Luma and chroma decoding using a common predictor

1. An apparatus for decoding video signal data for an image block, the apparatus comprising a decoder for decoding color components of the video signal data without applying a residual color transform thereto, said decoder decodes all of the color components of the video signal data using a common color component predictor wherein sampling of the video signal data corresponds to a 4:4:4 format.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a post-decoder, inverse color transform module, in signal communication with said decoder, for selectively performing an inverse color transform on color components of the video signal data prior to decoding of the color components by said decoder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the inverse color transform performed by said post-decoder, inverse color transform module is a non-residual color transform.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said post-decoder, inverse color transform module performs the inverse color transform on source images corresponding to the video signal data.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said post-decoder, inverse color transform module provides transformed color components of the video signal data in the RGB format or any non-RGB format.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the common predictor is a luma predictor used for both luma and chroma components of the video signal data.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said decoder uses a common spatial prediction mode for all of the color components of the video signal data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the common spatial prediction mode is set by prev_intra8×8_pred_mode_flag, rem_intra8×8_pred_mode, prev_intra4×4_pred_mode_flag, and rem_intra4×4_pred_mode parameters of the International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector H.264 standard.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said decoder uses common interpolation filters for B and P frames for all of the color components of the video signal data.

10. A method for decoding video signal data for an image block, the method comprising decoding color components of the video signal data without applying a residual color transform thereto, said decoding step decodes all of the color components of the video signal data using a common color component predictor, and wherein said video signal data sampling corresponds to a 4:4:4 format.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a post-decoding step for selectively performing an inverse color transform on color components of the video signal data.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the inverse color transform performed by said post-decoding step is a non-residual color transform.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said post-decoding step performs the inverse color transform on source images corresponding to the video signal data.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said post-decoding step provides transformed color components of the video signal data in the RGB format or any non-RGB format.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the common predictor is a luma predictor used for both luma and chroma components of the video signal data.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein said decoding step uses a common spatial prediction mode for all of the transformed color components of the video signal data.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the common spatial prediction mode is set by prev_intra8×8_pred_mode_flag, rem_intra8×8_pred_mode, prev_intra4×4_pred_mode_flag, and rem_intra4×4_pred_mode parameters of the International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector H.264 standard.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein said decoding step uses common interpolation filters for B and P frames for all of the transformed color components of the video signal data.