CLUSTER-BASED DEPENDENCY SIGNALING

摘要

The signalization of the inter-layer dependencies between layers of a multi-layered data stream is described. A good compromise between a too intensive restriction of the potential diversity of inter-layer dependencies on the one hand and a too complex signaling of the inter-layer dependencies on the other hand has been found by describing the inter-layer dependencies by way of a first inter-dependency syntax structure indicating inter-dependencies between pairs of different values representable by a base layer-ID and a second inter-dependency syntax structure indicating inter-dependencies between pairs of different values representable by an extension layer-ID, the base layer ID and extension layer ID indexing the layers the portions of the multi-layer data stream are associated with. In accordance with this concept, emphasis may be shifted between increased diversity of the signalizable inter-layer dependencies on the one hand and reduced side-information overhead for signaling the inter-layer dependencies on the other hand: for example, calling the sets of layers having a common base-layer ID, respectively, "clusters", the same second inter-dependency syntax structure may be used to regulate the inter-dependencies within all clusters and between all clusters related to each other via the first inter-dependency syntax structure, separately. Alternatively, two instantiations of the second inter-dependency syntax structure may be used to describe the inter-dependencies of the layers within the clusters on the one hand and between the layers of different clusters, on the other hand. Irrespective of the emphasis placed towards increased diversity or reduced side information overhead, the inter-dependency signaling concept results in keeping the signaling overhead low.