Patent ID: 7684484
Filing Date: 2010-03-23
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for encoding a video signal representing at least one video frame, with the at least one video frame being composed of picture samples, the picture samples belonging either to a first or a second field being captured at different time instants, the video frame being spatially divided up into macroblock pair regions, each macroblock pair region being associated with a top and a bottom macroblock, the method comprising the following steps being performed by an encoder: deciding, for each macroblock pair region, as to whether the respective macroblock pair region is of a frame coded or a field coded distribution type; assigning, for each macroblock pair region, each of the pixel samples in the respective macroblock pair region to a respective one of the top and bottom macroblocks of the respective macroblock pair region, in accordance with the distribution type of the respective macroblock pair region; pre-coding the video signal into a pre-coded video signal, including transforming the macroblocks from spatial domain to frequency domain in units of sub-parts into which the macroblocks are partitioned, or smaller sub-units partitioning, in turn, the sub-parts to obtain, for each macroblock, a syntax element for the respective macroblock, specifying, for a predetermined subpart of the respective macroblock, as to whether the predetermined sub-part corresponds to a set of transform coefficients comprising at least one non-zero transform coefficient; determining, for the syntax element of a current macroblock associated with a current macroblock pair region of the macroblock pair regions, assigning one of at least two context models to the syntax element of the current macroblock based on a pre-determined attribute of the neighboring macroblock to the left of the current macroblock and the neighboring macroblock to the top of the current macroblock, wherein each context model is associated with a different probability estimation; and arithmetically encoding the syntax element of the current macroblock into a coded bit stream based on the probability estimation with which the assigned context model is associated.