In-picture prediction for video coding
View Patent ↗A method of coding video content. The method can include, identifying a first plurality of image blocks within a picture based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to each of the first plurality of image blocks. A first image block group can be dynamically defined. At least one of the image blocks can be selected as a predictor block to predict other image blocks within the first image block group. In another arrangement, at least a first image block and a second image block can be identified within a picture. The second image block can be predicted from the first image block. A displacement vector can be defined to associate the second image block with the first image block. A value representing the displacement vector can be included within a header of the second image block.
1. A method of coding video content, comprising:
coding at least one picture within the video content, coding the picture comprising:
within the picture, identifying a first plurality of image blocks based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to each of the first plurality of image blocks;
dynamically defining a first image block group to comprise the first plurality of image blocks;
selecting at least one of the first plurality of image blocks as a predictor block for the first image block group;
for each of the other image blocks in the first image block group, predicting a respective second image characteristic that corresponds to a second image characteristic associated with the predictor block; and
outputting the coded picture.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein dynamically defining the first image block group comprises:
generating a first image block group map that identifies the first plurality of image blocks.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein dynamically defining the first image block group comprises:
defining the first image block group to comprise a quantity of image blocks that is not determined prior to identification of the first plurality of image blocks.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
within the picture, identifying a second plurality of image blocks based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to each of the second plurality of image blocks;
dynamically defining at least a second image block group to comprise the second plurality of image blocks; and
for at least one of the second plurality of image blocks (second image block), predicting at least a second image characteristic associated with the second image block from at least one of the first plurality of image blocks (first image block).
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein predicting the second image characteristic associated with the second image block comprises:
identifying at least one image characteristic that is associated with the first image block, the at least one image characteristic selected from a group consisting of a motion vector and texture coefficient data; and
associating the at least one image characteristic with the second image block.
6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
associating with the second image block group an image block group identifier that identifies the first image block group and a block offset that identifies the first image block.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein dynamically defining the second image block group comprises:
generating a second image block group map that identifies the second plurality of image blocks.
8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
selecting the second image block as a predictor block for the second image block group.
9. The method of claim 4 , wherein identifying the second plurality of image blocks comprises:
exclusively identifying image blocks that are not contiguous with any of the first plurality of image blocks.
10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
assigning to each of the first and second image block groups a respective image block group identifier that indicates an order in which the respective image block groups are to be decoded during playback.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first plurality of image blocks comprises:
identifying the first plurality of image blocks at runtime of an automated process.
12. A method of coding video content, comprising:
coding at least one picture within the video content, coding the picture comprising:
within the picture, dynamically identifying a first image block and at least a second image block based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to both the first image block and the second image block;
from at least a second image characteristic associated with the first image block, predicting at least a second image characteristic associated with the second image block;
defining a first displacement vector to associate the second image block with the first image block;
including within a header of the second image block a value representing the first displacement vector; and
outputting the coded picture.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
identifying at least a third image block based on at least the first image characteristic common to the first and second image blocks;
from the first image block, predicting at least a second image characteristic associated with the third image block;
identifying a second displacement vector to associate the third image block with the first image block; and
including within a header of the third image block a value with which the second displacement vector is predicted from the first displacement vector.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
within the picture, dynamically identifying a third image block and at least a fourth image block based on at least a third image characteristic that is common to both the third image block and the fourth image block;
from the third image block, predicting at least a fourth image characteristic associated with the fourth image block;
identifying a second displacement vector to associate the fourth image block with the third image block; and
including within a header of the fourth image block a value representing a value with which the second displacement vector is predicted from the first displacement vector.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein dynamically identifying the first image block and the second image block comprises:
identifying the first image block and the second image block at runtime of an automated process.
16. A computer program product comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-usable program code stored thereon that codes video content, the computer-readable storage medium comprising:
computer-usable program code that codes at least one picture within the video content comprising:
computer-usable program code that identifies within the picture a first plurality of image blocks based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to each of the first plurality of image blocks;
computer-usable program code that dynamically defines a first image block group to comprise the first plurality of image blocks;
computer-usable program code that selects at least one of the first plurality of image blocks as a predictor block for the first image block group;
computer-usable program code that, for each of the other image blocks in the first image block group, predicts a respective second image characteristic that corresponds to a second image characteristic associated with the predictor block; and
computer-usable program code that outputs the coded picture.
17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the computer-usable program code that dynamically defines the first image block group to comprise the first plurality of image blocks comprises:
computer-usable program code that generates a first image block group map that identifies the first plurality of image blocks.
18. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the computer-usable program code that dynamically defines the first image block group to comprise the first plurality of image blocks comprises:
computer-usable program code that defines the first image block group to comprise a quantity of image blocks that is not determined prior to identification of the first plurality of image blocks.
19. The computer program product of claim 16 , the computer-readable storage medium further comprising:
computer-usable program code that, within the picture, identifies a second plurality of image blocks based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to each of the second plurality of image blocks;
computer-usable program code that dynamically defines at least a second image block group to comprise the second plurality of image blocks; and
computer-usable program code that, for at least one of the second plurality of image blocks, predicts at least a second image characteristic associated with the second image block from at least one of the first plurality of image blocks.
20. A computer program product comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-usable program code stored thereon that codes video content, the computer-readable storage medium comprising:
computer-usable program code that codes at least one picture within the video content comprising:
computer-usable program code that, within the picture, dynamically identifies a first image block and at least a second image block based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to both the first image block and the second image block;
computer-usable program code that, from at least a second image characteristic associated with the first image block, predicts at least a second image characteristic associated with the second image block;
computer-usable program code that defines a first displacement vector to associate the second image block with the first image block;
computer-usable program code that includes within a header of the second image block a value representing the first displacement vector; and
computer-usable program code that outputs the coded picture.