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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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.

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: 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 video processing method includes: receiving a part of a bitstream; decoding the part of the bitstream to generate a reconstructed projection-based frame with at least one projection face and at least one padding region packed in a projection layout of a 360-degree Virtual Reality (360 VR) projection; obtaining chroma sampling position information that is signaled via the bitstream; and performing a blending process for generating a blended chroma sample value at a target chroma sample position by blending a first chroma sample value obtained for a first chroma sample position in the at least one projection face and a second chroma sample value obtained for a second chroma sample position in the at least one padding region. At least one of the target chroma sample position, the first chroma sample position and the second chroma sample position is determined according to the chroma sampling position information.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of processing 360-degree virtual reality images are disclosed. According to one method, the method receives coded data for an extended 2D (two-dimensional) frame including an encoded 2D frame with one or more encoded guard bands, wherein the encoded 2D frame is projected from a 3D (three-dimensional) sphere using a target projection, wherein said one or more encoded guard bands are based on a blending of one or more guard bands with an overlapped region when the overlapped region exists. The method then decodes the coded data into a decoded extended 2D frame including a decoded 2D frame with one or more decoded guard bands, and derives a reconstructed 2D frame from the decoded extended 2D 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 an octahedron projection layout. An omnidirectional image/video content of a viewing sphere is mapped onto the triangular projection faces via an octahedron 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 de-blocking method is applied to a reconstructed projection-based frame having a first projection face and a second projection face, and includes obtaining a first spherical neighboring block for a first block with a block edge to be de-blocking filtered, and selectively applying de-blocking to the block edge of the first block for at least updating a portion of pixels of the first block. There is image content discontinuity between a face boundary of the first projection face and a face boundary of the second projection face. The first block is a part of the first projection face, and the block edge of the first block is a part of the face boundary of the first projection face. A region on a sphere to which the first spherical neighboring block corresponds is adjacent to a region on the sphere from which the first projection face is obtained.

Abstract: A video processing method includes receiving an omnidirectional content corresponding to a sphere, generating a projection-based frame according to the omnidirectional content and a pyramid projection layout, and encoding, by a video encoder, the projection-based frame to generate a part of a bitstream. The projection-based frame has a 360-degree content represented by a base projection face and a plurality of lateral projection faces packed in the pyramid projection layout. The base projection face and the lateral projection faces are obtained according to at least projection relationship between a pyramid and the sphere.

Abstract: A projection-based frame is generated according to an omnidirectional video frame and an octahedron projection layout. The projection-based frame has a 360-degree image content represented by triangular projection faces assembled in the octahedron projection layout. A 360-degree image content of a viewing sphere is mapped onto the triangular projection faces via an octahedron 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.