Patent ID: 8923402

Claim:
A multi-view video coding method using a hierarchical B-picture (HBP) prediction structure that includes a plurality of image sequences, each of the image sequences corresponding to an individual viewpoint, and including a plurality of pictures corresponding respectively to consecutive time-points, said multi-view video coding method comprising the steps of: a) grouping the image sequences into main-view image sequences and auxiliary-view image sequences, and configuring each of the auxiliary-view image sequences to be disposed between corresponding two adjacent ones of the main-view image sequences; b) for each of the pictures to be encoded in each of the main-view image sequences that serves as a first target picture, dividing the first target picture into a plurality of macroblocks, each of which is in the form of an n×n pixel array, and encoding video data in each of the macroblocks to be encoded of the first target picture based on a first reference macroblock unit, which is associated with a corresponding one of the macroblocks of the first target picture, in accordance with first decision criteria; and c) for each of the pictures to be encoded in each of the auxiliary-view image sequences that serves as a second target picture, dividing the second target picture into a plurality of macroblocks, each of which is in the form of an n×n pixel array, and encoding video data in each of the macroblocks to be encoded of the second target picture based on a second reference macroblock unit, which is associated with a corresponding one of the macroblocks of the second target picture, in accordance with second decision criteria, wherein, in step b): the first reference macroblock unit includes a first temporal reference macroblock and a second temporal reference macroblock; and the first decision criteria are configured to predict whether the corresponding one of the macroblocks of the first target picture is within a background image region of the first target picture, and encode the video data in the corresponding one of the macroblocks of the first trarget picture by using the first temporal reference macroblock of the first reference macroblock unit upon predicting that the corres ondin one of the macroblocks is within the back round image region, and by using the first and second temporal reference macroblocks of the first reference macroblock unit upon predicting that the corresponding one of the macroblocks of the first target picture is not within the background image region, wherein whether the corresponding one of the macroblocks of the first target picture is within the background image region is predicted based on a motion vector value associated with a left, upper or upper left macroblock relative to the corresponding one of the macroblocks of the first target picture.