Enhanced low bitrate H.264 video coding using decoder-side super-resolution and frame interpolation

Advanced inter-prediction modes are introduced recently in literature to improve video coding performances of both H.264 and High Efficiency Video Coding standards. Decoder-side motion analysis and motion vector derivation are proposed to reduce coding costs of motion information. Here, we introduce enhanced skip and direct modes for H.264 coding using decoder-side super-resolution (SR) and frame interpolation. P-and B-frames are downsampled and H.264 encoded at lower resolution (LR). Then reconstructed LR frames are super-resolved using decoder-side motion estimation. Alternatively for B-frames, bidirectional true motion estimation is performed to synthesize a B-frame from its reference frames. For P-frames, bicubic interpolation of the LR frame is used as an alternative to SR reconstruction. A rate-distortion optimal mode selection algorithm is developed to decide for each MB which of the two reconstructions to use as skip/direct mode prediction. Simulations indicate an average of 1.04 dB peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) improvement or 23.0% bitrate reduction at low bitrates when compared with H.264 standard. The PSNR gains reach as high as 3.00 dB for inter-predicted frames and 3.78 dB when only B-frames are considered. Decoded videos exhibit significantly better visual quality as well.This research was supported by TUBITAK Career Grant 108E201Publisher's Versio

Loss-resilient Coding of Texture and Depth for Free-viewpoint Video Conferencing

Free-viewpoint video conferencing allows a participant to observe the remote 3D scene from any freely chosen viewpoint. An intermediate virtual viewpoint image is commonly synthesized using two pairs of transmitted texture and depth maps from two neighboring captured viewpoints via depth-image-based rendering (DIBR). To maintain high quality of synthesized images, it is imperative to contain the adverse effects of network packet losses that may arise during texture and depth video transmission. Towards this end, we develop an integrated approach that exploits the representation redundancy inherent in the multiple streamed videos a voxel in the 3D scene visible to two captured views is sampled and coded twice in the two views. In particular, at the receiver we first develop an error concealment strategy that adaptively blends corresponding pixels in the two captured views during DIBR, so that pixels from the more reliable transmitted view are weighted more heavily. We then couple it with a sender-side optimization of reference picture selection (RPS) during real-time video coding, so that blocks containing samples of voxels that are visible in both views are more error-resiliently coded in one view only, given adaptive blending will erase errors in the other view. Further, synthesized view distortion sensitivities to texture versus depth errors are analyzed, so that relative importance of texture and depth code blocks can be computed for system-wide RPS optimization. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can outperform the use of a traditional feedback channel by up to 0.82 dB on average at 8% packet loss rate, and by as much as 3 dB for particular frames

Inter-frame Prediction with Fast Weighted Low-rank Matrix Approximation

In the field of video coding, inter-frame prediction plays an important role in improving compression efficiency. The improved efficiency is achieved by finding predictors for video blocks such that the residual data can be close to zero as much as possible. For recent video coding standards, motion vectors are required for a decoder to locate the predictors during video reconstruction. Block matching algorithms are usually utilized in the stage of motion estimation to find such motion vectors. For decoder-side motion derivation, proper templates are defined and template matching algorithms are used to produce a predictor for each block such that the overhead of embedding coded motion vectors in bit-stream can be avoided. However, the conventional criteria of either block matching or template matching algorithms may lead to the generation of worse predictors. To enhance coding efficiency, a fast weighted low-rank matrix approximation approach to deriving decoder-side motion vectors for inter frame video coding is proposed in this paper. The proposed method first finds the dominating block candidates and their corresponding importance factors. Then, finding a predictor for each block is treated as a weighted low-rank matrix approximation problem, which is solved by the proposed column-repetition approach. Together with mode decision, the coder can switch to a better mode between the motion compensation by using either block matching or the proposed template matching scheme

3D coding tools final report

Livrable D4.3 du projet ANR PERSEECe rapport a été réalisé dans le cadre du projet ANR PERSEE (n° ANR-09-BLAN-0170). Exactement il correspond au livrable D4.3 du projet. Son titre : 3D coding tools final repor

Efficient reverse-play algorithm for MPEG video streaming with VCR functionality

Centre for Multimedia Signal Processing, Department of Electronic and Information EngineeringRefereed conference paper2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Macroblock-based reverse play algorithm for MPEG video streaming

2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperpublished_fina

SIMD acceleration for HEVC decoding

Single instruction multiple data (SIMD) instructions have been commonly used to accelerate video codecs. The recently introduced High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) codec like its predecessors is based on the hybrid video codec principle and, therefore, is also well suited to be accelerated with SIMD. In this paper we present the SIMD optimization for the entire HEVC decoder for all major SIMD instruction set architectures. Evaluation has been performed on 14 mobile and PC platforms covering most major architectures released in recent years. With SIMD, up to 5× speedup can be achieved over the entire HEVC decoder, resulting in up to 133 and 37.8 frames/s on average on a single core for Main profile 1080p and Main10 profile 2160p sequences, respectively.EC/FP7/288653/EU/Low-Power Parallel Computing on GPUs/LPGP

Reverse-play algorithm for MPEG video streaming

2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe