prediction modes specified in the H.265/HEVC standard. The multiple directional prediction modes may also include 32 prediction modes in addition to the 33 (a total of 65 directional prediction modes). Figure 31 shows all 67 intra prediction modes (2 non-directional prediction modes and 65 directional prediction modes) for intra prediction. The solid arrows represent the 33 directions specified in the H.265/HEVC standard, and the dashed arrows represent the additional 32 directions (the two non-directional prediction modes are not shown in Figure 31).

In various implementations, a luma block may be referenced in intra prediction of a chroma block. That is, the chroma component of the current block may be predicted based on the luma component of the current block. This type of intra prediction is sometimes called CCLM (cross-component linear model) prediction. The intra prediction mode of a chroma block that references such a luma block (e.g., called CCLM mode) may be added as one of the intra prediction modes for the chroma block.

The intra prediction unit 124 may correct pixel values after intra prediction based on the gradients of reference pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions. Intra prediction involving such correction is sometimes called PDPC (position dependent intra prediction combination). Information indicating whether PDPC is applied (e.g., called a PDPC flag) is typically signaled at the CU level. Note that signaling of this information does not need to be limited to the CU level, and may also be at other levels (e.g., the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level).

Figure 32 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the intra prediction unit 124.

The intra prediction unit 124 selects one intra prediction mode from multiple intra prediction modes (step Sw_1). Then, the intra prediction unit 124 generates a predicted image according to the selected intra prediction mode (step Sw_2). Next, the intra prediction unit 124 determines the MPM (Most Probable Modes) (step Sw_3). The MPM consists of, for example, six intra prediction modes. Two of the six intra prediction modes may be planar prediction mode and DC prediction mode, and the remaining four modes may be directional prediction modes. Then, the intra prediction unit 124 determines whether the intra prediction mode selected in step Sw_1 is included in the MPM (step Sw_4).

Here, if it is determined that the selected intra prediction mode is included in the MPM (Yes in step Sw_4), the intra prediction unit 124 sets the MPM flag to 1 (step Sw_5) and generates information indicating the selected intra prediction mode from the MPM (step Sw_6). Note that the MPM flag set to 1 and the information indicating the intra prediction mode are each coded by the entropy coding unit 110 as prediction parameters.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the selected intra prediction mode is not included in the MPM (No in step Sw_4), the intra prediction unit 124 sets the MPM flag to 0 (step Sw_7). Alternatively, the intra prediction unit 124 does not set the MPM flag. Then, the intra prediction unit 124 generates information indicating the selected intra prediction mode from among one or more intra prediction modes not included in the MPM (step Sw_8). Note that the MPM flag set to 0 and the information indicating the intra prediction mode are each coded by the entropy coding unit 110 as prediction parameters. The information indicating the intra prediction mode indicates, for example, any value between 0 and 60.

[Inter prediction section]
The inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image (inter predicted image) by performing inter prediction (also called inter prediction) on the current block with reference to a reference picture stored in the frame memory 122 that is different from the current picture. Inter prediction is performed in units of the current block or a current sub-block within the current block. A sub-block is included in a block and is a smaller unit than a block. The size of a sub-block may be 4x4 pixels, 8x8 pixels, or another size. The size of a sub-block may be switched in units such as a slice, a brick, or a picture.

For example, the inter prediction unit 126 performs motion estimation within a reference picture for the current block or current sub-block to find a reference block or sub-block that best matches the current block or current sub-block. The inter prediction unit 126 then obtains motion information (e.g., a motion vector) that compensates for the motion or change from the reference block or sub-block to the current block or sub-block. The inter prediction unit 126 performs motion compensation (or motion prediction) based on the motion information to generate an inter prediction image for the current block or sub-block. The inter prediction unit 126 outputs the generated inter prediction image to the prediction control unit 128.

Motion information used for motion compensation may be signaled as an inter-predicted image in various forms. For example, a motion vector may be signaled. As another example, the difference between a motion vector and a motion vector predictor may be signaled.

[Reference Picture List]
FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of each reference picture, and FIG. 34 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a reference picture list. The reference picture list is a list indicating one or more reference pictures stored in the frame memory 122. In FIG. 33, rectangles indicate pictures, arrows indicate the reference relationships between pictures, the horizontal axis indicates time, I, P, and B in the rectangles indicate intra-predicted pictures, uni-predicted pictures, and bi-predicted pictures, respectively, and the numbers in the rectangles indicate the decoding order. As shown in FIG. 33, the decoding order of each picture is I0, P1, B2, B3, and B4, and the display order of each picture is I0, B3, B2, B4, and P1. As shown in FIG. 34, the reference picture list is a list indicating candidate reference pictures; for example, one picture (or slice) may have one or more reference picture lists. For example, if the current picture is a uni-predicted picture, one reference picture list is used, and if the current picture is a bi-predicted picture, two reference picture lists are used. In the examples of Figures 33 and 34, picture B3, which is the current picture currPic, has two reference picture lists: an L0 list and an L1 list. When the current picture currPic is picture B3, the reference picture candidates for the current picture currPic are I0, P1, and B2, and each reference picture list (i.e., the L0 list and the L1 list) indicates these pictures. The inter predictor 126 or the prediction control unit 128 specifies which picture in each reference picture list is actually referenced using the reference picture index refIdxLx. In Figure 34, reference pictures P1 and B2 are specified by reference picture indexes refIdxL0 and refIdxL1.

Such a reference picture list may be generated on a sequence-by-sequence, picture-by-picture, slice-by-brick, CTU-by-CTU, or CU-by-CU basis. Furthermore, reference picture indices indicating reference pictures referenced in inter prediction among the reference pictures indicated in the reference picture list may be coded at the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, or CU level. Furthermore, a common reference picture list may be used in multiple inter prediction modes.

[Basic flow of inter prediction]
FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the basic flow of inter prediction.

The inter prediction unit 126 first generates a predicted image (steps Se_1 to Se_3). Next, the subtraction unit 104 generates the difference between the current block and the predicted image as a prediction residual (step Se_4).

Here, when generating a predicted image, the inter prediction unit 126 generates the predicted image by, for example, determining a motion vector (MV) for the current block (steps Se_1 and Se_2) and performing motion compensation (step Se_3). When determining an MV, the inter prediction unit 126 determines the MV by, for example, selecting a candidate motion vector (candidate MV) (step Se_1) and deriving an MV (step Se_2). The selection of a candidate MV is performed, for example, by the inter prediction unit 126 generating a candidate MV list and selecting at least one candidate MV from the candidate MV list. Note that previously derived MVs may be added to the candidate MV list. When deriving an MV, the inter prediction unit 126 may select at least one candidate MV from the at least one candidate MV and determine the selected at least one candidate MV as the MV for the current block. Alternatively, the inter prediction unit 126 may determine the MV of the current block by searching the area of the reference picture indicated by each of the at least one selected candidate MV. Note that searching the area of the reference picture may also be referred to as motion estimation.

Furthermore, in the above example, steps Se_1 to Se_3 are performed by the inter prediction unit 126, but processing such as step Se_1 or step Se_2 may also be performed by other components included in the encoding device 100.

Note that a candidate MV list may be created for each inter prediction mode process, or a common candidate MV list may be used for multiple inter prediction modes. Furthermore, the processes of steps Se_3 and Se_4 correspond to the processes of steps Sa_3 and Sa_4, respectively, shown in Figure 9. Furthermore, the process of step Se_3 corresponds to the process of step Sd_1b in Figure 30.

[MV derivation flow]
FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of MV derivation.

The inter prediction unit 126 may derive the motion vector (MV) of the current block in a mode in which motion information (e.g., MV) is coded. In this case, the motion information may be coded as a prediction parameter and signaled. In other words, the coded motion information is included in the stream.

Alternatively, the inter prediction unit 126 may derive MVs in a mode that does not encode motion information. In this case, motion information is not included in the stream.

Here, MV derivation modes include normal inter mode, normal merge mode, FRUC mode, and affine mode, which will be described later. Of these modes, modes that encode motion information include normal inter mode, normal merge mode, and affine mode (specifically, affine inter mode and affine merge mode). Note that motion information may include not only MVs but also prediction MV selection information, which will be described later. Modes that do not encode motion information include FRUC mode. The inter prediction unit 126 selects a mode for deriving MVs for the current block from these multiple modes, and derives the MVs for the current block using the selected mode.

Figure 37 is a flowchart showing another example of MV derivation.

The inter prediction unit 126 may derive the MV of the current block in a mode that encodes the differential MV. In this case, for example, the differential MV is encoded as a prediction parameter and signaled. In other words, the encoded differential MV is included in the stream. This differential MV is the difference between the MV of the current block and its predicted MV. The predicted MV is a predicted motion vector.

Alternatively, the inter prediction unit 126 may derive the MV in a mode that does not encode the differential MV. In this case, the encoded differential MV is not included in the stream.

As mentioned above, MV derivation modes include normal inter, normal merge mode, FRUC mode, and affine mode, which will be described later. Of these modes, modes that encode differential MVs include normal inter mode and affine mode (specifically, affine inter mode). Modes that do not encode differential MVs include FRUC mode, normal merge mode, and affine mode (specifically, affine merge mode). The inter prediction unit 126 selects a mode for deriving MVs for the current block from these multiple modes, and derives the MVs for the current block using the selected mode.

[Mode of MV derivation]
Figures 38A and 38B are diagrams showing an example of classification of each MV derivation mode. For example, as shown in Figure 38A, MV derivation modes are broadly classified into three modes depending on whether motion information is coded and whether a differential MV is coded. The three modes are inter mode, merge mode, and FRUC (frame rate up-conversion) mode. Inter mode is a mode in which motion estimation is performed and motion information and a differential MV are coded. For example, as shown in Figure 38B, inter mode includes affine inter mode and normal inter mode. Merge mode is a mode in which motion estimation is not performed and an MV is selected from a neighboring coded block and the MV of the current block is derived using that MV. This merge mode is basically a mode in which motion information is coded and a differential MV is not coded. For example, as shown in FIG. 38B , merge modes include normal merge mode (sometimes referred to as normal merge mode or regular merge mode), MMVD (Merge with Motion Vector Difference) mode, CIIP (Combined inter merge/intra prediction) mode, triangle mode, ATMVP mode, and affine merge mode. Among the merge modes, MMVD mode exceptionally encodes differential motion vectors. The above-mentioned affine merge mode and affine inter mode are modes included in affine mode. Affine mode is a mode in which, assuming affine transformation, the motion vectors of each of the multiple sub-blocks constituting the current block are derived as the motion vector of the current block. FRUC mode is a mode in which the motion vector of the current block is derived by searching between already-encoded regions, and neither motion information nor differential motion vectors are encoded. Each of these modes will be described in detail later.

Note that the classification of each mode shown in Figures 38A and 38B is an example and is not limited to this. For example, if a differential MV is encoded in CIIP mode, that CIIP mode is classified as an inter mode.

[MV Derivation > Normal Inter Mode]
The normal inter mode is an inter prediction mode in which the MV of the current block is derived by finding a block similar to the image of the current block from the region of the reference picture indicated by the candidate MV, and in this normal inter mode, the differential MV is coded.

Figure 39 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal inter mode.

The inter prediction unit 126 first obtains multiple candidate MVs for the current block based on information such as the MVs of multiple coded blocks that temporally or spatially surround the current block (step Sg_1). In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 creates a candidate MV list.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 extracts N candidate MVs (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) from the multiple candidate MVs obtained in step Sg_1 as prediction MV candidates according to a predetermined priority order (step Sg_2). Note that the priority order is predetermined for each of the N candidate MVs.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 selects one prediction MV candidate from the N prediction MV candidates as the prediction MV for the current block (step Sg_3). At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 encodes prediction MV selection information for identifying the selected prediction MV into the stream. That is, the inter prediction unit 126 outputs the prediction MV selection information as a prediction parameter to the entropy coding unit 110 via the prediction parameter generation unit 130.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 derives the MV of the current block by referring to the coded reference picture (step Sg_4). At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 further encodes the difference between the derived MV and the predicted MV as a differential MV into a stream. In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 outputs the differential MV as a prediction parameter to the entropy coding unit 110 via the prediction parameter generation unit 130. Note that the coded reference picture is a picture consisting of multiple blocks reconstructed after coding.

Finally, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the derived motion vector and the coded reference picture (step Sg_5). The processes of steps Sg_1 to Sg_5 are performed for each block. For example, when the processes of steps Sg_1 to Sg_5 have been performed for all blocks included in a slice, inter prediction using normal inter mode for that slice is completed. Furthermore, when the processes of steps Sg_1 to Sg_5 have been performed for all blocks included in a picture, inter prediction using normal inter mode for that picture is completed. Note that the processes of steps Sg_1 to Sg_5 do not have to be performed for all blocks included in a slice, and inter prediction using normal inter mode for that slice may be completed after being performed for some blocks. Similarly, the processes of steps Sg_1 to Sg_5 may be performed for some blocks included in a picture, and inter prediction using normal inter mode for that picture may be completed.

The predicted image is the inter-prediction signal described above. Furthermore, information included in the encoded signal indicating the inter-prediction mode used to generate the predicted image (normal inter-mode in the above example) is encoded as, for example, a prediction parameter.

The candidate MV list may be shared with lists used in other modes. Processing related to the candidate MV list may also be applied to processing related to lists used in other modes. Examples of processing related to this candidate MV list include extracting or selecting candidate MVs from the candidate MV list, sorting candidate MVs, or deleting candidate MVs.

[MV Derivation > Normal Merge Mode]
The normal merge mode is an inter-prediction mode in which a candidate MV is selected from a candidate MV list as the MV of the current block, thereby deriving the MV. Note that the normal merge mode is a merge mode in the narrow sense, and is sometimes simply referred to as a merge mode. In this embodiment, the normal merge mode and the merge mode are distinguished, and the term merge mode is used in a broad sense.

Figure 40 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction using normal merge mode.

The inter prediction unit 126 first obtains multiple candidate MVs for the current block based on information such as the MVs of multiple coded blocks that temporally or spatially surround the current block (step Sh_1). In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 creates a candidate MV list.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 derives the MV of the current block by selecting one candidate MV from the multiple candidate MVs obtained in step Sh_1 (step Sh_2). At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 encodes MV selection information for identifying the selected candidate MV into the stream. In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 outputs the MV selection information to the entropy coding unit 110 as a prediction parameter via the prediction parameter generation unit 130.

Finally, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the derived MV and the coded reference picture (step Sh_3). The processes of steps Sh_1 to Sh_3 are performed, for example, for each block. For example, when the processes of steps Sh_1 to Sh_3 have been performed for all blocks included in a slice, inter prediction using normal merge mode for that slice is completed. Furthermore, when the processes of steps Sh_1 to Sh_3 have been performed for all blocks included in a picture, inter prediction using normal merge mode for that picture is completed. Note that the processes of steps Sh_1 to Sh_3 do not necessarily have to be performed for all blocks included in a slice, and inter prediction using normal merge mode for that slice may be completed after being performed for some blocks. Similarly, the processes of steps Sh_1 to Sh_3 may be performed for some blocks included in a picture, and inter prediction using normal merge mode for that picture may be completed.

In addition, information included in the stream indicating the inter prediction mode used to generate the predicted image (normal merge mode in the above example) is encoded as, for example, a prediction parameter.

Figure 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of the MV derivation process for the current picture in normal merge mode.

First, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a candidate MV list in which candidate MVs are registered. Candidate MVs include spatially adjacent candidate MVs, which are MVs held by multiple coded blocks spatially surrounding the current block; temporally adjacent candidate MVs, which are MVs held by nearby blocks projected onto the position of the current block in a coded reference picture; combined candidate MVs, which are MVs generated by combining the MV values of spatially adjacent candidate MVs and temporally adjacent candidate MVs; and zero candidate MVs, which are MVs with a value of zero.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 selects one candidate MV from the multiple candidate MVs registered in the candidate MV list and determines that one candidate MV as the MV for the current block.

Furthermore, the entropy coding unit 110 writes merge_idx, a signal indicating which candidate MV has been selected, into the stream and encodes it.

Note that the candidate MVs registered in the candidate MV list described in Figure 41 are just an example, and the number may be different from the number shown in the figure, the configuration may not include some of the types of candidate MVs shown in the figure, or the configuration may include candidate MVs other than the types of candidate MVs shown in the figure.

The final MV may be determined by performing dynamic motion vector refreshing (DMVR), described below, using the MV of the current block derived in normal merge mode. Note that in normal merge mode, the differential MV is not encoded, but in MMVD mode, the differential MV is encoded. Like normal merge mode, MMVD mode selects one candidate MV from the candidate MV list, but encodes the differential MV. Such MMVD may be classified as a merge mode along with normal merge mode, as shown in FIG. 38B. Note that the differential MV in MMVD mode does not have to be the same as the differential MV used in inter mode. For example, deriving the differential MV in MMVD mode may require less processing than deriving the differential MV in inter mode.

Alternatively, CIIP (Combined Inter Merge/Intra Prediction) mode may be used, in which a predicted image generated by inter prediction and a predicted image generated by intra prediction are combined to generate a predicted image for the current block.

The candidate MV list may also be referred to as a candidate list. Also, merge_idx is MV selection information.

[MV derivation > HMVP mode]
FIG. 42 is a diagram illustrating an example of MV derivation processing for the current picture in HMVP mode.

In normal merge mode, the MV of the current block (e.g., CU) is determined by selecting one candidate MV from a candidate MV list generated by referencing a previously coded block (e.g., CU). Other candidate MVs may also be registered in the candidate MV list. A mode in which such other candidate MVs are registered is called HMVP mode.

In HMVP mode, candidate MVs are managed using a FIFO (First-In First-Out) buffer for HMVP, separate from the candidate MV list used in normal merge mode.

The FIFO buffer stores motion information such as MVs of previously processed blocks in reverse chronological order. When managing this FIFO buffer, each time a block is processed, the MV of the newest block (i.e., the CU processed immediately before) is stored in the FIFO buffer, and the MV of the oldest CU in the FIFO buffer (i.e., the CU processed first) is deleted from the FIFO buffer. In the example shown in Figure 42, HMVP1 is the MV of the newest block, and HMVP5 is the MV of the oldest block.

Then, for example, the inter prediction unit 126 checks, for each MV managed in the FIFO buffer, starting from HMV P1, whether that MV is different from all candidate MVs already registered in the candidate MV list for normal merge mode. If the inter prediction unit 126 determines that the MV is different from all candidate MVs, it may add the MV managed in the FIFO buffer as a candidate MV to the candidate MV list for normal merge mode. In this case, the number of candidate MVs registered from the FIFO buffer may be one or multiple.

By using HMVP mode in this way, it is possible to add not only MVs of blocks spatially or temporally adjacent to the current block, but also MVs of blocks processed in the past as candidates. As a result, the variety of candidate MVs for normal merge mode is expanded, which increases the likelihood of improving coding efficiency.

The above-mentioned MVs may be motion information. In other words, the information stored in the candidate MV list and the FIFO buffer may include not only MV values, but also information indicating the referenced pictures, the referenced direction, and the number of pictures. The above-mentioned blocks may be, for example, CUs.

Note that the candidate MV list and FIFO buffer in Figure 42 are just examples, and the candidate MV list and FIFO buffer may be lists or buffers of different sizes than those shown in Figure 42, or may be configured to register candidate MVs in a different order than that shown in Figure 42. Furthermore, the processing described here is common to both the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200.

Note that HMVP mode can also be applied to modes other than normal merge mode. For example, motion information such as MVs of blocks previously processed in affine mode can be stored in a FIFO buffer in order of most recent to least recent, and used as candidate MVs. A mode in which HMVP mode is applied to affine mode can also be called history affine mode.

[MV derivation > FRUC mode]
The motion information may be derived on the decoding device 200 side without being signaled from the encoding device 100 side. For example, the motion information may be derived by performing motion estimation on the decoding device 200 side. In this case, the motion estimation is performed on the decoding device 200 side without using pixel values of the current block. Modes in which such motion estimation is performed on the decoding device 200 side include frame rate up-conversion (FRUC) mode and pattern matched motion vector derivation (PMMVD) mode.

An example of FRUC processing is shown in Figure 43. First, the motion vectors of each coded block spatially or temporally adjacent to the current block are referenced, and a list of these motion vectors as candidate motion vectors (i.e., a candidate motion vector list, which may be the same as the candidate motion vector list for normal merge mode) is generated (step Si_1). Next, a best candidate motion vector is selected from the multiple candidate motion vectors registered in the candidate motion vector list (step Si_2). For example, an evaluation value for each candidate motion vector included in the candidate motion vector list is calculated, and one candidate motion vector is selected as the best candidate motion vector based on the evaluation value. Then, a motion vector for the current block is derived based on the selected best candidate motion vector (step Si_4). Specifically, for example, the selected best candidate motion vector is directly derived as the motion vector for the current block. Alternatively, for example, a motion vector for the current block may be derived by performing pattern matching in the surrounding area of the position in the reference picture corresponding to the selected best candidate motion vector. That is, a search is performed on the area surrounding the best candidate MV using pattern matching and evaluation values in the reference picture, and if a MV with a better evaluation value is found, the best candidate MV can be updated to that MV and used as the final MV for the current block. It is not necessary to update to a MV with a better evaluation value.

Finally, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image of the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the derived MV and the coded reference picture (step Si_5). The processes of steps Si_1 to Si_5 are performed, for example, for each block. For example, when the processes of steps Si_1 to Si_5 have been performed for all blocks included in a slice, inter prediction using FRUC mode for that slice is completed. Furthermore, when the processes of steps Si_1 to Si_5 have been performed for all blocks included in a picture, inter prediction using FRUC mode for that picture is completed. Note that the processes of steps Si_1 to Si_5 do not have to be performed for all blocks included in a slice, and inter prediction using FRUC mode for that slice may be completed after being performed for some blocks. Similarly, the processes of steps Si_1 to Si_5 may be performed for some blocks included in a picture, and inter prediction using FRUC mode for that picture may be completed.

Subblock units may also be processed in the same way as block units described above.

The evaluation value may be calculated using various methods. For example, a reconstructed image of an area in a reference picture corresponding to the MV is compared with a reconstructed image of a predetermined area (which may be, for example, an area in another reference picture or an area in an adjacent block of the current picture, as shown below). The difference in pixel values between the two reconstructed images may then be calculated and used as the evaluation value for the MV. Note that the evaluation value may also be calculated using other information in addition to the difference value.

Next, pattern matching will be explained in detail. First, one candidate MV included in the candidate MV list (also called a merge list) is selected as the starting point for the pattern matching search. As the pattern matching, first pattern matching or second pattern matching may be used. First pattern matching and second pattern matching are sometimes called bilateral matching and template matching, respectively.

[MV derivation > FRUC > Bilateral matching]
In the first pattern matching, pattern matching is performed between two blocks in two different reference pictures that are along the motion trajectory of the current block, and therefore, in the first pattern matching, an area in another reference picture that is along the motion trajectory of the current block is used as a predetermined area for calculating the evaluation value of the candidate MV.

Figure 44 is a diagram illustrating an example of first pattern matching (bilateral matching) between two blocks in two reference pictures along a motion trajectory. As shown in Figure 44, in first pattern matching, two MVs (MV0, MV1) are derived by searching for the most closely matched pair of two blocks in two different reference pictures (Ref0, Ref1) along the motion trajectory of the current block (Cur block). Specifically, for the current block, the difference between a reconstructed image at a specified position in a first coded reference picture (Ref0) specified by a candidate MV and a reconstructed image at a specified position in a second coded reference picture (Ref1) specified by a symmetric MV obtained by scaling the candidate MV by the display time interval is derived, and an evaluation value is calculated using the obtained difference value. The candidate MV with the best evaluation value among multiple candidate MVs is preferably selected as the best candidate MV.

Under the assumption of continuous motion trajectories, MVs (MV0, MV1) pointing to two reference blocks are proportional to the temporal distance (TD0, TD1) between the current picture (Cur Pic) and the two reference pictures (Ref0, Ref1). For example, if the current picture is located temporally between two reference pictures and the temporal distances from the current picture to the two reference pictures are equal, the first pattern matching derives bidirectional MVs that are mirror-symmetric.

[MV derivation > FRUC > template matching]
In the second pattern matching (template matching), pattern matching is performed between a template in the current picture (a block adjacent to the current block in the current picture (e.g., an upper and/or left adjacent block)) and a block in the reference picture. Therefore, in the second pattern matching, the block adjacent to the current block in the current picture is used as a predetermined area for calculating the evaluation value of the candidate MV described above.

Figure 45 is a diagram illustrating an example of pattern matching (template matching) between a template in a current picture and a block in a reference picture. As shown in Figure 45, in the second pattern matching, the MV of the current block is derived by searching the reference picture (Ref0) for a block that best matches a block adjacent to the current block (Cur block) in the current picture (Cur Pic). Specifically, the difference between the reconstructed image of the coded area adjacent to the left and/or above the current block and the reconstructed image at the same position in the coded reference picture (Ref0) specified by the candidate MV is derived, and an evaluation value is calculated using the obtained difference value. The candidate MV with the best evaluation value among multiple candidate MVs is preferably selected as the best candidate MV.

Information indicating whether such a FRUC mode is applied (e.g., referred to as a FRUC flag) may be signaled at the CU level. Furthermore, if the FRUC mode is applied (e.g., if the FRUC flag is true), information indicating the applicable pattern matching method (first pattern matching or second pattern matching) may be signaled at the CU level. Note that signaling of this information does not need to be limited to the CU level, and may also be at other levels (e.g., sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, or sub-block level).

[MV derivation > Affine mode]
The affine mode is a mode in which motion vectors are generated using an affine transformation, and may derive motion vectors for each sub-block based on motion vectors of multiple neighboring blocks. This mode is sometimes called an affine motion compensation prediction mode.

FIG. 46A is a diagram illustrating an example of deriving motion vectors for each sub-block based on motion vectors of multiple adjacent blocks. In FIG. 46A , the current block includes, for example, 16 sub-blocks each consisting of 4x4 pixels. Here, a motion vector _v0 for the upper-left corner control point of the current block is derived based on the motion vectors of the adjacent blocks. Similarly, a motion vector _v1 for the upper-right corner control point of the current block is derived based on the motion vectors of the adjacent sub-blocks. Then, the two motion vectors _v0 and _v1 are projected using the following equation (1A) to derive motion vectors ( _vx , _vy ) for each sub-block within the current block.

Here, x and y indicate the horizontal and vertical positions of the subblock, respectively, and w indicates a predetermined weighting coefficient.

Such information indicating the affine mode (e.g., called an affine flag) may be signaled at the CU level. Note that signaling of this information indicating the affine mode does not need to be limited to the CU level, but may also be at other levels (e.g., sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, or sub-block level).

Furthermore, such affine modes may include several modes that differ in the method of deriving the MVs of the top-left and top-right corner control points. For example, there are two affine modes: affine inter (also called affine normal inter) mode and affine merge mode.

FIG. 46B is a diagram illustrating an example of derivation of motion vectors for each subblock in affine mode using three control points. In FIG. 46B, the current block includes, for example, 16 subblocks each consisting of 4x4 pixels. Here, a motion vector _v0 for the upper left corner control point of the current block is derived based on the motion vectors of adjacent blocks. Similarly, a motion vector _v1 for the upper right corner control point of the current block is derived based on the motion vectors of the adjacent blocks, and a motion vector _v2 for the lower left corner control point of the current block is derived based on the motion vectors of the adjacent blocks. Then, the three motion vectors _v0 , _v1 , and _v2 are projected using the following equation (1B) to derive motion vectors ( _vx , _vy ) for each subblock within the current block.

Here, x and y indicate the horizontal and vertical positions of the sub-block center, respectively, and w and h indicate predetermined weighting coefficients. w may indicate the width of the current block, and h may indicate the height of the current block.

Affine modes using different numbers of control points (e.g., two and three) may be switched and signaled at the CU level. Note that information indicating the number of control points of the affine mode used at the CU level may also be signaled at other levels (e.g., sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, or sub-block level).

Furthermore, such an affine mode with three control points may include several modes that differ in the method of deriving the MVs of the top-left, top-right, and bottom-left corner control points. For example, an affine mode with three control points includes two modes, affine inter mode and affine merge mode, similar to the affine mode with two control points described above.

Note that in affine mode, the size of each sub-block included in the current block is not limited to 4x4 pixels and may be other sizes. For example, the size of each sub-block may be 8x8 pixels.

[MV Derivation > Affine Mode > Control Points]
47A, 47B, and 47C are conceptual diagrams for explaining an example of MV derivation of a control point in affine mode.

In affine mode, as shown in Figure 47A, predicted MVs for each control point of the current block are calculated based on multiple MVs corresponding to blocks coded in affine mode, for example, among coded blocks A (left), B (top), C (top right), D (bottom left), and E (top left) adjacent to the current block. Specifically, coded blocks A (left), B (top), C (top right), D (bottom left), and E (top left) are examined in this order, and the first valid block coded in affine mode is identified. MVs for the control points of the current block are calculated based on multiple MVs corresponding to this identified block.

For example, as shown in Figure 47B, if block A, which is adjacent to the left of the current block, is coded in affine mode with two control points, motion vectors _v3 and _v4 are derived by projecting them onto the positions of the upper left and upper right corners of a coded block that includes block A. Then, from the derived motion vectors _v3 and _v4 , motion vector _v0 for the upper left corner control point and motion vector _v1 for the upper right corner control point of the current block are calculated.

For example, as shown in Figure 47C, if block A, which is adjacent to the left of the current block, is coded in affine mode with three control points, motion vectors _v3 , _v4 , and _v5 are derived by projecting them onto the positions of the upper left, upper right, and lower left corners of a coded block that includes block A. Then, from the derived motion vectors _v3 , _v4 , and _v5 , motion vector _v0 of the upper left corner control point, motion vector _v1 of the upper right corner control point, and motion vector _v2 of the lower left corner control point of the current block are calculated.

The MV derivation method shown in Figures 47A to 47C may be used to derive MVs for each control point of the current block in step Sk_1 shown in Figure 50, which will be described later, or to derive predicted MVs for each control point of the current block in step Sj_1 shown in Figure 51, which will be described later.

Figures 48A and 48B are conceptual diagrams illustrating another example of derivation of control points MV in affine mode.

Figure 48A is a diagram illustrating an affine mode with two control points.

In this affine mode, as shown in Figure 48A, a motion vector selected from the motion vectors of coded blocks A, B, and C adjacent to the current block is used as the motion vector _v0 for the upper left corner control point of the current block. Similarly, a motion vector selected from the motion vectors of coded blocks D and E adjacent to the current block is used as the motion vector _v1 for the upper right corner control point of the current block.

Figure 48B is a diagram illustrating an affine mode with three control points.

In this affine mode, as shown in Figure 48B, a motion vector selected from the motion vectors of coded blocks A, B, and C adjacent to the current block is used as the motion vector _v0 for the upper-left corner control point of the current block. Similarly, a motion vector selected from the motion vectors of coded blocks D and E adjacent to the current block is used as the motion vector _v1 for the upper-right corner control point of the current block. Furthermore, a motion vector selected from the motion vectors of coded blocks F and G adjacent to the current block is used as the motion vector _v2 for the lower-left corner control point of the current block.

The MV derivation method shown in Figures 48A and 48B may be used to derive MVs for each control point of the current block in step Sk_1 shown in Figure 50 (described below), or to derive predicted MVs for each control point of the current block in step Sj_1 shown in Figure 51 (described below).

Here, for example, when affine modes with different numbers of control points (e.g., two and three) are switched and signaled at the CU level, the number of control points may differ between the coded block and the current block.

Figures 49A and 49B are conceptual diagrams illustrating an example of a method for deriving MVs of control points when the number of control points differs between an encoded block and a current block.

For example, as shown in Figure 49A, if the current block has three control points (top left, top right, and bottom left), and block A, which is adjacent to the left of the current block, is coded in affine mode with two control points, motion vectors _v3 and _v4 are derived by projecting them onto the positions of the top left and top right corners of a coded block that includes block A. Then, from the derived motion vectors _v3 and _v4 , motion vector _v0 for the top left corner control point of the current block and motion vector _v1 for the top right corner control point are calculated. Furthermore, from the derived motion vectors _v0 and _v1 , motion vector _v2 for the bottom left corner control point is calculated.

For example, as shown in Figure 49B, if the current block has two control points, the upper left and upper right corners, and block A, which is adjacent to the left of the current block, is coded in affine mode with three control points, motion vectors _v3 , _v4 , and _v5 are derived by projecting them onto the positions of the upper left, upper right, and lower left corners of a coded block that includes block A. Then, from the derived motion vectors _v3 , _v4 , and _v5 , motion vector _v0 for the upper left corner control point and motion vector _v1 for the upper right corner control point of the current block are calculated.

The MV derivation method shown in Figures 49A and 49B may be used to derive MVs for each control point of the current block in step Sk_1 shown in Figure 50 (described below), or may be used to derive predicted MVs for each control point of the current block in step Sj_1 shown in Figure 51 (described below).

[MV Derivation > Affine Mode > Affine Merge Mode]
FIG. 50 is a flowchart showing an example of the affine merge mode.

In affine merge mode, the inter prediction unit 126 first derives MVs for each control point of the current block (step Sk_1). The control points are the upper left and upper right corners of the current block, as shown in Figure 46A, or the upper left, upper right, and lower left corners of the current block, as shown in Figure 46B. At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 may encode MV selection information for identifying the two or three derived MVs into the stream.

For example, when using the MV derivation method shown in Figures 47A to 47C, the inter prediction unit 126 examines the coded blocks in the order of block A (left), block B (top), block C (top right), block D (bottom left), and block E (top left), as shown in Figure 47A, and identifies the first valid block coded in affine mode.

The inter predictor 126 derives the motion vectors of the control points using the first valid block coded in the identified affine mode. For example, if block A is identified and block A has two control points, as shown in Figure 47B, the inter predictor 126 calculates the motion vector v0 of the upper-left corner control point and the motion vector _v1 of the upper-right corner control point of the current block from the motion vectors v3 and _v4 of the upper-left corner and the upper-right corner of the coded block including block A. For example, the inter predictor 126 calculates the motion vector _{v0 of} the upper-left corner control point and the motion vector _v1 of the upper-right corner control point of the current block by projecting the motion vectors _v3 and _v4 of the upper-left corner and the upper- _right corner of the coded block onto the current block.

Alternatively, when block A is identified and has three control points, as shown in Figure 47C, the inter predictor 126 calculates the motion vector v0 of the upper-left corner control point, the motion vector _v1 of the upper-right corner control point, and the motion vector _v2 of the lower-left corner control point of the current block from the motion vectors v3, _{v4 ,} and _v5 of the upper-left corner, upper-right corner, and lower-left corner of the coded block including block A. For example, the inter predictor 126 calculates the motion vector _v0 of the upper-left corner control point, the motion vector _v1 of the upper-right corner control point, and the motion vector _v2 of the lower-left corner control point of the current block by projecting the motion vectors _v3 , _v4 , and _v5 of the upper-left corner, upper-right corner, and lower-left corner of the coded block onto the current _block .

As shown in Figure 49A above, when block A is identified and block A has two control points, the MVs of three control points may be calculated, and as shown in Figure 49B above, when block A is identified and block A has three control points, the MVs of two control points may be calculated.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 performs motion compensation on each of the multiple sub-blocks included in the current block. That is, for each of the multiple sub-blocks, the inter prediction unit 126 calculates the motion vectors of the sub-block as affine motion vectors using two motion vectors _v0 and _v1 and the above-mentioned formula (1A), or using three motion vectors _v0 , _v1 , and _v2 and the above-mentioned formula (1B) (step Sk_2). Then, the inter prediction unit 126 performs motion compensation on the sub-block using the affine motion vectors and the coded reference picture (step Sk_3). When the processes of steps Sk_2 and Sk_3 have been performed on each of all sub-blocks included in the current block, the process of generating a predicted image using the affine merge mode for the current block is completed. That is, motion compensation is performed on the current block, and a predicted image of the current block is generated.

In step Sk_1, the candidate MV list described above may be generated. The candidate MV list may be, for example, a list containing candidate MVs derived using multiple MV derivation methods for each control point. The multiple MV derivation methods may be any combination of the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 47A to 47C, the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 48A and 48B, the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 49A and 49B, and other MV derivation methods.

Note that the candidate MV list may also include candidate MVs for modes other than affine mode that perform prediction on a sub-block basis.

Note that, for example, a candidate MV list may be generated that includes candidate MVs for affine merge mode with two control points and candidate MVs for affine merge mode with three control points. Alternatively, a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for affine merge mode with two control points and a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for affine merge mode with three control points may be generated. Alternatively, a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for one of affine merge mode with two control points and affine merge mode with three control points may be generated. The candidate MVs may be, for example, MVs for coded block A (left), block B (top), block C (top right), block D (bottom left), and block E (top left), or MVs for valid blocks among these blocks.

In addition, the MV selection information may also include an index indicating which candidate MV from the candidate MV list is being sent.

[MV Derivation > Affine Mode > Affine Intermode]
FIG. 51 is a flowchart showing an example of the affine inter mode.

In the affine inter mode, the inter prediction unit 126 first derives predicted MVs ( _v0 , _v1 ) or ( _v0 , _v1 , _v2 ) for each of two or three control points of the current block (step Sj_1). The control points are the upper left, upper right, or lower left corners of the current block, as shown in Figure 46A or 46B.

For example, when using the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 48A and 48B, the inter prediction unit 126 derives the predicted MV (v0, v1) or ( _v0 , _v1 , v2) of the control point of the current block by selecting the MV of any of the coded blocks near each control point of the current block shown in Figure _{48A or 48B} . At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 encodes prediction MV selection information for identifying the selected two or three prediction MVs into the stream.

For example, the inter prediction unit 126 may use cost evaluation or the like to determine which block's MV to select as the prediction MV for the control point from among the coded blocks adjacent to the current block, and write a flag indicating which prediction MV has been selected into the bitstream. In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 outputs prediction MV selection information such as a flag as a prediction parameter to the entropy coding unit 110 via the prediction parameter generation unit 130.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 performs motion estimation (steps Sj_3 and Sj_4) while updating the prediction MV selected or derived in step Sj_1 (step Sj_2). Specifically, the inter prediction unit 126 calculates the affine MV of each subblock corresponding to the updated prediction MV using the above-mentioned formula (1A) or (1B) (step Sj_3). The inter prediction unit 126 then performs motion compensation for each subblock using the affine MV and the coded reference picture (step Sj_4). The processes of steps Sj_3 and Sj_4 are performed for all blocks within the current block each time the prediction MV is updated in step Sj_2. As a result, the inter prediction unit 126 determines, for example, the prediction MV that provides the smallest cost in the motion estimation loop as the MV of the control point (step Sj_5). At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 further encodes the difference between the determined MV and the prediction MV into the stream as a differential MV. In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 outputs the differential MV as a prediction parameter to the entropy coding unit 110 via the prediction parameter generation unit 130.

Finally, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the determined MV and the encoded reference picture (step Sj_6).

In addition, in step Sj_1, the above-mentioned candidate MV list may be generated. The candidate MV list may be, for example, a list including candidate MVs derived using multiple MV derivation methods for each control point. The multiple MV derivation methods may be any combination of the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 47A to 47C, the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 48A and 48B, the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 49A and 49B, and other MV derivation methods.

Note that the candidate MV list may also include candidate MVs for modes other than affine mode that perform prediction on a sub-block basis.

Note that a candidate MV list may be generated that includes candidate MVs for affine inter modes with two control points and candidate MVs for affine inter modes with three control points. Alternatively, a candidate MV list may be generated that includes candidate MVs for affine inter modes with two control points and a candidate MV list that includes candidate MVs for affine inter modes with three control points. Alternatively, a candidate MV list may be generated that includes candidate MVs for one of affine inter modes with two control points and affine inter modes with three control points. The candidate MVs may be, for example, MVs for coded block A (left), block B (top), block C (top right), block D (bottom left), and block E (top left), or MVs for valid blocks among these blocks.

In addition, as predicted MV selection information, an index indicating which candidate MV from the candidate MV list is sent.

[MV derivation > Triangle mode]
In the above example, the inter prediction unit 126 generates one rectangular predicted image for the rectangular current block. However, the inter prediction unit 126 may generate multiple predicted images of shapes other than a rectangle for the rectangular current block and combine these multiple predicted images to generate a final rectangular predicted image. The shape other than a rectangle may be, for example, a triangle.

Figure 52A is a diagram illustrating the generation of predicted images of two triangles.

The inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image of a triangle by performing motion compensation on a first partition of a triangle in the current block using the first MV of that first partition. Similarly, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image of a triangle by performing motion compensation on a second partition of a triangle in the current block using the second MV of that second partition. The inter prediction unit 126 then combines these predicted images to generate a predicted image that is the same rectangle as the current block.

Note that, as the predicted image for the first partition, a rectangular first predicted image corresponding to the current block may be generated using the first MV. Also, as the predicted image for the second partition, a rectangular second predicted image corresponding to the current block may be generated using the second MV. A predicted image for the current block may be generated by performing weighted addition of the first predicted image and the second predicted image. Note that the portion subjected to weighted addition may be limited to a partial area sandwiching the boundary between the first and second partitions.

Figure 52B is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a first portion of a first partition that overlaps a second partition, as well as first and second sample sets that may be weighted as part of the correction process. The first portion may be, for example, one-quarter the width or height of the first partition. In another example, the first portion may have a width corresponding to N samples adjacent to the edge of the first partition, where N is an integer greater than zero, e.g., N may be the integer 2. Figure 52B illustrates a rectangular partition having a rectangular portion that is one-quarter the width of the first partition. Here, the first sample set includes samples outside and inside the first portion, and the second sample set includes samples within the first portion. The example in the center of Figure 52B illustrates a rectangular partition having a rectangular portion that is one-quarter the height of the first partition. Here, the first sample set includes samples outside and inside the first portion, and the second sample set includes samples within the first portion. The example on the right in Figure 52B shows a triangular partition with polygonal portions of height corresponding to two samples, where the first sample set includes samples outside the first portion and samples inside the first portion, and the second sample set includes samples within the first portion.

The first portion may be a portion of the first partition that overlaps with an adjacent partition. Figure 52C is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first portion of a first partition that is a portion of the first partition that overlaps with a portion of an adjacent partition. For ease of explanation, a rectangular partition is shown having an overlapping portion with a spatially adjacent rectangular partition. Partitions having other shapes, such as triangular partitions, may also be used, and the overlapping portion may overlap with a spatially or temporally adjacent partition.

Furthermore, although an example is shown in which a predicted image is generated for each of two partitions using inter prediction, a predicted image may also be generated for at least one partition using intra prediction.

Figure 53 is a flowchart showing an example of triangle mode.

In triangle mode, first, the inter prediction unit 126 divides the current block into a first partition and a second partition (step Sx_1). At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 may encode partition information, which is information about the division into each partition, into the stream as prediction parameters. In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 may output the partition information as prediction parameters to the entropy coding unit 110 via the prediction parameter generation unit 130.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 first obtains multiple candidate MVs for the current block based on information such as the MVs of multiple coded blocks that temporally or spatially surround the current block (step Sx_2). In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 creates a candidate MV list.

Then, the inter prediction unit 126 selects the candidate MV for the first partition and the candidate MV for the second partition as the first MV and the second MV, respectively, from the multiple candidate MVs obtained in step Sx_2 (step Sx_3). At this time, the inter prediction unit 126 may encode MV selection information for identifying the selected candidate MVs into the stream as a prediction parameter. In other words, the inter prediction unit 126 may output the MV selection information as a prediction parameter to the entropy coding unit 110 via the prediction parameter generation unit 130.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a first predicted image by performing motion compensation using the selected first MV and a coded reference picture (step Sx_4). Similarly, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a second predicted image by performing motion compensation using the selected second MV and a coded reference picture (step Sx_5).

Finally, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image for the current block by weighting and adding the first predicted image and the second predicted image (step Sx_6).

In the example shown in FIG. 52A, the first partition and the second partition are each triangular, but they may also be trapezoidal, or may have different shapes. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 52A, the current block is made up of two partitions, but it may also be made up of three or more partitions.

Also, the first partition and the second partition may overlap. That is, the first partition and the second partition may include the same pixel area. In this case, the predicted image of the current block may be generated using the predicted image of the first partition and the predicted image of the second partition.

Furthermore, while this example shows an example in which predicted images are generated using inter prediction for both partitions, predicted images may also be generated using intra prediction for at least one partition.

Note that the candidate MV list for selecting the first MV and the candidate MV list for selecting the second MV may be different, or they may be the same candidate MV list.

The partition information may include at least an index indicating the division direction for dividing the current block into multiple partitions. The MV selection information may include an index indicating the selected first MV and an index indicating the selected second MV. One index may indicate multiple pieces of information. For example, one index may be encoded that collectively indicates part or all of the partition information and part or all of the MV selection information.

[MV derivation > ATMVP mode]
FIG. 54 shows an example of an ATMVP mode in which MVs are derived for each subblock.

ATMVP mode is a mode classified as a merge mode. For example, in ATMVP mode, candidate MVs are registered on a sub-block basis in the candidate MV list used in normal merge mode.

Specifically, in ATMVP mode, as shown in Figure 54, first, the temporal MV reference block associated with the current block is identified in the coded reference picture specified by the MV (MV0) of the block adjacent to the lower left of the current block. Next, for each sub-block within the current block, the MV used when coding the area corresponding to that sub-block within that temporal MV reference block is identified. The MVs identified in this way are included in the candidate MV list as candidate MVs for the sub-blocks of the current block. When such a candidate MV for each sub-block is selected from the candidate MV list, motion compensation is performed on that sub-block using that candidate MV as the MV for that sub-block. This generates a predicted image for each sub-block.

In the example shown in Figure 54, the block adjacent to the lower left of the current block is used as the surrounding MV reference block, but other blocks may also be used. Furthermore, the size of the sub-block may be 4x4 pixels, 8x8 pixels, or some other size. The size of the sub-block may be switched in units such as slice, brick, or picture.

[Motion Search > DMVR]
FIG. 55 is a diagram showing the relationship between merge mode and DMVR.

The inter prediction unit 126 derives the motion vectors of the current block in merge mode (step Sl_1). Next, the inter prediction unit 126 determines whether to perform motion vector search, i.e., motion search (step Sl_2). Here, if the inter prediction unit 126 determines not to perform motion search (No in step Sl_2), it determines the motion vectors derived in step Sl_1 as the final motion vectors for the current block (step Sl_4). That is, in this case, the motion vectors of the current block are determined in merge mode.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sl_1 that motion estimation is to be performed (Yes in step Sl_2), the inter prediction unit 126 derives the final MV for the current block by searching the surrounding area of the reference picture indicated by the MV derived in step Sl_1 (step Sl_3). That is, in this case, the MV for the current block is determined by DMVR.

Figure 56 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a DMVR for determining an MV.

First, for example in merge mode, candidate MVs (L0 and L1) are selected for the current block. Then, according to the candidate MV (L0), reference pixels are identified from the first reference picture (L0), which is an encoded picture in the L0 list. Similarly, according to the candidate MV (L1), reference pixels are identified from the second reference picture (L1), which is an encoded picture in the L1 list. A template is generated by averaging these reference pixels.

Next, using that template, the surrounding areas of the candidate MVs in the first reference picture (L0) and the second reference picture (L1) are searched, and the MV with the smallest cost is determined as the final MV for the current block. Note that the cost may be calculated using, for example, the difference between each pixel value of the template and each pixel value of the search area, the candidate MV value, etc.

Any process that can search the area around the candidate MVs and derive the final MV can be used, not just the process described here.

Figure 57 is a conceptual diagram illustrating another example of a DMVR for determining an MV. Unlike the example of a DMVR shown in Figure 56, this example shown in Figure 57 calculates costs without generating a template.

First, the inter prediction unit 126 searches around the reference blocks included in the reference pictures in the L0 list and the L1 list based on the initial MV, which is a candidate MV obtained from the candidate MV list. For example, as shown in Figure 57, the initial MV corresponding to the reference block in the L0 list is InitMV_L0, and the initial MV corresponding to the reference block in the L1 list is InitMV_L1. In motion estimation, the inter prediction unit 126 first sets a search position for the reference picture in the L0 list. The difference vector indicating this search position, specifically, the difference vector from the position indicated by the initial MV (i.e., InitMV_L0) to that search position, is MVd_L0. Then, the inter prediction unit 126 determines a search position in the reference picture in the L1 list. This search position is indicated by the difference vector from the position indicated by the initial MV (i.e., InitMV_L1) to that search position. Specifically, the inter prediction unit 126 mirrors MVd_L0 and determines the difference vector as MVd_L1. That is, the inter prediction unit 126 determines, as the search position, a position symmetrical to the position indicated by the initial MV in each of the reference pictures in the L0 list and the L1 list. For each search position, the inter prediction unit 126 calculates a cost such as the sum of absolute differences (SAD) of pixel values within the block at that search position, and finds the search position that minimizes this cost.

Figure 58A is a diagram showing an example of motion estimation in a DMVR, and Figure 58B is a flowchart showing an example of that motion estimation.

First, in Step 1, the inter prediction unit 126 calculates the costs at the search position (also called the starting point) indicated by the initial MV and the eight search positions surrounding it. The inter prediction unit 126 then determines whether the cost of a search position other than the starting point is the smallest. If the inter prediction unit 126 determines that the cost of a search position other than the starting point is the smallest, it moves to the search position with the smallest cost and performs the processing of Step 2. On the other hand, if the cost of the starting point is the smallest, the inter prediction unit 126 skips the processing of Step 2 and performs the processing of Step 3.

In Step 2, the inter prediction unit 126 performs a search similar to that of Step 1, using the search position moved in accordance with the processing result of Step 1 as a new starting point. The inter prediction unit 126 then determines whether the cost of a search position other than the starting point is the smallest. If the cost of a search position other than the starting point is the smallest, the inter prediction unit 126 performs the processing of Step 4. On the other hand, if the cost of the starting point is the smallest, the inter prediction unit 126 performs the processing of Step 3.

In Step 4, the inter prediction unit 126 treats the search position of the starting point as the final search position, and determines the difference between the position indicated by the initial MV and that final search position as the difference vector.

In Step 3, the inter prediction unit 126 determines the decimal precision pixel position with the smallest cost based on the costs at four points above, below, left, and right of the starting point of Step 1 or Step 2, and sets that pixel position as the final search position. This decimal precision pixel position is determined by weighting and adding the vectors of the four points ((0,1), (0,-1), (-1,0), (1,0)) located above, below, left, and right, using the cost at each of the four search positions as weights. The inter prediction unit 126 then determines the difference between the position indicated by the initial MV and that final search position as the difference vector.

[Motion Compensation > BIO/OBMC/LIC]
Motion compensation includes modes in which a predicted image is generated and the predicted image is corrected, such as BIO, OBMC, and LIC, which will be described later.

Figure 59 is a flowchart showing an example of generating a predicted image.

The inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image (step Sm_1) and corrects the predicted image using one of the modes described above (step Sm_2).

Figure 60 is a flowchart showing another example of generating a predicted image.

The inter prediction unit 126 derives the motion vectors (MVs) of the current block (step Sn_1). Next, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image using the MVs (step Sn_2) and determines whether or not to perform correction processing (step Sn_3). If the inter prediction unit 126 determines that correction processing is to be performed (Yes in step Sn_3), it corrects the predicted image to generate a final predicted image (step Sn_4). Note that in the LIC described below, luminance and chrominance may be corrected in step Sn_4. On the other hand, if the inter prediction unit 126 determines that correction processing is not to be performed (No in step Sn_3), it outputs the predicted image as the final predicted image without correction (step Sn_5).

[Motion Compensation > OBMC]
An inter-predicted image may be generated using not only the motion information of the current block obtained by motion estimation, but also the motion information of neighboring blocks. Specifically, an inter-predicted image may be generated for each sub-block in the current block by weighting and adding a predicted image based on the motion information obtained by motion estimation (in the reference picture) and a predicted image based on the motion information of neighboring blocks (in the current picture). Such inter-prediction (motion compensation) may be called OBMC (overlapped block motion compensation) or OBMC mode.

In the OBMC mode, information indicating the size of the sub-block for OBMC (e.g., called the OBMC block size) may be signaled at the sequence level. Furthermore, information indicating whether the OBMC mode is applied (e.g., called the OBMC flag) may be signaled at the CU level. Note that the signaling level of this information does not need to be limited to the sequence level and CU level, and may be at other levels (e.g., the picture level, slice level, brick level, CTU level, or sub-block level).

The OBMC mode will now be explained in more detail. Figures 61 and 62 are a flowchart and conceptual diagram outlining the predictive image correction process using OBMC.

First, as shown in Figure 62, a predicted image (Pred) is obtained using normal motion compensation using the MV assigned to the current block. In Figure 62, the arrow "MV" points to the reference picture, indicating what the current block of the current picture is referencing to obtain the predicted image.

Next, the MV (MV_L) already derived for the coded left-neighboring block is applied (reused) to the current block to obtain a predicted image (Pred_L). The MV (MV_L) is indicated by the arrow "MV_L" pointing from the current block to the reference picture. The first correction of the predicted image is then performed by superimposing the two predicted images Pred and Pred_L. This has the effect of blending the boundaries between the neighboring blocks.

Similarly, the MV (MV_U) already derived for the coded adjacent block above is applied (reused) to the current block to obtain a predicted image (Pred_U). The MV (MV_U) is indicated by the arrow "MV_U" pointing from the current block to the reference picture. The predicted image is then corrected a second time by superimposing the predicted image Pred_U on the predicted image (e.g., Pred and Pred_L) that was corrected the first time. This has the effect of blending the boundaries between adjacent blocks. The predicted image obtained by the second correction is the final predicted image for the current block, with the boundaries with the adjacent blocks blended (smoothed).

Note that while the above example is a two-pass correction method using the left-adjacent and above-adjacent blocks, the correction method may also be a three-pass or more-pass correction method using the right-adjacent and/or below-adjacent blocks.

Note that the area to be overlaid does not have to be the entire pixel area of the block, but may be only a portion of the area near the block boundary.

Note that the above describes the OBMC predicted image correction process for obtaining a single predicted image Pred by overlaying additional predicted images Pred_L and Pred_U from a single reference picture. However, if a predicted image is corrected based on multiple reference images, a similar process may be applied to each of the multiple reference pictures. In such a case, OBMC image correction is performed based on multiple reference pictures to obtain a corrected predicted image from each reference picture, and then the multiple corrected predicted images obtained are further overlaid to obtain the final predicted image.

In OBMC, the current block unit may be a PU unit or a sub-block unit obtained by further dividing a PU.

One method for determining whether to apply OBMC is to use obmc_flag, a signal that indicates whether to apply OBMC. As a specific example, encoding device 100 may determine whether the current block belongs to an area with complex motion. If the current block belongs to an area with complex motion, encoding device 100 sets obmc_flag to a value of 1 and applies OBMC to perform encoding; if the current block does not belong to an area with complex motion, encoding device 100 sets obmc_flag to a value of 0 and performs encoding of the block without applying OBMC. Meanwhile, decoding device 200 decodes obmc_flag described in the stream, and switches whether to apply OBMC depending on the value to perform decoding.

[Motion Compensation > BIO]
Next, a method for deriving MV will be described. First, a mode for deriving MV based on a model assuming uniform linear motion will be described. This mode is sometimes called BIO (bi-directional optical flow) mode. Furthermore, this bi-directional optical flow may be expressed as BDOF instead of BIO.

Figure 63 is a diagram illustrating a model that assumes uniform linear motion. In Figure 63, (vx, vy) indicates a velocity vector, and τ0 and τ1 indicate the temporal distance between the current picture (Cur Pic) and two reference pictures (Ref0, Ref1), respectively. (MVx0, MVy0) indicates the MV corresponding to reference picture Ref0, and (MVx1, MVy1) indicates the MV corresponding to reference picture Ref1.

In this case, under the assumption of uniform linear motion of the velocity vector (vx, vy), (MVx0, MVy0) and (MVx1, MVy1) are expressed as (vxτ0, vyτ0) and (-vxτ1, -vyτ1), respectively, and the following optical flow equation (2) holds.

Here, I(k) denotes the luminance value of reference image k (k = 0, 1) after motion compensation. This optical flow equation indicates that the sum of (i) the time derivative of the luminance value, (ii) the product of the horizontal component of the horizontal velocity and the spatial gradient of the reference image, and (iii) the product of the vertical velocity and the vertical component of the spatial gradient of the reference image is equal to zero. Based on a combination of this optical flow equation and Hermite interpolation, block-based motion vectors obtained from a candidate MV list, etc., may be corrected pixel-by-pixel.

Note that the MV may be derived on the decoding device 200 side using a method other than deriving a motion vector based on a model that assumes uniform linear motion. For example, a motion vector may be derived on a sub-block basis based on the MVs of multiple adjacent blocks.

Figure 64 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction according to BIO. Figure 65 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inter prediction unit 126 that performs inter prediction according to BIO.

As shown in FIG. 65, the inter prediction unit 126 includes, for example, a memory 126a, an interpolated image derivation unit 126b, a gradient image derivation unit 126c, an optical flow derivation unit 126d, a correction value derivation unit 126e, and a predicted image correction unit 126f. Note that the memory 126a may be the frame memory 122.

The inter prediction unit 126 derives two motion vectors (M0, M1) using two reference pictures (Ref0, Ref1) that are different from the picture containing the current block (Cur Pic). The inter prediction unit 126 then derives a predicted image for the current block using these two motion vectors (M0, M1) (step Sy_1). Note that motion vector M0 is the motion vector (MVx0, MVy0) corresponding to reference picture Ref0, and motion vector M1 is the motion vector (MVx1, MVy1) corresponding to reference picture Ref1.

Next, the interpolated image derivation unit 126b references the memory 126a and derives an interpolated image ^I0 of the current block using the motion vector M0 and the reference picture L0. The interpolated image derivation unit 126b also references the memory 126a and derives an interpolated image ^I1 of the current block using the motion vector M1 and the reference picture L1 (step Sy_2). Here, the interpolated image ^I0 is an image derived for the current block and included in the reference picture Ref0, and the interpolated image ^I1 is an image derived for the current block and included in the reference picture Ref1. The interpolated images ^I0 and ^I1 may each be the same size as the current block. Alternatively, the interpolated images ^I0 and ^I1 may each be larger than the current block in order to properly derive a gradient image, which will be described later. Furthermore, the interpolated images ^I0 and ^I1 may include a predicted image derived by applying a motion vector (M0, M1) and a reference picture (L0, L1) and a motion compensation filter.

The gradient image derivation unit 126c also derives a gradient image ( ^Ix0 , ^Ix1 , ^Iy0 , ^Iy1 ) of the current block from the interpolated images ^I0 and ^I1 (step Sy_3). The horizontal gradient image is ( ^Ix0 , ^Ix1 ), and the vertical gradient image is ( ^Iy0 , ^Iy1 ). The gradient image derivation unit 126c may derive the gradient image by, for example, applying a gradient filter to the interpolated image. The gradient image may indicate the spatial variation of pixel values along the horizontal or vertical direction.

Next, the optical flow derivation unit 126d derives the optical flow (vx, vy), which is the velocity vector, for each of the sub-blocks constituting the current block using the interpolated image ( ^I0 , ^I1 ) and the gradient image ( ^Ix0 , ^Ix1 , ^Iy0 , ^Iy1 ) (step Sy_4). The optical flow is a coefficient that corrects the spatial movement amount of pixels, and may also be called a local motion estimate, a correction motion vector, or a correction weight vector. As an example, the sub-block may be a 4x4 pixel sub-CU. Note that the optical flow may be derived in units other than sub-blocks, such as in units of pixels.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 corrects the predicted image of the current block using the optical flow (vx, vy). For example, the correction value derivation unit 126e derives correction values for the values of pixels included in the current block using the optical flow (vx, vy) (step Sy_5). Then, the predicted image correction unit 126f may correct the predicted image of the current block using the correction values (step Sy_6). Note that the correction values may be derived for each pixel, or for multiple pixels or sub-blocks.

Note that the BIO processing flow is not limited to the processing disclosed in Figure 64. Only some of the processing disclosed in Figure 64 may be performed, different processing may be added or replaced, or the processing may be performed in a different order.

[Motion Compensation > LIC]
Next, an example of a mode in which a predicted image (prediction) is generated using LIC (local illumination compensation) will be described.

Figure 66A is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for generating a predicted image using luminance correction processing by LIC. Figure 66B is a flowchart showing an example of a method for generating a predicted image using LIC.

First, the inter prediction unit 126 derives MVs from an already-encoded reference picture to obtain a reference image corresponding to the current block (step Sz_1).

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 extracts information indicating how the luminance values of the current block have changed between the reference picture and the current picture (step Sz_2). This extraction is performed based on the luminance pixel values of the coded left-adjacent reference area (peripheral reference area) and coded upper-adjacent reference area (peripheral reference area) in the current picture, and the luminance pixel values at the equivalent positions in the reference picture specified by the derived MV. The inter prediction unit 126 then calculates luminance correction parameters using the information indicating how the luminance values have changed (step Sz_3).

The inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing luminance correction processing, applying the luminance correction parameters to a reference image in the reference picture specified by the MV (step Sz_4). That is, correction based on the luminance correction parameters is performed on the predicted image, which is a reference image in the reference picture specified by the MV. This correction may involve correction of luminance or chrominance. That is, chrominance correction parameters may be calculated using information indicating how chrominance has changed, and chrominance correction processing may be performed.

Note that the shape of the peripheral reference area in Figure 66A is just an example, and other shapes may also be used.

Furthermore, while the process of generating a predicted image from one reference picture has been described here, the same applies when generating a predicted image from multiple reference pictures; the reference images obtained from each reference picture may be subjected to brightness correction processing in the same manner as described above before generating a predicted image.

One method for determining whether to apply LIC is to use lic_flag, a signal that indicates whether to apply LIC. As a specific example, the encoding device 100 determines whether the current block belongs to an area where a luminance change has occurred, and if it does, sets the value of lic_flag to 1 and applies LIC to perform encoding. If it does not belong to an area where a luminance change has occurred, sets the value of lic_flag to 0 and performs encoding without applying LIC. On the other hand, the decoding device 200 may decode the lic_flag described in the stream, and switch whether to apply LIC depending on the value to perform decoding.

Another method for determining whether to apply LIC is to make the determination based on whether LIC has been applied to surrounding blocks. As a specific example, when the current block is processed in merge mode, the inter prediction unit 126 determines whether the surrounding coded blocks selected when deriving MV in merge mode have been coded using LIC. Depending on the result, the inter prediction unit 126 switches whether to apply LIC and then performs coding. Note that even in this example, the same processing is applied to the processing on the decoding device 200 side.

LIC (brightness correction processing) was explained using Figures 66A and 66B, and will be explained in more detail below.

First, the inter prediction unit 126 derives an MV for obtaining a reference image corresponding to the current block from a reference picture, which is an encoded picture.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 calculates luminance correction parameters for the current block by extracting information indicating how luminance values have changed between the reference picture and the current picture using the luminance pixel values of the coded surrounding reference areas adjacent to the left and above and the luminance pixel values at equivalent positions in the reference picture specified by the MV. For example, the luminance pixel value of a pixel in the surrounding reference area in the current picture is set to p0, and the luminance pixel value of a pixel in the surrounding reference area in the reference picture at the equivalent position to that pixel is set to p1. The inter prediction unit 126 calculates coefficients A and B that optimize A x p1 + B = p0 as luminance correction parameters for multiple pixels in the surrounding reference areas.

Next, the inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing luminance correction processing on the reference image in the reference picture specified by the MV using the luminance correction parameters. For example, the luminance pixel value in the reference image is set to p2, and the luminance pixel value of the predicted image after the luminance correction processing is set to p3. The inter prediction unit 126 generates a predicted image after the luminance correction processing by calculating A x p2 + B = p3 for each pixel in the reference image.

Note that a portion of the surrounding reference area shown in Figure 66A may be used. For example, an area including a predetermined number of pixels thinned out from each of the upper adjacent pixels and the left adjacent pixels may be used as the surrounding reference area. Furthermore, the surrounding reference area is not limited to an area adjacent to the current block, but may also be an area not adjacent to the current block. Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 66A, the surrounding reference area in the reference picture is an area specified by the MV of the current picture from the surrounding reference area in the current picture, but it may also be an area specified by another MV. For example, the other MV may be the MV of the surrounding reference area in the current picture.

Note that while the operation of the encoding device 100 has been described here, the operation of the decoding device 200 is similar.

Note that LIC may be applied not only to luminance but also to color difference. In this case, correction parameters may be derived separately for Y, Cb, and Cr, or a common correction parameter may be used for all of them.

The LIC process may also be applied on a sub-block basis. For example, correction parameters may be derived using the surrounding reference area of the current sub-block and the surrounding reference area of a reference sub-block in a reference picture specified by the MV of the current sub-block.

[Predictive control unit]
The prediction control unit 128 selects either an intra-predicted image (an image or signal output from the intra-prediction unit 124) or an inter-predicted image (an image or signal output from the inter-prediction unit 126), and outputs the selected predicted image to the subtraction unit 104 and the addition unit 116.

[Prediction parameter generation unit]
The prediction parameter generation unit 130 may output information related to intra prediction, inter prediction, and selection of a predicted image by the prediction control unit 128 as prediction parameters to the entropy coding unit 110. The entropy coding unit 110 may generate a stream based on the prediction parameters input from the prediction parameter generation unit 130 and the quantization coefficients input from the quantization unit 108. The prediction parameters may be used by the decoding device 200. The decoding device 200 may receive and decode the stream and perform the same prediction processing as that performed by the intra prediction unit 124, the inter prediction unit 126, and the prediction control unit 128. The prediction parameters may include a selected prediction signal (e.g., MV, prediction type, or prediction mode used by the intra prediction unit 124 or the inter prediction unit 126), or any index, flag, or value based on or indicating the prediction processing performed by the intra prediction unit 124, the inter prediction unit 126, and the prediction control unit 128.

[Decoding device]
Next, a description will be given of a decoding device 200 capable of decoding the stream output from the above-described encoding device 100. Fig. 67 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the decoding device 200 according to an embodiment. The decoding device 200 is a device that decodes a stream, which is an encoded image, in units of blocks.

As shown in FIG. 67, the decoding device 200 includes an entropy decoding unit 202, an inverse quantization unit 204, an inverse transform unit 206, an adder unit 208, a block memory 210, a loop filter unit 212, a frame memory 214, an intra prediction unit 216, an inter prediction unit 218, a prediction control unit 220, a prediction parameter generation unit 222, and a partition determination unit 224. Note that the intra prediction unit 216 and the inter prediction unit 218 are each configured as part of a prediction processing unit.

[Implementation example of a decoding device]
Fig. 68 is a block diagram showing an implementation example of the decoding device 200. The decoding device 200 includes a processor b1 and a memory b2. For example, several components of the decoding device 200 shown in Fig. 67 are implemented by the processor b1 and memory b2 shown in Fig. 68.

Processor b1 is a circuit that performs information processing and is a circuit that can access memory b2. For example, processor b1 is a dedicated or general-purpose electronic circuit that decodes streams. Processor b1 may be a processor such as a CPU. Processor b1 may also be a collection of multiple electronic circuits. For example, processor b1 may fulfill the roles of multiple components of the decoding device 200 shown in Figure 67, etc., excluding the component for storing information.

Memory b2 is a dedicated or general-purpose memory that stores information used by processor b1 to decode the stream. Memory b2 may be an electronic circuit and may be connected to processor b1. Memory b2 may also be included in processor b1. Memory b2 may also be a collection of multiple electronic circuits. Memory b2 may also be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like, and may also be referred to as storage or recording medium. Memory b2 may also be non-volatile memory or volatile memory.

For example, memory b2 may store an image or a stream. Memory b2 may also store a program that processor b1 uses to decode the stream.

Also, for example, memory b2 may serve as a component for storing information among the multiple components of decoding device 200 shown in FIG. 67, etc. Specifically, memory b2 may serve as the block memory 210 and frame memory 214 shown in FIG. 67. More specifically, memory b2 may store a reconstructed image (specifically, a reconstructed block or a reconstructed picture, etc.).

Note that the decoding device 200 does not necessarily have to implement all of the components shown in Figure 67, etc., or perform all of the processes described above. Some of the components shown in Figure 67, etc., may be included in another device, and some of the processes described above may be performed by another device.

Below, the overall processing flow of the decoding device 200 will be explained, followed by a description of each component included in the decoding device 200. Note that detailed description of the components included in the decoding device 200 that perform the same processing as the components included in the encoding device 100 will be omitted. For example, the inverse quantization unit 204, inverse transform unit 206, adder unit 208, block memory 210, frame memory 214, intra prediction unit 216, inter prediction unit 218, prediction control unit 220, and loop filter unit 212 included in the decoding device 200 perform the same processing as the inverse quantization unit 112, inverse transform unit 114, adder unit 116, block memory 118, frame memory 122, intra prediction unit 124, inter prediction unit 126, prediction control unit 128, and loop filter unit 120 included in the encoding device 100, respectively.

[Overall flow of decryption process]
FIG. 69 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall decoding process by the decoding device 200.

First, the partitioning determination unit 224 of the decoding device 200 determines a partitioning pattern for each of the multiple fixed-size blocks (128 x 128 pixels) included in the picture based on parameters input from the entropy decoding unit 202 (step Sp_1). This partitioning pattern is the partitioning pattern selected by the encoding device 100. The decoding device 200 then performs the processes of steps Sp_2 to Sp_6 on each of the multiple blocks that make up that partitioning pattern.

The entropy decoding unit 202 decodes (specifically, entropy decodes) the coded quantized coefficients and prediction parameters of the current block (step Sp_2).

Next, the inverse quantization unit 204 and the inverse transform unit 206 perform inverse quantization and inverse transform on the multiple quantized coefficients to reconstruct the prediction residuals of the current block (step Sp_3).

Next, the prediction processing unit consisting of the intra prediction unit 216, inter prediction unit 218, and prediction control unit 220 generates a predicted image of the current block (step Sp_4).

Next, the adder 208 reconstructs the current block into a reconstructed image (also called a decoded image block) by adding the predicted image to the prediction residual (step Sp_5).

Once this reconstructed image is generated, the loop filter unit 212 performs filtering on the reconstructed image (step Sp_6).

The decoding device 200 then determines whether decoding of the entire picture has been completed (step Sp_7), and if it determines that decoding has not been completed (No in step Sp_7), it repeats the process from step Sp_1.

The processes of steps Sp_1 to Sp_7 may be performed sequentially by the decoding device 200, or some of these processes may be performed in parallel, or the order may be changed.

[Division determination unit]
70 is a diagram showing the relationship between the division determination unit 224 and other components. The division determination unit 224 may perform the following process, for example.

The partition determination unit 224 may, for example, collect block information from the block memory 210 or the frame memory 214, and further acquire parameters from the entropy decoding unit 202. The partition determination unit 224 may then determine a partitioning pattern for fixed-size blocks based on the block information and parameters. The partition determination unit 224 may then output information indicating the determined partitioning pattern to the inverse transform unit 206, the intra prediction unit 216, and the inter prediction unit 218. The inverse transform unit 206 may perform an inverse transform on the transform coefficients based on the partitioning pattern indicated by the information from the partition determination unit 224. The intra prediction unit 216 and the inter prediction unit 218 may generate a predicted image based on the partitioning pattern indicated by the information from the partition determination unit 224.

[Entropy Decoding Unit]
FIG. 71 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the entropy decoding unit 202.

The entropy decoding unit 202 entropy decodes the stream to generate quantization coefficients, prediction parameters, and parameters related to the division pattern. For example, CABAC is used for this entropy decoding. Specifically, the entropy decoding unit 202 includes, for example, a binary arithmetic decoding unit 202a, a context control unit 202b, and a multi-value conversion unit 202c. The binary arithmetic decoding unit 202a arithmetically decodes the stream into a binary signal using the context value derived by the context control unit 202b. Similar to the context control unit 110b of the encoding device 100, the context control unit 202b derives a context value, i.e., the probability of occurrence of a binary signal, based on the characteristics of a syntax element or the surrounding circumstances. The multi-value conversion unit 202c converts the binary signal output from the binary arithmetic decoding unit 202a into a multi-value signal indicating the above-mentioned quantization coefficients, etc. (debinarization). This multi-value conversion is performed according to the binarization method described above.

The entropy decoding unit 202 outputs the quantized coefficients to the inverse quantization unit 204 on a block-by-block basis. The entropy decoding unit 202 may output prediction parameters included in the stream (see FIG. 1) to the intra prediction unit 216, inter prediction unit 218, and prediction control unit 220. The intra prediction unit 216, inter prediction unit 218, and prediction control unit 220 can perform the same prediction processing as the processing performed by the intra prediction unit 124, inter prediction unit 126, and prediction control unit 128 on the encoding device 100 side.

[Entropy Decoding Unit]
FIG. 72 is a diagram showing the flow of CABAC in the entropy decoding unit 202.

First, CABAC in the entropy decoding unit 202 is initialized. This initialization involves initialization of the binary arithmetic decoding unit 202a and setting of initial context values. Then, the binary arithmetic decoding unit 202a and the multi-value conversion unit 202c perform arithmetic decoding and multi-value conversion on, for example, the encoded data of a CTU. At this time, the context control unit 202b updates the context values each time arithmetic decoding is performed. Then, as post-processing, the context control unit 202b saves the context values. This saved context value is used, for example, as the initial context value for the next CTU.

[Dequantization section]
The inverse quantization unit 204 inverse quantizes the quantized coefficients of the current block that are input from the entropy decoding unit 202. Specifically, the inverse quantization unit 204 inverse quantizes each quantized coefficient of the current block based on a quantization parameter corresponding to the quantized coefficient. The inverse quantization unit 204 then outputs the inverse quantized coefficients (i.e., transform coefficients) of the current block to the inverse transform unit 206.

Figure 73 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inverse quantization unit 204.

The inverse quantization unit 204 includes, for example, a quantization parameter generation unit 204a, a predicted quantization parameter generation unit 204b, a quantization parameter storage unit 204d, and an inverse quantization processing unit 204e.

Figure 74 is a flowchart showing an example of inverse quantization by the inverse quantization unit 204.

As an example, the inverse quantization unit 204 may perform inverse quantization processing for each CU based on the flow shown in FIG. 74. Specifically, the quantization parameter generation unit 204a determines whether to perform inverse quantization (step Sv_11). Here, if it is determined that inverse quantization is to be performed (Yes in step Sv_11), the quantization parameter generation unit 204a obtains the differential quantization parameter of the current block from the entropy decoding unit 202 (step Sv_12).

Next, the predicted quantization parameter generation unit 204b obtains a quantization parameter for a processing unit different from that of the current block from the quantization parameter storage unit 204d (step Sv_13). The predicted quantization parameter generation unit 204b generates a predicted quantization parameter for the current block based on the obtained quantization parameter (step Sv_14).

The quantization parameter generation unit 204a then adds the differential quantization parameter of the current block acquired from the entropy decoding unit 202 to the predicted quantization parameter of the current block generated by the predicted quantization parameter generation unit 204b (step Sv_15). This addition generates a quantization parameter for the current block. The quantization parameter generation unit 204a also stores the quantization parameter of the current block in the quantization parameter storage unit 204d (step Sv_16).

Next, the inverse quantization processing unit 204e inversely quantizes the quantized coefficients of the current block into transform coefficients using the quantization parameters generated in step Sv_15 (step Sv_17).

Note that the differential quantization parameter may be decoded at the bit sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level. Also, the initial value of the quantization parameter may be decoded at the sequence level, picture level, slice level, brick level, or CTU level. In this case, the quantization parameter may be generated using the initial value of the quantization parameter and the differential quantization parameter.

Note that the inverse quantization unit 204 may be equipped with multiple inverse quantizers, and may inverse quantize the quantized coefficients using an inverse quantization method selected from multiple inverse quantization methods.

[Inverse conversion section]
The inverse transform unit 206 restores the prediction residual by inverse transforming the transform coefficients input from the inverse quantization unit 204 .

For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates that EMT or AMT is to be applied (e.g., the AMT flag is true), the inverse transform unit 206 inverse transforms the transform coefficients of the current block based on the interpreted information indicating the transform type.

Also, for example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates that NSST should be applied, the inverse transform unit 206 applies an inverse retransform to the transform coefficients.

Figure 75 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the inverse conversion unit 206.

For example, the inverse transform unit 206 determines whether information indicating that an orthogonal transform is not to be performed is present in the stream (step St_11). If it is determined that such information is not present (No in step St_11), the inverse transform unit 206 acquires information indicating the transform type decoded by the entropy decoding unit 202 (step St_12). Next, the inverse transform unit 206 determines the transform type used in the orthogonal transform of the encoding device 100 based on the information (step St_13). The inverse transform unit 206 then performs an inverse orthogonal transform using the determined transform type (step St_14).

Figure 76 is a flowchart showing another example of processing by the inverse conversion unit 206.

For example, the inverse transform unit 206 determines whether the transform size is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step Su_11). If it is determined that the transform size is equal to or less than the predetermined value (Yes in step Su_11), the inverse transform unit 206 acquires information indicating which of the one or more transform types included in the first transform type group was used by the encoding device 100 from the entropy decoding unit 202 (step Su_12). Note that this information is decoded by the entropy decoding unit 202 and output to the inverse transform unit 206.

Based on this information, the inverse transform unit 206 determines the transform type used for the orthogonal transform in the encoding device 100 (step Su_13). The inverse transform unit 206 then performs an inverse orthogonal transform on the transform coefficients of the current block using the determined transform type (step Su_14). On the other hand, if the inverse transform unit 206 determines in step Su_11 that the transform size is not equal to or less than the predetermined value (No in step Su_11), it performs an inverse orthogonal transform on the transform coefficients of the current block using the second transform type group (step Su_15).

Note that the inverse orthogonal transform by the inverse transform unit 206 may be performed for each TU according to the flow shown in Figure 75 or Figure 76, for example. Furthermore, the inverse orthogonal transform may be performed using a pre-defined transform type without decoding information indicating the transform type used for the orthogonal transform. Specifically, the transform type may be DST7 or DCT8, and the inverse orthogonal transform uses an inverse transform basis function corresponding to that transform type.

[Adder]
The adder 208 reconstructs the current block by adding the prediction residual input from the inverse transformer 206 and the predicted image input from the prediction control unit 220. In other words, a reconstructed image of the current block is generated. The adder 208 then outputs the reconstructed image of the current block to the block memory 210 and the loop filter unit 212.

[Block memory]
The block memory 210 is a storage unit for storing blocks in the current picture that are referenced in intra prediction. Specifically, the block memory 210 stores the reconstructed image output from the adder 208.

[Loop filter section]
The loop filter unit 212 applies a loop filter to the reconstructed image generated by the adder unit 208, and outputs the filtered reconstructed image to a frame memory 214, a display device, or the like.

If the information interpreted from the stream indicating ALF on/off indicates ALF on, one filter is selected from multiple filters based on the local gradient direction and activity, and the selected filter is applied to the reconstructed image.

Figure 77 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the loop filter unit 212. Note that the loop filter unit 212 has a configuration similar to that of the loop filter unit 120 of the encoding device 100.

As shown in FIG. 77, for example, the loop filter unit 212 includes a deblocking filter processing unit 212a, an SAO processing unit 212b, and an ALF processing unit 212c. The deblocking filter processing unit 212a performs the above-described deblocking filter processing on the reconstructed image. The SAO processing unit 212b performs the above-described SAO processing on the reconstructed image after the deblocking filter processing. The ALF processing unit 212c applies the above-described ALF processing to the reconstructed image after the SAO processing. Note that the loop filter unit 212 does not have to include all of the processing units disclosed in FIG. 77, and may include only some of the processing units. The loop filter unit 212 may also be configured to perform the above-described processes in an order different from the processing order disclosed in FIG. 77.

[Frame memory]
The frame memory 214 is a storage unit for storing reference pictures used in inter prediction, and is also called a frame buffer. Specifically, the frame memory 214 stores the reconstructed image filtered by the loop filter unit 212.

[Prediction unit (intra prediction unit, inter prediction unit, prediction control unit)]
78 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the decoding device 200. Note that, as an example, the prediction unit is made up of all or some of the components of the intra prediction unit 216, the inter prediction unit 218, and the prediction control unit 220. The prediction processing unit includes, for example, the intra prediction unit 216 and the inter prediction unit 218.

The prediction unit generates a predicted image of the current block (step Sq_1). This predicted image is also called a predicted signal or predicted block. The predicted signal may be, for example, an intra-prediction signal or an inter-prediction signal. Specifically, the prediction unit generates a predicted image of the current block using a reconstructed image that has already been obtained by generating predicted images for other blocks, restoring prediction residuals, and adding the predicted images. The prediction unit of the decoding device 200 generates a predicted image that is the same as the predicted image generated by the prediction unit of the encoding device 100. In other words, the prediction image generation methods used by these prediction units are common or correspond to each other.

The reconstructed image may be, for example, an image of a reference picture, or an image of a decoded block (i.e., the other block mentioned above) in the current picture, which is a picture that includes the current block. The decoded block in the current picture is, for example, a neighboring block of the current block.

Figure 79 is a flowchart showing another example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the decoding device 200.

The prediction unit determines a method or mode for generating a predicted image (step Sr_1). For example, this method or mode may be determined based on prediction parameters, etc.

If the prediction unit determines that the first method is the mode for generating a predicted image, it generates the predicted image according to the first method (step Sr_2a). If the prediction unit determines that the second method is the mode for generating a predicted image, it generates the predicted image according to the second method (step Sr_2b). If the prediction unit determines that the third method is the mode for generating a predicted image, it generates the predicted image according to the third method (step Sr_2c).

The first, second, and third methods are different methods for generating predicted images, and may be, for example, inter-prediction, intra-prediction, or other prediction methods, respectively. These prediction methods may use the reconstructed image described above.

Figures 80A and 80B are flowcharts showing another example of processing performed by the prediction unit of the decoding device 200.

The prediction unit may perform prediction processing according to the flow shown in Figures 80A and 80B, as an example. Note that the intra block copy shown in Figures 80A and 80B is a mode belonging to inter prediction, in which a block included in the current picture is referenced as a reference image or reference block. In other words, in intra block copy, a picture other than the current picture is not referenced. Also, the PCM mode shown in Figure 80A is a mode belonging to intra prediction, in which transformation and quantization are not performed.

[Intra prediction unit]
The intra prediction unit 216 generates a predicted image of the current block (i.e., an intra predicted image) by performing intra prediction based on the intra prediction mode interpreted from the stream, by referring to blocks in the current picture stored in the block memory 210. Specifically, the intra prediction unit 216 generates an intra predicted image by performing intra prediction with reference to pixel values (e.g., luminance values, chrominance values) of blocks adjacent to the current block, and outputs the intra predicted image to the prediction control unit 220.

Note that if an intra prediction mode that references a luminance block is selected for intra prediction of a chrominance block, the intra prediction unit 216 may predict the chrominance component of the current block based on the luminance component of the current block.

Furthermore, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of PDPC, the intra prediction unit 216 corrects the pixel values after intra prediction based on the gradient of the reference pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions.

Figure 81 shows an example of processing by the intra prediction unit 216 of the decoding device 200.

The intra prediction unit 216 first determines whether an MPM flag indicating 1 is present in the stream (step Sw_11). If it is determined that an MPM flag indicating 1 is present (Yes in step Sw_11), the intra prediction unit 216 acquires information indicating the intra prediction mode selected by the encoding device 100 from the entropy decoding unit 202 (step Sw_12). Note that this information is decoded by the entropy decoding unit 202 and output to the intra prediction unit 216. Next, the intra prediction unit 216 determines an MPM (step Sw_13). The MPM consists of, for example, six intra prediction modes. The intra prediction unit 216 then determines the intra prediction mode indicated by the information acquired in step Sw_12 from the multiple intra prediction modes included in the MPM (step Sw_14).

On the other hand, if the intra prediction unit 216 determines in step Sw_11 that the stream does not contain an MPM flag indicating 1 (No in step Sw_11), it acquires information indicating the intra prediction mode selected by the encoding device 100 (step Sw_15). That is, the intra prediction unit 216 acquires information indicating the intra prediction mode selected by the encoding device 100 from the one or more intra prediction modes not included in the MPM from the entropy decoding unit 202. Note that this information is decoded by the entropy decoding unit 202 and output to the intra prediction unit 216. Then, the intra prediction unit 216 determines the intra prediction mode indicated by the information acquired in step Sw_15 from the one or more intra prediction modes not included in the MPM (step Sw_17).

The intra prediction unit 216 generates a predicted image according to the intra prediction mode determined in step Sw_14 or step Sw_17 (step Sw_18).

[Inter prediction section]
The inter prediction unit 218 predicts the current block by referring to a reference picture stored in the frame memory 214. Prediction is performed in units of the current block or sub-blocks within the current block. Note that a sub-block is included in a block and is a smaller unit than a block. The size of a sub-block may be 4x4 pixels, 8x8 pixels, or another size. The size of a sub-block may be switched in units such as a slice, a brick, or a picture.

For example, the inter prediction unit 218 generates an inter prediction image of the current block or sub-block by performing motion compensation using motion information (e.g., MV) interpreted from the stream (e.g., prediction parameters output from the entropy decoding unit 202), and outputs the inter prediction image to the prediction control unit 220.

If the information interpreted from the stream indicates that OBMC mode is to be applied, the inter prediction unit 218 generates an inter prediction image using not only the motion information of the current block obtained by motion estimation, but also the motion information of neighboring blocks.

Furthermore, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates that FRUC mode should be applied, the inter prediction unit 218 derives motion information by performing motion search according to the pattern matching method (bilateral matching or template matching) interpreted from the stream. The inter prediction unit 218 then performs motion compensation (prediction) using the derived motion information.

Furthermore, when BIO mode is applied, the inter prediction unit 218 derives MVs based on a model that assumes uniform linear motion. Furthermore, when information interpreted from the stream indicates that affine mode is to be applied, the inter prediction unit 218 derives MVs on a sub-block basis based on the MVs of multiple adjacent blocks.

[MV derivation flow]
FIG. 82 is a flowchart showing an example of MV derivation in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218 determines, for example, whether to decode motion information (e.g., MV). For example, the inter prediction unit 218 may make the determination based on the prediction mode included in the stream, or may make the determination based on other information included in the stream. Here, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines to decode the motion information, it derives the MV of the current block in a mode for decoding that motion information. On the other hand, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines not to decode the motion information, it derives the MV in a mode for not decoding motion information.

Here, MV derivation modes include normal inter mode, normal merge mode, FRUC mode, and affine mode, which will be described later. Of these modes, modes that decode motion information include normal inter mode, normal merge mode, and affine mode (specifically, affine inter mode and affine merge mode). Note that motion information may include not only MVs but also prediction MV selection information, which will be described later. Modes that do not decode motion information include FRUC mode. The inter prediction unit 218 selects a mode for deriving MVs for the current block from these multiple modes, and derives the MVs for the current block using the selected mode.

Figure 83 is a flowchart showing another example of MV derivation in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218, for example, determines whether or not to decode the differential MV. For example, the inter prediction unit 218 may make this determination based on the prediction mode included in the stream, or may make this determination based on other information included in the stream. Here, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines to decode the differential MV, it may derive the MV of the current block in a mode for decoding the differential MV. In this case, for example, the differential MV included in the stream is decoded as a prediction parameter.

On the other hand, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines not to decode the differential MV, it derives the MV in a mode that does not decode the differential MV. In this case, the encoded differential MV is not included in the stream.

As mentioned above, MV derivation modes include normal inter, normal merge mode, FRUC mode, and affine mode, which will be described later. Of these modes, modes that encode differential MVs include normal inter mode and affine mode (specifically, affine inter mode). Modes that do not encode differential MVs include FRUC mode, normal merge mode, and affine mode (specifically, affine merge mode). The inter prediction unit 218 selects a mode for deriving MVs for the current block from these multiple modes, and derives the MVs for the current block using the selected mode.

[MV Derivation > Normal Inter Mode]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates that normal inter mode should be applied, the inter prediction unit 218 derives MVs in normal merge mode based on the information interpreted from the stream, and performs motion compensation (prediction) using the MVs.

Figure 84 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal inter mode in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218 of the decoding device 200 performs motion compensation on each block. To do this, the inter prediction unit 218 first obtains multiple candidate MVs for the current block based on information such as the MVs of multiple decoded blocks that temporally or spatially surround the current block (step Sg_11). In other words, the inter prediction unit 218 creates a candidate MV list.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 extracts N candidate MVs (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) from the multiple candidate MVs obtained in step Sg_11 as motion vector predictor candidates (also called prediction MV candidates) according to a predetermined priority order (step Sg_12). Note that the priority order is predetermined for each of the N prediction MV candidates.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 decodes the prediction MV selection information from the input stream and uses the decoded prediction MV selection information to select one prediction MV candidate from the N prediction MV candidates as the prediction MV for the current block (step Sg_13).

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 decodes the differential MV from the input stream and derives the MV of the current block by adding the differential value of the decoded differential MV to the selected prediction MV (step Sg_14).

Finally, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the derived MV and the decoded reference picture (step Sg_15). The processes of steps Sg_11 to Sg_15 are performed for each block. For example, when the processes of steps Sg_11 to Sg_15 have been performed for all blocks included in a slice, inter prediction using normal inter mode for that slice is completed. Furthermore, when the processes of steps Sg_11 to Sg_15 have been performed for all blocks included in a picture, inter prediction using normal inter mode for that picture is completed. Note that the processes of steps Sg_11 to Sg_15 do not have to be performed for all blocks included in a slice, and inter prediction using normal inter mode for that slice may be completed when they are performed for some blocks. Similarly, the processes of steps Sg_11 to Sg_15 may be performed for some blocks included in a picture, and inter prediction using normal inter mode for that picture may be completed.

[MV Derivation > Normal Merge Mode]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates that the normal merge mode is to be applied, the inter prediction unit 218 derives motion vectors in the normal merge mode and performs motion compensation (prediction) using the MVs.

Figure 85 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in normal merge mode in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218 first obtains multiple candidate MVs for the current block based on information such as the MVs of multiple decoded blocks that temporally or spatially surround the current block (step Sh_11). In other words, the inter prediction unit 218 creates a candidate MV list.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 derives the MV for the current block by selecting one candidate MV from the multiple candidate MVs obtained in step Sh_11 (step Sh_12). Specifically, the inter prediction unit 218 obtains, for example, MV selection information included in the stream as prediction parameters, and selects the candidate MV identified by the MV selection information as the MV for the current block.

Finally, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the derived MV and the decoded reference picture (step Sh_13). The processes of steps Sh_11 to Sh_13 are performed, for example, for each block. For example, when the processes of steps Sh_11 to Sh_13 have been performed for all blocks included in a slice, inter prediction using normal merge mode for that slice is completed. Furthermore, when the processes of steps Sh_11 to Sh_13 have been performed for all blocks included in a picture, inter prediction using normal merge mode for that picture is completed. Note that the processes of steps Sh_11 to Sh_13 do not necessarily have to be performed for all blocks included in a slice, and inter prediction using normal merge mode for that slice may be completed after being performed for some blocks. Similarly, the processes of steps Sh_11 to Sh_13 may be performed for some blocks included in a picture, and inter prediction using normal merge mode for that picture may be completed.

[MV derivation > FRUC mode]
For example, if information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of FRUC mode, the inter prediction unit 218 derives motion vectors in FRUC mode and performs motion compensation (prediction) using the motion vectors. In this case, the motion information is not signaled from the encoding device 100 side, but is derived on the decoding device 200 side. For example, the decoding device 200 may derive the motion information by performing motion estimation. In this case, the decoding device 200 performs motion estimation without using pixel values of the current block.

Figure 86 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in FRUC mode in the decoding device 200.

First, the inter prediction unit 218 references the motion vectors of each decoded block spatially or temporally adjacent to the current block and generates a list (i.e., a candidate motion vector list, which may be the same as the candidate motion vector list for normal merge mode) indicating these motion vectors as candidate motion vectors (step Si_11). Next, the inter prediction unit 218 selects a best candidate motion vector from among the multiple candidate motion vectors registered in the candidate motion vector list (step Si_12). For example, the inter prediction unit 218 calculates an evaluation value for each candidate motion vector included in the candidate motion vector list and selects one candidate motion vector as the best candidate motion vector based on the evaluation value. The inter prediction unit 218 then derives a motion vector for the current block based on the selected best candidate motion vector (step Si_14). Specifically, for example, the selected best candidate motion vector is directly derived as the motion vector for the current block. Alternatively, for example, the motion vector for the current block may be derived by performing pattern matching in the surrounding area of the position in the reference picture corresponding to the selected best candidate motion vector. That is, a search is performed on the area surrounding the best candidate MV using pattern matching and evaluation values in the reference picture, and if a MV with a better evaluation value is found, the best candidate MV can be updated to that MV and used as the final MV for the current block. It is not necessary to update to a MV with a better evaluation value.

Finally, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing motion compensation on the current block using the derived MV and the decoded reference picture (step Si_15). The processes of steps Si_11 to Si_15 are performed, for example, for each block. For example, when the processes of steps Si_11 to Si_15 have been performed for all blocks included in a slice, inter prediction using FRUC mode for that slice is completed. Furthermore, when the processes of steps Si_11 to Si_15 have been performed for all blocks included in a picture, inter prediction using FRUC mode for that picture is completed. Processing may also be performed on a sub-block basis in the same way as for a block basis described above.

[MV derivation > Affine merge mode]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of the affine merge mode, the inter prediction unit 218 derives MVs in the affine merge mode and performs motion compensation (prediction) using the MVs.

Figure 87 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in affine merge mode in the decoding device 200.

In affine merge mode, the inter prediction unit 218 first derives MVs for each control point of the current block (step Sk_11). The control points are the upper left and upper right corners of the current block, as shown in Figure 46A, or the upper left, upper right, and lower left corners of the current block, as shown in Figure 46B.

For example, when using the MV derivation method shown in Figures 47A to 47C, the inter prediction unit 218 examines the decoded blocks in the order of block A (left), block B (top), block C (top right), block D (bottom left), and block E (top left), as shown in Figure 47A, and identifies the first valid block decoded in affine mode.

The inter prediction unit 218 derives the motion vectors of the control points using the first valid block decoded in the identified affine mode. For example, if block A is identified and block A has two control points, as shown in Figure 47B, the inter prediction unit 218 calculates the motion vector v0 of the upper left corner control point and the motion vector _v1 of the upper right corner control point of the current block by projecting the motion vectors _v3 and _v4 of the upper left corner and the upper right corner of the decoded block including block _A onto the current block. This derives the motion vectors of each control point.

As shown in Figure 49A, when block A is identified and block A has two control points, the MVs of three control points may be calculated, and as shown in Figure 49B, when block A is identified and block A has three control points, the MVs of two control points may be calculated.

Furthermore, if the stream includes MV selection information as a prediction parameter, the inter prediction unit 218 may use that MV selection information to derive the MVs of each control point of the current block.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 performs motion compensation on each of the multiple sub-blocks included in the current block. That is, for each of the multiple sub-blocks, the inter prediction unit 218 calculates the motion vectors of the sub-block as affine motion vectors using two motion vectors _v0 and _v1 and the above-mentioned formula (1A), or using three motion vectors _v0 , _v1 , and _v2 and the above-mentioned formula (1B) (step Sk_12). Then, the inter prediction unit 218 performs motion compensation on the sub-block using the affine motion vectors and the decoded reference picture (step Sk_13). When the processes of steps Sk_12 and Sk_13 have been performed on all sub-blocks included in the current block, inter prediction using the affine merge mode for the current block is completed. That is, motion compensation is performed on the current block, and a predicted image of the current block is generated.

In step Sk_11, the candidate MV list described above may be generated. The candidate MV list may be, for example, a list containing candidate MVs derived using multiple MV derivation methods for each control point. The multiple MV derivation methods may be any combination of the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 47A to 47C, the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 48A and 48B, the MV derivation methods shown in Figures 49A and 49B, and other MV derivation methods.

Note that the candidate MV list may also include candidate MVs for modes other than affine mode that perform prediction on a sub-block basis.

In addition, as the candidate MV list, for example, a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for affine merge mode with two control points and candidate MVs for affine merge mode with three control points may be generated. Alternatively, a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for affine merge mode with two control points and a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for affine merge mode with three control points may be generated. Alternatively, a candidate MV list including candidate MVs for one of the affine merge mode with two control points and the affine merge mode with three control points may be generated.

[MV derivation > Affine intermode]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of the affine inter mode, the inter prediction unit 218 derives MVs in the affine inter mode and performs motion compensation (prediction) using the MVs.

Figure 88 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in affine inter mode in the decoding device 200.

In the affine inter mode, the inter prediction unit 218 first derives predicted MVs ( _v0 , _v1 ) or ( _v0 , _v1 , _v2 ) for each of two or three control points of the current block (step Sj_11). The control points are, for example, the upper left, upper right, or lower left corner points of the current block, as shown in Figure 46A or 46B.

The inter prediction unit 218 obtains prediction MV selection information included in the stream as prediction parameters, and derives prediction MVs for each control point of the current block using MVs identified by the prediction MV selection information. For example, when using the MV derivation method shown in Figures 48A and 48B, the inter prediction unit 218 derives prediction MVs (v0, v1) or ( _v0 , v1, _v2 ) for the control points of the current block by selecting MVs of blocks identified by the prediction MV selection information from among decoded blocks near each control point of the current block shown in Figures _{48A or 48B} .

Next, the inter prediction unit 218, for example, obtains each differential MV included in the stream as a prediction parameter, and adds the predicted MV of each control point of the current block to the differential MV corresponding to that predicted MV (step Sj_12). This derives the MV of each control point of the current block.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 performs motion compensation on each of the multiple sub-blocks included in the current block. That is, for each of the multiple sub-blocks, the inter prediction unit 218 calculates the motion vectors of the sub-block as affine motion vectors using two motion vectors _v0 and _v1 and the above-mentioned equation (1A), or using three motion vectors _v0 , _v1 , and _v2 and the above-mentioned equation (1B) (step Sj_13). Then, the inter prediction unit 218 performs motion compensation on the sub-block using the affine motion vectors and the decoded reference picture (step Sj_14). When the processes of steps Sj_13 and Sj_14 have been performed on all sub-blocks included in the current block, inter prediction using the affine merge mode for the current block is completed. That is, motion compensation is performed on the current block, and a predicted image of the current block is generated.

Note that in step Sj_11, the candidate MV list described above may be generated, similar to step Sk_11.

[MV derivation > Triangle mode]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of triangle mode, the inter prediction unit 218 derives MVs in triangle mode and performs motion compensation (prediction) using the MVs.

Figure 89 is a flowchart showing an example of inter prediction in triangle mode in the decoding device 200.

In triangle mode, first, the inter prediction unit 218 divides the current block into a first partition and a second partition (step Sx_11). At this time, the inter prediction unit 218 may obtain partition information, which is information about the division into each partition, from the stream as a prediction parameter. Then, the inter prediction unit 218 may divide the current block into the first partition and the second partition according to the partition information.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 first obtains multiple candidate MVs for the current block based on information such as the MVs of multiple decoded blocks that temporally or spatially surround the current block (step Sx_12). In other words, the inter prediction unit 218 creates a candidate MV list.

Then, the inter prediction unit 218 selects the candidate MV for the first partition and the candidate MV for the second partition as the first MV and the second MV, respectively, from the multiple candidate MVs obtained in step Sx_11 (step Sx_13). At this time, the inter prediction unit 218 may obtain MV selection information for identifying the selected candidate MVs from the stream as a prediction parameter. Then, the inter prediction unit 218 may select the first MV and the second MV according to the MV selection information.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a first predicted image by performing motion compensation using the selected first MV and a decoded reference picture (step Sx_14). Similarly, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a second predicted image by performing motion compensation using the selected second MV and a decoded reference picture (step Sx_15).

Finally, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image for the current block by weighting and adding the first predicted image and the second predicted image (step Sx_16).

[Motion Search > DMVR]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of DMVR, the inter prediction unit 218 performs motion estimation using DMVR.

Figure 90 is a flowchart showing an example of motion estimation using DMVR in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218 first derives the MV of the current block in merge mode (step S1_11). Next, the inter prediction unit 218 derives the final MV for the current block by searching the surrounding area of the reference picture indicated by the MV derived in step S1_11 (step S1_12). In other words, the MV of the current block is determined by the DMVR.

Figure 91 is a flowchart showing a detailed example of motion estimation using DMVR in the decoding device 200.

First, in Step 1 shown in Figure 58A, the inter prediction unit 218 calculates the costs at the search position (also called the starting point) indicated by the initial MV and the eight search positions surrounding it. Then, the inter prediction unit 218 determines whether the cost of the search positions other than the starting point is the smallest. Here, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines that the cost of the search positions other than the starting point is the smallest, it moves to the search position with the smallest cost and performs the processing of Step 2 shown in Figure 58A. On the other hand, if the cost of the starting point is the smallest, the inter prediction unit 218 skips the processing of Step 2 shown in Figure 58A and performs the processing of Step 3.

In Step 2 shown in FIG. 58A, the inter prediction unit 218 performs a search similar to that of Step 1, using the search position moved in accordance with the processing result of Step 1 as a new starting point. The inter prediction unit 218 then determines whether the cost of a search position other than the starting point is the smallest. Here, if the cost of a search position other than the starting point is the smallest, the inter prediction unit 218 performs the processing of Step 4. On the other hand, if the cost of the starting point is the smallest, the inter prediction unit 218 performs the processing of Step 3.

In Step 4, the inter prediction unit 218 treats the search position of the starting point as the final search position, and determines the difference between the position indicated by the initial MV and that final search position as the difference vector.

In Step 3 shown in Figure 58A, the inter prediction unit 218 determines the decimal precision pixel position with the smallest cost based on the costs at four points above, below, left, and right of the starting point of Step 1 or Step 2, and sets that pixel position as the final search position. This decimal precision pixel position is determined by weighting and adding the vectors of the four points above, below, left, and right ((0,1), (0,-1), (-1,0), (1,0)), using the cost at each of the four search positions as weights. The inter prediction unit 218 then determines the difference between the position indicated by the initial MV and that final search position as the difference vector.

[Motion Compensation > BIO/OBMC/LIC]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of correction to the predicted image, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image and then corrects the predicted image according to the correction mode, such as the above-mentioned BIO, OBMC, and LIC.

Figure 92 is a flowchart showing an example of generating a predicted image in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image (step Sm_11) and corrects the predicted image using one of the modes described above (step Sm_12).

Figure 93 is a flowchart showing another example of generating a predicted image in the decoding device 200.

The inter prediction unit 218 derives the motion vectors (MVs) of the current block (step Sn_11). Next, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image using the motion vectors (step Sn_12) and determines whether to perform correction processing (step Sn_13). For example, the inter prediction unit 218 obtains prediction parameters included in the stream and determines whether to perform correction processing based on the prediction parameters. The prediction parameters are, for example, flags indicating whether to apply each of the above-mentioned modes. Here, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines to perform correction processing (Yes in step Sn_13), it generates a final predicted image by correcting the predicted image (step Sn_14). Note that in LIC, the luminance and chrominance of the predicted image may be corrected in step Sn_14. On the other hand, if the inter prediction unit 218 determines not to perform correction processing (No in step Sn_13), it outputs the predicted image as the final predicted image without correction (step Sn_15).

[Motion Compensation > OBMC]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of OBMC, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image and then corrects the predicted image in accordance with OBMC.

Figure 94 is a flowchart showing an example of correction of a predicted image using OBMC in the decoding device 200. Note that the flowchart in Figure 94 shows the flow of correction of a predicted image using the current picture and reference picture shown in Figure 62.

First, the inter prediction unit 218 obtains a predicted image (Pred) using normal motion compensation using the MVs assigned to the current block, as shown in Figure 62.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 applies (reuses) the MV (MV_L) already derived for the decoded left-adjacent block to the current block to obtain a predicted image (Pred_L). The inter prediction unit 218 then performs a first correction of the predicted image by overlaying the two predicted images Pred and Pred_L. This has the effect of blending the boundaries between adjacent blocks.

Similarly, the inter prediction unit 218 applies (reuses) the MV (MV_U) already derived for the decoded adjacent block above to the current block to obtain a predicted image (Pred_U). The inter prediction unit 218 then performs a second correction of the predicted image by overlaying the predicted image Pred_U on the predicted image (e.g., Pred and Pred_L) that has been corrected the first time. This has the effect of blending the boundaries between adjacent blocks. The predicted image obtained by the second correction is the final predicted image of the current block in which the boundaries with the adjacent blocks have been blended (smoothed).

[Motion Compensation > BIO]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of BIO, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image and then corrects the predicted image in accordance with BIO.

Figure 95 is a flowchart showing an example of correction of a predicted image using BIO in the decoding device 200.

As shown in Figure 63, the inter prediction unit 218 derives two motion vectors (M0, M1) using two reference pictures (Ref0, Ref1) that are different from the picture containing the current block (Cur Pic). The inter prediction unit 218 then derives a predicted image for the current block using these two motion vectors (M0, M1) (step Sy_11). Note that motion vector M0 is the motion vector (MVx0, MVy0) corresponding to reference picture Ref0, and motion vector M1 is the motion vector (MVx1, MVy1) corresponding to reference picture Ref1.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 derives an interpolated image ^I0 of the current block using the motion vector M0 and the reference picture L0. The inter prediction unit 218 also derives an interpolated image ^I1 of the current block using the motion vector M1 and the reference picture L1 (step Sy_12). Here, the interpolated image ^I0 is an image derived for the current block and included in the reference picture Ref0, and the interpolated image ^I1 is an image derived for the current block and included in the reference picture Ref1. The interpolated images ^I0 and ^I1 may each be the same size as the current block. Alternatively, the interpolated images ^{I0 and I1} may each be larger than the current block in order to properly derive a gradient image, which will be described later. Furthermore, the interpolated images I0 and ^I1 may include predicted images derived by applying a motion vector (M0, M1), a reference picture (L0, L1), and a motion compensation filter.

Furthermore, the inter prediction unit 218 derives a gradient image ( ^Ix0 , ^Ix1 , ^Iy0 , ^Iy1 ) of the current block from the interpolated image ^I0 and the interpolated image ^I1 (step Sy_13). Note that the horizontal gradient image is ( ^Ix0 , ^Ix1 ), and the vertical gradient image is ( ^Iy0 , ^Iy1 ). The inter prediction unit 218 may derive the gradient image by, for example, applying a gradient filter to the interpolated image. The gradient image may indicate the spatial change in pixel values along the horizontal or vertical direction.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 derives the optical flow ( ^vx , ^vy ), which is the velocity vector, for each of the sub-blocks constituting the current block, using the interpolated image ( ^I0 , I1) and the gradient image (Ix0, ^Ix1 , ^Iy0 , ^Iy1 ) (step Sy_14). As an example, the sub-block may be a 4x4 pixel sub-CU.

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 corrects the predicted image of the current block using the optical flow (vx, vy). For example, the inter prediction unit 218 derives correction values for the values of pixels included in the current block using the optical flow (vx, vy) (step Sy_15). The inter prediction unit 218 may then correct the predicted image of the current block using the correction values (step Sy_16). Note that the correction values may be derived for each pixel, or for multiple pixels or sub-blocks.

Note that the BIO processing flow is not limited to the processing disclosed in Figure 95. Only some of the processing disclosed in Figure 95 may be performed, different processing may be added or replaced, or the processing may be performed in a different order.

[Motion Compensation > LIC]
For example, if the information interpreted from the stream indicates the application of LIC, the inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image and then corrects the predicted image in accordance with the LIC.

Figure 96 is a flowchart showing an example of correction of a predicted image using LIC in the decoding device 200.

First, the inter prediction unit 218 uses the MV to obtain a reference image corresponding to the current block from a decoded reference picture (step Sz_11).

Next, the inter prediction unit 218 extracts information indicating how the luminance values of the current block have changed between the reference picture and the current picture (step Sz_12). As shown in Figure 66A, this extraction is performed based on the luminance pixel values of the decoded left-adjacent reference area (peripheral reference area) and the decoded upper-adjacent reference area (peripheral reference area) in the current picture, and the luminance pixel values at the equivalent positions in the reference picture specified by the derived MV. The inter prediction unit 218 then calculates luminance correction parameters using the information indicating how the luminance values have changed (step Sz_13).

The inter prediction unit 218 generates a predicted image for the current block by performing luminance correction processing, applying the luminance correction parameters to the reference image in the reference picture specified by the MV (step Sz_14). In other words, correction based on the luminance correction parameters is performed on the predicted image, which is the reference image in the reference picture specified by the MV. This correction may involve luminance correction or chrominance correction.

[Predictive control unit]
The prediction control unit 220 selects either an intra-predicted image or an inter-predicted image, and outputs the selected predicted image to the addition unit 208. Overall, the configurations, functions, and processing of the prediction control unit 220, the intra-prediction unit 216, and the inter-prediction unit 218 on the decoding device 200 side may correspond to the configurations, functions, and processing of the prediction control unit 128, the intra-prediction unit 124, and the inter-prediction unit 126 on the encoding device 100 side.

[How to divide a picture]
Figure 97 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between subpictures, slices, and tiles. Here, an example of a picture division method using subpictures, slices, and tiles is shown. Specifically, in the example of Figure 97, a picture is divided into multiple tiles, multiple slices, and multiple subpictures.

Tiles are obtained by dividing a picture horizontally and vertically. In the example in Figure 97, the picture is divided into two parts horizontally and two parts vertically, resulting in a total of four tiles.

Furthermore, in the example of Figure 97, each tile is divided into one or more slices. Specifically, the upper left tile is divided into one slice, the upper right tile is divided into four slices, the lower left tile is divided into two slices, and the lower right tile is divided into three slices. In this case, each slice is rectangular, and therefore is called a rectangular slice. A rectangular slice may be composed of multiple tiles that form a rectangular area, or may be composed of one or more CTU rows within a single tile.

Furthermore, in the example of Figure 97, the picture is divided into multiple subpictures, each of which is a unit that groups together one or more slices or one or more tiles.

Subpictures are used, for example, for the following purposes: Subpictures are extracted from a stream in units of subpictures, and only the extracted subpictures may be transmitted as a stream or decoded. Extracted subpictures may also be combined with subpictures from other streams to reconstruct a single stream.

Figure 98 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between tiles and slices. In the example of Figure 98, a picture is divided into multiple tiles and multiple slices. Specifically, the picture is divided into four sections horizontally and four sections vertically, resulting in a total of 16 tiles.

Furthermore, in the example of Figure 98, multiple tiles make up one slice, with slice (1) consisting of five tiles, slice (2) consisting of five tiles, and slice (3) consisting of six tiles. In this case, each slice is defined as a collection of multiple consecutive tiles in raster scan order, so it is called a raster-scan slice.

[First Example of Picture Division Control]
As described with reference to Figures 97 and 98, various picture division methods are applicable to H.266/VVC. For example, any of the various division methods may be applied to the encoding device 100. Therefore, various processing methods corresponding to the various division methods are implemented in the decoding device 200. In other words, various division methods may cause the hardware circuit configuration to become complicated.

On the other hand, in simple use cases where the stream is simply decoded and displayed on the screen, such as a broadcast stream, it is best to simplify the stream configuration as much as possible and the hardware circuit configuration of the receiver (decoding device 200). Therefore, in the first example of picture division control, pictures are divided using a processing flow such as the example in Figure 99.

Figure 99 is a flowchart showing the processing in the first example of picture division control. The encoding device 100 may perform the processing shown in Figure 99, or the decoding device 200 may perform the processing shown in Figure 99.

First, subpicture division is prohibited so that subpictures are not used (S101). Here, subpicture division means dividing a picture into one or more subpictures. Also, dividing a picture into one or more subpictures corresponds to assigning one or more subpictures to a picture.

Furthermore, the division method used for tiles is one division horizontally and one division vertically. Here, one division means that the number of areas after division is one, and that no division is actually performed. In other words, the tiles are set so that the picture is composed of only one tile. Furthermore, in other words, the number of tiles is set to one (S102). As a result, one tile with the same area as the picture is assigned to the picture.

Then, the tile is divided into one or more rectangular slices (S103). Here, dividing the tile into one or more rectangular slices corresponds to assigning one or more rectangular slices to the tile. Also, since there is one tile in the picture, the area of the tile matches the area of the picture. Therefore, the terms tile and picture can be interpreted as interchangeable as appropriate.

Also, while tiles are used in the above example, they do not necessarily have to be used. In other words, tiles do not necessarily have to be set.

Figure 100 is a diagram showing an example of picture division corresponding to the first example of picture division control. In other words, Figure 100 shows an example of picture division when picture division is performed using the processing flow described in Figure 99. Here, picture division means dividing a picture into multiple subpictures, multiple tiles, multiple slices, etc.

As shown in the example in Figure 100, the first example of picture partitioning control does not use subpictures, tile boundaries within the picture, or raster scan slices. Instead, a simple picture partitioning is always used, where the picture is simply divided into one or more rectangular slices.

This simplifies processing control in the decoding device 200, increasing the feasibility of reducing circuit scale.

Note that the processing flow described here is an example. For example, some processing may be omitted or modified, or processing not described here may be added.

The process described here can be applied to both encoding and decoding processes. In other words, although the difference is whether the signal used in the process is encoded into a stream or decoded from a stream, the process described here is basically the same for both encoding and decoding processes.

Figure 101 is a diagram illustrating example values of syntax elements set by the first example of picture split control.

First, the sps_subpic_info_present_flag coded in the SPS (Sequence Parameter Set) is set to 0. This explicitly specifies that the use of subpictures is prohibited.

Note that sps_subpic_info_present_flag is a flag indicating whether subpicture information is present. If sps_subpic_info_present_flag is 1, subpicture information is present. If sps_subpic_info_present_flag is 0, subpicture information is not present.

Next, the pps_subpic_id_mapping_present_flag, which is coded into the PPS (Picture Parameter Set), is set to 0. Because the use of subpictures is prohibited, signals related to the subpicture ID are unnecessary. Therefore, by setting this flag to 0, it is possible to avoid coding unnecessary signals.

Note that pps_subpic_id_mapping_present_flag is a flag indicating whether subpicture ID mapping is notified in the PPS. If pps_subpic_id_mapping_present_flag is 1, subpicture ID mapping is notified in the PPS. If pps_subpic_id_mapping_present_flag is 0, subpicture ID mapping is not notified in the PPS.

Next, the pps_num_exp_tile_columns_minus1 and pps_num_exp_tile_rows_minus1 variables coded into the PPS are set to 0. This specifies that the tile division method is one division horizontally and one division vertically. In other words, it specifies that the picture is composed of only one tile.

Note that pps_num_exp_tile_columns_minus1 is a parameter that indicates the number of tile columns; the value obtained by adding 1 to pps_num_exp_tile_columns_minus1 is equal to the number of tile columns. Also, pps_num_exp_tile_rows_minus1 is a parameter that indicates the number of tile rows; the value obtained by adding 1 to pps_num_exp_tile_rows_minus1 is equal to the number of tile rows.

Next, the pps_rect_slice_flag coded in the PPS is set to 1. This specifies that rectangular slices are used as the division method for the slice. Note that if the number of tiles is 1, coding of this flag may be omitted. Furthermore, if coding of this flag is omitted, it may be assumed that this flag is always 1.

Note that pps_rect_slice_flag is a flag indicating whether rectangular slices or raster scan slices are used. If pps_rect_slice_flag is 1, rectangular slices are used. If pps_rect_slice_flag is 0, raster scan slices are used.

Next, pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1, which is encoded into the PPS, is set to any value greater than or equal to 0. The value obtained by adding 1 to the value set here is equal to the number of rectangular slices obtained by dividing the picture.

Note that pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1 is a parameter that indicates the number of rectangular slices in a picture. Specifically, the value obtained by adding 1 to pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1 is equal to the number of rectangular slices in a picture, which, as described above, is equal to the number of rectangular slices obtained by dividing a picture.

Next, the pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag, which is encoded into the PPS, is set to 0. Since there is only one tile, no signal related to the tile index is necessary. Therefore, setting this flag to 0 makes it possible to avoid encoding unnecessary signals.

Note that pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag is a flag indicating whether or not information indicating the difference in tile index between rectangular slices is present. If pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag is 1, information indicating the difference in tile index is present. If pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag is 0, information indicating the difference in tile index is not present.

Also, if the number of tiles is 1, the encoding of pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag may be omitted. And, if the encoding of pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag is omitted, pps_tile_idx_delta_present_flag may always be considered to be 0.

Next, pps_num_exp_slices_in_tile[0], which is encoded into the PPS, is set to the value obtained by adding 1 to pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1. The value set here is equal to the number of rectangular slices in the tile, but since the number of tiles in a picture is 1, it is always equal to the number of rectangular slices in the picture.

Note that pps_num_exp_slices_in_tile[i] is a parameter that indicates the number of slices in the tile that contains the i-th slice, and is equal to the number of slices in the tile that contains the i-th slice. Also, as mentioned above, pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1 is a parameter that indicates the number of rectangular slices in a picture. Specifically, the value obtained by adding 1 to pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1 is equal to the number of rectangular slices in a picture.

Next, pps_exp_slice_height_in_ctus_minus1, which is coded into the PPS, is set to an arbitrary value. This value indicates the vertical size of a rectangular slice in a picture in CTU units, and is coded for the number of rectangular slices.

Specifically, pps_exp_slice_height_in_ctus_minus1[i][j] indicates the height of the jth rectangular slice in the tile containing the ith slice, expressed in CTUs. The value obtained by adding 1 to pps_exp_slice_height_in_ctus_minus1[i][j] is equal to the number of CTUs in the vertical direction of the jth rectangular slice in the tile containing the ith slice.

Note that for the last rectangular slice in a tile, the remaining area in the tile is allocated as is. Therefore, encoding the value indicating the size of the last rectangular slice in the tile may be omitted.

The syntax elements and values described above are examples. Similar roles may be specified by other syntax elements, control may be performed using values different from those described above, or syntax elements with different names having the same meaning may be coded. Furthermore, the above syntax elements, or syntax elements corresponding to the above syntax elements, may be coded in header areas different from the SPS and PPS described in the description.

Note that while the encoding process has been mainly described here, the process described here can also be applied to the decoding process. The difference is whether the syntax elements used in the process are encoded into a stream or decoded from a stream, but the process described here is basically the same for both the encoding process and the decoding process.

[Effects of the first example of picture division control]
99 to 101 simplify the picture division configuration and the stream configuration, which simplifies the control of processing in the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200, increasing the possibility of reducing the circuit scale.

[Second Example of Picture Division Control]
Figure 102 is a flowchart showing processing in a second example of picture partition control. The encoding device 100 may perform the processing shown in Figure 102, or the decoding device 200 may perform the processing shown in Figure 102. The difference from the processing flow described using Figure 99 is that when dividing a tile, the tile is divided into four or more rectangular slices using equal quad boundary control, which will be described later (S103a). The rest of the processing is the same as the processing flow in Figure 99.

As with the first example of picture division control, the area of a tile corresponds to the area of a picture. Therefore, tiles and pictures can be interpreted interchangeably as appropriate.

Figure 103 shows an example of picture division corresponding to the second example of picture division control. That is, Figure 103 shows an example of picture division when a tile is divided into four or more rectangular slices using equal quad boundary control.

Like the first example of partitioning control, the second example of partitioning control does not use subpictures, tile boundaries within the picture, or raster scan slices. The second example of partitioning control always uses a simple picture partition in which the picture is simply divided into four or more rectangular slices. Also, unlike the first example of partitioning control, the second example of partitioning control divides tiles so that the boundaries of rectangular slices overlap each boundary position of the equal-quadrant boundaries.

More specifically, the equal quadrant boundaries are set at the positions of the CTU boundaries when the picture is divided into four equal parts vertically. The slice division is then performed so that one or more rectangular slices are assigned to each area obtained by dividing the picture into four parts.

Here, "slice division" means dividing various regions into one or more slices. Dividing various regions into one or more slices corresponds to assigning one or more slices to various regions. Furthermore, "approximately even" means that an error is allowed compared to exact equality. For example, when dividing a picture into four parts approximately evenly in the vertical direction, an error of less than the CTU size in the vertical direction may be allowed, or an error of less than one pixel size in the vertical direction may be allowed.

In other words, "approximately equal" can include a predetermined range of error from the average value corresponding to an exactly equal ratio. This predetermined range may be a range within which efficient parallel processing is possible. It is expected that the smaller this predetermined range, the more efficient parallel processing will be possible. Specifically, this predetermined range may be within a range of ±10% from the average value. For example, hardware is designed with a margin of error of around 10%. Therefore, an error of around 10% can cover processing delays.

Splitting the picture approximately equally may mean splitting the picture along the boundaries of the CTU within the above-mentioned specified range.

In the example in Figure 103, the tile is divided into four regions by equal quadrant boundaries. Of the four regions, the first region from the top is divided into two rectangular slices, the second region is divided into one rectangular slice, the third region is divided into three rectangular slices, and the fourth region is divided into two rectangular slices.

For example, processor a1 of encoding device 100 (or processor b1 of decoding device 200) may be configured with four hardware cores. In such a case, encoding device 100 (or decoding device 200) can divide the picture using equal quad boundary control, assigning rectangular slices belonging to each region to the hardware core corresponding to that region for encoding (or decoding) processing.

This enables parallel processing with approximately equal processing times for the four areas, reducing unnecessary waiting time. However, processor a1 (or processor b1) is not limited to a multi-core processor and may also be a multi-processor.

Note that the processing flow described here is an example. For example, some processing may be omitted or modified, or processing not described here may be added.

The process described here can be applied to both encoding and decoding processes. In other words, the difference is whether the signal used in the process is encoded into a stream or decoded from a stream, but the process described here is basically the same for both encoding and decoding processes.

Figure 104 is a diagram illustrating example values of syntax elements set by the second example of picture split control. The values of syntax elements other than pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1 and pps_exp_slice_height_in_ctus_minus1 are the same as the values of the syntax elements in Figure 101, so their explanation is omitted here.

The pps_num_slices_in_pic_minus1 value coded into the PPS is set to any value greater than or equal to 3. The value obtained by adding 1 to the value set here is equal to the number of rectangular slices obtained by dividing the picture. By setting this to any value greater than or equal to 3, it is possible to assign at least one rectangular slice to each of the four regions obtained by equal quad boundary control.

Furthermore, pps_exp_slice_height_in_ctus_minus1, which is coded into the PPS, is set to a value that causes the boundary of the rectangular slice to overlap the boundary of the equal quadrant. This value indicates the vertical size of the rectangular slice in the picture in CTU units, and is coded for the number of rectangular slices. Note that for the last rectangular slice in a tile, the remaining area in the tile is allocated as is, so coding of the value indicating the size may be omitted.

The positions of the equal quadrant boundaries are determined by the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200. The encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 may determine the positions of the equal quadrant boundaries by calculating the positions of the equal quadrant boundaries, or may determine the positions of the equal quadrant boundaries according to information input from outside. The encoding device 100 may encode information indicating the positions of the equal quadrant boundaries, and the decoding device 200 may decode information indicating the positions of the equal quadrant boundaries.

Figure 105 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position of the equal-quadrant boundaries in the second example of picture division control. Here, an example is shown in which the picture size is 7680 x 4320 pixels.

The vertical size of each area other than the bottom edge of the picture is a multiple of the CTU size, which corresponds to the vertical size of the CTU. Therefore, if the CTU size is 64 pixels, the vertical size of the first, second, and third areas is set to 1088 pixels. The vertical size of the fourth area is set to 1056 pixels, which is the vertical size of the remaining areas.

In the above case, each of the first, second, and third regions is made up of 17 CTUs in the vertical direction. The fourth region is made up of a total of 17 CTUs in the vertical direction, consisting of 16 CTUs of 64 pixels each and one remaining CTU of 32 pixels each. Note that a CTU corresponds to a square region of a fixed size, but the size may be smaller than normal at the right or bottom edge of the picture.

As mentioned above, when the CTU size is 64 pixels, the portion that cannot be divided by the CTU unit is distributed unevenly to one area (the fourth area in the example of Figure 105), but the difference with other areas is small. Note that when the CTU size is smaller than 64 pixels, the boundary position may be the same as when the CTU size is 64 pixels. In this case, only the number of CTUs in the vertical direction may be changed.

On the other hand, if the CTU size is 128 pixels, the number of CTUs in the vertical direction cannot be neatly divided into four. Therefore, for example, the average value is derived by dividing the vertical size of the picture by 4. The picture is then divided into four regions: two regions each having a vertical size value greater than the average value, and two regions each having a vertical size value smaller than the average value.

Specifically, as shown on the right side of Figure 105, the picture is divided so that there are two areas larger than 1080 pixels (obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture, 4320 pixels, by 4), and two areas smaller than 1080 pixels.

More specifically, the vertical size of the first region is 1152 pixels, corresponding to nine 128-pixel CTUs. The vertical size of the second region is 1024 pixels, corresponding to eight 128-pixel CTUs. The vertical size of the third region is 1152 pixels, corresponding to nine 128-pixel CTUs. The vertical size of the fourth region is the remaining 992 pixels, corresponding to a total of eight CTUs: seven 128-pixel CTUs and one remaining 96-pixel CTU.

This division method makes it possible to prevent portions that cannot be neatly divided into CTU units from concentrating in a specific area. Even when the encoding device 100 (or decoding device 200) assigns four areas to four hardware cores respectively to perform encoding (or decoding) processing, parallel processing with approximately equal processing times is possible, reducing unnecessary waiting time.

As in the example of Figure 105, the position of the equal-quadrant boundary may be changed depending on the CTU size set when encoding the video. Alternatively, regardless of the CTU size, the position of the equal-quadrant boundary may always be fixed at the same position as the position of the equal-quadrant boundary specified for a CTU size of 128 pixels.

Figure 106 is a diagram illustrating another example of the position of the equal-quadrant boundaries in the second example of picture division control. In the example of Figure 106, the position of the equal-quadrant boundaries when the CTU size is 64 pixels is the same as in the example of Figure 105. On the other hand, the position of the equal-quadrant boundaries when the CTU size is 128 pixels is different from that in the example of Figure 105.

In the example on the right side of Figure 106, the vertical size of the first region is 1152 pixels, corresponding to nine CTUs of 128 pixels each. The vertical size of the second region is 1024 pixels, corresponding to eight CTUs of 128 pixels each. The vertical size of the third region is 1024 pixels, corresponding to eight CTUs of 128 pixels each. The vertical size of the fourth region is the remaining 1120 pixels, corresponding to a total of nine CTUs: eight CTUs of 128 pixels each and one remaining CTU of 92 pixels each.

This division method reduces the variation in size of the four regions even more than in the example in Figure 105.

Figure 107 is a diagram illustrating yet another example of the position of the equal quadrant boundary in the second example of picture division control. As with the example of Figure 106, in the example of Figure 107, the position of the equal quadrant boundary when the CTU size is 64 pixels is the same as in the example of Figure 105. On the other hand, the position of the equal quadrant boundary when the CTU size is 128 pixels is different from the example of Figure 105.

In the example on the right side of Figure 107, the vertical size of the first region is 1024 pixels, corresponding to eight CTUs of 128 pixels each. The vertical size of the second region is 1152 pixels, corresponding to nine CTUs of 128 pixels each. The vertical size of the third region is 1024 pixels, corresponding to eight CTUs of 128 pixels each. The vertical size of the fourth region is the remaining 1120 pixels, corresponding to a total of nine CTUs: eight CTUs of 128 pixels each and one remaining CTU of 92 pixels each.

This division method reduces the variation in size of the four regions even more than in the example of Figure 105. Also, as in the example of Figure 105, the picture is divided so that small and large regions alternate. This prevents successive large regions requiring a large amount of processing, even when the four regions are processed sequentially, thereby reducing the imbalance in processing volume and increasing the feasibility of reducing the circuit scale.

Note that the above describes an example of a 4-part equal division boundary. However, an equal division boundary other than a 4-part division may be set. That is, an N-part equal division boundary may be set where N is 2 or greater. Specifically, for example, an 8-part equal division boundary may be set. This reduces unnecessary waiting time when there are 8 hardware cores, enabling 8-part parallel processing. Furthermore, when there are 4 hardware cores, it reduces unnecessary waiting time and enables 4-part parallel processing.

In the above example, the number of tiles is set to 1 and the picture is divided vertically into four equal regions. Alternatively, the number of tiles can be set to 2 and the picture can be divided equally into two horizontally, and then further divided into two equal regions vertically, resulting in a total of four equal regions. In this case, the picture will contain tile boundaries, making control more complex.

However, if a picture is divided into two parts, left and right, and then into two parts top and bottom, the width of each area will be half the width of the picture. This means that the line memory capacity implemented in each core can be reduced in line with the width size, making it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Similarly, by setting the number of tiles to four and dividing the picture equally into four regions horizontally, the picture can be divided into four equally divided regions without setting equal division boundaries for dividing the picture vertically. This further reduces the line memory capacity and makes it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

The first and second examples of picture division control may also be used in combination. Specifically, for a picture to be processed, the first example of picture division control may be performed when the picture size is small, and the second example of picture division control may be performed when the picture size is large.

This means that when the picture size is small, the encoding (or decoding) process can be performed using only one hardware core, and when the picture size is large, the encoding (or decoding) process can be performed using four hardware cores in parallel.

More specifically, if the picture size is 4K or smaller (for example, if the picture size is 3840 x 2160 pixels or smaller), a first example of picture split control may be performed. If the picture size is larger than 4K (for example, if the picture size is 7680 x 4320 pixels, which corresponds to 8K), a second example of picture split control may be performed.

The syntax elements and values shown here are merely examples. Similar roles may be specified by other syntax elements, control may be performed using values different from those described above, or syntax elements with different names having the same meaning may be coded. Furthermore, the above syntax elements may be coded in header areas different from the SPS and PPS described in the description.

The process described here can be applied to both encoding and decoding processes. In other words, the difference is whether the syntax elements used in the process are encoded into a stream or decoded from a stream, but the process described here is basically the same for both encoding and decoding processes.

[Effect of the second example of picture division control]
The configurations described using Figures 102 to 107 simplify the picture division configuration and stream configuration. Therefore, the control of the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 is simplified. Furthermore, when parallel processing is performed by multiple hardware cores, it is possible to reduce unnecessary waiting time, enabling parallel processing to be performed efficiently. In other words, it is more likely that the circuit scale can be reduced and processing time can be reduced.

[supplement]
The above restrictions, "subpicture division is prohibited, the number of tiles is set to 1, and tiles are divided into one or more rectangular slices," can be set in any unit, such as a service, a distribution company, a server, a web page, a model number of a video capture device, or a specification to be complied with when providing a bitstream.

The following describes, as an example, a case in which whether or not to impose the above restrictions is set on a service-by-service basis, such as a broadcasting service provided via terrestrial, satellite, or cable media, or a distribution service provided via communications. In this case, the decoding device 200 corresponding to a playback device or receiver may switch between operating using the decoding process corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102 or operating using conventional decoding process, depending on the type of service used to play back moving images.

Specifically, this section describes a case where restrictions are specified for video encoding data distributed or transmitted in accordance with specifications established by a standards organization, etc., such as "prohibiting subpicture division, setting the number of tiles to 1, and dividing tiles into one or more rectangular slices."

For example, the above specification may be any specification developed by a standards organization such as the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), or the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

Alternatively, the above specifications may be Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) or Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast (DTMB), etc.

In these cases, the encoding device 100 encodes the video data for broadcast services provided in accordance with the above specifications, based on the above restrictions of "prohibiting subpicture division, setting the number of tiles to 1, and dividing tiles into one or more rectangular slices." The encoding device 100 then transmits the bitstream generated as video encoding data.

Furthermore, for example, when a receiver such as a television that receives and demodulates broadcast waves is set by a user to a mode for receiving bitstreams provided by broadcast services that comply with specifications including the above-mentioned restrictions, it performs decoding processing corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102.

Note that switching between the decoding process corresponding to FIG. 99 or FIG. 102 and conventional decoding process depending on the service described above is merely one example of the configuration of the decoding device 200. The configuration of the decoding device 200 is not limited to a configuration that includes such switching. For example, a decoding device 200 that decodes only bitstreams generated based on the above restrictions may always perform the decoding process corresponding to FIG. 99 or FIG. 102.

In addition, the decoding device 200 can also decode video data from a bitstream provided by a service that includes the above-mentioned restrictions by performing conventional decoding processing on the bitstream. Therefore, for example, if switching between the decoding processing corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102 and conventional decoding processing would result in complicated processing, the decoding device 200 may always perform conventional decoding processing.

The above restrictions make it possible to simplify the picture division configuration and stream configuration. At the same time, the above restrictions do not have any adverse effects even if the devices to which the service is provided always perform conventional decoding processing. Furthermore, the above restrictions make it possible for the decoding device 200 to switch between the decoding processing corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102 and conventional decoding processing. This increases the possibility of reducing the processing load and memory capacity.

The above-described broadcasting services may impose different restrictions depending on the medium, such as terrestrial, satellite, or cable.

Furthermore, in the above explanation, the provision of content in accordance with specific specifications via a specific medium is treated as a unit of one broadcast service. However, the unit of service is not limited to this. For example, multiple broadcast stations that provide content in accordance with the same specifications via the same medium may each be treated as a separate service. Furthermore, instead of a broadcast station, a frequency channel or a unique identifier such as an IP address assigned to transmitted data may be treated as a unit of one service.

In addition, in broadcasting, whether or not to apply the above restrictions may be set depending on the specifications to which they are compliant. In addition, in video distribution services via the Internet, whether or not to apply the above restrictions may be set for each distribution provider. Regarding video distribution via the Internet, services may be treated as different for each distribution provider, or one distribution provider may provide multiple services.

The above explanation also describes an example in which whether or not to apply the above restrictions is set on a service-by-service basis. However, whether or not to apply the above restrictions may also be set on any basis, such as by distribution provider, server, web page, model number of video recording equipment, specifications to be complied with when providing a bitstream, or a combination of these.

Next, we will explain the case where a receiver or playback device such as a television or smartphone includes a decoding device 200 that can decode bitstreams that comply with the VVC/H.266 standard.

For example, in this case, the decoding device 200 acquires control information from software that controls the operation of the decoding device 200. Then, when the control information specifies or notifies that restrictions are imposed, such as "prohibiting subpicture division, setting the number of tiles to 1, and dividing tiles into one or more rectangular slices," the decoding device 200 is configured to perform the decoding process corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102.

The decoding device 200 is also configured to perform conventional decoding processing when the control information does not impose the restrictions of "prohibiting subpicture division, setting the number of tiles to 1, and dividing tiles into one or more rectangular slices." The decoding device 200 is also configured to perform conventional decoding processing when it is unclear whether the control information imposes the restrictions of "prohibiting subpicture division, setting the number of tiles to 1, and dividing tiles into one or more rectangular slices."

The switching of the operation of the decoding device 200 described above is performed, for example, by software processing such as an operating system (OS). A receiver or playback device including the decoding device 200 may, for example, store in advance information on whether the above restrictions are imposed on a service-by-service basis, and switch the operation of the decoding device 200 based on that information. Furthermore, the receiver or playback device may, for example, switch the operation of the decoding device 200 in accordance with the operating mode switched by user operation.

In addition, it may be specified in advance for each application software whether to perform the decoding process corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102, or conventional decoding process. The receiver or playback device may then switch the operation of the decoding device 200 depending on the application software launched to decode the bitstream.

In addition, information indicating whether the following restrictions are imposed: "subpicture division is prohibited, the number of tiles is set to 1, and tiles are divided into one or more rectangular slices" may be provided externally. Alternatively, information indicating whether to perform the decoding process corresponding to Figure 99 or Figure 102 or the conventional decoding process may be provided externally. The receiver or playback device may switch the operation of the decoding device 200 based on the information provided externally.

In the above cases, the information provided from outside may be provided, for example, as control information for broadcasting. Alternatively, the information provided from outside may be provided as control information for a file storing a bitstream. Alternatively, the information provided from outside may be provided in a manifest file for a streaming service, such as an MPD file in Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH).

In addition, the information provided from outside is, for example, information that allows the receiver or playback device to switch the operation of the decoding device 200 before the decoding device 200 starts decoding the bitstream, and may be provided in any format.

Furthermore, switching between the conventional decoding process and the decoding process associated with Figure 99 or Figure 102 is not limited to switching between the decoding process associated with Figure 99 and the decoding process associated with Figure 102, and the operation described above may also be used to switch between them. For example, based on information indicating the picture size of the picture to be processed, the picture division control described in the first example may be performed if the picture size is small, and the picture division control described in the second example may be performed if the picture size is large.

Also, for example, the control of the first example and the control of the second example may be switched in response to the operating mode switched by a user operation. Furthermore, in each embodiment, (i) the restriction prohibiting subpicture division, (ii) the restriction setting the number of tiles to 1, and (iii) the restriction dividing tiles into one or more rectangular slices may be controlled independently. Alternatively, any two of these three restrictions may be controlled in an appropriate combination.

Furthermore, for flags or indexes that are set to a specific fixed value such as 0, instead of setting the specific fixed value to the flag or index, an operation may be performed in which the flag or index is not coded into the bitstream. In this case, the value of the flag or index that is not coded may be considered to be the specific fixed value.

H.266/VVC supports various parameter settings and various picture division methods to support bitstreams compatible with a variety of systems, profiles, and services. Specifically, as shown in Figures 97 and 98, tiles, slices, and subpictures are combined in an arbitrary hierarchical structure to divide a picture.

The above configuration makes it possible, for example, to extract only some of the units contained in a picture from a bitstream and generate a sub-bitstream. This makes it possible to freely design bitstreams containing different types of information, and to support use cases where only the necessary sub-bitstreams are extracted from that bitstream and played back. It also increases the applicability of parallel processing.

In other words, fixing the values of conventional syntax elements to specific values limits picture division methods and parallel processing, making it difficult to design an optimal picture structure for the target service. In other words, fixing the values of conventional syntax elements to specific values may be an unreasonable configuration.

However, in use cases such as broadcast streams and streaming services, where the decoding device 200 simply receives, decodes, plays, and displays bitstreams, the flexibility of the division method and parallel processing may be limited.

Even if a method capable of dividing pictures into diverse and complex units is applied to the above use cases, most picture division methods are not adopted for the bitstream to be processed, or are adopted very infrequently. On the other hand, supporting many picture division methods complicates the circuit configuration of the decoding device 200. Furthermore, the amount of processing required to identify the picture division method increases.

Therefore, by applying the syntax elements, encoding process, and decoding process of the present disclosure to the above-described use cases, it is possible to apply the optimal picture structure for the use cases. Furthermore, the circuit configuration of the decoding device 200 can be simplified.

[Typical examples of configuration and processing]
A typical example of the configuration and processing of the encoding device 100 and decoding device 200 shown above will be shown below.

Figure 108 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by the encoding device 100. For example, the encoding device 100 includes a circuit and a memory connected to the circuit. The circuit and memory included in the encoding device 100 may correspond to the processor a1 and memory a2 shown in Figure 8. In operation, the circuit of the encoding device 100 performs the following:

For example, for each picture constituting a moving image, the circuit of the encoding device 100 directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to the picture without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture (S201). Directly assigning one or more rectangular slices to a picture may mean assigning one or more rectangular slices to the picture without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture and without assigning multiple tiles to the picture (i.e., without dividing the picture into multiple tiles). Then, the circuit of the encoding device 100 encodes the one or more rectangular slices (S202).

As a result, the encoding device 100 may be able to control picture division so that sub-pictures are not included within the picture, and may be able to simplify the picture division structure. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex parts, and may be able to reduce the amount of processing. This may in turn make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, when allocating one or more rectangular slices to each picture, the circuitry of encoding device 100 may allocate N regions, which are two or more regions that are approximately equal in size, to the picture. Then, the circuitry of encoding device 100 may allocate at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions.

As a result, the encoding device 100 may be able to divide each picture into multiple, approximately equal regions according to the multiple rectangular slices. The encoding device 100 may then be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in approximately equal processing times. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the N regions may be four regions that are approximately equal in size. This may enable the encoding device 100 to prevent the number of multiple, approximately equal regions from becoming too large. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections. Furthermore, the encoding device 100 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in four or two parallel systems while reducing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuitry of the encoding device 100 may switch its operation for each picture when allocating one or more rectangular slices to that picture depending on whether the size of the picture is larger than a first threshold size.

Specifically, if the size of the picture is larger than the first threshold size, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may allocate N regions to the picture. Then, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may allocate at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions. On the other hand, if the size of the picture is not larger than the first threshold size, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may allocate one or more rectangular slices to the picture without allocating N regions to the picture.

As a result, the encoding device 100 may be able to simplify picture division for small pictures compared to large pictures. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to reduce the amount of processing for small pictures that do not require division into N regions for parallel processing compared to large pictures.

The encoding device 100 may be able to divide a large picture into multiple, approximately equal regions. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel for a large picture while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating one or more rectangular slices to each picture, the circuitry of the encoding device 100 may switch its operation depending on whether the size of the picture is 8K or not.

Specifically, if the size of the picture is 8K, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may allocate N regions to the picture. The circuit of the encoding device 100 may then allocate at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions. On the other hand, if the size of the picture is not 8K, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may not allocate N regions to the picture, but may instead allocate one or more rectangular slices to the picture.

As a result, for non-8K size pictures, which do not require dividing into N regions for parallel processing, the encoding device 100 may be able to simplify picture division compared to 8K size pictures, potentially reducing the amount of processing. Furthermore, for 8K size pictures, the encoding device 100 may be able to divide the picture into multiple, approximately equal regions, potentially enabling multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions to be performed in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Also, for example, the circuitry of the encoding device 100 may determine the size of each of the N regions according to the size of the CTU, which is a block that constitutes a picture to which the N regions are assigned. This may enable the encoding device 100 to divide each picture into N regions more evenly according to the size of the CTU. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel more efficiently while reducing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuitry of the encoding device 100 may determine the size of each of the N regions so that the boundaries of the N regions align with the boundaries of multiple CTUs defined according to the size of the CTU. This may enable the encoding device 100 to efficiently perform processing corresponding to each region in units of CTUs.

Furthermore, for example, when the size of the CTU is smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may determine the size of each of the N regions so that multiple regions among the N regions, excluding the bottommost region, have the same size. And, when the size of the CTU is not smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit of the encoding device 100 may determine the size of each of the N regions so that multiple larger regions among the N regions and multiple smaller regions among the N regions are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

Here, large regions are regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which N regions are assigned by N. Small regions are regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value.

As a result, the encoding device 100 may be able to simplify processing when the CTU size is small. Furthermore, the encoding device 100 may be able to prevent the size difference between regions from becoming too large when the CTU size is large.

Also, for example, the number of one or more regions among the N regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value may be equal to the number of one or more regions among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value. Here, the average value is a value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N.

This allows the encoding device 100 to potentially reduce size bias among the N regions, potentially reducing bias in the amount of processing.

Also, for example, among the N regions, a plurality of regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value may be arranged alternately with a plurality of regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value. Here, the average value is a value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N.

As a result, even when N regions are processed sequentially, the encoding device 100 may be able to suppress imbalances in the amount of processing because multiple large-sized regions requiring a large amount of processing are not consecutive. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, the circuitry of the encoding device 100 assigns, for each picture, one tile to that picture whose area is equal to the area of that picture.

This may enable the encoding device 100 to simplify tile allocation. Furthermore, the encoding device 100 may be able to control picture division so that tile boundaries are not included within the picture, potentially simplifying the picture division structure. Therefore, the encoding device 100 may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex parts, potentially reducing the amount of processing required. This may in turn enable a reduction in circuit size.

Furthermore, for example, the entropy coding unit 110 of the encoding device 100 may perform the above-described operations as a circuit of the encoding device 100. Furthermore, the entropy coding unit 110 may perform the above-described operations in cooperation with other components. For example, the division unit 102 may perform the division processing, or the block division determination unit 102a may perform the division processing.

Figure 109 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by the decoding device 200. For example, the decoding device 200 includes a circuit and a memory connected to the circuit. The circuit and memory included in the decoding device 200 may correspond to the processor b1 and memory b2 shown in Figure 68. In operation, the circuit of the decoding device 200 performs the following:

For example, for each picture constituting a moving image, the circuit of the decoding device 200 directly assigns one or more rectangular slices to the picture without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture (S301). Directly assigning one or more rectangular slices to a picture may mean assigning one or more rectangular slices to the picture without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture and without assigning multiple tiles to the picture (i.e., without dividing the picture into multiple tiles). Then, the circuit of the decoding device 200 decodes the one or more rectangular slices (S302).

As a result, the decoding device 200 may be able to control picture division so that sub-pictures are not included within the picture, and may be able to simplify the picture division structure. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex parts, and may be able to reduce the amount of processing. This may in turn make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, when allocating one or more rectangular slices to each picture, the circuitry of decoding device 200 may allocate N regions, which are two or more regions spaced approximately equally apart, to the picture. Then, the circuitry of decoding device 200 may allocate at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions.

As a result, the decoding device 200 may be able to divide each picture into multiple, approximately equal regions according to the multiple rectangular slices. The decoding device 200 may then be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in approximately equal processing times. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to the multiple regions in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the N regions may be four regions that are approximately equal in size. This may enable the decoding device 200 to prevent the number of multiple regions that are approximately equal in size from becoming too large. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex sections. Furthermore, the decoding device 200 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in four or two parallel systems while reducing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuitry of the decoding device 200 may switch its operation for each picture when allocating one or more rectangular slices to that picture depending on whether the size of the picture is larger than a first threshold size.

Specifically, if the size of the picture is larger than the first threshold size, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may allocate N regions to the picture. Then, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may allocate at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions. On the other hand, if the size of the picture is not larger than the first threshold size, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may allocate one or more rectangular slices to the picture without allocating N regions to the picture.

As a result, the decoding device 200 may be able to simplify picture division for small pictures compared to large pictures. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to reduce the amount of processing for small pictures that do not require division into N regions for parallel processing compared to large pictures.

The decoding device 200 may be able to divide a large picture into multiple, approximately equal regions. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel for a large picture while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, when allocating one or more rectangular slices to each picture, the circuitry of the decoding device 200 may switch its operation depending on whether the size of the picture is 8K or not.

Specifically, if the size of the picture is 8K, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may allocate N regions to the picture. The circuit of the decoding device 200 may then allocate at least one rectangular slice to each of the N regions. On the other hand, if the size of the picture is not 8K, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may not allocate N regions to the picture, but may instead allocate one or more rectangular slices to the picture.

As a result, for non-8K size pictures, which do not require dividing into N regions for parallel processing, the decoding device 200 may be able to simplify picture division compared to 8K size pictures, potentially reducing the amount of processing. Furthermore, for 8K size pictures, the decoding device 200 may be able to divide the picture into multiple, approximately equal regions, potentially enabling multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions to be performed in parallel while minimizing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuitry of the decoding device 200 may determine the size of each of the N regions according to the size of the CTU, which is a block that constitutes a picture to which the N regions are assigned. This may enable the decoding device 200 to divide each picture into N regions more evenly according to the size of the CTU. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to perform multiple processes corresponding to multiple regions in parallel more efficiently while reducing unnecessary waiting time.

Furthermore, for example, the circuitry of the decoding device 200 may determine the size of each of the N regions so that the boundaries of the N regions align with the boundaries of multiple CTUs defined according to the size of the CTU. This may enable the decoding device 200 to efficiently perform processing corresponding to each region in units of CTUs.

Furthermore, for example, when the size of the CTU is smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may determine the size of each of the N regions so that multiple regions among the N regions, excluding the bottommost region, have the same size. And, when the size of the CTU is not smaller than the second threshold size, the circuit of the decoding device 200 may determine the size of each of the N regions so that multiple larger regions among the N regions and multiple smaller regions among the N regions are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

Here, large regions are regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which N regions are assigned by N. Small regions are regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value.

As a result, the decoding device 200 may be able to simplify processing when the CTU size is small. Furthermore, the decoding device 200 may be able to prevent the size difference between regions from becoming too large when the CTU size is large.

Also, for example, the number of one or more regions among the N regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value may be equal to the number of one or more regions among the N regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value. Here, the average value is a value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N.

As a result, the decoding device 200 may be able to reduce the size imbalance among the N regions, and may be able to reduce the imbalance in processing volume.

Also, for example, among the N regions, a plurality of regions whose vertical size is larger than the average value may be arranged alternately with a plurality of regions whose vertical size is smaller than the average value. Here, the average value is a value obtained by dividing the vertical size of the picture to which the N regions are assigned by N.

As a result, even when N regions are processed sequentially, the decoding device 200 may be able to suppress imbalances in the amount of processing because multiple large-sized regions requiring a large amount of processing are not consecutive. This may also make it possible to reduce the circuit scale.

Also, for example, the circuitry of the decoding device 200 assigns, for each picture, one tile to that picture whose area is equal to the area of that picture.

This may enable the decoding device 200 to simplify tile allocation. Furthermore, the decoding device 200 may be able to control picture division so that tile boundaries are not included within the picture, and may be able to simplify the picture division structure. Therefore, the decoding device 200 may be able to prevent pictures from being divided into complex parts, and may be able to reduce the amount of processing. This may in turn enable a reduction in circuit size.

Furthermore, for example, the entropy decoding unit 202 of the decoding device 200 may perform the above-described operations as a circuit of the decoding device 200. Furthermore, the entropy decoding unit 202 may perform the above-described operations in cooperation with other components. For example, the division determination unit 224 may perform the division process.

Note that dividing a picture, etc. may also mean dividing the picture, etc.'s framework, and pictures, etc. can be divided even before decoding. Similarly, various areas, etc. can be allocated even before decoding.

[Other examples]
The encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 in each of the above-described examples may be used as an image encoding device and an image decoding device, or as a video encoding device and a video decoding device, respectively.

Alternatively, the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 may be used as an entropy encoding device and an entropy decoding device, respectively. That is, the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 may correspond only to the entropy encoding unit 110 and the entropy decoding unit 202, respectively. The other components may then be included in other devices.

The encoding device 100 may also include an input unit and an output unit. For example, one or more pictures are input to the input unit of the encoding device 100, and an encoded bitstream is output from the output unit of the encoding device 100. The decoding device 200 may also include an input unit and an output unit. For example, an encoded bitstream is input to the input unit of the decoding device 200, and one or more pictures are output from the output unit of the decoding device 200. The encoded bitstream may include quantized coefficients to which variable-length coding has been applied, and control information.

The term "encode" may also be replaced with terms such as "store," "include," "write," "write," "signal," "send," "notify," or "preserve." For example, encoding information may mean including information in a bitstream. The term "decode" may also be replaced with terms such as "read," "decode," "read," "load," "derive," "obtain," "receive," "extract," or "restore." For example, decoding information may mean obtaining information from a bitstream.

Furthermore, dividing various regions into one or more subregions corresponds to assigning one or more subregions to various regions, and may be expressed as dividing various regions into one or more subregions. Dividing various regions into one or more subregions, assigning one or more subregions to various regions, and dividing various regions into one or more subregions may be interpreted interchangeably.

Furthermore, at least some of the above examples may be used as encoding methods, decoding methods, entropy encoding methods, entropy decoding methods, or other methods.

Furthermore, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program appropriate for that component. Each component may also be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

Specifically, each of the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 may include a processing circuit and storage electrically connected to and accessible from the processing circuit. For example, the processing circuit corresponds to processor a1 or b1, and the storage corresponds to memory a2 or b2.

The processing circuit includes at least one of dedicated hardware and a program execution unit, and executes processing using a storage device. Furthermore, if the processing circuit includes a program execution unit, the storage device stores the software program executed by the program execution unit.

Here, the software that realizes the above-mentioned encoding device 100 or decoding device 200 is the following program.

For example, this program may cause a computer to execute an encoding method in which, for each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image, one or more rectangular slices are directly assigned to the picture without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and the one or more rectangular slices are encoded.

Also, for example, this program may cause the computer to execute a decoding method in which, for each of a plurality of pictures constituting a moving image, one or more rectangular slices are directly assigned to the picture without assigning one or more subpictures to the picture, and the one or more rectangular slices are decoded.

Furthermore, as described above, each component may be a circuit. These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each component may be implemented using a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor.

Furthermore, the processing performed by a specific component may be performed by another component. The order in which the processing is performed may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, the encoding/decoding device may include the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200.

Also, the ordinal numbers such as first and second used in the description may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, new ordinal numbers may be assigned to components, etc., or removed. Furthermore, these ordinal numbers may be assigned to elements in order to identify them, and may not correspond to any meaningful order.

Furthermore, the expressions "above threshold" and "greater than threshold" may be interpreted interchangeably. Furthermore, the expressions "below threshold" and "smaller than threshold" may be interpreted interchangeably.

Aspects of the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 have been described above based on several examples, but the aspects of the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200 are not limited to these examples. Various modifications that would occur to those skilled in the art to each example, or configurations constructed by combining components from different examples, may also be included within the scope of the aspects of the encoding device 100 and the decoding device 200, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of this disclosure.

One or more aspects disclosed herein may be implemented in combination with at least some of the other aspects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, some of the processes, device configurations, and syntax described in the flowcharts of one or more aspects disclosed herein may be implemented in combination with other aspects.

[Implementation and Application]
In each of the above embodiments, each functional or operational block can typically be realized by an MPU (micro processing unit), memory, etc. Furthermore, the processing by each functional block may be realized as a program execution unit, such as a processor, that reads and executes software (programs) recorded on a recording medium, such as a ROM. The software may be distributed. The software may be recorded on various recording media, such as semiconductor memory. It is also possible to realize each functional block by hardware (dedicated circuits).

The processing described in each embodiment may be realized by centralized processing using a single device (system), or by distributed processing using multiple devices. Furthermore, the processor that executes the above program may be single or multiple. In other words, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

The aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above examples, and various modifications are possible, all of which are within the scope of the aspects of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, we will now describe application examples of the video encoding method (image encoding method) or video decoding method (image decoding method) shown in each of the above embodiments, as well as various systems that implement these application examples. Such systems may be characterized by having an image encoding device that uses the image encoding method, an image decoding device that uses the image decoding method, or an image encoding/decoding device that includes both. Other configurations of such systems can be modified as appropriate depending on the situation.

[Example of use]
Fig. 110 shows the overall configuration of an appropriate content supply system ex100 that realizes a content distribution service. The area where communication services are provided is divided into cells of a desired size, and base stations ex106, ex107, ex108, ex109, and ex110, which are fixed wireless stations in the illustrated example, are installed in each cell.

In this content supply system ex100, devices such as a computer ex111, a game console ex112, a camera ex113, a home appliance ex114, and a smartphone ex115 are connected to the Internet ex101 via an Internet service provider ex102 or a communications network ex104 and base stations ex106-ex110. The content supply system ex100 may also connect a combination of any of the above devices. In various implementations, the devices may be connected to each other directly or indirectly via a telephone network or short-range wireless communication, etc., without going through the base stations ex106-ex110. Furthermore, the streaming server ex103 may be connected to devices such as a computer ex111, a game console ex112, a camera ex113, a home appliance ex114, and a smartphone ex115 via the Internet ex101, etc. Additionally, the streaming server ex103 may be connected to a terminal in a hotspot on an airplane ex117 via a satellite ex116.

Instead of base stations ex106-ex110, wireless access points or hotspots may be used. Also, streaming server ex103 may be connected directly to communication network ex104 without going through the Internet ex101 or Internet service provider ex102, or may be connected directly to airplane ex117 without going through satellite ex116.

Camera ex113 is a device such as a digital camera that can take still images and record video. Smartphone ex115 is a smartphone, mobile phone, or PHS (Personal Handyphone System) that supports mobile communication systems such as 2G, 3G, 3.9G, 4G, and, in the future, 5G.

Home appliance ex114 is a refrigerator or equipment included in a home fuel cell cogeneration system.

In the content supply system ex100, a terminal with a photographing function connects to a streaming server ex103 via a base station ex106 or the like, enabling live streaming and the like. In live streaming, a terminal (such as a computer ex111, a game console ex112, a camera ex113, a home appliance ex114, a smartphone ex115, or a terminal on an airplane ex117) may perform the encoding process described in each of the above embodiments on still image or video content captured by a user using the terminal, may multiplex the video data obtained by encoding with audio data obtained by encoding the sound corresponding to the video, and may transmit the obtained data to the streaming server ex103. In other words, each terminal functions as an image encoding device according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

Meanwhile, the streaming server ex103 streams the transmitted content data to the requesting client. The client is a computer ex111, a game console ex112, a camera ex113, a home appliance ex114, a smartphone ex115, or a terminal on an airplane ex117, which is capable of decoding the encoded data. Each device that receives the distributed data decodes and plays back the received data. In other words, each device may function as an image decoding device according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[Distributed processing]
The streaming server ex103 may also be multiple servers or multiple computers that process, record, and distribute data in a distributed manner. For example, the streaming server ex103 may be implemented as a CDN (Content Delivery Network), where content distribution is achieved through a network connecting numerous edge servers distributed around the world. In a CDN, a physically nearby edge server is dynamically assigned depending on the client. Content is then cached and distributed to that edge server, thereby reducing delays. Furthermore, when certain types of errors occur or communication conditions change due to increased traffic, processing can be distributed among multiple edge servers, the distribution entity can be switched to another edge server, or distribution can be continued by bypassing the failed part of the network, thereby achieving high-speed and stable distribution.

In addition to the distributed processing of the distribution itself, the encoding of the captured data can be performed on each terminal, on the server side, or shared among terminals. As an example, encoding generally involves two processing loops. The first loop detects the complexity of the image on a frame or scene basis, or the amount of code. The second loop maintains image quality while improving encoding efficiency. For example, a terminal can perform the first encoding process, and the server that receives the content can perform the second encoding process, thereby improving content quality and efficiency while reducing the processing load on each terminal. In this case, if there is a request to receive and decode the data in near real time, the data encoded the first time by a terminal can be received and played back on another terminal, enabling more flexible real-time distribution.

As another example, a camera ex113 or the like extracts features from an image, compresses the data related to the features as metadata, and transmits it to the server. The server performs compression according to the meaning of the image (or the importance of the content), for example by determining the importance of an object from the features and switching the quantization precision accordingly. The feature data is particularly effective in improving the accuracy and efficiency of motion vector prediction when the server re-compresses. Alternatively, the terminal may perform simple encoding such as VLC (variable length coding), and the server may perform encoding with a higher processing load such as CABAC (context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding).

As another example, in stadiums, shopping malls, factories, etc., there may be multiple pieces of video data that have been shot using multiple devices, each capturing nearly the same scene. In this case, the multiple devices that shot the footage, and, as necessary, other devices and servers that did not shoot the footage, are used to perform distributed processing, assigning encoding processes to each device, for example, on a GOP (Group of Picture) basis, a picture basis, or a tile basis into which a picture is divided. This reduces delays and enables greater real-time performance.

Since the multiple video data are of nearly the same scene, the server may manage and/or instruct the video data shot on each terminal to be mutually referenced. The server may also receive encoded data from each terminal and change the reference relationships between the multiple data, or correct or replace the pictures themselves and re-encode them. This allows for the generation of a stream that improves the quality and efficiency of each piece of data.

Furthermore, the server may perform transcoding to change the encoding method of the video data before distributing it. For example, the server may convert an MPEG-based encoding method to a VP-based encoding method (e.g., VP9), or convert H.264 to H.265.

In this way, the encoding process can be performed by a terminal or one or more servers. Therefore, although the following uses terms such as "server" or "terminal" to refer to the entity performing the processing, some or all of the processing performed by a server may be performed by a terminal, and some or all of the processing performed by a terminal may be performed by a server. The same applies to the decoding process.

[3D, multi-angle]
There has been an increase in the use of images or videos of different scenes or the same scene taken from different angles by multiple devices such as cameras ex113 and/or smartphones ex115 that are approximately synchronized with each other. The videos taken by each device are integrated based on the relative positional relationship between the devices obtained separately, or on areas where feature points included in the videos match.

In addition to encoding two-dimensional video, the server may also encode still images automatically or at a time specified by the user based on scene analysis of the video and transmit them to the receiving terminal. Furthermore, if the server can obtain the relative positional relationship between the capturing terminals, it can generate a three-dimensional shape of the scene based not only on two-dimensional video, but also on video of the same scene captured from different angles. The server may separately encode three-dimensional data generated using point clouds, or may select or reconstruct video to be transmitted to the receiving terminal from video captured by multiple terminals based on the results of recognizing or tracking people or objects using the three-dimensional data.

In this way, users can enjoy scenes by selecting the images corresponding to each camera device, or they can enjoy content in which an image from a selected viewpoint is extracted from 3D data reconstructed using multiple images or images. Furthermore, along with the images, sound can also be collected from multiple different angles, and the server can multiplex the sound from a specific angle or space with the corresponding image and transmit the multiplexed image and sound.

In recent years, content that links the real world with a virtual world, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), has also become popular. In the case of VR images, the server creates separate viewpoint images for the right and left eyes, and may encode them using techniques such as Multi-View Coding (MVC) to allow reference between each viewpoint, or they may be encoded as separate streams without mutual reference. When decoding the separate streams, they should be played back in sync with each other so that a virtual three-dimensional space is recreated according to the user's viewpoint.

In the case of AR images, the server superimposes virtual object information in virtual space onto camera information in real space based on the 3D position or movement of the user's viewpoint. The decoding device may acquire or store virtual object information and 3D data, generate a 2D image according to the user's viewpoint movement, and smoothly connect the images to create superimposed data. Alternatively, the decoding device may send the user's viewpoint movement to the server in addition to a request for virtual object information. The server may create superimposed data based on the viewpoint movement received from the 3D data stored on the server, encode the superimposed data, and distribute it to the decoding device. Note that the superimposed data also has an α value indicating transparency in addition to RGB. The server may set the α value of parts other than objects created from the 3D data to 0, for example, to encode the parts in a transparent state. Alternatively, the server may generate data by setting a predetermined RGB value to the background, like a chromakey, and using the background color for parts other than the objects.

Similarly, the decoding of distributed data may be performed by each client terminal, by the server, or by a shared process. As an example, one terminal may first send a reception request to the server, and then other terminals may receive and decode the content corresponding to that request, and then send the decoded signal to a device with a display. By distributing the processing and selecting appropriate content regardless of the performance of the communication terminals themselves, it is possible to play back data with high image quality. As another example, large-sized image data may be received on a TV or the like, and only a portion of the picture, such as tiles into which the picture is divided, may be decoded and displayed on the viewer's personal device. This allows the viewer to share the overall picture while checking their own area of responsibility or areas they wish to view in more detail at their fingertips.

In situations where multiple short-, medium-, or long-range wireless communications are available indoors or outdoors, it may be possible to receive content seamlessly using distribution system standards such as MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP). Users may freely select and switch in real time between decoding and display devices, such as their own terminals and indoor or outdoor displays. Decoding can also be performed by switching between decoding and display devices using information such as the user's location. This makes it possible to map and display information on a part of the wall or ground of a neighboring building with an embedded display device while the user is traveling to their destination. It is also possible to switch the bit rate of received data based on the ease of access to the encoded data on the network, such as if the encoded data is cached on a server that can be quickly accessed from the receiving terminal or copied to an edge server in a content delivery service.

[Web page optimization]
FIG. 111 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a web page on a computer ex111 or the like. FIG. 112 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a web page on a smartphone ex115 or the like. As shown in FIGS. 111 and 112 , a web page may include multiple link images that are links to image content, and the appearance of the link images may differ depending on the device used to view the page. When multiple link images are visible on the screen, the display device (decoding device) may display a still image or I-picture contained in each content as a link image until the user explicitly selects the link image, or until the link image approaches the center of the screen or the entire link image is within the screen. The display device (decoding device) may also display a video such as a GIF animation using multiple still images or I-pictures, or may receive only the base layer and decode and display the video.

When a link image is selected by the user, the display device performs decoding while prioritizing the base layer. Note that if the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) that makes up the web page contains information indicating that the content is scalable, the display device may also decode up to the enhancement layer. Furthermore, to ensure real-time performance, before selection or when communication bandwidth is very limited, the display device may decode and display only forward-referenced pictures (I pictures, P pictures, and forward-reference-only B pictures), thereby reducing the delay between the decoding time of the first picture and the display time (the delay from the start of content decoding to the start of display). Furthermore, the display device may intentionally ignore picture reference relationships and roughly decode all B and P pictures using forward reference, and then perform normal decoding as more pictures are received over time.

[Autonomous Driving]
Furthermore, when transmitting and receiving still image or video data such as two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information for automatic vehicle driving or driving assistance, the receiving terminal may receive weather or construction information as meta information in addition to image data belonging to one or more layers, and may associate and decode these. Note that the meta information may belong to a layer, or may simply be multiplexed with the image data.

In this case, as the receiving terminal, including the vehicle, drone, or airplane, moves, the receiving terminal transmits its location information, enabling seamless reception and decoding while switching between base stations ex106-ex110. Furthermore, the receiving terminal can dynamically switch how much meta information to receive or how much to update map information, depending on the user's selection, user situation, and/or communication bandwidth conditions.

In the content supply system ex100, the client can receive, decode, and play back encoded information sent by the user in real time.

[Personal Content Distribution]
Furthermore, the content supply system ex100 allows not only high-quality, long-duration content from video distribution companies, but also low-quality, short-duration content from individuals via unicast or multicast. It is expected that such personal content will continue to increase in the future. To improve the quality of personal content, the server may perform editing before encoding. This can be achieved, for example, using the following configuration.

During shooting, either in real time or after accumulating the footage, the server performs recognition processing such as detecting shooting errors, scene search, semantic analysis, and object detection from the original image data or encoded data. Based on the recognition results, the server then manually or automatically corrects for out-of-focus or camera shake, deletes less important scenes such as those that are lower in brightness or out of focus compared to other pictures, emphasizes object edges, or changes color. The server then encodes the edited data based on the editing results. It is also known that viewing rates decrease if the shooting time is too long. Therefore, the server may automatically clip not only less important scenes as described above, but also scenes with little movement, based on the image processing results, so that the content falls within a specific time range depending on the shooting time. Alternatively, the server may generate and encode a digest based on the results of the scene's semantic analysis.

In some cases, personal content may contain content that infringes copyright, moral rights, or portrait rights, or may be inconvenient for individuals, such as extending the scope of sharing beyond the intended scope. Therefore, for example, the server may deliberately change the image to defocus, such as the faces of people on the periphery of the screen or the interior of a house, before encoding. Furthermore, the server may recognize whether the image to be encoded contains the face of a person other than a pre-registered person, and if so, perform processing such as blurring the face. Alternatively, as pre- or post-processing before encoding, the user may specify a person or background area they wish to modify in the image for copyright or other reasons. The server may then replace the specified area with another image or blur the focus. If the image contains a person, the server can track the person in the video and replace the image of the person's face.

Because viewing personal content with small data volumes requires real-time performance, the decoding device will first receive the base layer as a top priority, and then decode and play it, depending on the bandwidth. The decoding device may also receive the enhancement layer during this time, and if the content is played more than once, such as when playback is looped, it may play high-quality video including the enhancement layer. Streams that have been scalably encoded in this way provide an experience in which the video appears rough when not selected or when viewing begins, but the stream gradually becomes smarter and the image quality improves. In addition to scalable encoding, a similar experience can be provided if a coarse stream played the first time and a second stream encoded with reference to the first video are configured as a single stream.

[Other practical application examples]
Furthermore, these encoding and decoding processes are generally performed by the LSIex500 possessed by each terminal. The LSI (large scale integration circuitry) ex500 (see FIG. 110) may be a single-chip or multi-chip configuration. Furthermore, video encoding or decoding software may be embedded in some kind of recording medium (such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk, or hard disk) readable by the computer ex111, and the encoding or decoding process may be performed using that software. Furthermore, if the smartphone ex115 is equipped with a camera, video data captured by the camera may be transmitted. This video data is data encoded and processed by the LSIex500 possessed by the smartphone ex115.

The LSIex500 may also be configured to download and activate application software. In this case, the terminal first determines whether it supports the content encoding method or has the capability to execute a specific service. If the terminal does not support the content encoding method or does not have the capability to execute a specific service, the terminal downloads the codec or application software, and then acquires and plays the content.

Furthermore, at least one of the video encoding device (image encoding device) or video decoding device (image decoding device) of each of the above embodiments can be incorporated into a digital broadcasting system, not just a content supply system ex100 via the Internet ex101. Since multiplexed data in which video and audio are multiplexed is transmitted and received over broadcast radio waves using a satellite or the like, the difference is that the content supply system ex100 is more suited to multicast than the unicast configuration of the content supply system ex100, but similar applications are possible with regard to encoding and decoding processes.

[Hardware configuration]
Fig. 113 is a diagram showing further details of the smartphone ex115 shown in Fig. 110. Fig. 114 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the smartphone ex115. The smartphone ex115 includes an antenna ex450 for transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from the base station ex110, a camera unit ex465 capable of capturing video and still images, and a display unit ex458 for displaying video captured by the camera unit ex465 and decoded data of the video and the like received by the antenna ex450. The smartphone ex115 further includes an operation unit ex466 such as a touch panel, an audio output unit ex457 such as a speaker for outputting voice or sound, an audio input unit ex456 such as a microphone for inputting voice, a memory unit ex467 capable of storing captured video or still images, recorded voice, received video or still images, encoded data such as email, or decoded data, and a slot unit ex464 that is an interface with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) ex468 for identifying a user and authenticating access to various data including the network. Note that an external memory may be used instead of the memory unit ex467.

The main control unit ex460, which provides overall control of the display unit ex458 and operation unit ex466, etc., is connected to the power supply circuit unit ex461, operation input control unit ex462, video signal processing unit ex455, camera interface unit ex463, display control unit ex459, modulation/demodulation unit ex452, multiplexing/separation unit ex453, audio signal processing unit ex454, slot unit ex464, and memory unit ex467 via a synchronization bus ex470.

When the power key is turned on by the user, the power supply circuit unit ex461 starts up the smartphone ex115 into an operational state and supplies power to each component from the battery pack.

The smartphone ex115 processes calls, data communications, and other communications under the control of the main control unit ex460, which includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and other components. During calls, the audio signal collected by the audio input unit ex456 is converted to a digital audio signal by the audio signal processing unit ex454, subjected to spectrum spread processing by the modulation/demodulation unit ex452, and subjected to digital-to-analog conversion and frequency conversion processing by the transmission/reception unit ex451. The resulting signal is transmitted via the antenna ex450. The received data is also amplified and subjected to frequency conversion and analog-to-digital conversion processing, subjected to spectrum despread processing by the modulation/demodulation unit ex452, and converted to an analog audio signal by the audio signal processing unit ex454, which is then output from the audio output unit ex457. During data communication mode, text, still images, or video data is sent to the main control unit ex460 via the operation input control unit ex462 based on operations on the main unit's operation unit ex466, etc. Similar transmission and reception processing is performed. When transmitting video, still images, or video and audio in data communication mode, the video signal processing unit ex455 compresses and encodes the video signal stored in the memory unit ex467 or the video signal input from the camera unit ex465 using the video encoding method described in each of the above embodiments, and sends the encoded video data to the multiplexing/demultiplexing unit ex453. The audio signal processing unit ex454 encodes the audio signal picked up by the audio input unit ex456 while the camera unit ex465 is capturing video or still images, and sends the encoded audio data to the multiplexing/demultiplexing unit ex453. The multiplexing/demultiplexing unit ex453 multiplexes the encoded video data and encoded audio data using a predetermined method, and the modulation/demodulation unit (modulation/demodulation circuit unit) ex452 and the transmission/reception unit ex451 perform modulation and conversion processing on the multiplexed video data and audio data before transmitting it via the antenna ex450.

When receiving video attached to an email or chat, or video linked to a web page, for example, the multiplexed data received via the antenna ex450 is decoded by the multiplexing/separation unit ex453, which separates the multiplexed data into a video data bitstream and an audio data bitstream. The multiplexing/separation unit ex453 then supplies the encoded video data to the video signal processing unit ex455 via the synchronization bus ex470, and supplies the encoded audio data to the audio signal processing unit ex454. The video signal processing unit ex455 decodes the video signal using a video decoding method corresponding to the video encoding method described in each of the above embodiments, and the video or still image contained in the linked video file is displayed on the display unit ex458 via the display control unit ex459. The audio signal processing unit ex454 decodes the audio signal, and audio is output from the audio output unit ex457. As real-time streaming becomes increasingly common, audio playback may be socially inappropriate depending on the user's circumstances. Therefore, it is preferable to initially configure the system to play only the video data without playing the audio signal, and to play the audio in sync only when the user performs an operation such as clicking on the video data.

Although the smartphone ex115 has been used as an example here, three other implementation formats are possible: a transmitting/receiving terminal with both an encoder and a decoder, a transmitting terminal with only an encoder, and a receiving terminal with only a decoder. In the digital broadcasting system, multiplexed data in which audio data is multiplexed onto video data is received or transmitted. However, in addition to audio data, text data related to the video may also be multiplexed into the multiplexed data. Furthermore, video data itself may be received or transmitted instead of multiplexed data.

Although the main control unit ex460, which includes a CPU, has been described as controlling the encoding or decoding process, various terminals often also include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Therefore, a configuration is possible in which a memory shared by the CPU and GPU, or a memory whose addresses are managed for common use, is used to take advantage of the GPU's performance and process a large area in one go. This shortens the encoding time, ensures real-time performance, and achieves low latency. It is particularly efficient to perform motion estimation, deblocking filtering, SAO (Sample Adaptive Offset), and transformation/quantization processes in one go, such as by picture, on the GPU rather than the CPU.

This disclosure can be used, for example, in television receivers, digital video recorders, car navigation systems, mobile phones, digital cameras, digital video cameras, video conferencing systems, or electronic mirrors.

100 Encoding device 102 Division unit 102a Block division determination unit 104 Subtraction unit 106 Transformation unit 108 Quantization unit 108a Differential quantization parameter generation unit 108b, 204b Predicted quantization parameter generation unit 108c, 204a Quantization parameter generation unit 108d, 204d Quantization parameter storage unit 108e Quantization processing unit 110 Entropy coding unit 110a Binarization unit 110b, 202b Context control unit 110c Binary arithmetic coding unit 112, 204 Inverse quantization unit 114, 206 Inverse transformation unit 116, 208 Addition unit 118, 210 Block memory 120, 212 Loop filter unit 120a, 212a Deblocking filter processing unit 120b, 212b SAO processing unit 120c, 212c ALF processing unit 122, 214 Frame memory 124, 216 Intra prediction unit 126, 218 Inter prediction unit 126a, a2, b2 Memory 126b Interpolated image derivation unit 126c Gradient image derivation unit 126d Optical flow derivation unit 126e Correction value derivation unit 126f Prediction image correction unit 128, 220 Prediction control unit 130, 222 Prediction parameter generation unit 200 Decoding device 202 Entropy decoding unit 202a Binary arithmetic decoding unit 202c Multi-value conversion unit 204e Inverse quantization processing unit 224 Partition determination unit 1201 Boundary determination unit 1202, 1204, 1206 Switch 1203 Filter determination unit 1205 Filter processing unit 1207 Filter characteristic determination unit 1208 Processing determination unit a1, b1 Processor

Claims (4)

The circuit and
a memory connected to the circuit;
The circuit, in operation,
Dividing a picture included in a video into a plurality of rectangular slices in the vertical direction ;
encoding the plurality of rectangular slices to generate encoded data;
transmitting the encoded data;
the plurality of rectangular slices include a first slice having a predetermined number of lines and a second slice having a number of lines less than that of the first slice;
the first slices and the second slices are arranged alternately in the picture;
The difference between the number of lines of a bottom slice, which is the slice arranged at the bottom among the second slices, and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices is smaller than the difference between the number of lines of the first slice and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices.
Transmitting device. The circuit and
a memory connected to the circuit;
The circuit, in operation,
receiving encoded data, the encoded data being encoded by dividing a picture included in a moving image into a plurality of rectangular slices in a vertical direction ;
decoding the plurality of rectangular slices ;
the plurality of rectangular slices include a first slice having a predetermined number of lines and a second slice having a number of lines less than that of the first slice;
the first slices and the second slices are arranged alternately in the picture;
The difference between the number of lines of a bottom slice, which is the slice arranged at the bottom among the second slices, and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices is smaller than the difference between the number of lines of the first slice and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices.
Receiving device. Dividing a picture included in a video into a plurality of rectangular slices in the vertical direction ;
encoding the plurality of rectangular slices to generate encoded data;
transmitting the encoded data;
the plurality of rectangular slices include a first slice having a predetermined number of lines and a second slice having a number of lines less than that of the first slice;
the first slices and the second slices are arranged alternately in the picture;
The difference between the number of lines of a bottom slice, which is the slice arranged at the bottom among the second slices, and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices is smaller than the difference between the number of lines of the first slice and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices.
Sending method. receiving encoded data, the encoded data being encoded by dividing a picture included in a moving image into a plurality of rectangular slices in a vertical direction ;
decoding the plurality of rectangular slices ;
the plurality of rectangular slices include a first slice having a predetermined number of lines and a second slice having a number of lines less than that of the first slice;
the first slices and the second slices are arranged alternately in the picture;
The difference between the number of lines of a bottom slice, which is the slice arranged at the bottom among the second slices, and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices is smaller than the difference between the number of lines of the first slice and the number of lines of the slices other than the bottom slice among the second slices.
Receiving method.