EP3596923A1

EP3596923A1 - Method for encoding and decoding images, encoding and decoding device, and corresponding computer programs

Info

Publication number: EP3596923A1
Application number: EP18713333.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Félix Henry; Joël JUNG; Bappaditya Ray
Original assignee: Orange SA
Current assignee: Orange SA
Priority date: 2017-03-16
Filing date: 2018-03-12
Publication date: 2020-01-22
Also published as: FR3064145A1; CN110431844B; US20200084477A1; KR102498157B1; KR20190126348A; JP2020511082A; WO2018167419A1; CN110431844A; US11159826B2; JP7096263B2; BR112019018901A2

Abstract

The invention relates to the encoding of at least one image (ICj) divided into blocks, implementing the following: - encoding (C2) a first syntax element (ES) associated with a characteristic of said at least one image; - encoding (C8), for a current block to be encoded associated with at least one encoding parameter, the data of the current block, said encoding method being characterised in that: - if the first syntax element (ES) is encoded according to a first predefined value (VCES) representing the characteristic of the image, a second syntax element (ES2) representing the value of said at least one encoding parameter is encoded (C7) only if the current block belongs to a predefined zone (Z2) of the image; - if the first syntax element (ES) is encoded according to a second predefined value (VCES2) representing the characteristic of the image, the second syntax element (ES2) is encoded (C7), whether or not the current block belongs to the predefined zone.

Description

METHOD FOR ENCODING AND DECODING IMAGES, DEVICE FOR ENCODING AND DECODING AND COMPUTER PROGRAMS

CORRESPONDENTS Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of image processing, and more specifically to coding and decoding of digital image parameters, whether these digital images are fixed or part of a digital image sequence.

The coding / decoding of such image parameters applies in particular to images originating from at least one video sequence comprising:

images coming from the same camera and succeeding each other temporally (coding / decoding of 2D type),

images from different cameras oriented according to different views (coding / decoding of 3D type),

corresponding texture and depth components (3D type coding / decoding),

images obtained by projection of a 360 ° video,

- etc ...

The present invention applies similarly to the coding / decoding of 2D or 3D type image parameters.

The invention may especially, but not exclusively, apply to video coding implemented in current AVC and HEVC video encoders and their extensions (MVC, 3D-AVC, MV-HEVC, 3D-HEVC, etc.), and to corresponding decoding.

Background of the invention

Current video encoders (MPEG, H.264, HEVC, ...) use a block representation of the video sequence. The images are cut into blocks, which can be re-cut, for example recursively as in the HEVC standard.

For a current block to be coded, the image parameters associated with this block are coded in the form of bits using a suitable coding method implemented. implemented by an encoder, such as for example an entropic encoder whose purpose is to encode these parameters without loss.

Such parameters are for example:

the residual prediction coefficients of the pixels of the current block,

the mode of prediction of the current block (Intra prediction, Inter prediction, prediction by default carrying out a prediction for which no information is transmitted to the decoder ("in English" skip ")),

information specifying the type of prediction of the current block (orientation, reference image, etc.),

- the type of division of the current block,

the motion information of the current block if necessary,

- etc.

The bits obtained after entropy coding are written in a data signal which is intended to be transmitted to the decoder.

For example, with regard to residual prediction coefficients, the HEVC standard proposes an indicator called "cbf" (abbreviation for "Coded Block Flag") that can take:

or the value 0 which is representative of zero residual coefficients for the current block to be coded,

or the value 1 which is representative of at least one non-zero residual coefficient for the current block to be coded.

Once the coded data signal has been received by the decoder, the decoding is done image by image, and for each image, block by block. For each block, the bits representative of the image parameters associated with the block are read and then decoded using a decoding method implemented by a decoder.

The disadvantage of such a coding technique of the image parameters is that the resulting bit sequence remains expensive to report. Thus, it does not make it possible to optimize the reduction of the compression gain of the coded data. This results in compression performance that is not satisfactory. However, in certain image coding contexts, and for certain types of image considered, it turns out that the coding of such parameters does not always prove useful or proves to be inefficient, thus resulting in the context, either a reconstruction of the image of poor quality, or a significant solicitation of computational resources to both the encoder and the decoder, or a too high limitation of the gain in flow. For example, in medical imaging, it is not necessarily useful to code one or more coding parameters associated with blocks of the image located on the periphery of the latter. According to another example, in the case of an image obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 360 ° video, this projection is of the Mercator, equirectangular type, of the CMP (abbreviation of "Cube Map Projection") type, etc. it is known to note that such a projection causes deformations in certain very particular areas of the projected image. For example, with respect to an image projected onto a rectangle, it is known in advance that the upper and lower areas of this image contain the most deformations that the rest of the image. As a result, the coding of the parameters associated with the blocks contained in these particular zones is not effective, which furthermore leads to an unnecessary decrease in the gain in flow rate.

The invention therefore aims at optimizing the signaling cost of the image coding parameters, by implementing a selective coding of these coding parameters which takes into account, at a first level, the characteristic of the image to be coded, and at a second level, the arrangement of the current block to be encoded in this image.

Object and summary of the invention

One of the aims of the invention is to overcome disadvantages of the state of the art mentioned above.

For this purpose, an object of the present invention relates to a method of coding at least one image cut into blocks, implementing the following:

coding a first syntax element associated with a characteristic of said at least one image, for a current block to be encoded associated with at least one coding parameter, coding the data of the current block.

Such a coding method is remarkable in that:

if the first syntax element is encoded according to a first predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, a second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is coded only if the current block belongs to a zone predefined image,

if the first syntax element is encoded according to a second predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, the second syntax element is encoded, whether the current block belongs to the predefined zone or not.

Such an arrangement makes it possible to avoid coding, then transmitting to the decoder, at least one syntax element representative of a coding parameter of a block, taking into account not only that such a block is located in a block. specific area of the image, for which the coding of this syntax element is not useful in view of the current image coding context, but also of a characteristic of the image to be coded in which the block is located current.

This results in a significant decrease in the cost of signaling, insofar as such a provision is reproducible at the decoder.

According to a particular embodiment, if the current block belongs to the predefined area of the image, the coding of the second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is implemented according to a dependent criterion. characteristics of the current block.

Such an arrangement also makes it possible to implement an adaptive coding of at least one syntax element representative of a coding parameter of a block, according to the value of a criterion depending on the characteristics of the current block, such as by example the size, the value of the residual pixels of this block, the type of transform applied to the residual pixels of this block if the latter has undergone a prediction, etc. Thus, depending on the value of this criterion, it is decided to code or not to code this syntax element.

This results in a reduction in the cost of optimized signaling, with a better adaptation of the coding to the local characteristics of the video signal.

According to another particular embodiment, the characteristic of said at least one image is the type of obtaining said at least one image.

Such an arrangement makes it possible to reduce the cost of signaling selectively depending on how the scene represented by the image was initially captured.

For example, if the current image is a two-dimensional image, it is decided:

not to encode a syntax element representative of a coding parameter of a block of this image, in the case where the latter has been obtained by projecting a captured video according to a plurality of viewing angles covering by an angle of 360 ° and therefore includes areas where it is known in advance that the information density per pixel is lower than in other areas of the image,

systematically coding a syntax element representative of a coding parameter of a block of this image, in the case where the latter comes from a video comprising temporally succeeding 2D images.

According to yet another particular embodiment, the characteristic of said at least one image is the current encoding context of the image.

Such an arrangement makes it possible to reduce the signaling cost selectively in the context of certain image coding applications.

According to an exemplary image coding context, in the case of image coding applied to medical imaging, it is decided to apply to at least two different areas of the current image a coding level of different quality so as to:

not coding a syntax element representative of an encoding parameter of a block of this image, in the case where this block is located at the periphery of the image, coding a syntax element representative of a coding parameter of a block of this image, in the case where this block is located in the center of the image.

According to another example of coding context, in the case of an image coding applied to a television stream, it is decided to apply to each zone of the current image the same level of coding quality.

The various embodiments or embodiments mentioned above may be added independently or in combination with each other, to the operations implemented during the coding method as defined above.

Correlatively, the invention relates to a device for encoding at least one image cut into blocks, comprising a processing circuit which is arranged for:

coding a first syntax element associated with a characteristic of said at least one image,

for a current block to be encoded associated with at least one coding parameter, coding the data of the current block.

Such an encoding device is characterized in that the processing circuit is arranged for:

if the first syntax element is encoded according to a first predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, coding a second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter, only if the current block belongs to a zone predefined image,

if the first syntax element is coded according to a second predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, coding the second syntax element, whether the current block belongs to the predefined zone or not.

Correspondingly, the invention also relates to a method of decoding a data signal representative of at least one coded picture having been cut into blocks, implementing the following: decoding a first syntax element contained in said data signal, said first syntax element being associated with a characteristic of said at least one image,

for a current block to be decoded associated with at least one coding parameter, to decode the data of the current block.

Such a decoding method is remarkable in that:

if the first syntax element has a first predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, a second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is decoded only if the current block belongs to a predefined zone of the image,

if the first syntax element has a second predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, the second syntax element is decoded, whether the current block belongs to the predefined zone or not.

According to a particular embodiment, if the current block belongs to the predefined area of the image, the decoding of the second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is implemented according to a dependent criterion. characteristics of the current block.

According to yet another particular embodiment, the characteristic of said at least one image is the current decoding context of the image.

The various embodiments or embodiments mentioned above may be added independently or in combination with each other, to the operations implemented during the decoding method as defined above.

Correlatively, the invention relates to a device for decoding a data signal representative of at least one coded picture having been cut into blocks, comprising a processing circuit which is arranged for:

decoding a first syntax element contained in the data signal, the first syntax element being associated with a characteristic of said at least one image, for a current block to be decoded associated with at least one coding parameter, to decode the data of the current block.

Such a decoding device is remarkable in that the processing circuit is arranged for:

if the first syntax element has a first predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, decoding a second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter, only if the current block belongs to a predefined zone of the image,

if the first syntax element has a second predefined value representative of the characteristic of the image, decoding the second syntax element, whether the current block belongs to the predefined zone or not.

The invention also relates to a computer program comprising instructions for implementing one of the coding and decoding methods according to the invention, when it is executed on a computer.

Such a program can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any another desirable form.

Still another object of the invention is directed to a computer readable recording medium, and including computer program instructions as mentioned above.

The recording medium may be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise storage means, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, a USB key, or a magnetic recording means, for example a hard disk.

On the other hand, such a recording medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means. The program according to the invention can be downloaded in particular on an Internet type network. Alternatively, such a recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which the program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute the method in question or to be used in the execution of the latter.

Brief description of the drawings

Other features and advantages will appear on reading preferred embodiments described with reference to the figures in which:

FIG. 1A represents the steps of the coding method according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1B represents an alternative of the coding method of FIG. 1A,

FIG. 2 represents a coding device according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3A represents an image divided into blocks according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 3B represents an image divided into blocks according to a second embodiment,

FIGS. 4A to 4D each represent examples of predefined zones in the current image, in the case of a particular obtaining of the current image,

FIG. 5A represents a current image in a coding / decoding context where the coder / decoder chooses to apply or not to apply a different level of coding / decoding quality to at least two zones of the current image,

FIG. 5B represents an example of a predefined zone in the current image, in the case where the coder / decoder chooses to apply or not to apply a different quality of coding / decoding level to at least two zones of the current image,

FIG. 6A represents the steps of the decoding method according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 6B represents an alternative of the decoding method of FIG. 6A, FIG. 7 represents a decoding device according to one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the coding part

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, in which the coding method according to the invention is used to code an image or a sequence of images according to a bit stream close to that obtained by a coding set. implemented in an encoder according to any current or future video coding standards.

In this embodiment, the coding method according to the invention is for example implemented in a software or hardware way by modifications of such an encoder. The coding method according to the invention is represented in the form of an algorithm comprising operations C1 to C9 as represented in FIG. 1A.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the coding method according to the invention is implemented in a coding device or coder CO shown in FIG.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the coder CO comprises a memory MEM_C comprising a buffer memory MT_C, a processor PROC_C controlled by a computer program PG_C which implements the coding method according to the invention. At initialization, the code instructions of the computer program PG_C are for example loaded into a RAM, denoted MR_C, before being executed by the processor PROC_C.

The encoding method shown in Fig 1 A apply to the entire current image IC _j fixed or part of a sequence of L IC-i images, IC _j, ..., IC _L (1≤j≤L ) to code.

The current image IC _j comes from at least one video sequence comprising, by way of non-exhaustive examples:

images from different cameras oriented according to different views (coding / decoding of 3D type), corresponding texture and depth components, ie representative of the same scene (coding / decoding of 3D type),

images obtained by projection of a 360 ° video,

- etc.

With reference to FIG. 1A, C1 is, in a manner known per se, the cutting of a current image IC _j into a plurality of blocks Bi, B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s (1 <u≤S). The partitioning is implemented by a partitioning device MP_C shown in FIG. 2, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_C.

It should be noted that for the purposes of the invention, the term "block" means coding unit ("coding unit"). This last terminology is notably used in the standard HEVC "ISO / IEC / 23008-2 Recommendation ITU-T H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)".

In particular, such a coding unit groups together sets of pixels of rectangular or square shape, also called blocks, macroblocks, or sets of pixels having other geometrical shapes.

Said blocks B _; B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s are intended to be coded according to a predetermined order of travel, which is for example of the lexicographic type. This means that the blocks are coded one after the other, from left to right.

Other types of course are of course possible. Thus, it is possible to cut the image IC _j into several subimages called slices and to independently apply a division of this type on each sub-image. It is also possible to code not a succession of lines, as explained above, but a succession of columns. It is also possible to browse the rows or columns in one direction or the other.

According to one example, the blocks Bi, B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s have a square shape and all contain K pixels, with K> 1. According to a first embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the blocks B _; B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s are obtained at the end of a single subdivision of the current image IC _j into blocks of maximum size. According to this first embodiment, the blocks have a size of for example 64 × 64 pixels. According to a second embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the blocks B _; B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s are obtained at the end of a subdivision of the current image ICj into blocks of size less than or equal to the maximum size mentioned above. According to this second embodiment, said blocks are, for example, 64 × 64 and / or 32 × 32 and / or 16 × 6 and / or 8 × 8 pixels.

Depending on the size of the image that is not necessarily a multiple of the size of the blocks, the last blocks on the left and the last blocks on the bottom may not be square. In an alternative embodiment, the blocks may be for example of rectangular size and / or not aligned with each other.

In C2, the encoding of a first syntax element ES ^ is associated with a characteristic of the current image ICj.

The syntax element ESi is a high level syntax element of a video sequence including the current image ICj. For this purpose, depending on the coding context, this element can be coded:

- at the beginning of the coding of each image of the video sequence, - or only once at the beginning of the coding of a sequence of images,

- or only once at the beginning of the coding of the video sequence. The syntax element ES ^ is coded in C2:

by a first predefined value VCES1 i which is representative of a characteristic of a first type of the current image ICj,

by a second predefined value VCES1 ₂ which is representative of a characteristic of a second type of the current image

ICj. In one example, VCES1 i = 1 and VCES1 ₂ = 0.

The coding C2 is for example a entropic coding of type CABAC

("Context Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coder" in English) or else an entropy coding of arithmetic type or Huffman. This coding is implemented by an encoding device MC_C shown in FIG. 2, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_C.

According to a first embodiment, the characteristic of the image ICj is the type of obtaining of the latter. For this purpose:

if the image ICj is for example a 2D image which has been obtained by two-dimensional projection of a conventional 360 ° video, VCES1 1 = 1, if the image IC _j is for example a conventional 2D image of fixed type or part of a sequence of images succeeding one another temporally, VCES1 ₂ = 0.

According to a second embodiment, the characteristic of the image IC _j is the choice of the encoder to apply or not a coding quality level different to at least two areas of the current image to be encoded. For this purpose:

if the current image IC _j is coded according to a first coding context, such as for example a medical imaging context, VCES1 i = 1, which indicates that the central zone of the current image is coded according to a level of higher quality than the one applied to the peripheral zone of the current image,

if the current image IC _j is coded according to a second coding context, such as for example a televisual context, VCES1 ₂ = 0, which indicates that a same level of coding quality is applied to the whole current image .

With reference to FIG. 1A, at C3, the coder CO of FIG. 2 selects as current block a first block to be coded B _u of image IC _j , such as for example the first block Bi. The current block B _u is associated with at least one coding parameter. By way of non-exhaustive examples, such a coding parameter is:

The prediction mode (intra prediction, inter prediction, bi-prediction, prediction by default carrying out a prediction for which no information is transmitted to the decoder (in English "skip");

• the type of prediction (orientation, reference image component, ...);

• the type of subdivision into sub-blocks;

The type of transform, for example DCT 4x4, DCT 8x8, applied to the current block or to the residual pixels of the current block if the latter has undergone a prediction;

· Pixel values

• the residual pixel values resulting from a prediction;

A filtering of the current image IC _j once coded, such as for example that practiced by the technique "Sample Adaptive "Offset" of the HEVC standard (described in Chih-Ming Fu, Alshina, Alshin, Yu-Wen Huang, Ching-Yeh Chen, Chia-Yang Tsai, Chih-Wei Hsu, Shaw-Min Lei; Jeong-Hoon Park, Woo-Jin Han "Sample Adaptive Offset in the HEVC Standard" Published in: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology (Volume: 22, Issue: 12, Dec. 2012);

The index of the intra prediction mode from a list constructed for the current block;

• the index of the motion vector among a list built for the current block;

• a subdivision indicator of the residue block obtained in case of prediction of the current block;

A filter indicator of the reference pixels that were used to predict the current block;

• etc.

A second element of syntax ES ₂ is representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter.

In C4, the coder CO reads the coded value VCES1 or VCES1 ₂ of the ES-i syntax element.

If in C4, the coded value of the syntax element ESi is VCES1 i and if, in C5, the current block B _u belongs to a predefined zone of the current image IC _j , it is decided in C6 not to encode the ES ₂ syntax element. For this purpose, the syntax element ES ₂ is set to a predefined value. Such an operation is particularly suitable when the information density of the predefined area of the image is low or very low.

According to a first embodiment, if the element of syntax ES ₂ is representative of the prediction mode of the current block B _u and that, for example, ES ₂ takes:

a first predefined value VES2i indicating an inter prediction of the current block B _u ,

or a second predefined value VES2 ₂ indicating an intra prediction of the current block B _u , it is decided in C6 to assign ES ₂ to, for example, the first predefined value VES2-I according to a predetermined convention to the CO encoder.

According to a second embodiment, if the syntax element ES ₂ is representative of the value of the residual pixels of the current block B _u and that, for example, ES ₂ takes:

a first predefined value VES2i indicating residual pixels of zero value of the current block B _u ,

or a second predefined value VES2 ₂ indicating residual pixels of non-zero value of the current block B _u ,

it is decided in C6 to assign ES ₂ to, for example, the first predefined value VES2-I according to a predetermined convention to the CO encoder.

The predefined values VES2 and VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ are previously stored in an LTSi list which is stored in the buffer memory MT_C of the encoder CO of FIG. 2.

When coding the current block B _u , only the first or the second embodiment of the ES ₂ syntax element is implemented. As an alternative, the first and second embodiments are implemented.

If in C4, the coded value of the syntax element ESi is VCES1 i and if, in C5, the current block B _u does not belong to the predefined zone of the current image, the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ taken by the second element of syntax ES ₂ is coded in C7. At the end of this coding C7, according to the current coding context, a coded value VCES2i or VCES2 ₂ of the second syntax element ES ₂ is obtained. By way of non-exhaustive example, VCES2 _{1 =} 0 and VCES2 ₂ = 1.

a first predefined value VES2 indicating an inter prediction of the current block B _u ,

or a second predefined value VES2 ₂ indicating an intra prediction of the current block B _u ,

the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ is coded for example the value VCES2 ₌ 0 or VCES2 ₂ = 1, respectively, depending on the current coding context. According to a second embodiment, if the syntax element ES ₂ is representative of the value of the residual pixels of the current block B _u and that, for example, ES ₂ takes:

a first predefined value VES2 indicating residual pixels of zero value of the current block B _u ,

- or a second preset value ₂ indicating VES2 residual pixels of non-zero value of the current block B _u,

the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ of the element of syntax ES ₂ is systematically coded in C7, for example the value , respectively, depending on the current coding context.

Such coding is, for example, entropic coding of CABAC type ("Context Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coder" in English) or else an entropy coding of arithmetic type or Huffman type. This coding is implemented by an encoding device MC_C represented in FIG. 2.

If in C4, the coded value of the syntax element ESi is VCES1 ₂ , the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ of the syntax element ES ₂ is systematically coded at C7, for example the value , respectively, depending on the current coding context.

According to an embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, for a current image IC _j of height H, in the case where:

the current image IC _j is for example a 2D image obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 180 ° or 330 ° video, the syntax element ESi is coded according to the value VCES1 1 = 1,

the current image IC _j is for example a conventional 2D image of fixed type or part of a sequence of images succeeding each other in time, the syntax element ESi is coded according to the value VCES1 ₂ = 0.

FIG. 4A shows the current image IC _j as a 2D image obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 360 ° video. A first predefined zone, denoted Z1, of the current image IC _j has a height H1 such that 0.2H <H1 <0.8H. The blocks contained in the zone Z1 contain the pixels resulting from the projection in the current image IC _j of the pixels closest to the equator of the image captured by a 360 ° video capture sphere and thus undergoing little deformation. The blocks contained in the zones predefined remaining image, denoted Z2 in Figure 4A, contain the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j pixels located near the poles of the sphere of 360 ° video capture and thus undergoing maximum deformation.

FIG. 4B shows the current image IC _j as an image

2D obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 180 ° video. The predefined zone Z1 of the current image IC _j has a height H1 such that 0 <H1 <0.8H. The blocks contained in the zone Z1 are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the current image IC _j of the pixels closest to the equator of the image captured by a half-sphere of video capture 180 ° and undergoing thus little deformation. The blocks contained in the predefined zone Z2 of the image are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the IC image _j of the pixels located near the north pole of the 180 ° video capture sphere and thus undergoing maximum deformation.

FIG. 4C shows the current image IC _j as an image

2D obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 180 ° video. A first predefined zone Z1 of the current image IC _j has a height H1 such that 0.2H <H1 <H. The blocks contained in the zone Z1 are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j of the pixels closest to the equator of the image captured by a half-sphere of video capture 180 ° and thus undergoing little deformation. The blocks contained in the predefined remaining zone Z2 of the current image IC _j are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j of the pixels located near the south pole of the 180 ° video capture sphere and undergoing maximum deformation.

FIG. 4D shows the current image IC _j as an image

2D obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 360 ° video. A predefined zone, denoted Z1, of the current image IC _j has a height H1 such that 0.2H <H1 <0.8H. The blocks contained in the zone Z1 are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the current image IC _j of the pixels closest to the equator of the image captured by a 360 ° video capture sphere and thus undergoing little deformation. Image IC _{j also} contains two other predefined zones Z2 situated on either side of zone Z1. A first zone Z2 has a height H2 such that 0.1 H <H2 <0.2H. Blocks contained in the zone Z2i of the current image IC _j are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j of the pixels located closest to the last line before the south pole of the 360 ° video capture sphere and thus undergoing moderate deformation. A second zone Z2 ₂ has a height H2 ₂ such that 0.8H <H2 ₂ <0.9H. The blocks contained in the zone Z2 ₂ of the current image IC _j are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j of the pixels situated closest to the first line before the north pole of the capture sphere 360 ° video and thus undergoing moderate deformation. Image IC _{j also} contains two other predefined zones situated respectively on either side of zones Z2i and Z2 ₂ . A first zone Z3i has a height H3i such that 0 <H3i <0.1 H. The blocks contained in the zone Z3i of the current image IC _j are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j of the pixels located closest to the south pole of the 360 ° video capture sphere and thus undergoing maximum deformation. A second zone Z3 ₂ has a height H3 ₂ such that 0.9H <H3 ₂ <H. The blocks contained in the zone Z3 ₂ of the current image IC _j are the blocks containing the pixels resulting from the projection in the image IC _j of the pixels located closest to the north pole of the 360 ° video capture sphere and undergoing thus a maximum deformation.

It is of course possible to define predefined areas of the current image IC _j differently. Thus, in the case where the current image IC _j is for example a 2D image obtained by CMP projection of a 180 ° or 360 ° video, one or more specific areas are predefined as a function of the proximity of the pixels relative to each other. at the edges of the cubes used for projection. Alternatively, the zones may be defined by the value of a function depending on the coordinates of the block in the current image IC _j , or of its processing order among all the blocks of the current image IC _j . For example, we can define an area by the distance from the pixel located in the center of the image: the pixels whose distance from the center of the image is greater than a threshold define a first zone, the other pixels defining a second zone. Thus, in the case for example of FIG. 4A, if (xc; yc) are the coordinates of the pixel PxC located at the center of the current image ICj, and (xp; yp) the coordinates of a given pixel PxD of the block current B _u , the given pixel PxD belongs to the first zone Z1 if and only if the square root of the value (xc-xp) ² + (yc-yp) ² is greater than a threshold T1. Alternatively, the given pixel PxD belongs to the first zone Z1 if and only if one of the values | xc-xp | or | yc-yp | is greater than a threshold T2.

FIG. 5A represents an example of a current image IC _j , for which the characteristic of the image IC _j is the choice of the encoder to apply or not a coding quality level different to at least two zones of the current image. .

For this purpose:

if the current image IC _j is coded according to a first coding context, such as for example a medical imaging context, VCES1 i = 1 to indicate that a first zone of the current image is coded according to a level of NQ1 coding quality less than a NQ2 coding quality level applied to a second zone of the current image,

if the current image IC _j is coded according to a second coding context, such as for example a televisual context, VCES1 ₂ = 0 to indicate that a same level of quality of NQ coding is applied to any zone of the image common.

FIG. 5B shows an example of predefined zones in the current image IC _j . In this example, the current image CI _j includes:

a first predefined zone Z1, such as for example the peripheral zone of the current image IC _j , whose information density is low and for which the quality level of coding NQ1 is applied,

at least one second predefined zone Z2, such as for example the central zone of the current image IC _j , whose information density is higher and for which the quality level of coding NQ2 is applied.

In a manner similar to the examples given with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D, it is of course possible to define predefined areas of the current image IC _j differently. Thus, for example, if (xc; yc) are the coordinates of the pixel PxC located at the center of the image, and (xp; yp) the coordinates of a given pixel PxD of the current block B _u , the given pixel belongs to the first zone Z1 if and only if one of the values | xc-xp | or | yc-yp | is greater than a threshold T3, where T3 is one sixth of the width in number of pixels, of the current image IC _j .

Referring again to Figure 1 A, the data of the current block B _u are encoded C8.

According to a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, such an encoding C8 implements the application C81 of a transform to the data of the current block B _u .

In the example described here, data means the pixels of the current block B _u .

It should be noted, however, that data are also understood to mean the pixels of a predicted block obtained by means of a prediction of the current block B _u with respect to a predictor block that is selected following a call for competition. different prediction modes inter, intra or other predetermined, for example by minimizing a distortion rate criterion well known to those skilled in the art.

In a manner known per se, depending on the context or the coding standard used, such a transform is for example a DCT (abbreviation of "Discrete Cosine Transform"), DST (abbreviation of "Discrete Sine Transform") ), type DWT (abbreviation of "Discrete Wavelet Transform") or type LT (abbreviation of "Lapped Transform"). These transforms are previously stored in an LTS ₂ list, in the buffer memory MT_C of the CO encoder of FIG. 2.

At the end of the application of this transform, a current transformed data block Bt _u is obtained.

Such an operation is performed by a transform calculation device MTR_C, as represented in FIG. 2, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_C.

The coding C8 further implements a quantization C82 of the data of the transformed block Bt _u according to a conventional quantization operation, such as, for example, a scalar or vector quantization. A block Bq _u of quantized coefficients is then obtained. The quantization C82 is implemented by a quantization device MQ_C as represented in FIG. 2, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_C.

The transform calculation device MTR_C and the quantization device MQ_C are contained in a block coding device MCB_C shown in FIG. 2, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_C.

The coding C8 also implements a coding C83 of the data of the block Bq _u of quantized coefficients. The coding C83 is implemented by the coding device MC_C of FIG. 2. At the end of the coding C83 is obtained a coded data set DC _U of the current block B _u .

With reference to FIG. 1A, a signal or data stream F which contains:

the coded data DC _U obtained in C8,

the coded value VCES1 i or VCES1 ₂ of the first element of syntax ES-i,

possibly the coded value VCES2i or VCES2 ₂ of the second element (s) of syntax ES ₂ according to the predefined zone of the current image IC _j in which the current block B _u is located.

The stream construction C9 is implemented by a data signal construction device MCF, as shown in FIG. 2.

The data signal F is then transmitted by a communication network (not shown) to a remote terminal. This includes the decoder DO shown in FIG.

In a manner known per se, the data signal F may furthermore comprise certain information encoded by the coder CO, such as, for example:

the type of prediction (Inter, Intra or others) if the current block B _u has been predicted, and if necessary, the prediction mode selected, the index of the predictor block obtained _,

the type of partitioning of the current block B _u if the latter has been partitioned, - the type of transform applied to the data of the current block

B _U!

- etc ....

As an alternative, the choice to code or not to encode said certain information mentioned above is implemented according to the invention, by applying operation C4 of FIG.

In a manner known per se, decoding (not shown) of the coded DC _U data obtained at C8 is then carried out. A current decoded block BD _U is then reconstructed, such a reconstructed block being the same as the decoded block obtained at the end of the image decoding process IC _j which will be described later in the description. The decoded block BD _U is thus made available for use by the coder CO of FIG. 2.

The coding operations C1 to C9 that have just been described above are then implemented for each of the blocks Bi, B ₂ , B _u ,..., B _s to be encoded of the current image IC _j considered.

A variant of the coding method of FIG. 1A will now be described with reference to FIG.

This variant differs from the coding method of FIG. 1A only in that:

the coding C7 of the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ is not systematically implemented,

the value VES2i or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ can be coded even if the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone of the current image IC _j .

For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 1B, in the case where the current block B _u belongs to the predefined area of the current image IC _j , a criterion dependent on the characteristics of the current block is examined at C 50.

If the criterion is fulfilled, the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ is coded in C7.

If the criterion is not fulfilled, it is decided in C60 not to encode the value VES2i or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ . It is then decided in C60 to assign ES ₂ to the first predefined value VES2 or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context. In the case where the current block B _u does not belong to the predefined area of the current image IC _j , a criterion dependent on the characteristics of the current block is examined at C51.

If the criterion is not fulfilled, it is decided in C61 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ . It is then decided in C61 to assign ES ₂ to the first predefined value VES2 or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context.

In the case where the coded value of the first element of syntax ESi is

VCES1 ₂ , a criterion depending on the characteristics of the current block is examined in C52.

If the criterion is not fulfilled, it is decided in C62 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ . It is then decided in C62 to assign ES ₂ to the first predefined value VES2i or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context.

Alternatively, only one or two of the three operations C50, C51, C52 is implemented.

According to an example of criterion, in the case where the second element of syntax ES ₂ is representative of the size of the current block B _u , the value VES2i or VES2 ₂ of the element of syntax ES ₂ is compared with a value of predetermined size VTP.

In the case, for example, of the current images represented in FIGS. 4A to 4C, for which the coded value VCES1 i of the syntax element ES ₁ indicates, for example, that the current image IC _j is for example a 2D image obtained by projection in two dimensions of a 180 ° or 360 ° video:

if in C5 (FIG. 1B), the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone Z1, and

• if in C50, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a value predetermined VTP, for example 32x32, the value VES2-I or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is coded in C7,

Otherwise, it is decided in C60 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2 or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context,

if in C5 (Fig. 1B), the current block B _u does not belong to the predefined zone Z1, in other words belongs to the predefined zone Z2 of the current image ICj, and

If in C51, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 1 6 × 16, the value VES2-I or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is coded in C7,

Otherwise, it is decided in C61 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2i or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context.

In the case for example of a current image (not shown), for which the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the syntax element ES ^ indicates for example that the current image ICj is for example a conventional 2D image of fixed type or part of a sequence of images succeeding one another temporally:

• if in C52 (Fig. 1B), it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 8x8, the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ of the second element of ES ₂ syntax representative of the size of the current block B _u is coded in C7,

Otherwise, it is decided in C62 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2i or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context.

In the case of the current image ICj shown in FIG. 4D, for which the coded value VCES1 i of the syntax element ES ^ indicates for example that the current image ICj is for example a 2D image obtained by projection in two dimensions of a 360 ° video:

If in C50, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 32x32, the value VES2-I or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is coded in C7,

Otherwise, it is decided in C60 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2i or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context,

if in C5 (FIG. 1B), the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone Z2, and

If in C51, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is much greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 1 6 × 16, the value VES2-I or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is coded in C7, Otherwise, it is decided in C61 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2 or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context,

if in C5 (FIG. 1B), the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone Z3, and

If in C51, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is much greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 8x8, the value VES2-I or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the block current B _u is coded in C7,

Otherwise, it is decided in C61 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2 or the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context.

In the case for example of the current image ICj shown in FIG. 5B, for which the coded value VCES1 i of the syntax element ES- _\ indicates, for example, that at least two zones of the current image ICj are coded according to a different level of coding quality:

In the case for example of the current image ICj shown at the bottom right in FIG. 5A, for which the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the syntax element ES ^ indicates, for example, that any zone of the current image ICj is coded according to the same level of coding quality:

If in C52 (FIG. 1B), it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 8 × 8, the value VES2 or VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is coded in C7,

Otherwise, it is decided in C62 not to encode the second element of syntax ES ₂ , the latter being assigned to the first predefined value VES2i or to the second predefined value VES2 ₂ according to the current coding context. Detailed description of the decoding part

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, in which the decoding method according to the invention is used to decode a signal or data stream representative of an image or a sequence of images which is suitable for be decoded by a decoder according to any of the current or future video decoding standards.

In this embodiment, the decoding method according to the invention is for example implemented in a software or hardware way by modifications of such a decoder.

The decoding method according to the invention is represented in the form of an algorithm comprising operations D1 to D10 as represented in FIG. 6A.

According to this embodiment, the decoding method according to the invention is implemented in a decoding device or decoder DO represented in FIG.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, according to this embodiment of the invention, the decoder DO comprises a memory MEM_D which itself comprises a buffer memory MT_D, a processor PROC_D controlled by a computer program PG_D which implements the method decoding device according to the invention. At initialization, the code instructions of the computer program PG_D are for example loaded into a RAM RAM_D noted, before being executed by the PROC_D processor.

The decoding method shown in Figure 6A applies to any fixed coded current picture IC _j or part of a sequence of L IC-i images, IC _j, ..., IC _L (1≤j≤L ) to decode.

The current image IC _j to be decoded originates from at least one video sequence comprising, as non-exhaustive examples:

corresponding texture and depth components, ie representative of the same scene (coding / decoding of 3D type), images obtained by projection of a 360 ° video,

- etc.

In D1, the coded value VCES1 i or VCES1 ₂ is identified in the signal F of a first syntax element ES ₁ which is associated with a characteristic of the current image ICj to be decoded.

The syntax element ES ^ is a high-level syntax element of a video sequence comprising the current image ICj to be decoded. For this purpose, depending on the decoding context, this element can be decoded:

- at the beginning of the decoding of each image of the video sequence, - or only once at the beginning of the decoding of a sequence of images,

- or only once at the beginning of the decoding of the video sequence. Such identification D1 is implemented by a PARS_D flow analysis device, as shown in Figure 7, said device being controlled by the PROC_D processor.

In D2, the coded value VCESI ₁ or VCES1 ₂ taken by the first syntax element ES ^ is decoded.

Such a decoding D2 is implemented by a decoding device MD_D shown in FIG. 7, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_D.

The decoding is for example a CABAC entropic decoding or an arithmetic or Huffman entropy decoding.

if the image ICj is for example a 2D image which has been obtained by two-dimensional projection of a conventional 360 ° video, it is the coded value VCES1 ₁ of the syntax element ES ^ which is decoded,

if the image ICj is for example a conventional 2D image of fixed type or part of a sequence of images succeeding each other temporally, it is the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the syntax element ES1 which is decoded.

According to a second embodiment, the characteristic of the image ICj is the choice of the decoder to apply or not a decoding quality level different to at least two areas of the current image. For this purpose:

if the current image ICj is decoded according to a first decoding context, such as for example a medical imaging context, the coded value of the syntax element ESi identified at D1 in the signal F is VCES1 i = 1 for indicate that a first zone of the current image must be decoded according to a quality level NQ1 below a quality level NQ2 applied to a second zone of the current image,

if the current image ICj is decoded according to a second decoding context, such as, for example, a televisual context, the coded value of the syntax element ES1 identified at D1 in the signal F is VCES1 ₂ = 0 to indicate that a same quality level of decoding NQ is applied to any area of the current image ICj.

With reference to FIG. 6A, the identification of the coded data Dd, DC ₂ ,..., DC _U , DCs (1 u u S S) associated with the B blocks is carried out at D3. _; B ₂ , B _u ,..., B _s previously encoded in accordance with the above-mentioned lexicographic order, which were obtained at the end of coding operation C8 of FIG. 1 A. This means that the blocks are decoded one after the other, from left to right.

Such identification D3 is implemented by the PARS_D flow analysis device of FIG. 7.

Other types of course than the one just described above are of course possible and depend on the order of course chosen coding.

In one example, the blocks Bi, B _2, B _u, ..., B _s have a square shape and contain all pixels K, with K> 1. According to a first embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the blocks B _; B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s are obtained at the end of a single subdivision of the current image ICj into blocks of maximum size. According to this first embodiment, the blocks have a size of for example 64 × 64 pixels. According to a second embodiment, the blocks B _; B ₂ , B _u , ..., B _s are obtained at the end of a subdivision of the current image ICj into blocks of size less than or equal to the maximum size mentioned above. According to this second embodiment, said blocks are for example of size 64x64, and / or 32x32, and / or 1 6x1 6, and / or 8x8 pixels. Depending on the size of the image that is not necessarily a multiple of the size of the blocks, the last blocks on the left and the last blocks on the bottom may not be square. In an alternative embodiment, the blocks may be for example of rectangular size and / or not aligned with each other.

Referring to FIG. 6A, at D4, the decoder DO of FIG. 7 selects as current block to be decoded a first set of coded data DC _U of the image IC _j , such as for example the first set of associated coded data DCi at the first block Bi to be decoded. All encoded data DC _U B _u current block is associated with at least one encoding parameter. By way of non-exhaustive examples, such a coding parameter is:

• the type of prediction (orientation, reference image component, ...);

• the type of subdivision into sub-blocks;

• pixel values;

• the residual pixel values resulting from a prediction;

A filtering of the current image IC _j once coded, such as for example that practiced by the technique "Sample Adaptive

"Offset" of the HEVC standard (described in Chih-Ming Fu, Alshina, Alshin, Yu-Wen Huang, Ching-Yeh Chen, Chia-Yang Tsai, Chih-Wei Hsu, Shaw-Min Lei; Jeong-Hoon Park, Woo-Jin Han "Sample Adaptive Offset in the HEVC Standard" Published in: IEEE

Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology (Volume: 22, Issue: 12, Dec. 2012); The index of the intra prediction mode from a list constructed for the current block;

• the index of the motion vector among a list built for the current block;

"A subdivision indicator of the residue block obtained in the event of prediction of the current block;

• etc.

D5, DO decoder reads in the case of the encoded value VCES1 VCESI or i ₂ of the syntax element ES ₁ which has been decoded by D2.

If in D5, it is the coded value VCESI ₁ of the first ES ^ syntax element and if, D6, DC _U encoded data is associated with a current block B _u belonging to a predefined area of the image current ICj, the syntax element ES ₂ is set to a predefined value. Such an operation is particularly suitable when the information density of the predefined area of the image is low or very low.

Examples of predefined zones of the current image, according to a first embodiment, have already been described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D and will therefore not be described again here.

Examples of predefined areas of the current image, according to a second embodiment, have already been described with reference to FIG. 5B and will therefore not be described again here.

According to a first embodiment, if the syntax element ES ₂ is representative of the prediction mode of the current block B _u to be decoded and that, for example, ES ₂ takes:

or a second predefined value VES2 ₂ indicating an intra prediction of the current block B _u , it is decided in D7 to assign ES ₂ to, for example, the first predefined value VES2-I according to a predetermined convention to the decoder DO which is the same as to the coder CO.

or a second predefined value VES2 ₂ indicating residual pixels of non-zero value of the current block B _u to be decoded,

it is decided in D7 to assign ES ₂ , for example to the first predefined value VES2-I, according to a predetermined convention with the decoder DO which is the same as with the coder CO.

For this purpose, in a manner corresponding to the CO encoder of FIG. 2, the predefined values VES2 and VES2 ₂ of the second syntax element ES ₂ are previously stored in an LTS-i list in the buffer MT_D of the decoder DO of FIG. 7.

When decoding the current block B _u , only the first or the second embodiment of the ES ₂ syntax element is implemented. As an alternative, the first and second embodiments are implemented.

If in D5, it is the VCES1 i coded value of the first ES ₁ syntax element and if, in D6, the DC _U coded data is associated with a current block B _u that does not belong to the predefined zone of the current image, the coded value VCES2 or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ is decoded at D8. If VCES2 ₌ 0, at the end of this decoding D8, a decoded value VES2i of the second element of syntax ES ₂ is obtained. If VCES2 ₂ = 1, at the end of this decoding D8, a decoded value VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ is obtained.

According to a first embodiment, if the syntax element ES ₂ is representative of the prediction mode of the current block B _u and that, for example, ES ₂ has been coded:

- according to a first predefined value VCES2 ₌ 0 indicating an inter prediction of the current block B _u, or according to a second predefined value VCES2 ₂ = 1 indicating an intra prediction of the current block B _u ,

the decoding of VCES2 ₌ 0 makes it possible to obtain the value VES2 of the second element of syntax ES ₂ or the decoding of VCES2 ₂ = 1 makes it possible to obtain the value VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ .

According to a second embodiment, if the syntax element ES ₂ is representative of the value of the remaining pixels of the current block B _u and that, for example, ES ₂ was coded:

- according to a first predefined value indicating residual pixels of zero value of the current block B _u ,

or according to a second predefined value VCES2 ₂ = 1 indicating residual pixels of non-zero value of the current block B _u ,

decoding allows to obtain the value VES2i of the second element of syntax ES ₂ or the decoding of VCES2 ₂ = 1 makes it possible to obtain the value VES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ .

Such a decoding is for example an entropic decoding of type

CABAC ("Context Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coder" in English) or an entropy decoding of arithmetic type or Huffman. This decoding is implemented by the decoding device MD_D shown in FIG. 7.

If in D5, it is the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the first syntax element

ESi that has been decoded, the coded value VCES2 or VCES2 ₂ of the ES ₂ syntax element is systematically decoded to D8.

With reference to FIG. 6A, the data of the current block B _u are decoded at D9. Such decoding is implemented by a block decoding device MDB_D shown in FIG. 7, which device is controlled by the PROC_D processor.

The decoding D9 implements, in D91, a decoding of the DC _U data associated with the current block B _u to be decoded and which have been coded in C8 in FIG. 1 A. At the end of such a decoding, is obtained a set of numerical information associated with the quantized coefficient block Bq _u that has been obtained in

C52 in Figure 1 A.

The decoding D91 is implemented by the decoding device

MD_D shown in Figure 7. The decoding D9 further implements a dequantization D92 of the quantized coefficient block Bq _u , according to a conventional dequantization operation which is the inverse operation of the quantization C82 of FIG. 1 A. A set of current dequantized coefficients BDq _u is then obtained. Such dequantization is for example of scalar or vector type and is implemented by means of an inverse quantization device MQ ^"1 _D, as shown in FIG. 7, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_D.

The decoding D9 further implements the application D93 of a transform to the set of dequantized coefficients BDq _u current obtained in D92. In a manner known per se, such a transform is an inverse transform from that applied to the C81 coding in FIG. 1A, such as, for example, a DCT, DST, DWT, LT or other transform. Correspondingly to the CO encoder of FIG. 2, these transforms are part of a list of LTS transforms ₂ ^"1 which is previously stored in the buffer MT_D of the decoder DO of FIG. 7. The type of transform to be applied can be decoded conventionally, by reading, in the data signal F, the index of the transform applied to the coding According to the invention, the type of transform to be applied can be determined by the implementation of the operation D5 of Figure 6A.

The transformation application D93 is performed by a transform calculation device MTR ^"1 _D, as shown in FIG. 7, which device is controlled by the processor PROC_D.

The inverse quantization device MQ ^"1 _D and the transform calculation device MTR ^{" 1} _D are contained in a block decoding device MDB_D shown in FIG. 7, which device is controlled by the PROC_D processor.

At the end of the decoding of the data of the current block, a current decoded block BD _U is obtained.

In the example described here, data are understood to mean the pixels of the decoded block BD _U.

It should be noted, however, that data are also understood to mean the pixels of a decoded current residue block in the case where a prediction of the block current B _u was implemented at the coding and inverse prediction is implemented at decoding.

Referring to Figure 6A, there is method D10 to write the current BD _U decoded block in a decoded image ID _j.

The writing D10 is implemented by an image reconstruction URI device as represented in FIG. 7, the URI device being controlled by the PROC_D processor.

The decoding method which has just been described above is implemented for all the coded data of blocks Dd, DC ₂ , DC _U ,..., DCs respectively associated with the blocks Bi, B ₂ , B _u ,. .., B _s to decode the current image IC _j considered.

A variant of the decoding method of FIG. 6A will now be described with reference to FIG. 6B.

This variant differs from the decoding method of FIG. 6A only in that:

the decoding D8 of the value VCES2 or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ is not systematically implemented,

the value VCES2i or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ can be decoded even if the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone of the current image IC _j .

For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the case where the coded data set DC _U is associated with a current block B _u which belongs to the predefined area of the current image IC _j , a criterion depending on the characteristics of the current block is examined in D50.

If the criterion is satisfied, the VCES2 or VCES2 value ₂ of the second ES ₂ syntax element is decoded at D8.

If the criterion is not fulfilled, in D70, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, depending on the context decoding stream, directly to the set value VES2-I or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list of the decoder LTSI OD of Figure 7.

In the case where the encoded data set DC _U is associated with a current block B _u which does not belong to the predefined area of the current image IC _j , a criterion depending on the characteristics of the current block is examined in D61. If the criterion is satisfied, the VCES2i or VCES2 _{2 value} of the second ES ₂ syntax element is decoded to D8.

If the criterion is not fulfilled, in D71, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2i or VES2 ₂ as stored in the LTSi list of the decoder DO of Figure 7.

In the case where the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the first syntax element ESi has been decoded at D2, a criterion dependent on the characteristics of the current block is examined in D62.

If the criterion is satisfied, the VCES2i or VCES2 _{2 value} of the second ES ₂ syntax element is decoded to D8.

If the criterion is not fulfilled, in D72, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2i or VES2 ₂ as stored in the LTSi list of the decoder DO of Figure 7.

Alternatively, only one or two of the three operations D60, D61, D62 is implemented.

According to one exemplary criterion, in the case where the second syntax element ES ₂ is representative of the size of the current block B _u to be decoded, the I-value or VES2 VES2 ₂ of the syntax element ES ₂ is compared with a predetermined size value VTP.

In the case, for example, of the current images represented in FIGS. 4A to 4C, for which the coded value VCES1 of the syntax element ESi is decoded at D2 indicating that the current image IC _j is for example a 2D image obtained by projection in two dimensions of a 180 ° or 360 ° video:

if in D6 (FIG. 6B), the coded data set DC _U is associated with a current block B _u which belongs to a predefined zone Z1, and

If in D60, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 32x32, the coded value VCES2i or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block

B _u is decoded in D8,

Otherwise, in D70, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2i or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list LTSi of the decoder DO of FIG. 7,

if in D6 (FIG. 6B), the current block B _u does not belong to the predefined zone Z1, in other words belongs to the predefined zone Z2 of the current image IC _j , and

If in D61, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 16 × 16, the value VCES 2 ₁ or VCES _{2 2} of the second syntax element ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is decoded in D8,

Otherwise, in D71, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list LTSi of the decoder DO of FIG. 7.

In the case for example of a current image (not shown), for which the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the syntax element ESi is decoded at D2, indicating that the current image IC _j is for example a conventional 2D image of type fixed or part of a sequence of images succeeding one another temporally:

If in D62 (FIG. 6B), it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 8x8, the coded value VCES2 or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is decoded in D8, Otherwise, in D72, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list LTSi of the decoder DO of FIG. 7.

In the case of the current image IC _j shown in FIG. 4D, for which the coded value VCES1 i of the syntax element ES ₁ is decoded at D2, indicating that the current image IC _j is for example a 2D image obtained by two-dimensional projection of a 360 ° video:

if in D6 (FIG. 6B), the coded data set DC _U is associated with a current block B _u which belongs to the predefined zone Z1, and

If in D60, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 32x32, the coded value VCES2i or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is decoded in D8,

Otherwise, in D70, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list LTS ₁ of the decoder DO of FIG. 7,

if in D6 (FIG. 6B), the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone Z2 of the current image IC _j , and

If in D61, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 16 × 16, the coded value VCES ₂ 1 or VCES _{2 2} of the second syntax element ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is decoded in D8,

Otherwise, in D71, the ES ₂ syntax element is set, depending on the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ as stored in the LTSi list of the decoder DO of FIG. 7,

if in D6 (FIG. 6B), the current block B _u belongs to the predefined zone Z3, and

If in D62, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 8x8, the value VCES2 ₁ or VCES2 ₂ of the second syntax element ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is decoded in D8,

Otherwise, in D72, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list LTSi of the decoder DO of FIG. 7.

In the case, for example, of a current image represented in FIG. 5B, for which the coded value VCES1 i of the syntax element ES- ₁ is decoded at D2 indicating that at least two areas of the current image ICj are decoded to a different decoding quality level:

Otherwise, in D70, the syntax element ES ₂ is set, according to the current decoding context, directly to the predefined value VES2 or VES2 ₂ as stored in the list LTSi of the decoder DO of FIG. 7, if in D6 (FIG. 6B), the current block B _u does not belong to the predefined zone Z1, in other words belongs to the predefined zone Z2 of the current image ICj, and

If in D61, it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 1 6 × 16, the value VCES 2 ₁ or VCES _{2 2} of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the block current B _u is decoded in D8,

In the case for example of the current image ICj shown at the bottom right in FIG. 5A, for which the coded value VCES1 ₂ of the syntax element ES- _\ is decoded at D2 indicating that each zone of the current image ICj is decoded according to the same level of decoding quality:

If in D62 (FIG. 6B), it is determined as a criterion that the size of the current block is greater than a predetermined value VTP, for example 8x8, the coded value VCES2i or VCES2 ₂ of the second element of syntax ES ₂ representative of the size of the current block B _u is decoded in D8,

It goes without saying that the embodiments which have been described above have been given for purely indicative and non-limiting purposes, and that many modifications can easily be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of encoding at least one image (ICj) cut into blocks, implementing the following:

coding (C2) a first syntax element (ES-i) associated with a characteristic of said at least one image,

for a current block to be coded associated with at least one coding parameter, coding (C8) the data of the current block,

said coding method being characterized in that:

if the first syntax element (ES-i) is coded according to a first predefined value (VCESI -i) representative of the characteristic of the image, a second syntax element (ES ₂ ) representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is coded (C7) only if the current block belongs to a predefined zone (Z2) of the image,

if the first syntax element (ES-i) is encoded according to a second predefined value (VCES1 ₂ ) representative of the characteristic of the image, the second syntax element (ES ₂ ) is coded (C7), that the block current belongs or not to the predefined zone (Z2).

The coding method according to claim 1, wherein if the current block belongs to said predefined zone (Z2) of the image, the coding of the second syntax element representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is set. in function (C51) of a criterion depending on the characteristics of the current block.

3. coding method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the characteristic of said at least one image is the type of obtaining said at least one image.

The encoding method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the characteristic of said at least one image is the current encoding context of the image.

5. Coding device (CO) of at least one image (IC _j ) cut into blocks, comprising a processing circuit (CT_C) which is arranged for:

coding a first syntax element (ES-i) associated with a characteristic of said at least one image,

for a current block to be coded associated with at least one coding parameter, coding the data of the current block,

said coding device being characterized in that the processing circuit is arranged for:

if the first syntax element (ES-i) is coded according to a first predefined value (VCESI -i) representative of the characteristic of the image, coding a second syntax element (ES ₂ ) representative of the value of said at least one an encoding parameter, only if the current block belongs to a predefined zone (Z2) of the image,

- if the first syntax element (ES-i) is encoded according to a second representative predefined value (VCES1 ₂ ) of the characteristic of the image, coding the second syntax element whether the current block belongs to the predefined zone or not (Z2).

A computer program comprising program code instructions for performing the steps of the encoding method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, when said program is executed on a computer.

A computer-readable recording medium on which a computer program is recorded comprising program code instructions for performing the steps of the encoding method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, when said program is executed by a computer.

A method of decoding a data signal (F) representative of at least one encoded image (IC _j ) that has been cut into blocks, implementing the following:

decoding (D2) a first syntax element (ES-i) contained in said data signal, said first syntax element being associated with a characteristic of said at least one image,

for a current block to be decoded associated with at least one coding parameter, decoding (D9) the data of the current block,

said decoding method being characterized in that:

- if the first syntax element (ES-i) has a first predefined value

(VCESI -i) representative of the characteristic of the image, a second syntax element (ES ₂ ) representative of the value of said at least one coding parameter is decoded only if the current block belongs to a predefined zone (Z2) of the image,

if the first syntax element (ES-i) has a second predefined value (VCES1 ₂ ) representative of the characteristic of the image, the second syntax element (ES ₂ ) is decoded whether or not the current block belongs to the predefined area (Z2).

The decoding method according to claim 8, wherein if the current block belongs to said predefined zone (Z2) of the image, the decoding of the second syntax element (ES ₂ ) representative of the value of said at least one parameter of encoding is implemented according to (D61) a criterion depending on the characteristics of the current block.

The decoding method of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the characteristic of said at least one image is the type of obtaining said at least one image.

1 1. A decoding method according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the characteristic of said at least one image is the current decoding context of the image.

12. Device for decoding a data signal (F) representative of at least one coded image (IC _j ) having been cut into blocks, comprising a processing circuit (CT_D) which is arranged for:

decoding a first syntax element (ES-i) contained in said data signal, said first syntax element being associated with a characteristic of said at least one image,

for a current block to be decoded associated with at least one coding parameter, decoding the data of the current block,

said decoding device being characterized in that the processing circuit is arranged for:

if the first syntax element (ES-i) has a first predefined value (VCESI -i) representative of the characteristic of the image, decoding a second syntax element (ES ₂ ) representative of the value of said at least one parameter encoding, only if the current block belongs to a predefined area (Z2) of the image,

if the first syntax element (ES-i) has a second predefined value (VCES1 ₂ ) representative of the characteristic of the image, decoding the second syntax element (ES ₂ ), whether or not the current block belongs to the predefined area (Z2).

Computer program comprising program code instructions for performing the steps of the decoding method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, when said program is executed on a computer.

A computer-readable recording medium on which a computer program is recorded comprising program code instructions for performing the steps of the decoding method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, when said program is run by a computer.