Abstract: A video decoding method includes decoding a part of a bitstream to generate a decoded frame. The decoded frame is a projection-based frame that comprises at least one projection face and at least one guard band packed in a projection layout. At least a portion of a 360-degree content of a sphere is mapped to the at least one projection face via projection. The decoded frame is in a 4:2:0 chroma format or a 4:2:2 chroma format, and a guard band size of each of the at least one guard band is equal to an even number of luma samples.

Abstract: A sample adaptive offset (SAO) filtering method for a reconstructed projection-based frame includes: obtaining at least one padding pixel in a padding area that acts as an extension of a face boundary of a first projection face, and applying SAO filtering to a block that has at least one pixel included in the first projection face. In the reconstructed projection-based frame, there is image content discontinuity between the face boundary of the first projection face and a face boundary of a second projection face. The at least one padding pixel is involved in the SAO filtering of the block.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of processing cube face images are disclosed. According to embodiments of the present invention, one or more discontinuous boundaries within each assembled cubic frame are determined and used for selective filtering, where the filtering process is skipped at said one or more discontinuous boundaries within each assembled cubic frame when the filtering process is enabled. Furthermore, the filtering process is applied to one or more continuous areas in each assembled cubic frame.

Abstract: A video processing method includes receiving a bitstream, and decoding, by a video decoder, the bitstream to generate a decoded frame. The decoded frame is a projection-based frame that has a 360-degree image/video content represented by triangular projection faces packed in a triangle-based projection layout. An omnidirectional image/video content of a viewing sphere is mapped onto the triangular projection faces via a triangle-based projection of the viewing sphere. An equator of the viewing sphere is not mapped along any side of each of the triangular projection faces.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for Intra prediction of non-square chroma blocks are disclosed. The system uses a block partitioning structure for partitioning a chroma block into one or more final sub-blocks including at least one non-square final sub-block using block partition recursively. The block partition either splits each given block into intermediate sub-blocks using one or more split modes including one binary split mode or applies no splitting to each given block. The block is treated as an initial given block and each intermediate sub-block is treated as one given block in a next recursion. Any given block that is not further split becomes a final sub-block. After the final sub-blocks are determined, non-square Intra prediction is applied to each non-square final sub-block.

Abstract: A luma-based chroma intra-prediction method includes: applying, by a filter circuit with a first weighting table, weighting to reconstructed luma samples to generate a first down-sampled luma sample, wherein the reconstructed luma samples are external to a luma block; computing parameters of a linear model, wherein a pair of the first down-sampled luma sample and a reconstructed chroma sample that is external to a chroma block is involved in computing the parameters of the linear model; and determining a predicted value of a chroma sample included in the chroma block according to the linear model and a second down-sampled luma sample that is derived from the luma block.

Abstract: A cube-based projection method includes generating pixels of different square projection faces associated with a cube-based projection of a 360-degree image content of a sphere. Pixels of a first square projection face are generated by utilizing a first mapping function set. Pixels of a second square projection face are generated by utilizing a second mapping function set. The different square projection faces include the first square projection face and the second square projection face. The second mapping function set is not identical to the first mapping function set.

Abstract: A video decoding method includes: decoding a part of a bitstream to generate a decoded frame, and parsing at least one syntax element from the bitstream. The decoded frame is a projection-based frame that includes projection faces packed in a cube-based projection layout. At least a portion of a 360-degree content of a sphere is mapped to the projection faces via cube-based projection. The at least one syntax element is indicative of a guard band configuration of the projection-based frame.

Abstract: A video encoding method includes: encoding a projection-based frame to generate a part of a bitstream, wherein at least a portion of a 360-degree content of a sphere is mapped to projection faces via cube-based projection, and the projection-based frame has the projection faces packed in a cube-based projection layout; and signaling at least one syntax element via the bitstream, wherein said at least one syntax element is associated with a mapping function that is employed by the cube-based projection to determine sample locations for each of the projection faces.

Abstract: A video decoding method includes decoding a part of a bitstream to generate a decoded frame, and parsing at least one syntax element from the bitstream. The decoded frame is a projection-based frame that has projection faces packed in a cube-based projection layout. At least a portion of a 360-degree content of a sphere is mapped to the projection faces via cube-based projection.

Abstract: According to one method, at a source side or an encoder side, a selected viewport associated with the 360-degree virtual reality images is determined. One or more parameters related to the selected pyramid projection format are then determined. According to the present invention, one or more syntax elements for said one or more parameters are included in coded data of the 360-degree virtual reality images. The coded data of the 360-degree virtual reality images are provided as output data. At a receiver side or a decoder side, one or more syntax elements for one or more parameters are parsed from the coded data of the 360-degree virtual reality images. A selected pyramid projection format associated with the 360-degree virtual reality images is determined based on information including said one or more parameters. The 360-degree virtual reality images are then recovered according to the selected viewport.

Abstract: A projection-based frame is generated according to an omnidirectional video frame and a triangle-based projection layout. The projection-based frame has a 360-degree image content represented by triangular projection faces assembled in the triangle-based projection layout. A 360-degree image content of a viewing sphere is mapped onto the triangular projection faces via a triangle-based projection of the viewing sphere. One side of a first triangular projection face has contact with one side of a second triangular projection face, one side of a third triangular projection face has contact with another side of the second triangular projection face. One image content continuity boundary exists between one side of the first triangular projection face and one side of the second triangular projection face, and another image content continuity boundary exists between one side of the third triangular projection face and another side of the second triangular projection face.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for Intra prediction coding in multi-view video coding, three-dimensional video coding, or screen content video coding are disclosed. A first filtering-disable-flag associated with a high-level video data is determined to indicate whether to disable at least one filter from a filter group. If the first filtering-disable-flag is asserted, one or more selected Intra prediction modes from an Intra prediction mode group is determined, and at least one filter from the filter group for the current block is skipped if the current Intra prediction mode of the current block belongs to the selected Intra prediction modes. The system may further determine a second filtering-disable-flag associated with a low-level video data corresponding to a current block level or a higher level than the current block level to disable said at least one filter from a filter group for the low-level video data.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of processing 360-degree virtual reality (VR360) pictures are disclosed. According to one method, if a leaf coding unit contains one or more face edges, the leaf processing unit is split into sub-processing units along the face edges without the need to signal the partition. In another method, if the quadtree (QT) of binary tree (BT) partition depth for a processing unit has not reached the maximum QT or BT depth, the processing unit is split. If the processing unit contains a horizontal face edge, QT or horizontal BT partition is applied. If the processing unit contains a vertical face edge, QT or vertical BT partition is applied.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of video coding for 3D video data are disclosed. According to one method, the gradients of the geometry frame are derived. A reconstructed point cloud is reconstructed using the geometry frame. One or more candidate holes in the reconstructed point cloud are filled based on the gradients of the geometry frame. According to another method of encoding for 3D video data, candidate hole locations in a geometry frame, patch or layer are determined. Source points projected to the candidate hole locations are grouped to generate grouped points. The grouped points are removed from an original patch containing the grouped points.

Abstract: For omnidirectional video such as 360-degree Virtual Reality (360VR) video, a video system that support independent decoding of different views of the omnidirectional video is provided. A decoder for such a system can extract a specified part of a bitstream to decode a desired perspective/face/view of an omnidirectional image without decoding the entire image while suffering minimal or no loss in coding efficiency.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of priority-based MVP (motion vector predictor) derivation for motion compensation in a video encoder or decoder are disclosed. According to this method, one or more final motion vector predictors (MVPs) are derived using priority-based MVP derivation process. The one or more final MVPs are derived by selecting one or more firstly available MVs from a priority-based MVP list for Inter prediction mode, Skip mode or Merge mode based on reference data of one or two target reference pictures that are reconstructed prior to the current block according to a priority order. Therefore, there is no need for transmitting information at the encoder side nor deriving information at the decoder side that is related to one or more MVP indices to identify the one or more final MVPs in the video bitstream.

Abstract: A video processing method includes: receiving a bitstream, wherein a part of the bitstream transmits encoded information of a projection-based frame that has a 360-degree content represented by projection faces packed in a 360-degree Virtual Reality (360 VR) projection layout, and the projection-based frame has at least one boundary; and decoding, by a video decoder, the part of the bitstream, including: generating a reconstructed frame, parsing a flag from the bitstream, and applying an in-loop filtering operation to the reconstructed frame. The flag indicates that the in-loop filtering operation is blocked from being applied to each of said at least one boundary in the reconstructed frame. In response to the flag, the in-loop filtering operation is blocked from being applied to each of the at least one boundary in the reconstructed frame.

Abstract: An exemplary video processing method includes: receiving an omnidirectional content corresponding to a sphere; obtaining a plurality of projection faces from the omnidirectional content of the sphere according to a pyramid projection; creating at least one padding region; and generating a projection-based frame by packing the projection faces and the at least one padding region in a pyramid projection layout. The projection faces packed in the pyramid projection layout include a first projection face. The at least one padding region packed in the pyramid projection layout includes a first padding region. The first padding region connects with at least the first projection face, and forms at least a portion of one boundary of the pyramid projection layout.

Abstract: Method and apparatus of coding a video sequence are disclosed. According to this method, a first syntax is signalled in or parsed from a bitstream, where the first syntax indicates whether a loop filtering process is disabled for one or more virtual boundaries in a corresponding region. A reconstructed filter unit in a current picture is received, wherein the reconstructed filter unit is associated with the loop filter and the reconstructed filter unit comprises reconstructed pixels for applying a loop filtering process associated with the loop filter to a current reconstructed pixel. When the first syntax is true, the loop filter processing is disabled when the reconstructed filter unit is across said one or more virtual boundaries in the corresponding region. When the first syntax is false, the loop filter processing is not disabled when the reconstructed filter unit is across the virtual boundary.