A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided that permit values of certain parameters or syntax elements, such as the HRD parameters and/or a level indicator, to be taken from a syntax structure, such as a sequence parameter set. In this regard, values of certain parameters or syntax elements, such as the HRD parameters and/or a level indicator, may be taken from a syntax structure of a certain other layer, such as the highest layer, present in an access unit, coded video sequence and/or bitstream even if the other layer, such as the highest layer, were not decoded. The syntax element values from the other layer, such as the highest layer, may be semantically valid and may be used for conformance checking, while the values of the respective syntax elements from other respective syntax structures, such as sequence parameter sets, may be active or valid otherwise.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method comprising: producing, with a processor, two or more scalability layers of a scalable data stream, wherein each of said two or more scalability layers has a different coding property, is associated with a scalability layer identifier and is characterized by a first set of syntax elements comprising at least a profile and a second set of syntax elements comprising at least one of a level or hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) parameters; inserting a first scalability layer identifier value in a first elementary unit including data from a first of two or more scalability layers; causing the first of said two or more scalability layers to be signaled with said first and second set of syntax elements in a first parameter set elementary unit such that the first parameter set elementary unit is readable by a decoder to determine the values of the first and second set of syntax elements without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; inserting the first scalability layer identifier value in the first parameter set elementary unit; inserting a second scalability layer identifier value in a second elementary unit including data from a second of two or more scalability layers; causing the second of said two or more scalability layers to be signaled with said first and second set of syntax elements in a second parameter set elementary unit such that the second parameter set elementary unit is readable by the decoder to determine the coding property without decoding the scalability layer of said scalable data stream; inserting the second scalability layer identifier value in the second parameter set elementary unit, wherein values of the first set of syntax elements in the first parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the first elementary unit is processed and the second elementary unit is ignored or removed, wherein values of the second set of syntax elements in the first parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the first elementary unit is processed and the second elementary unit is removed, wherein values of the first set of syntax elements in the second parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the second elementary unit is processed, and wherein values of the second set of syntax elements in the second parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the second elementary unit is processed.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of syntax elements are included in a syntax structure of a highest layer that is present in an access unit, a coded video sequence or a bitstream.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the level comprises a level indicator.
4. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: produce two or more scalability layers of a scalable data stream, wherein each of said two or more scalability layers has a different coding property, is associated with a scalability layer identifier and is characterized by a first set of syntax elements comprising at least a profile and a second set of syntax elements comprising at least one of a level or hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) parameters; insert a first scalability layer identifier value in a first elementary unit including data from a first of two or more scalability layers; cause the first of said two or more scalability layers to be signaled with said first and second set of syntax elements in a first parameter set elementary unit such that the first parameter set elementary unit is readable by a decoder to determine the values of the first and second set of syntax elements without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; insert the first scalability layer identifier value in the first parameter set elementary unit; insert a second scalability layer identifier value in a second elementary unit including data from a second of two or more scalability layers; cause the second of said two or more scalability layers to be signaled with said first and second set of syntax elements in a second parameter set elementary unit such that the second parameter set elementary unit is readable by the decoder to determine the coding property without decoding the scalability layer of said scalable data stream; insert the second scalability layer identifier value in the second parameter set elementary unit, wherein values of the first set of syntax elements in the first parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the first elementary unit is processed and the second elementary unit is ignored or removed, wherein values of the second set of syntax elements in the first parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the first elementary unit is processed and the second elementary unit is removed, wherein values of the first set of syntax elements in the second parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the second elementary unit is processed, and wherein values of the second set of syntax elements in the second parameter set elementary unit are valid in an instance in which the second elementary unit is processed.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the first and second sets of syntax elements are included in a syntax structure of a highest layer that is present in an access unit, a coded video sequence or a bitstream.
6. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the level comprises a level indicator.
7. A method comprising: receiving a first scalable data stream comprising two or more scalability layers having different coding properties, wherein each of said two or more scalability layers is associated with a scalability layer identifier and is characterized by a first set of syntax elements comprising at least a profile and a second set of syntax elements comprising at least one of a level or hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) parameters; a first scalability layer identifier value residing in a first elementary unit including data from a first of two or more scalability layers; the first and second set of syntax elements being signaled in a first parameter set elementary unit for the first of said two or more scalability layers such that a first parameter set is readable by a decoder to determine the values of the first and second set of syntax elements without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the first scalability layer identifier value residing in the first parameter set elementary unit; a second scalability layer identifier value residing in a second elementary unit including data from a second of two or more scalability layers; the first and second set of syntax elements being signaled in a second parameter set elementary unit for the second of said two or more scalability layers such that a second parameter set is readable by the decoder to determine the coding property without decoding the scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the second scalability layer identifier value residing in the second parameter set elementary unit; and removing, with a processor, from the received first scalable data stream the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit on the basis of the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit including the second scalability layer identifier value.
8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the first and second sets of syntax elements are included in a syntax structure of a highest layer that is present in an access unit, a coded video sequence or a bitstream.
9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the level comprises a level indicator.
10. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receive a first scalable data stream comprising two or more scalability layers having different coding properties, wherein each of said two or more scalability layers is associated with a scalability layer identifier and is characterized by a first set of syntax elements comprising at least a profile and a second set of syntax elements comprising at least one of a level or hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) parameters; a first scalability layer identifier value residing in a first elementary unit including data from a first of two or more scalability layers; the first and second set of syntax elements being signaled in a first parameter set elementary unit for the first of said two or more scalability layers such that a first parameter set is readable by a decoder to determine the values of the first and second set of syntax elements without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the first scalability layer identifier value residing in the first parameter set elementary unit; a second scalability layer identifier value residing in a second elementary unit including data from a second of two or more scalability layers; the first and second set of syntax elements being signaled in a second parameter set elementary unit for the second of said two or more scalability layers such that a second parameter set is readable by the decoder to determine the coding property without decoding the scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the second scalability layer identifier value residing in the second parameter set elementary unit; and remove from the received first scalable data stream the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit on the basis of the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit including the second scalability layer identifier value.
11. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the first and second sets of syntax elements are included in a syntax structure of a highest layer that is present in an access unit, a coded video sequence or a bitstream.
12. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the level comprises a level indicator.
13. A method comprising: receiving a first scalable data stream two or more scalability layers having different coding properties, wherein each of said two or more scalability layers is associated with a scalability layer identifier and is characterized by a coding property; a first scalability layer identifier value residing in a first elementary unit including data from a first of two or more scalability layers; the first of said two or more scalability layers with said coding property being signaled in a first parameter set elementary unit such that the coding property is readable by a decoder to determine the coding property without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the first scalability layer identifier value residing in the first parameter set elementary unit; a second scalability layer identifier value residing in a second elementary unit including data from a second of two or more scalability layers; the first and second sets of syntax elements being signaled in a second parameter set elementary unit for the second of said two or more scalability layers such that a first parameter set is readable by the decoder to determine the values of the first and second sets of syntax elements without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the second scalability layer identifier value residing in the second parameter set elementary unit; receiving a set of scalability layer identifier values indicating scalability layers to be decoded, and removing from the received first scalable data stream, with the processor, the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit on the basis of the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit including the second scalability layer identifier value not being among the set of scalability layer identifier values.
14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the first set of syntax elements comprises at least a profile and the second set of syntax elements comprises at least one of a level or hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) parameters.
15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the level comprises a level indicator.
16. A method according to claim 13 wherein the first and second sets of syntax elements are included in a syntax structure of a highest layer that is present in an access unit, a coded video sequence or a bitstream.
17. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receive a first scalable data stream two or more scalability layers having different coding properties, wherein each of said two or more scalability layers is associated with a scalability layer identifier and is characterized by a coding property; a first scalability layer identifier value residing in a first elementary unit including data from a first of two or more scalability layers; the first of said two or more scalability layers with said coding property being signaled in a first parameter set elementary unit such that the coding property is readable by a decoder to determine the coding property without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the first scalability layer identifier value residing in the first parameter set elementary unit; a second scalability layer identifier value residing in a second elementary unit including data from a second of two or more scalability layers; the first and second sets of syntax elements being signaled in a second parameter set elementary unit for the second of said two or more scalability layers such that a first parameter set is readable by the decoder to determine the values of the first and second sets of syntax elements without decoding a scalability layer of said scalable data stream; the second scalability layer identifier value residing in the second parameter set elementary unit; receive a set of scalability layer identifier values indicating scalability layers to be decoded, and remove from the received first scalable data stream the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit on the basis of the second elementary unit and the second parameter set elementary unit including the second scalability layer identifier value not being among the set of scalability layer identifier values.
18. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the first set of syntax elements comprises at least a profile and the second set of syntax elements comprises at least one of a level or hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) parameters.
19. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the level comprises a level indicator.
20. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the first and second sets of syntax elements are included in a syntax structure of a highest layer that is present in an access unit, a coded video sequence or a bitstream.
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June 27, 2013
February 23, 2016
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