Method and device for encoding/decoding video signals using base layer

Abstract

The present invention relates to encoding and decoding a video signal by motion compensated temporal filtering. In one embodiment, a first sequence of frames are decoded by inverse motion compensated temporal filtering by selectively adding to a first image block in the first sequence image information, the image information being based on at least one of (1) a second image block from the first sequence and (2) a third image block from an auxiliary sequence of frames.

1 . A method of decoding a first sequence of frames by inverse motion compensated temporal filtering, comprising: 
 selectively adding to a first image block in the first sequence image information, the image information being based on at least one of (1) a second image block from the first sequence and (2) a third image block from an auxiliary sequence of frames.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second image block is in a frame of the first sequence that is one of prior to and subsequent to a frame including the first image block.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the third image block is from a frame in the auxiliary sequence of frames that is temporally aligned with a frame including the first image block.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein more than one frame of the auxiliary sequence is temporally aligned with the frame including the first image block.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , where the selectively adding step adds to the first image block the third image block from the auxiliary sequence of frames from at least one of an image block temporally aligned with, before, and after the first image block.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , where the selectively adding step adds to the first image block the third image block from the auxiliary sequence of frames from a combination of more than one of an image block temporally aligned with, before, and after the first image block.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selectively adding step adds to the first image block (1) the second image block from the first sequence and (2) the third image block from the auxiliary sequence of frames.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 obtaining a decoding mode of the first image block based on information in the encoded video signal; and wherein    the selectively adding step determines the image information based on the obtained decoding mode.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the obtaining step obtains the decoding mode from a header of the first image block.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the obtaining step obtains information in the header of the first image block to synchronize the timing of the first sequence of frames with the auxiliary sequence of frames.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the obtaining step obtains a frame rate from the information in the header of the first image block to synchronize the timing of the first sequence of frames with the auxiliary sequence of frames.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the obtaining step obtains a frame rate and resolution of the auxiliary sequence of frames from the information in the header of the first image block to synchronize the timing of the first sequence of frames with the auxiliary sequence of frames.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the obtaining step obtains information indicating a fixed frame rate of the auxiliary sequence of frames in the header of the first image block to synchronize the timing of the first sequence of frames with the auxiliary sequence of frames.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , where the selectively adding step adds to the first image block one of (1) an adjacent image block positioned prior to the first image block or an adjacent image positioned subsequent to the first image block in the first sequence, and (2) the third image block from the auxiliary sequence of frames from at least one of an image block temporally aligned with, before and after an image block in the auxiliary sequence temporally aligned with the first image block.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , where the selectively adding step adds to the first image block two of (1) an adjacent image block positioned prior to the first image block or an adjacent image positioned subsequent to the first image block in the first sequence, and (2) the third image block from the auxiliary sequence of frames from at least one of an image block temporally aligned with, before and after an image block in the auxiliary sequence temporally aligned with the first image block.  
   
   
       16 . A device for decoding a first sequence of frames in an encoded video signal by inverse motion compensated temporal filtering, comprising: 
 an inverse estimator/predictor for selectively adding to a first image block in the first sequence image information, the image information being based on at least one of (1) a second image block from the first sequence and (2) a third image block from an auxiliary sequence of frames.    
   
   
       17 . A device for encoding a first sequence of frames in a video signal by inverse motion compensated temporal filtering, comprising: 
 an estimator for selectively subtracting from a first image block in the first sequence at least one of (1) a second image block from the first sequence and (2) a third image block from an auxiliary sequence of frames.    
   
   
       18 . A method for encoding a first sequence of frames by inverse motion compensated temporal filtering, comprising: 
 selectively subtracting a first image block in the first sequence from image information, the image information being based on at least one of (1) a second image block from the first sequence and (2) a third image block from an auxiliary sequence of frames.    
   
   
       19 . A method of encoding a first sequence of frames by inverse motion compensated temporal filtering, comprising: 
 adding encoding mode information to the first sequence indicating image information added to a first image block in a frame of the first sequence of frames.