Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for selecting deblocking filter parameters in a video decoding system. According to these techniques, a boundary strength parameter may be determined based, at least in part, on a bit depth of decoded video data. Activity of a pair of decoded pixel blocks may be classified based, at least in part, on the determined boundary strength parameter, and when a level of activity indicates that deblocking filtering is to be applied to the pair of pixel blocks, pixel block content at a boundary between the pair of pixel blocks may be filtered using filtering parameters derived at least in part based on the bit depth of the decoded video data. The filtering parameters may decrease strength with increasing bit depth of the decoded video data, which improves quality of the decoded video data.

Abstract: A video streaming method for transitioning between multiple sequences of coded video data may include receiving and decoding transmission units from a first sequence of coded video data. In response to a request to transition to a second sequence of coded video data, the method may determine whether a time to transition to the second sequence of coded video data can be reduced by transitioning to the second sequence of coded video data via an intermediate sequence of coded video data. If the time can be reduced, the method may include receiving at least one transmission unit from an intermediate sequence of coded video data that corresponds to the request to transition, decoding the transmission unit from the intermediate sequence, and transitioning from the first sequence to the second sequence via the decoded transmission unit from the intermediate sequence.

Abstract: Methods and systems provide efficient sample adaptive offset (SAO) signaling by reducing a number of bits consumed for signaling SAO compared with conventional methods. In an embodiment, a single flag is used if a coding unit to a first scanning direction with respect to a given coding unit is off. In an embodiment, further bits may be saved if some neighboring coding units are not present, i.e. the given coding unit is an edge. For example, a flag may be skipped, e.g., not signaled, if the given coding unit does not have a neighbor. In an embodiment, a syntax element, one or more flags may signal whether SAO filtering is performed in a coding unit. Based on the syntax element, a merge flag may be skipped to save bits. In an embodiment, SAO syntax may be signaled at a slice level.

Abstract: Techniques for coding video data estimate depths of different elements within video content and identify regions within the video content based on the estimated depths. One of the regions may be assigned as an area of interest. Thereafter, video content of a region that is not an area of interest may be masked out and the resultant video content obtained from the masking may be coded. The coded video content may be transmitted to a channel. These techniques permit a coding terminal to mask out captured video content prior to coding in order to support coding policies that account for privacy interests or video composition features during a video coding session.

Abstract: In video conferencing over a radio network, the radio equipment is a major power consumer especially in cellular networks such as LTE. In order to reduce the radio power consumption in video conferencing, it is important to introduce an enough radio inactive time. Several types of data buffering and bundling can be employed within a reasonable range of latency that doesn't significantly disrupt the real-time nature of video conferencing. In addition, the data transmission can be synchronized to the data reception in a controlled manner, which can result in an even longer radio inactive time and thus take advantage of radio power saving modes such as LTE C-DRX.

Abstract: Video coding techniques are disclosed for resource-limited destination display devices. Input video data may be coded by converting a first representation of the input video to a resolution of a destination display and base layer coding the converted representation. Additionally, a region of interest may be predicted from within the input video. The predicted ROI may be converted to a resolution of the destination display, and the converted ROI may be enhancement layer coded. The base layer coded data and the enhancement layer data may be transmitted to the destination display where the coded base layer data is decoded and displayed until a zoom event occurs. When a zoom event occurs, both the coded base layer data and the coded enhancement layer data may be decoded and displayed. Thus, the switchover from a first field of view to an ROI view may be performed quickly.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing memory allocations when coding video data according to multiple codec configurations. According to these techniques, devices may negotiate parameters of a coding session that include parameters of a plurality of different codec configurations that may be used during the coding session. A device may estimate sizes of decoded picture buffers for each of the negotiated codec configurations and allocate in its memory a portion of memory sized according to a largest size of the estimated decoded picture buffers. Thereafter, the devices may exchange coded video data. The exchange may involve decoding coded data of reference pictures and storing the decoded reference pictures in the allocated memory. During the coding session, the devices may toggle among the different negotiated codec configurations. As they do, reallocations of memory may be avoided.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for estimating quality of images in an automated fashion. According to these techniques, a source image may be downsampled to generate at least two downsampled images at different levels of downsampling. Blurriness of the images may be estimated starting with a most-heavily downsampled image. Blocks of a given image may be evaluated for blurriness and, when a block of a given image is estimated to be blurry, the block of the image and co-located blocks of higher resolution image(s) may be designated as blurry. Thereafter, a blurriness score may be calculated for the source image from the number of blocks of the source image designated as blurry.

Abstract: Video coding techniques are disclosed that can accommodate low bandwidth events and preserve visual quality, at least in areas of an image that have high significance to a viewer. Region(s) of interest may be identified from content of input frame that will be coded. Two representations of the input frame may be generated at different resolutions. A low resolution representation of the input frame may be coded according to predictive coding techniques in which a portion outside the region of interest is coded at higher quality than a portion inside the region of interest. A high resolution representation of the input frame may be coded according to predictive coding techniques in which a portion inside the region of interest is coded at higher quality than a portion outside the region of interest. Doing so preserves visual quality, at least in areas of the input image that correspond to the region of interest.

Abstract: Techniques for cropping images containing an occlusion are presented. A method for image editing is presented comprising, when an occlusion is detected in an original digital image, determining an area occupied by the occlusion, assigning importance scores to different content elements of the original digital image, defining a cropping window around an area of the original digital image that does not include the area occupied by the occlusion and that is based on the importance scores, and cropping the original digital image to the cropping window.

Abstract: A video coder defines multiple fidelity regions in different spatial areas of a video sequence, each of which may have different fidelity characteristics. The coder may code the different representations in a common video sequence. Where prediction data crosses boundaries between the regions, interpolation may be performed to create like kind representations between prediction data and video content being coded.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for environment aware supervised HDR tone mapping. According to those techniques, responsive to metadata provided with HDR source video data, the received metadata may be compared to sensor date representing viewing conditions at a display device. Tone mapping corrections to the HDR source video data may be derived from the comparison of the received metadata to the sensor data. The HDR source video data may be altered based on the tone mapping corrections. The altered HDR source video data may be used to drive the display device.

Abstract: Coding and decoding techniques are disclosed in which a plurality of coding parameter sets is transmitted between an encoder and a decoder, each of which is distinguishable from the others by a respective identifier. When a new frame of video is to be coded, an encoder may identify a coding parameter set to be applied during coding, it may code the new frame according to the identified coding parameter set, and it may transmit the coded frame to the decoder along with an identifier of the coding parameter set used during the coding. A plurality of coding parameter sets is persistent at an encoder and the decoder simultaneously.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generate estimates of device motion from two data sources on a computing device—a motion sensor and a camera. The device may compare the estimates to each other to determine if they agree. If they agree, the device may confirm that device motion estimates based on the motion sensor are accurate and may output those estimates to an application within the device. If the device motion estimates disagree, the device may alter the motion estimates obtained from the motion sensor before outputting them to the application.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for initiating a video conference using a first mobile device. The method presents, during an audio call through a wireless communication network with a second device, a selectable user-interface (UI) item on the first mobile device for switching from the audio call to the video conference. The method receives a selection of the selectable UI item. The method initiates the video conference without terminating the audio call. The method terminates the audio call before allowing the first and second devices to present audio and video data exchanged through the video conference.

Abstract: Video coders may perform perspective transformation of reference frames during coding in a manner that conserves processing resources. When a new input frame is available for coding, a camera position for the input frame may be estimated. A video coder may search for reference pictures having similar camera positions as the position of the input frame and, for each reference picture identified, the video coder may perform a prediction search to identify a reference picture that is the best prediction match for the input frame. Once the video coder identifies a reference picture to serve as a prediction source for the input frame, the video coder may derive a transform to match the reference frame data to the input frame data and may transform the reference picture accordingly. The video coder may code the input frame using the transformed reference picture as a prediction reference and may transmit coded frame data and the camera position of the input frame to a decoder.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for overcoming communication lag between interactive operations among devices in a streaming session. According to the techniques, a first device streaming video content to a second device and an annotation is entered to a first frame being displayed at the second device, which is communicated back to the first device. Responsive to a communication that identifies the annotation, a first device may identify an element of video content from the first frame to which the annotation applies and determine whether the identified element is present in a second frame of video content currently displayed at the first terminal. If so, the first device may display the annotation with the second frame in a location where the identified element is present. If not, the first device may display the annotation via an alternate technique.

Abstract: A system may include a receiver, a decoder, a post-processor, and a controller. The receiver may receive encoded video data. The decoder may decode the encoded video data. The post-processor may perform post-processing on frames of decoded video sequence from the decoder. The controller may adjust post-processing of a current frame, based upon at least one condition parameters detected at the system.

Abstract: A system and method for using camera capture settings and related metadata to estimate the parameters for encoding a frame of the captured video data and to modify reference frames to accommodate detected camera setting changes. Global brightness and color changes in video capture may be modeled by performing a sequence of transform operations on the reference frames to further improve the coding efficiency of a video coding system.

Abstract: A system an method for determining to select frames from a video sequence that have high visual appeal and can be coded at high quality when frame rates of coded video drop to such low levels that perceptual sensations of moving video are lost. A metric is derived from a candidate input frame, and such metric is used to determine whether to increase or decrease a weight accorded to the candidate input frame. In an embodiment, the metric may be the auto-exposure data associated with the candidate input frame.