Abstract: The usual coding order according to which the reference view is coded prior to the dependent view, and within each view, a depth map is coded subsequent to the respective picture, may be maintained and does lead to a sacrifice of efficiency in performing inter-view redundancy removal by, for example, predicting motion data of the current picture of the dependent view from motion data of the current picture of the reference view. Rather, a depth map estimate of the current picture of the dependent view is obtained by warping the depth map of the current picture of the reference view into the dependent view, thereby enabling various methods of inter-view redundancy reduction more efficiently by bridging the gap between the views.

Abstract: A gain in multi-view coding is achieved as follows: the residual signal involved with coding a dependent view of the multi-view signal is predicted from a reference residual signal of the current picture of the reference view using block-granular disparity-compensated prediction, i.e. using disparity compensated prediction with a disparity defined at, and varying with, block granularity so that each block of the current picture of the dependent view has its own disparity displacement such as its own disparity vector, associated therewith. In other words, a remaining similarity between the residual signal involved with predictively coding the reference view is used in order to predict the residual signal involved with predictively coding the dependent view.

Abstract: A higher coding efficiency for coding a significance map indicating positions of significant transform coefficients within a transform coefficient block is achieved by the scan order by which the sequentially extracted syntax elements indicating, for associated positions within the transform coefficient block, as to whether at the respective position a significant or insignificant transform coefficient is situated, are sequentially associated to the positions of the transform coefficient block, among the positions of the transform coefficient block depends on the positions of the significant transform coefficients indicated by previously associated syntax elements. Alternatively, the first-type elements may be context-adaptively entropy decoded using contexts which are individually selected for each of the syntax elements dependent on a number of significant transform coefficients in a neighborhood of the respective syntax element, indicated as being significant by any of the preceding syntax elements.

Abstract: A higher coding efficiency for coding a significance map indicating positions of significant transform coefficients within a transform coefficient block is achieved by the scan order by which the sequentially extracted syntax elements indicating, for associated positions within the transform coefficient block, as to whether at the respective position a significant or insignificant transform coefficient is situated, are sequentially associated to the positions of the transform coefficient block, among the positions of the transform coefficient block depends on the positions of the significant transform coefficients indicated by previously associated syntax elements. Alternatively, the first-type elements may be context-adaptively entropy decoded using contexts which are individually selected for each of the syntax elements dependent on a number of significant transform coefficients in a neighborhood of the respective syntax element, indicated as being significant by any of the preceding syntax elements.

Abstract: A better compromise between encoding complexity and achievable rate distortion ratio, and/or to achieve a better rate distortion ratio is achieved by using multitree sub-divisioning not only in order to subdivide a continuous area, namely the sample array, into leaf regions, but using the intermediate regions also to share coding parameters among the corresponding collocated leaf blocks. By this measure, coding procedures performed in tiles—leaf regions—locally, may be associated with coding parameters individually without having to, however, explicitly transmit the whole coding parameters for each leaf region separately. Rather, similarities may effectively exploited by using the multitree subdivision.

Abstract: A scalable video decoder is described which is configured to reconstruct a base layer signal from a coded data stream to obtain a reconstructed base layer signal; and reconstruct an enhancement layer signal including spatially or temporally predicting a portion of an enhancement layer signal, currently to be reconstructed, from an already reconstructed portion of the enhancement layer signal to obtain an enhancement layer internal prediction signal; forming, at the portion currently to be reconstructed, a weighted average of an inter-layer prediction signal obtained from the reconstructed base layer signal, and the enhancement layer internal prediction signal to obtain an enhancement layer prediction signal such that a weighting between the inter-layer prediction signal and the enhancement layer internal prediction signal varies over different spatial frequency components; and predictively reconstructing the enhancement layer signal using the enhancement layer prediction signal.

Abstract: A higher coding efficiency for coding a significance map indicating positions of significant transform coefficients within a transform coefficient block is achieved by the scan order by which the sequentially extracted syntax elements indicating, for associated positions within the transform coefficient block, as to whether at the respective position a significant or insignificant transform coefficient is situated, are sequentially associated to the positions of the transform coefficient block, among the positions of the transform coefficient block depends on the positions of the significant transform coefficients indicated by previously associated syntax elements. Alternatively, the first-type elements may be context-adaptively entropy decoded using contexts which are individually selected for each of the syntax elements dependent on a number of significant transform coefficients in a neighborhood of the respective syntax element, indicated as being significant by any of the preceding syntax elements.

Abstract: Wedgelet-based coding for coding blocks of varying size is rendered more efficient by the usage of a variable length coded syntax element having a prefix and a suffix, wherein the size of the suffix is dependent on the prefix and the size of the current coding block. By this measure, it is feasible to efficiently adapt the length of the variable-length coded syntax element which controls the bi-partitioning of the current coding block to the actual needs, namely the size, of the current coding block, and the variability of the bi-partitioning by varying the wedglet separation line, respectively. The greater the current coding block is, the longer the variable-length coded syntax element may be. This length dependency may even be sufficiently effective in terms of coding efficiency so that the variable length coded syntax element may be coded without context-adaptive entropy coding, but directly or using fixed-equal-probability binary entropy coding.

Abstract: Parallel processing concepts such as wavefront parallel processing, are realized with a reduced end-to-end delay by giving up the usual slice concept according to which slices are either coded/decoded completely independent from areas of the picture outside of the respective slice, or at least independent from areas outside the respective slice as far as the entropy coding is concerned, namely in favor of slices of different modes, namely ones called dependent slices which allow for interdependencies across slice boundaries, and others which do not, called normal slices, for example. Combined with the aspect or not, WPP processing concept is made more efficiently by using the slices' start syntax portions to locate WPP entry points.

Abstract: A more efficient way of addressing different bit-depths, or different bit-depths and chroma sampling format requirements is achieved by using a low bit-depth and/or low-chroma resolution representation for providing a respective base layer data stream representing this low bit-depth and/or low-chroma resolution representation as well as for providing a higher bit-depth and/or higher chroma resolution representation so that a respective prediction residual may be encoded in order to obtain a higher bit-depth and/or higher chroma resolution representation. By this measure, an encoder is enabled to store a base-quality representation of a picture or a video sequence, which can be decoded by any legacy decoder or video decoder, together with an enhancement signal for higher bit-depth and/or reduced chroma sub-sampling, which may be ignored by legacy decoders or video decoders.

Abstract: Hybrid video decoder supporting intermediate view synthesis of an intermediate view video from a first- and a second- view video which are predictively coded into a multi-view data signal with frames of the second-view video being spatially subdivided into sub-regions and the multi-view data signal having a prediction mode is provided, having: an extractor configured to respectively extract, from the multi-view data signal, for sub-regions of the frames of the second-view video, a disparity vector and a prediction residual; a predictive reconstructor configured to reconstruct the sub-regions of the frames of the second-view video, by generating a prediction from a reconstructed version of a portion of frames of the first-view video using the disparity vectors and a prediction residual for the respective sub-regions; and an intermediate view synthesizer configured to reconstruct first portions of the intermediate view video.

Abstract: Coding schemes for coding a spatially sampled information signal using sub-division and coding schemes for coding a sub-division or a multitree structure are described, wherein representative embodiments relate to picture and/or video coding applications.

Abstract: A higher coding efficiency for coding a significance map indicating positions of significant transform coefficients within a transform coefficient block is achieved by the scan order by which the sequentially extracted syntax elements indicating, for associated positions within the transform coefficient block, as to whether at the respective position a significant or insignificant transform coefficient is situated, are sequentially associated to the positions of the transform coefficient block, among the positions of the transform coefficient block depends on the positions of the significant transform coefficients indicated by previously associated syntax elements. Alternatively, the first-type elements may be context-adaptively entropy decoded using contexts which are individually selected for each of the syntax elements dependent on a number of significant transform coefficients in a neighborhood of the respective syntax element, indicated as being significant by any of the preceding syntax elements.

Abstract: A favorable merging or grouping of simply connected regions into which the array of information samples is sub-divided, is coded with a reduced amount of data. To this end, a predetermined relative locational relationship is defined enabling an identifying, for a predetermined simply connected region, of simply connected regions within the plurality of simply connected regions which have the predetermined relative locational relationship to the predetermined simply connected region. Namely, if the number is zero, a merge indicator for the predetermined simply connected region may be absent within the data stream. In other embodiments, spatial sub-division is performed depending on a first subset of syntax elements, followed by combining spatially neighboring simply connected regions depending on a second subset of syntax elements, to obtain an intermediate sub-division.

Abstract: A higher coding efficiency for coding a significance map indicating positions of significant transform coefficients within a transform coefficient block is achieved by the scan order by which the sequentially extracted syntax elements indicating, for associated positions within the transform coefficient block, as to whether at the respective position a significant or insignificant transform coefficient is situated, are sequentially associated to the positions of the transform coefficient block, among the positions of the transform coefficient block depends on the positions of the significant transform coefficients indicated by previously associated syntax elements. Alternatively, the first-type elements may be context-adaptively entropy decoded using contexts which are individually selected for each of the syntax elements dependent on a number of significant transform coefficients in a neighborhood of the respective syntax element, indicated as being significant by any of the preceding syntax elements.

Abstract: A further coding efficiency increase may be achieved if for a current block of a picture, for which the bit stream signals one of supported partitioning patterns, a reversal of the partitioning by block merging is avoided. In particular, if the signaled one of the supported partitioning patterns specifies a subdivision of the block into two or more further blocks, a removal of certain coding parameter candidates for all further blocks, except a first further block of the further blocks in a coding order, is performed. Particularly, those coding parameter candidates are removed from the set of coding parameter candidates for the respective further block, the coding parameters of which are the same as coding parameters associated with any of the further blocks which, when being merged with the respective further block, would result in one of the supported partitioning pattern. This avoids redundancy between partitioning coding and merging coding.

Abstract: A better compromise between encoding complexity and achievable rate distortion ratio, and/or to achieve a better rate distortion ratio is achieved by using multitree sub-divisioning not only in order to subdivide a continuous area, namely the sample array, into leaf regions, but using the intermediate regions also to share coding parameters among the corresponding collocated leaf blocks. By this measure, coding procedures performed in tiles—leaf regions—locally, may be associated with coding parameters individually without having to, however, explicitly transmit the whole coding parameters for each leaf region separately. Rather, similarities may effectively exploited by using the multitree subdivision.

Abstract: A favorable merging or grouping of simply connected regions into which the array of information samples is sub-divided, is coded with a reduced amount of data. To this end, a predetermined relative locational relationship is defined enabling an identifying, for a predetermined simply connected region, of simply connected regions within the plurality of simply connected regions which have the predetermined relative locational relationship to the predetermined simply connected region. Namely, if the number is zero, a merge indicator for the predetermined simply connected region may be absent within the data stream. In other embodiments, spatial sub-division is performed depending on a first subset of syntax elements, followed by combining spatially neighboring simply connected regions depending on a second subset of syntax elements, to obtain an intermediate sub-division.

Abstract: In accordance with a first aspect, the intra prediction direction of a neighboring, intra-predicted block is used in order to predict the extension direction of the wedgelet separation line of a current block, thereby reducing the side information rate necessitated in order to convey the partitioning information. In accordance with a second aspect, the idea is that previously reconstructed samples, i.e. reconstructed values of blocks preceding the current block in accordance with the coding/decoding order allow for at least a prediction of a correct placement of a starting point of the wedgelet separation line, namely by placing the starting point of the wedgelet separation line at a position of a maximum change between consecutive ones of a sequence of reconstructed values of samples of a line of samples extending adjacent to the current block along a circumference thereof. Both aspects may be used individually or in combination.

Abstract: The way of predicting a current block by assigning constant partition values to the partitions of a bi-partitioning of a block is quite effective, especially in case of coding sample arrays such as depth/disparity maps where the content of these sample arrays is mostly composed of plateaus or simple connected regions of similar value separated from each other by steep edges. The transmission of such constant partition values would, however, still need a considerable amount of side information which should be avoided. This side information rate may be further reduced if mean values of values of neighboring samples associated or adjoining the respective partitions are used as predictors for the constant partition values.