Coding of significance flags

1. A method of decoding video data, the method comprising:

determining a distance between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is at a first row of a grid of sub-blocks of a transform coefficient block and a first column of the grid, a current sub-block of the transform coefficient block is in the first row of the grid and the first column of the grid, the second position is at a second row of the grid and a second column of the grid, and a sub-block that contains a last significant coefficient (LSC) of the transform coefficient block is in the second row of the grid and the second column of the grid;

determining, based at least in part on the distance, coding contexts for significance flags for transform coefficients of the current sub-block,

wherein the current sub-block and the sub-block that contains the LSC of the transform coefficient block are among the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block, each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block containing the same number of transform coefficients;

entropy decoding, based on the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block; and

reconstructing, based in part on the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, a coding block of the video data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the distance comprises determining the distance as:

d =( i+j )−((last X >>2)+(last Y >>2)),

where d is the distance, i and j represent row and column indices of the current sub-block, lastX and lastY represent row and column indices of the LSC of the transform coefficient block, and >> represents a bitwise right-shift operation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block comprises:

determining, based on a first coded group flag (CGF), a second CGF, and a position within the current sub-block of a current transform coefficient, a context offset for a significance flag for the current transform coefficient, the first CGF indicating whether there are any non-zero transform coefficients in a sub-block of the transform coefficient block below the current sub-block, the second CGF indicating whether there are any non-zero transform coefficients in a sub-block of the transform coefficient block right of the current sub-block;

in response to determining that the current sub-block does not include a DC transform coefficient of the transform coefficient block, incrementing the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a first value;

in response to determining that the distance is greater than a threshold, incrementing the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a second value; and

determining, based on the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient, a coding context for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first value is equal to 3 and the second value is equal to 6.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the threshold is equal to 1.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

the threshold is a first threshold, and

determining the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block comprises in response to determining that the distance is greater than a second threshold, incrementing the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a third value, the second threshold being different than the first threshold, the third value being different than the second value.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block is a 4×4 block of transform coefficients.

8. A method of encoding video data, the method comprising:

determining a distance between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is at a first row of a grid of sub-blocks of a transform coefficient block and a first column of the grid, a current sub-block of the transform coefficient block is in the first row of the grid and the first column of the grid, the second position is at a second row of the grid and a second column of the grid, and a sub-block that contains a last significant coefficient (LSC) of the transform coefficient block is in the second row of the grid and the second column of the grid;

determining, based at least in part on the distance, coding contexts for significance flags for transform coefficients of the current sub-block,

wherein the current sub-block and the sub-block that contains the LSC of the transform coefficient blocks are among the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block, each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block containing the same number of transform coefficients;

entropy encoding, based on the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block; and

generating a bitstream comprising a sequence of bits forming a representation of encoded pictures of the video data, the bitstream including the entropy-encoded significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the distance comprises determining the distance as:

d =( i+j )−((last X >>2)+(last Y >>2)),

where d is the distance, i and j represent row and column indices of the current sub-block, lastX and lastY represent row and column indices of the LSC of the transform coefficient block, and >> represents a bitwise right-shift operation.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block comprises:

determining, based on a first coded group flag (CGF), a second CGF, and a position within the current sub-block of a current transform coefficient, a context offset for a significance flag for the current transform coefficient, the first CGF indicating whether there are any non-zero coefficients in a sub-block of the transform coefficient block below the current sub-block, the second CGF indicating whether there are any non-zero transform coefficients in a sub-block of the transform coefficient block right of the current sub-block;

in response to determining that the current sub-block does not include a DC transform coefficient of the transform coefficient block, incrementing the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a first value;

in response to determining that the distance is greater than a threshold, incrementing the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a second value; and

determining, based on the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient, a coding context for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first value is equal to 3 and the second value is equal to 6.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the threshold is equal to 1.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the threshold is a first threshold, and

determining the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block comprises in response to determining that the distance is greater than a second threshold, incrementing the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a third value, the second threshold being different than the first threshold, the third value being different than the second value.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block is a 4×4 block of transform coefficients.

15. A video coding device comprising:

a storage medium configured to store video data; and

one or more processors configured to:

determine a distance between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is at a first row of a grid of sub-blocks of a transform coefficient block and a first column of the grid, a current sub-block of the transform coefficient block is in the first row of the grid and the first column of the grid, the second position is at a second row of the grid and a second column of the grid, and a sub-block that contains a last significant coefficient (LSC) of the transform coefficient block is in the second row of the grid and the second column of the grid;

determine, based at least in part on the distance, coding contexts for significance flags for transform coefficients of the current sub-block,

wherein the current sub-block and the sub-block that contains the LSC of the transform coefficient blocks are among the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block, each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block containing the same number of transform coefficients;

entropy code, based on the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block; and

perform at least one of the following:

reconstruct, based in part on the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, a coding block of the video data; and

generate a bitstream comprising a sequence of bits forming a representation of encoded pictures of the video data, the bitstream including the entropy-encoded significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block.

16. The video coding device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the distance as:

d =( i+j )−((last X >>2)+(last Y >>2)),

where d is the distance, i and j represent row and column indices of the current sub-block, lastX and lastY represent row and column indices of the LSC of the transform coefficient block, and >> represents a bitwise right-shift operation.

17. The video coding device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

determine, based on a first coded group flag (CGF), a second CGF, and a position within the current sub-block of a current transform coefficient, a context offset for a significance flag for the current transform coefficient, the first CGF indicating whether there are any non-zero transform coefficients in a sub-block of the transform coefficient block below the current sub-block, the second CGF indicating whether there are any non-zero transform coefficients in a sub-block of the transform coefficient block right of the current sub-block;

in response to determining that the current sub-block does not include a DC transform coefficient of the transform coefficient block, increment the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a first value;

in response to determining that the distance is greater than a threshold, increment the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a second value; and

determine, based on the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient, a coding context for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient.

18. The video coding device of claim 17 , wherein the first value is equal to 3 and the second value is equal to 6.

19. The video coding device of claim 17 , wherein the threshold is equal to 1.

20. The video coding device of claim 17 , wherein:

the threshold is a first threshold, and

the one or more processors are configured such that, in response to determining that the distance is greater than a second threshold, the one or more processors increment the context offset for the significance flag for the current transform coefficient by a third value, the second threshold being different than the first threshold, the third value being different than the second value.

21. The video coding device of claim 15 , wherein each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block is a 4×4 block of transform coefficients.

22. The video coding device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors entropy encode the significance flags of the transform coefficient block.

23. The video coding device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors entropy decode the significance flags of the transform coefficient block.

24. A video coding device comprising:

means for determining a distance between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is at a first row of a grid of sub-blocks of a transform coefficient block and a first column of the grid, a current sub-block of the transform coefficient block is in the first row of the grid and the first column of the grid, the second position is at a second row of the grid and a second column of the grid, and a sub-block that contains a last significant coefficient (LSC) of the transform coefficient block is in the second row of the grid and the second column of the grid;

means for determining, based at least in part on the distance, coding contexts for significance flags for transform coefficients of the current sub-block,

wherein the current sub-block and the sub-block that contains the LSC of the transform coefficient blocks are among the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block, each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block containing the same number of transform coefficients;

means for entropy coding, based on the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block; and

at least one of the following:

means for reconstructing, based in part on the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, a coding block of video data; and

means for generating a bitstream comprising a sequence of bits forming a representation of encoded pictures of the video data, the bitstream including the entropy-encoded significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, configure a video coding device to:

determine a distance between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is at a first row of a grid of sub-blocks of a transform coefficient block and a first column of the grid, a current sub-block of the transform coefficient block is in the first row of the grid and the first column of the grid, the second position is at a second row of the grid and a second column of the grid, and a sub-block that contains a last significant coefficient (LSC) of the transform coefficient block is in the second row of the grid and the second column of the grid;

determine, based at least in part on the distance, coding contexts for significance flags for transform coefficients of the current sub-block,

wherein the current sub-block and the sub-block that contains the LSC of the transform coefficient blocks are among the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block, each of the sub-blocks of the transform coefficient block containing the same number of transform coefficients;

entropy code, based on the coding contexts for the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block; and

at least one of the following:

reconstruct, based in part on the significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block, a coding block of the video data; and

generate a bitstream comprising a sequence of bits forming a representation of encoded pictures of the video data, the bitstream including the entropy-encoded significance flags for the transform coefficients of the current sub-block.

26. The video coding device of claim 15 , wherein the video coding device comprises at least one of:

an integrated circuit;

a microprocessor; or

a wireless handset.

27. The video coding device of claim 15 , further comprising a display configured to display decoded video data.

28. The video coding device of claim 15 , further comprising a camera configured to capture the video data.