Abstract: A method of palette index map coding of blocks in a picture by grouping coded symbols of the same type is disclosed for video encoder and decoder. In one embodiment, all syntax elements corresponding to the pixel index are grouped into a pixel index group, and all syntax elements corresponding to the escape pixel are grouped into an escape pixel group. All syntax elements corresponding to the run type and run length are grouped into an interleaved run type/run length group, or grouped into separate run type group and run length group. In another embodiment, the system parses from the video bitstream a last-run mode syntax element for a current block, where the last-run mode syntax element indicates whether a last run mode is a copy-index mode or a copy-above mode. Information associated with the last-run mode syntax element is used for reconstructing palette index map.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of motion compensation using the bi-directional optical flow (BIO) techniques are disclosed. According to one method of the present invention, the BIO process is applied to encode or decode bi-directional current block in Merge mode only or in AMVP (advanced motion vector prediction) mode only. According to another method, the BIO process conditionally to encode or decode the current block depending on a jointly-coded flag if the current block is coded using a bi-prediction mode. According to yet another method, x-offset value vx and y-offset value vy for the current block are added to the current motion vector to form a final motion vector. The final motion vector is then used as a reference motion vector for following blocks. In still yet another method, the BIO process is applied to the chroma component.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of video coding using Non-Local (NL) denoising filter are disclosed. According to the present invention, the decoded picture or the processed-decoded picture is divided into multiple blocks. The NL loop-filter is applied to a target block with NL on/off control to generate a filtered output. The NL loop-filter process comprises determining, for the target block, a patch group consisting of K nearest reference blocks within a search window located in one or more reference regions and deriving one filtered output which could be one block for the target block or one filtered patch group based on pixel values of the target block and pixel values of the patch group. The filtered output is provided for further loop-filter processing if there is any further loop-filter processing or the filtered output is provided for storing in a reference picture buffer if there is no further loop-filter processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of video coding using adaptive Inter prediction are disclosed. A selected Inter prediction process is determined, wherein the selected Inter prediction process selects an Inter prediction filter from multiple Inter prediction filters for the current block depending on first pixel data comprising neighbouring reconstructed pixels (NRP) of the current block. The selected Inter prediction process may be further determined depending on extra motion compensated pixels (EMCP) around a motion-compensated reference block corresponding to the current block. Distortion between the NRP and EMCP can be used to determine the selected Inter prediction filter. The distortion can be calculated using a sum of absolute differences or squared differences between the NRP and the EMCP.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for video coding. The method includes receiving input data associated with a processing block in a current picture, selecting, from a set of neighboring reconstructed samples for intra-coding pixels in the processing block, a plurality of reference samples for a pixel in the processing block based on a position of the pixel and an intra prediction mode of the processing block, determining a projection phase for the pixel based on the position of the pixel and the intra prediction mode of the processing block, determining coefficients of an interpolation filter based on the projection phase for the pixel, applying the interpolation filter with the determined coefficients on the reference samples to generate a prediction of the pixel, and encoding or decoding the pixel in the processing block using the prediction of the pixel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for color index coding of a block of video data using index prediction based on reconstructed neighboring pixels are disclosed. In one embodiment, color index encoding or decoding is applied to the current pixel indices by deriving index prediction from neighboring pixel indices of the reconstructed neighboring pixels. The reconstructed neighboring pixel values are first transformed into the neighboring pixel indices according to a quantization table to map between major color indices and major color values of the current block. The quantization table can be based on a major color table for the current block or can also be derived at a decoder side. The decoding process may reconstruct the current pixels by converting decoded current pixel indices to reconstructed current pixel values according to the quantization table or by directly copying the reconstructed neighboring pixel values indicated by decoded current pixel indices.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for three-dimensional and scalable video coding are disclosed. Embodiments according to the present invention determine a motion information set associated with the video data, wherein at least part of the motion information set is made available or unavailable conditionally depending on the video data type. The video data type may correspond to depth data, texture data, a view associated with the video data in three-dimensional video coding, or a layer associated with the video data in scalable video coding. The motion information set is then provided for coding or decoding of the video data, other video data, or both. At least a flag may be used to indicate whether part of the motion information set is available or unavailable. Alternatively, a coding profile for the video data may be used to determine whether the motion information is available or not based on the video data type.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for forming patch groups. The method can include determining a list of K motion vectors (MVs) for each current patch to form a patch group that includes the respective current patch and K reference patches corresponding to the K MVs, wherein the current patches are included in a reconstructed picture. The list of K MVs of a first current patch that is one of the current patches is determined by performing a neighbor-based fast search (NBFS) process. The NBFS process can include selecting K MVs from lists of K MVs of at least one neighboring current patch of the first patch to form a first list of K MVs of the first current patch, and performing a first refinement process to obtain a second list of K MVs of the first current patch based on the first list of K MVs.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method operates by receiving neighboring reconstructed first-color pixels and current reconstructed first-color pixels of a current first-color block and receiving neighboring reconstructed second-color pixels of a current second-color block collocated with the current first-color block. The method then determines linear model (LM) parameters according to a linear model for one or more LM Intra modes. The method then receives input data associated with current second-color pixels of the current second-color block and generates a cross-color Intra predictor from the current reconstructed first-color pixels of the current first-color block using the LM parameters associated with a LM Intra mode selected from said one or more LM Intra modes. Finally, the method applies cross-color Intra prediction encoding or decoding to the current second-color pixels of the current second-color block using the cross-color Intra predictor for the selected LM Intra mode.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for deriving a motion vector predictor (MVP) candidate set for a block are disclosed. Embodiments according to the present invention generate a complete full MVP candidate set based on the redundancy-removed MVP candidate set if one or more redundant MVP candidates exist. In one embodiment, the method generates the complete full MVP candidate set by adding replacement MVP candidates to the redundancy-removed MVP candidate set and a value corresponding to a non-redundant MVP is assigned to each replacement MVP candidate. In another embodiment, the method generates the complete full MVP candidate set by adding replacement MVP candidates to the redundancy-removed MVP candidate set and a value is assigned to each replacement MVP candidate according to a rule. The procedure of assigning value, checking redundancy, removing redundant MVP candidate are repeated until the MVP candidate set is complete and full.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of Intra prediction filtering in an image or video encoder or decoder are disclosed.

Abstract: Embodiments according to the present invention configure the intra prediction mode candidates into multi-level MPM sets, which comprise at least a first-level MPM set and a second-level MPM set. Encoding or decoding a current intra prediction mode is based on the multi-level MPM sets, where one syntax element of the syntax information to be generated or decoded respectively is associated with evaluating the current intra prediction mode using the first-level MPM set. A method and apparatus for chroma intra prediction mode encoding and decoding are also disclosed. The chroma intra prediction mode set includes a Luma-based chroma prediction Mode (LM), a Direct Mode (DM) and four other modes. The codeword set comprises variable-length codewords and fixed-length codewords, and the fixed-length codewords are longer than the variable-length codewords. The variable-length codewords are used for the DM and LM, and the fixed-length codewords are used for the four other modes.

Abstract: A method of adaptive loop filtering with implicit sample-based On/Off control for reconstructed video to improve the performance is disclosed. In one embodiment, each pixel of the video data associated with the reconstructed current image unit is classified into a first group and a second group. Adaptive Loop Filter (ALF) is then applied to these pixels belonging to the first group. For pixels in the second group, ALF is not applied. The image unit may correspond to one coding tree block (CTB) or one coding tree unit (CTU). Various classification means for classifying each pixel into a first group or a second group have also been disclosed. The adaptive loop filtering with implicit sample-based On/Off control may also be used as an additional mode in a system supporting block-based On/Off control.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for Sample Adaptive Offset (SAO) processing of video data in a video decoder are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes receiving a block of processed-reconstructed pixels associated with a picture from a media or a processor, wherein the block of processed-reconstructed pixels are decoded from a video bitstream; determining a SAO type index from the video bitstream, wherein the SAO type index is decoded according to truncated unary binarization, the SAO type index is decoded using CABAC (context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding) with one context, or the SAO type index is decoded by CABAC using a context mode for a first bin associated with the SAO type index and using a bypass mode for any remaining bin associated with the SAO type index; and applying SAO processing to the block of processed-reconstructed pixels based on SAO information including the SAO type index.

Abstract: A method of video coding utilizing ARP (advanced residual prediction) by explicitly signaling the temporal reference picture or deriving the temporal reference picture at the encoder and the decoder using identical process is disclosed. To encode or decode a current block in a current picture from a dependent view, a corresponding block in a reference view corresponding to the current block is determined based on a DV (disparity vector). For the encoder side, the temporal reference picture in the reference view of the corresponding block is explicitly signaled using syntax element(s) in the slice header or derived using an identical process as the decoder. For the decoder side, the temporal reference picture in the reference view of the corresponding block is determined according to the syntax element(s) in the slice header or derived using an identical process as the decoder. The temporal reference picture is then used for ARP.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing 2N×2N transform units (TUs) are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining a first-layer scanning order among four N×N sub-blocks of the 2N×2N TU; determining a second-layer scanning pattern for said four N×N sub-blocks; and providing scanned 2N×2N transform coefficients of the intra-coded or the inter-coded 2N×2N TU using double scanning based on the first-layer scanning order and the second-layer scanning pattern. In another embodiment, said determining the first-layer scanning order is dependent on the second-layer scanning pattern. The second-layer scanning pattern can be diagonal, horizontal or vertical.

Abstract: A method implemented in an apparatus for video coding a current block coded in an Inter, Merge, or Skip mode determines neighboring blocks of the current block, wherein a motion vector predictor (MVP) candidate set is derived from MVP candidates associated with the neighboring blocks. The method determines at least one redundant MVP candidate, if said MVP candidate is within a same PU (Prediction Unit) as another MVP candidate in the MVP candidate set. The method removes said at least one redundant MVP candidate from the MVP candidate set, and provides a modified MVP candidate set for determining a final MVP, wherein the modified MVP candidate set corresponds to the MVP candidate set with said at least one redundant MVP candidate removed. Finally, the method encodes or decodes the current block according to the final MVP.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a video coding method for processing a current prediction unit (PU) with a sub-PU temporal motion vector prediction (TMVP) mode. The method can include receiving the current PU including sub-PUs, determining an initial motion vector that is a motion vector of a spatial neighboring block of the current PU, performing a searching process to search for a main collocated picture in a sequence of reference pictures of the current PU based on the initial motion vector, and obtaining collocated motion information in the main collocated picture for the sub-PUs of the current PU. The searching process can include turning on motion vector scaling operation for searching a subset of the sequence of reference pictures, and turning off the motion vector scaling operation for searching the other reference pictures in the sequence of reference pictures.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for video coding using coding modes including a palette mode are disclosed. In one embodiment, the total number of palette indices in the current block is coded into a binary string using a TR (Truncated Rice) binarization process with the Rice parameter to generate a prefix part and using an EGk (k-th order Exp-Golomb) binary process to generate a suffix part for the binary string, or using the EGk binarization process with the Rice parameter (k). The suffix part is allowed to be empty. In another embodiment, a Rice parameter is determined. If the Rice parameter is equal to or greater than log-base-2 of current block size, the variable related to a total number of palette indices in the current block of video data is binarized into a binary string using a fixed-length code with bit length equal to log-base-2 of current block size.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for non-local adaptive loop filtering. The method can include receiving reconstructed picture, dividing the picture into current patches, forming patch groups each including a current patch and a number of reference patches, determining a noise level for each of the patch groups, and denoising the patch groups with a non-local denoising technology. The determining a noise level for each of the patch groups can include calculating a pixel variance for a respective patch group, determining a pixel standard deviation (SD) of the respective patch group according to the calculated pixel variance by searching in a lookup table that indicates mapping relationship between patch group pixel SDs and patch group pixel variances, and calculating a noise level for the respective patch group based on a compression noise model that is a function of the pixel SD.