Information processing apparatus and video decoding method of information processing apparatus

Abstract

According to one embodiment, information processing apparatus which decodes compressed and encoded video stream by software, selectively generates one of intra and inter prediction image on the basis of encoding mode of decoding object from video stream and decoded images thereof, generates a residual error decoded image on the basis of a quantization parameter of decoding object from video stream, generates decoded image by adding intra and inter prediction image selectively generated, and residual error decoded image, applies deblocking filter process for reducing block distortion onto decoded image, extracts at least one of information on a quantization parameter and information on encoding mode of decoding object from video stream, determines whether or not filter process is skipped on the basis of extracted information thereof, and selectively skips filter process on the basis of a result of determination, and selectively switches determination and processing of skip to be valid or invalid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various features of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an outside of a computer according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration example of the computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of a video playback application program for use in the computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example in a case where the invention is applied to video decoding processing according to standardization specifications based on the H.264 as a software decoder achieved by the video playback application program of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a structural example of a content information processing system including the video decoding apparatus shown in FIG. 4 as a video decoding unit;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a basic processing example of a deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another basic processing example of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 3 in skip determination by information on a quantization parameter, as a first embodiment of a skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 2 in skip determination by information on a quantization parameter, as a second embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 1 of a third method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a third embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 2 of the third method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a fourth embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 1 of a fourth method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a fifth embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 2 (or 3) of the fourth method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a sixth embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 1 of a first method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a seventh embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 2 of the first method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as an eighth embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 1 of a second method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a ninth embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a processing example in a case according to pattern 3 (or 2) of the second method in skip determination by information on an encoding mode, as a tenth embodiment of the skip determining method of the deblocking filter skip determining unit in FIG. 4.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which decodes a compressed and encoded video stream by software, comprising: means for selectively generating one of an intra prediction image and an inter prediction image on the basis of an encoding mode of a decoding object from the video stream and decoded images thereof;means for generating a residual error decoded image on the basis of a quantization parameter of a decoding object from the video stream;means for generating a decoded image by adding the intra prediction image and the inter prediction image selectively generated by the prediction decoding means, and the residual error decoded image generated by the residual error decoding means;means for applying deblocking filter process for reducing a block distortion onto the decoded image generated by the residual error adding means;means for extracting at least one of information on a quantization parameter and information on an encoding mode of the decoding object from the video stream, and for determining whether or not the filter process is skipped, on the basis of extracted information thereof;means for selectively skipping the filter process on the basis of a result of the determination of skip; andmeans for selectively switching the determination and processing of skip to be valid or invalid.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, with respect to the switching the determination and skip to be valid or invalid, it is made to be in an invalid state in commercial power supply driving, and, it is automatically switched to be in a valid state in battery-driving on the basis of information on a remaining battery level.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination of skip carries out determination in units of slices, in units of macro-blocks, in units of an arbitrary number of macro-blocks, or in units of pictures of the decoded image.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination of skip specifies a central value of quantization parameters of the decoding object to be compared with a threshold value serving as a reference for determination, and carries out the determination of skip on the basis of a comparison result thereof.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, as the central value of quantization parameters of the decoding object, there is used an average value of quantization parameters of slices, or quantization parameters of macro-blocks belonging to slices, an average value of quantization parameters of macro-blocks, or quantization parameters of an arbitrary number of macro-blocks, an average value of quantization parameters of slices belonging to a picture, or an average value of quantization parameters of macro-blocks belonging to a picture.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, as the threshold value serving as a reference for the determination of skip, there is used a constant number value, an average value of the central values of quantization parameters in decoded past pictures or slices, or a value obtained by adding an offset value to the average value.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination of skip determines that the filter process is not skipped when the information on an encoding mode of the decoding object is at least a slice in a reference picture by only prediction-in-screen.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination of skip determines that the filter process is not skipped when the information on an encoding mode of the decoding object is at least a predicted macro-block in-screen.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination of skip determines that the filter process is skipped when the information on an encoding mode of the decoding object is at least a slice in a non-reference picture.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination of skip determines that the filter process is skipped when the information on an encoding mode of the decoding object is at least a bidirectional predicted macro-block (a bidirectional predicted macro-block in-screen).

11. A video decoding method, which is used for an information processing apparatus, for decoding a compressed and encoded video stream by software, the method comprising: selectively generating one of an intra prediction image and an inter prediction image on the basis of an encoding mode of a decoding object from the video stream and decoded images thereof;generating a residual error decoded image on the basis of a quantization parameter of a decoding object from the video stream;generating a decoded image by adding the intra prediction image and the inter prediction image selectively generated, and the residual error decoded image;applying deblocking filter process for reducing a block distortion onto the decoded image;extracting at least one of information on a quantization parameter and information on an encoding mode of the decoding object from the video stream, determining whether or not the filter process is skipped on the basis of extracted information thereof, and selectively skipping the filter process on the basis of a result of the determination; andselectively switching the determination and processing of skip to be valid or invalid.

12. The video decoding method according to claim 11, wherein, with respect to the determination and processing of skip, it is made to be in an invalid state in commercial power supply driving, and it is automatically switched to be in a valid state in battery-driving on the basis of information on a remaining battery level.

13. A computer-readable memory containing program instructions for decoding a compressed and encoded video stream by software, comprising: performing function of selectively generating one of an intra prediction image and an inter prediction image on the basis of an encoding mode of a decoding object from the video stream and decoded images thereof;performing function of generating a residual error decoded image on the basis of a quantization parameter of a decoding object from the video stream;performing function of generating a decoded image by adding the intra prediction image and the inter prediction image selectively generated, and the residual error decoded image;performing function of applying deblocking filter process for reducing a block distortion onto the decoded image;performing function of extracting at least one of information on a quantization parameter and information on an encoding mode of the decoding object from the video stream, determining whether or not the filter process is skipped on the basis of extracted information thereof, and selectively skipping the filter process on the basis of a result of the determination; andperforming function of selectively switching the determination and processing of skip to be valid or invalid.