Video Coding: Algorithms and Specification

 

Lecturer: Dr.-Ing. Mathias Wien

The course is targeted at master students at an advanced level. The lecture introduces the students to state-of-the art video coding technology and to the process and procedures that are followed for developing an international video coding standard. The content is developed by the example of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, which is a joint project of the ITU-T and ISO/IEC. It details the algorithmic concepts of the specified tools and provides an introduction to the methodology of writing specification text. The design of coding tools is discussed in view of the often opposing requirements regarding the invested computational complexity and resulting compression performance. The lecture is complemented by tutorial assessment of coding tools, methodology of tool drafting and tool evaluation.

The lecture is designed as a two-week block course. In the first week, all lecture sessions will be held. The second week is planned for tutorial work which is assigned in the last lecture session on Friday of the first week. In the tutorial, the students work on project tasks which include software work on exemplary compression tools as well as tasks which include work on actual specification text. A presentation of the project results is to be prepared and presented on Friday of the second week. The tutorial presentation session ends the two week block course. The examination will be held in oral form after the block course.

The course shall enable the students to understand the algorithmic concepts behind state-of-the-art video coding. It shall enable them to read and work with specification text and understand the standardization process. It shall further enable them to draft specification text for new algorithms and tools.

Lecture Outline

  • Video Coding Systems
  • Specification and Standardization
  • Coding Structures and High-Level Syntax
  • Inter Prediction – Intra Prediction – Residual Coding
  • Loop Filtering – Entropy Coding – Profiles, Tiers, and Levels
  • Range Extensions, Scalability, Multiview, 3D-Video, Screen Contents Coding
  • Future Video Coding
  • Video Transport

Further Information on the course can be found in: RWTHonline