Abstract: Although wedgelet-based partitioning seems to represent a better tradeoff between side information rate on the one hand and achievable variety in partitioning possibilities on the other hand, compared to contour partitioning, the ability to alleviate the constraints of the partitioning to the extent that the partitions have to be wedgelet partitions, enables applying relatively uncomplex statistical analysis onto overlaid spatially sampled texture information in order to derive a good predictor for the bi-segmentation in a depth/disparity map. Thus, in accordance with a first aspect it is exactly the increase of the freedom which alleviates the signaling overhead provided that co-located texture information in form of a picture is present. Another aspect pertains the possibility to save side information rate involved with signaling a respective coding mode supporting irregular partitioning.

Abstract: In accordance with a first aspect, an improved compression efficiency is achieved by letting a block-wise picture codec support a set of intra-prediction modes according to which the intra-prediction signal for a current block of a picture is determined by applying a set of neighboring samples of the current block onto a neural network. A second aspect of the present application is that, additionally or alternatively to the spending of neural network-based intra-prediction modes, the mode selection may be rendered more effective by the usage of a neural network dedicated to determine a rank or a probability value for each of the set of intra-prediction modes by applying a set of neighboring samples thereonto with the rank or probability value being used for the selection of one intra-prediction mode out of the plurality of intra-prediction modes including or coinciding with the set of intra-prediction modes.

Abstract: An idea used herein is to use the same function for the dependency of the context and the dependency of the symbolization parameter on previously coded/decoded transform coefficients. Using the same function—with varying function parameter—may even be used with respect to different transform block sizes and/or frequency portions of the transform blocks in case of the transform coefficients being spatially arranged in transform blocks. A further variant of this idea is to use the same function for the dependency of a symbolization parameter on previously coded/decoded transform coefficients for different sizes of the current transform coefficient's transform block, different information component types of the current transform coefficient's transform block and/or different frequency portions the current transform coefficient is located within the transform block.

Abstract: An interleaved multi-layered video data stream with interleaved decoding units of different layers is provided with further timing control information in addition to the timing control information reflecting the interleaved decoding unit arrangement. The additional timing control information pertains to either a fallback position according to which all decoding units of an access unit are treated at the decoded buffer access unit-wise, or a fallback position according to which an intermediate procedure is used: the interleaving of the DUs of different layers is reversed according to the additionally sent timing control information, thereby enabling a DU-wise treatment at the decoder's buffer, however, with no interleaving of decoding units relating to different layers. Both fallback positions may be present concurrently. Various advantageous embodiments and alternatives are the subject of the various claims attached herewith.

Abstract: An apparatus for video decoding according to an embodiment is provided. The apparatus is configured to receive a video data stream having pictures of a video encoded thereinto. The video data stream comprises a plurality of access units, a plurality of SEI (supplemental enhancement information) messages and processing order information which defines a processing order of the plurality of SEI messages. The apparatus is configured to determine the processing order information to obtain information on the processing order of the plurality of SEI messages. The processing order information comprises information on an identifier for each SEI message of two or more SEI messages of the plurality of SEI messages, wherein the identifier of each SEI message of the two or more SEI messages is unique among the two or more SEI messages.

Abstract: Block-based coding of a picture is rendered more effective by providing an intra-prediction coding concept according to which a certain block of the picture is intra-prediction coded using a certain intra-coding mode by partitioning the predetermined block into partitions along a certain dimension with the number of partitions being greater than two and/or the partitions being one sample wide along the certain dimension with the partitions being, for reconstruction purposes, sequentially subject to spatial prediction using the intra-prediction coding mode signaled for the certain block followed by correcting the thus obtained predictor using a prediction residual so that for preceding partitions a reconstruction of the samples is available to the decoder at the time of processing the next, then current, partition. Signaling overhead with respect to the partitioning may be left off or may be kept low.

Abstract: Decoder retrieval timing information, ROI information and tile identification information are conveyed within a video data stream at a level which allows for an easy access by network entities such as MANEs or decoder. In order to reach such a level, information of such types are conveyed within a video data stream by way of packets interspersed into packets of access units of a video data stream. In accordance with an embodiment, the interspersed packets are of a removable packet type, i.e. the removal of these interspersed packets maintains the decoder's ability to completely recover the video content conveyed via the video data stream.

Abstract: In transform coefficient coding, predetermined sets of transforms may be used. Embodiments of the present invention provide an encoder and a decoder for encoding a picture into/from a data stream using block-based prediction and block-based residual coding, the encoder and decoder supporting a set of transforms for the block-based residual coding. The encoder and decoder are configured to determine a transform candidate list of transforms for a current residual block out of the set of transforms based on a height and a width of the current residual block, and to encode/decode a prediction residual within the residual block using one selected transform out of the selectable list of transforms and selectively signal/derive the selected transform in/from the data stream.

Abstract: Block-based coding of a picture is done by providing an intra-prediction coding concept according to which a certain block of the picture is intra-prediction coded using a certain intra-coding mode by partitioning the predetermined block into partitions which are, for reconstruction purposes, sequentially subject to spatial prediction using the intra-prediction coding mode signaled for the certain block followed by correcting the thus obtained predictor using a prediction residual so that for preceding partitions a reconstruction of the samples is available to the decoder at the time of processing the next, then current, partition.

Abstract: The signalization of the inter-layer dependencies between layers of a multi-layered data stream is described. A good compromise between a too intensive restriction of the potential diversity of inter-layer dependencies on the one hand and a too complex signaling of the inter-layer dependencies on the other hand has been found by describing the inter-layer dependencies by way of a first inter-dependency syntax structure indicating inter-dependencies between pairs of different values representable by a base layer-ID and a second inter-dependency syntax structure indicating inter-dependencies between pairs of different values representable by an extension layer-ID, the base layer ID and extension layer ID indexing the layers the portions of the multi-layer data stream are associated with.

Abstract: The entropy coding of a current part of a predetermined entropy slice is based on, not only, the respective probability estimations of the predetermined entropy slice as adapted using the previously coded part of the predetermined entropy slice, but also probability estimations as used in the entropy coding of a spatially neighboring, in entropy slice order preceding entropy slice at a neighboring part thereof. Thereby, the probability estimations used in entropy coding are adapted to the actual symbol statistics more closely, thereby lowering the coding efficiency decrease normally caused by lower-delay concepts. Temporal interrelationships are exploited additionally or alternatively.

Abstract: Embodiments are described which exploit a finding, according to which a higher compression rate or better rate/distortion ratio may be achieved by adopting or predicting second coding parameters used for encoding a second view of the multi-view signal from first coding parameters used in encoding a first view of the multi-view signal. In other words, the inventors found out that the redundancies between views of a multi-view signal are not restricted to the views themselves, such as the video information thereof, but that the coding parameters in parallelly encoding these views show similarities which may be exploited in order to further improve the coding rate.

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: The present invention concerns an apparatus configured to partition a picture into leaf blocks using recursive multi-tree partitioning, block-based encode the picture into a data stream using the partitioning of the picture into the leaf blocks, wherein the apparatus is configured to, in partitioning the picture into the leaf blocks, for a predetermined block which extends beyond a boundary of the picture, reduce an available set of split modes depending on a position at which the boundary of the picture crosses the predetermined block in order to obtain a reduced set of one or more split modes, wherein the apparatus is configured to signal a selected split mode in the data stream.

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: 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 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 video encoder is disclosed that is configured to encode a slice of a current picture into a data stream by partitioning the slice into rows of Coding Tree Units (CTUs), select a CTU dependency offset for the slice out of a plurality of CTU dependency offsets, the CTU dependency offset indicating a minimum CTU offset between consecutive CTU rows to be obeyed by a decoder when decoding CTU rows in parallel, and signal the CTU dependency offset in the data stream. The CTU dependency offset is selected based on a slice type of the slice.

Abstract: A video encoder is configured to entropy encode an absolute value of a quantization level of a current transform coefficient at position (xC, yC), wherein the absolute value is encoded using context adaptive binary arithmetic encoding of bins of a first binarization. The video coder is further configured, for the current transform coefficient, to encode a bin of the first binarization by using a context which is determined based on a sum of minimum absolute values of transform coefficient quantization levels, based on encoded bins of the first binarization, at one or more transform coefficient positions among (xC+1, yC), (xC+2, yC), (xC+1, yC+1), (xC, yC+1), and (xC, yC+2).

Abstract: Disclosed is a decoder for decoding parameters of a neural network, configured to obtain a plurality of neural network parameters of the neural network on the basis of an encoded bitstream, to obtain, e.g. to receive; e.g. to extract from an encoded bitstream, a node information describing a node of a parameter update tree, wherein the node information has a parent node identifier, which is, for example, a unique parent node identifier, for example an integer number, a string, and/or a cryptographic hash, and wherein the node information has a parameter update information, e.g. one or more update instructions, for example a difference signal between initial neural network parameters and a newer version thereof, e.g. corresponding to a child node of the update tree, and to derive one or more neural network parameters using parameter information of a parent node identified by the parent node identifier and using the parameter update information.