Abstract: A reinforcement learning method for frame-level bit allocation is disclosed. The reinforcement learning method includes steps of: (a) at a testing time, computing a state according to a plurality of features; (b) determining an action according to a policy; (c) determining a number of bits allocated to an i-th frame in a group of pictures (GOP) according to the action, a GOP-level bit budget and the state, wherein i is a positive integer; (d) encoding the i-th frame according to the number of bits allocated to the i-th frame in the GOP; and (e) repeating the steps (a)˜(d) until an end of the GOP.

Abstract: A reinforcement learning method for frame-level bit allocation is disclosed. The reinforcement learning method includes steps of: (a) at a testing time, computing a state according to a plurality of features; (b) determining an action according to a policy; (c) determining a number of bits allocated to an i-th frame in a group of pictures (GOP) according to the action, a GOP-level bit budget and the state, wherein i is a positive integer; (d) encoding the i-th frame according to the number of bits allocated to the i-th frame in the GOP; and (e) repeating the steps (a)˜(d) until an end of the GOP.

Abstract: A video encoding method is provided in the invention. In such method, after a current encoding frame among a sequence of input frames is received, each coding unit in the current encoding frame may be optionally split into two oblong prediction units, and each of the prediction units may be optionally split into a plurality of sub-blocks so as to thereby improve the matching accuracy for a matching reference block from a reference frame. A video decoding method corresponding to the aforesaid video encoding method is also provided.

Abstract: In an encoding process, video data are represented as a bitstream of a quantized base layer and at least two enhancement layers, with each picture in each layer identified by a start code. The base layer, plus a number of enhancement layers capable of being transmitted by the communication channel's bandwidth, are transmitted on the communication channel.

Abstract: A video encoding method is provided in the invention. In such method, after a current encoding frame among a sequence of input frames is received, each coding unit in the current encoding frame may be optionally split into two oblong prediction units, and each of the prediction units may be optionally split into a plurality of sub-blocks so as to thereby improve the matching accuracy for a matching reference block from a reference frame. A video decoding method corresponding to the aforesaid video encoding method is also provided.

Abstract: Mode-dependent rate and distortion estimation methods for coarse grain scalability (CGS) in scalable video coding (SVC) are provided. The rate and distortion values of a base layer and an enhancement layer are estimated based on different combinations of a block partition size of the base layer block, a transform block size of the base layer transform, and a quantization parameter of the base layer quantization as well as a block partition size of the enhancement layer block, a transform block size of the enhancement layer transform, a quantization parameter of the enhancement layer, and a setting of the inter-prediction, and a mode pair for CGS in SVC may be selected accordingly based on the estimation of the rate and distortion values of the base layer and the enhancement layer. The disclosure also provides a mode-dependent rate and distortion estimation apparatus to realize the above method.

Abstract: A frame prediction system and a prediction method thereof. An initializing module initializes a first image block having a plurality of pixels. A providing module provides a first centroid and a first motion vector of a second image block. The location lookup module finds a location according to the first centroid, and generates a first weight and a second weight respectively according to a relationship between each of the pixels, the first centroid and the location. A vector lookup module finds a second motion vector, which gives a minimum pixel intensity error for the plurality of pixels in the first image block according to the first centroid, the first motion vector, the location, the first weight and the second weight. A processing module sequentially calculates a plurality of predictive intensity values according to the motion vectors and the weights.

Abstract: In an encoding process, video data are represented as a bitstream of a quantized base layer and at least two enhancement layers, with each picture in each layer identified by a start code. The base layer, plus a number of enhancement layers capable of being transmitted by the communication channel's bandwidth, are transmitted on the communication channel.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a frame prediction system and a prediction method thereof. An initializing module initializes a first image block having a plurality of pixels. A providing module provides a first centroid and a first motion vector of a second image block. The location lookup module finds a location according to the first centroid, and generates a first weight and a second weight respectively according to a relationship between each of the pixels, the first centroid and the location. A vector lookup module finds a second motion vector, which gives a minimum pixel intensity error for the plurality of pixels in the first image block according to the first centroid, the first motion vector, the location, the first weight and the second weight. A processing module sequentially calculates a plurality of predictive intensity values according to the motion vectors and the weights.

Abstract: In an encoding process, video data are represented as a bitstream of a quantized base layer and at least two enhancement layers, with each picture in each layer identified by a start code. The base layer, plus a number of enhancement layers capable of being transmitted by the communication channel's bandwidth, are transmitted on the communication channel.

Abstract: A prediction module includes a computation control unit and first to sixth processing units. The computation control unit arranges the pixels of a reference block outputted by a frame buffer appropriately according to data decoded by an entropy decoder into first and second pixel signals, and outputs the same to the first to sixth processing units in units of cycles. The processing units are controlled by the computation control unit to respectively complete corresponding computations in a cycle, and to use the computation results as values of first to sixth output signals to be correspondingly outputted in a next cycle. The computation control unit receives the first to sixth output signals, and computes the output signals so as to obtain pixel values of a macroblock to be predicted.

Abstract: In an encoding process, video data are represented as a bitstream of a quantized base layer and at least two enhancement layers, with each picture in each layer identified by a start code. The base layer, plus a number of enhancement layers capable of being transmitted by the communication channel's bandwidth, are transmitted on the communication channel.

Abstract: A prediction module includes a computation control unit and first to sixth processing units. The computation control unit arranges the pixels of a reference block outputted by a frame buffer appropriately according to data decoded by an entropy decoder into first and second pixel signals, and outputs the same to the first to sixth processing units in units of cycles. The processing units are controlled by the computation control unit to respectively complete corresponding computations in a cycle, and to use the computation results as values of first to sixth output signals to be correspondingly outputted in a next cycle. The computation control unit receives the first to sixth output signals, and computes the output signals so as to obtain pixel values of a macroblock to be predicted.

Abstract: Fractional parts of quantized video coefficients are used as enhancement layers when encoding a video steam. This use of the fractional parts allows the reuse of decoding components.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for performing context based binary arithmetic coding with a stochastic bit-reshuffling scheme in order to improve MPEG-4 fine granularity scalability (FGS) based bit-plane coding. The method comprises steps of: replacing 8×8 DCT with 4×4 integer transform coefficient in MPEG-4 AVC (Advance Video-Coding); partitioning each transform coefficient into significant bit and refinement bit; setting up significant bit context based on energy distribution within a transform block and spatial correlation in adjacent blocks; using an estimated Laplacian distribution to derive coding probability for the refinement bit; and using the context across bit-planes to partition each significant bit-plane for saving side information bit.

Abstract: In an encoding or decoding process for compressible data, non-raster ordered bitstreams of transform data are rearranged in memory so later data access is contiguous, efficiently allowing processing in a single cache line. In an encoder, rearrangement can utilize a buffer copy that enables address calculation to performed only once per block.

Abstract: In an encoding or decoding process for compressible data, non-raster ordered bitstreams of transform data are rearranged in memory so later data access is contiguous, efficiently allowing processing in a single cache line. In an encoder, rearrangement can utilize a buffer copy that enables address calculation to performed only once per block.

Abstract: Fractional parts of quantized video coefficients are used as enhancement layers when encoding a video steam. This use of the fractional parts allows the reuse of decoding components.

Abstract: In an encoding process, video data are represented as a bitstream of a quantized base layer and at least two enhancement layers, with each picture in each layer identified by a start code. The base layer, plus a number of enhancement layers capable of being transmitted by the communication channel's bandwidth, are transmitted on the communication channel.