A video coding mechanism for viewpoint dependent video coding is disclosed. The mechanism includes mapping a spherical video sequence into a plurality of sub-picture video sequences. The mechanism further includes encoding the plurality of sub-picture video sequences as sub-picture bitstreams to support merging of the plurality of sub-picture bitstreams, the encoding ensuring that each sub-picture bitstream is self-referenced and two or more of the sub-picture bitstreams can be merged to generate a single video bitstream using a lightweight bitstream rewriting process that does not involve changing of any block-level coding results. A mergable indication is encoded to indicate that the sub-picture bitstream containing the indication is compatible with a multi-bitstream merge function for reconstruction of the spherical video sequence. A set of the sub-picture bitstreams and the mergable indication are transmitted toward the decoder to support decoding and displaying a virtual reality video viewport.

A video coding mechanism for viewpoint dependent video coding is disclosed. The mechanism includes mapping a spherical video sequence into a plurality of sub-picture video sequences. The mechanism further includes encoding the plurality of sub-picture video sequences as sub-picture bitstreams to support merging of the plurality of sub-picture bitstreams, the encoding ensuring that each sub-picture bitstream is self-referenced and two or more of the sub-picture bitstreams can be merged to generate a single video bitstream using a lightweight bitstream rewriting process that does not involve changing of any block-level coding results. A mergable indication is encoded to indicate that the sub-picture bitstream containing the indication is compatible with a multi-bitstream merge function for reconstruction of the spherical video sequence. A set of the sub-picture bitstreams and the mergable indication are transmitted toward the decoder to support decoding and displaying a virtual reality video viewport.

A method and apparatus for encoding or decoding transform coefficients in a video coding system are disclosed. According to this method, a region after zero-outis determined. A remaining number of context-coded bins is determined for the current TB based on a size of the region after zero-out. The current TB is encoded or decoded using context-based coding with a constraint based on the remaining number of context-coded bins. According to another method, a remaining number of context-coded bins is determined for the current TB based on the last significant CG index.

A method and apparatus for encoding or decoding transform coefficients in a video coding system are disclosed. According to this method, a region after zero-outis determined. A remaining number of context-coded bins is determined for the current TB based on a size of the region after zero-out. The current TB is encoded or decoded using context-based coding with a constraint based on the remaining number of context-coded bins. According to another method, a remaining number of context-coded bins is determined for the current TB based on the last significant CG index.

Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding prediction residues in a video coding system also disclosed. At the decoder side, a Rice parameter for the target transform coefficient is determined based on a local sum of absolute levels of neighboring transform coefficients of the target transform coefficient. A dependent quantization state is determined and a zero-position variable is determined based on the dependent quantization state and the Rice parameter. One or more coded bits associated with a first syntax element for the target transform coefficient in a transform block are parsed and decoded using one or more codes including a Golomb-Rice code with the Rice parameter, where the first syntax element corresponds to a modified absolute level value of the target transform coefficient. An absolute level value of the target transform coefficient is derived according to the zero-position variable and the first syntax element.

The entropy coding of a current part of a predetermined entropy slice is based on, not only, the respective probability estimations of the predetermined entropy slice as adapted using the previously coded part of the predetermined entropy slice, but also probability estimations as used in the entropy coding of a spatially neighboring, in entropy slice order preceding entropy slice at a neighboring part thereof. Thereby, the probability estimations used in entropy coding are adapted to the actual symbol statistics more closely, thereby lowering the coding efficiency decrease normally caused by lower-delay concepts. Temporal interrelationships are exploited additionally or alternatively.

The entropy coding of a current part of a predetermined entropy slice is based on, not only, the respective probability estimations of the predetermined entropy slice as adapted using the previously coded part of the predetermined entropy slice, but also probability estimations as used in the entropy coding of a spatially neighboring, in entropy slice order preceding entropy slice at a neighboring part thereof. Thereby, the probability estimations used in entropy coding are adapted to the actual symbol statistics more closely, thereby lowering the coding efficiency decrease normally caused by lower-delay concepts. Temporal interrelationships are exploited additionally or alternatively.

A variable length coding method is comprised of: a coefficient value scanning step in which an RL sequence generation unit, a reordering unit, and a binarization unit scan coefficient values within a block in a predetermined scanning order starting at a higher-frequency component toward a lower-frequency component; and an arithmetic coding step in which an arithmetic coding unit and a table storage unit perform arithmetic coding on the absolute values of the coefficient values according to the scanning order used in the coefficient value scanning step, by switching between probability tables for use, wherein, in the arithmetic coding step, a probability table to be used is switched to another probability table in one direction, when the arithmetic-coded absolute values of the coefficient values include an absolute value exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

A better compromise between encoding complexity and achievable rate distortion ratio, and/or to achieve a better rate distortion ratio is achieved by using multitree sub-divisioning not only in order to subdivide a continuous area, namely the sample array, into leaf regions, but using the intermediate regions also to share coding parameters among the corresponding collocated leaf blocks. By this measure, coding procedures performed in tiles—leaf regions—locally, may be associated with coding parameters individually without having to, however, explicitly transmit the whole coding parameters for each leaf region separately. Rather, similarities may effectively exploited by using the multitree subdivision.

A better compromise between encoding complexity and achievable rate distortion ratio, and/or to achieve a better rate distortion ratio is achieved by using multitree sub-divisioning not only in order to subdivide a continuous area, namely the sample array, into leaf regions, but using the intermediate regions also to share coding parameters among the corresponding collocated leaf blocks. By this measure, coding procedures performed in tiles—leaf regions—locally, may be associated with coding parameters individually without having to, however, explicitly transmit the whole coding parameters for each leaf region separately. Rather, similarities may effectively exploited by using the multitree subdivision.