Abstract: A method of decoding an encoded stream into a reconstructed output signal is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first output signal decoded from a first base encoded stream according to a first codec; receiving a level encoded stream; decoding the level encoded stream to obtain a set of residuals; and, combining the set of residuals with the first output signal to generate a reconstructed signal, wherein the decoding the level encoded stream comprises: decoding a set of quantized coefficients from the level encoded stream; dequantizing the set of quantized coefficients.

Abstract: A data communication system including a least one encoder and one decoder. The encoder encodes a received input signal into encoded output data. The data communication system includes a data communication network coupled to at least one encoder, wherein the data communication network communicates the encoded output data from the encoder to the decoder. The decoder decodes the encoded output data to generate a rendition of the input signal. The system is characterized in that the data communication network is configured to function according to joint source channel coding (JSCC). Moreover, the encoder and the decoder are configured to employ an hierarchical data structure for representing data to be communicated from the encoder to the decoder.

Abstract: One configuration as discussed herein includes a data processor acting as streaming server for providing streaming media from a repository to a decoder. The data processor retrieves reconstruction data and corresponding stream metadata from a repository, the reconstruction data encoded in accordance with a tiered hierarchy including multiple levels of quality. The data processor transmits selected portions of the reconstruction data to one or more decoder resources. The decoder resources reconstruct renditions of portions of a signal such as images/frames based on the transmitted portions of reconstruction data. During the transmission step, the data processor may vary a level of quality of the reconstruction data retrieved and transmitted to the decoder resource. The decoder resources decode the received reconstruction data to play back the signal at different levels of quality.

Abstract: A content delivery network (100) for streaming digital video content across a data network. The content delivery network (100) is configured to receive digital video content. The content delivery network is configured to store the digital video content in a storage format comprising a base layer (B) and an enhancement layer (E), wherein the base layer (B) is decodable to present the digital video content at a base level of video reproduction quality, and the enhancement layer (E) is decodable with the base layer to present the digital video content at an enhanced level of video reproduction quality which is higher than the base level of reproduction quality. The content delivery network (100) is configured to determine, based on a target quality which is to be provided to a client device, which layers to use in order to achieve the target quality; and to use the determined layers (B, E) to provide the client device with the digital content at the target level of quality.

Abstract: Encoding a three-dimensional point cloud. A set of points are obtained within the three-dimensional point cloud, a point within the set of points having a co-ordinate in three-dimensions. The points are converted into a two-dimensional representation. For a point within the set of points, information describing the co-ordinate is represented as a location within the two-dimensional representation and a value at the location. The two-dimensional representation is encoded using a tier-based hierarchical coding format to output encoded data. The tier-based hierarchical coding format encodes the two-dimensional representation as layers, the layers representing echelons of data used to progressively reconstruct the signal at different levels of quality.

Abstract: A method of encoding an input video as a hybrid video stream, the method comprising: receiving the input video at a first resolution; obtaining an indication of a desired quality level for the encoding, the desired quality level setting one or more bit rates for the hybrid video stream, said hybrid stream comprising a base encoded stream at a second resolution and a plurality of enhancement streams at each of the first and second resolutions, the first resolution being higher than the second resolution; encoding each of the plurality of enhancement streams by: generating a set of residuals based on a difference between the input video and a reconstructed video at the respective resolution of the enhancement stream; determining quantisation parameters for the set of residuals for based on the desired quality level; quantising the set of residuals based on the quantisation parameters; and creating an encoded stream from the set of quantised residuals.

Abstract: Examples of a low complexity enhancement video coding are described. Encoding and decoding methods are described, as well as corresponding encoders and decoders. The enhancement coding may operate on top of a base layer, which may provide base encoding and decoding. Spatial scaling may be applied across different layers. Only the base layer encodes full video, which may be at a lower resolution. The enhancement coding instead operates on computed sets of residuals. The sets of residuals are computed for a plurality of layers, which may represent different levels of scaling in one or more dimensions. A number of encoding and decoding components or tools are described, which may involve the application of transformations, quantization, entropy encoding and temporal buffering. At an example decoder, an encoded base stream and one or more encoded enhancement streams may be independently decoded and combined to reconstruct an original video.

Abstract: Measures are provided to encode a signal. An input frame (102) is received and down-sampled to obtain a down-sampled frame (103). The down-sampled frame (103) is passed to an encoding module (104) which encodes the down-sampled frame (103) to generate an encoded frame (105). A decoded frame is obtained from a decoding module (106) which generates the decoded frame by decoding the encoded frame (105). A set of residual data (113) is generated by taking a difference between the decoded frame and the down-sampled frame (103) and is encoded to generate a set of encoded residual data. The encoding comprises transforming the set of residual data into a transformed set of residual data. The set of encoded residual data is output to a decoder to enable the decoder to reconstruct the input frame. Measures are also provided to decode a signal.

Abstract: Computer processor hardware: parses a data stream into first portions of encoded data and second portions of encoded data; implements a first decoder to decode the first portions of encoded data into a first rendition of a signal; implements a second decoder to decode the second portions of encoded data into reconstruction data, the reconstruction data specifying how to modify the first rendition of the signal; and applies the reconstruction data to the first rendition of the signal to produce a second rendition of the signal.

Abstract: A method of encoding an input signal is provided, the method comprising: quantizing a set of data based on temporal information associated with said set of data.

Abstract: A medical telepresence system comprising: an interface to receive a plurality of data feeds from a live medical procedure, at least one data feed comprising a video signal capturing the live medical procedure; a hierarchical encoder to encode the plurality of data feeds using a first tier-based hierarchical data coding scheme, wherein encoded data from the hierarchical encoder is decodable by a first set of computing devices for viewing, the first set of computing devices being communicatively coupled to the hierarchical encoder using a first network connection; a transcoder to convert from the first tier-based hierarchical data coding scheme to a second tier-based hierarchical data coding scheme, wherein encoded data from the transcoder is receivable by a second set of computing devices for viewing, the second set of computing devices being communicatively coupled to the transcoder using a second network connection, the second network connection being of a lower quality than the first network connection; and

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of encoding an input signal, the method comprising producing a base encoded signal by feeding an encoder with a down-sampled version of an input signal. The method further comprising producing a first quantised residual signal by: decoding the base encoded signal to produce a base decoded signal; and using a difference between the base decoded signal and the down-sampled version of the input signal to produce a first residual signal; quantising the first residual signal to produce the first quantised residual signal.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to decoding and encoding signals. Certain examples described herein encapsulate custom data that is not signal data within a stream of encoded signal data. The custom data may comprise a wide variety of metadata that annotates the signal data, or provides additional information relating to the signal data. Certain examples described herein encapsulate custom data within a set of transformed coefficient values that represent data derived from a transform operation that forms part of the signal encoding. The encapsulation is may be performed by applying a bit shift operation to coefficient bits representing the set of transformed coefficient values.

Abstract: An encoder (300) configured to receive an input video (302) comprising respective frames, each frame being divided into a plurality of tiles and each tile being divided into a plurality of blocks. The encoder is configured to generate a base encoded stream (310) using a base encoder (306), determine (334) a temporal mode for one or more further encoded enhancement streams (328) generated using an enhancement encoder and generate the one or more further encoded enhancement streams (328) according to the determined temporal mode. The temporal mode is either a first temporal mode that does not apply non-zero values from a temporal buffer or a second temporal mode that does apply non-zero values from the temporal buffer (332). Generating the one or more further encoded enhancement streams comprises applying a transform (348) to each of a series of blocks. The temporal mode is determined for one or more of a frame, tile or block.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to decoding and encoding signals. A method of performing signal decoding operations on one or more portions of a signal is presented. The performing is based at least in part on information embedded in one or more values received in one or more encoded data layers transmitted within a stream of encoded data, wherein said values are associated with transformed coefficients intended to be processed by a decoder for deriving elements of the signal, and wherein said information comprises an indication of watermarking information associated with the signal.

Abstract: Examples described herein relate to decoding and encoding signals. A method of performing signal enhancement operations on one or more portions of a signal is described, wherein the performing is based at least in part on information embedded in one or more values received in one or more encoded data layers transmitted within a stream of encoded data, and wherein said values are associated with transformed coefficients intended to be processed by a decoder for deriving elements of the signal, wherein the information indicates an impairment associated with a portion of the signal.

Abstract: A first level encoded stream is received and decoded to derive a first set of residuals. A first output video comprising an output of a base decoder applied to a base level encoded stream is received. The first set of residuals is combined with the first output video to generate a second output video. The second output video is up-sampled to generate an up-sampled second output video. The up-sampling comprises adding a value derived from an element in the first set of residuals from which a block in the up-sampled second output video was derived to the block in the up-sampled second output video. A second level encoded stream is received and decoded to derive a second set of residuals. The second set of residuals is combined with the up-sampled second output video to generate a reconstructed output video.

Abstract: Certain examples described herein relate to methods for encoding and decoding signals. Certain examples relate to the control of signal processing operations that are performed at a decoder. These may comprise optional signal processing operations to provide an enhanced output signal. For video signals, the enhanced output signal may comprise a so-called “super-resolution” signal, e.g. a signal with improved detail resolution as compared to a reference signal. Certain examples described herein provide signalling for enhancement operations, e.g. so-called super-resolution modes, within user data of one or more tier-based hierarchical encoding and decoding schemes. The user data may be embedded within values of an enhancement stream, e.g. replace one or more values for a predefined set of transformed coefficients, and/or within supplementary enhancement information messages. The user data may have a defined syntax including header and payload portions. The syntax may differ for different frames of data, e.g.

Abstract: Computer processor hardware receives a first set of adjustment values. The first set of adjustment values specify adjustments to be made to a predicted rendition of a signal generated at a first level of quality to reconstruct a rendition of the signal at the first level of quality. The computer processor hardware processes the first set of adjustment values and derives a second set of adjustment values based on the first set of adjustment values and a rendition of the signal at a second level of quality. The second level of quality is lower than the first level of quality.

Abstract: According to aspects of the invention there is provided a method of encoding an input video into a plurality of encoded streams, wherein the encoded streams may be combined to reconstruct the input video.