AddPac Technology Co. Ltd Feb.

12, 2004

H.264 Overview

Video Team
R&D Center
AddPac Technology Co. Ltd.
sales@addpac.com
 Contents

History of Video Coding Standards

H.264 Features
H.264 Technical Tools
AddPac Video Solution

AddPac Technology Confidential No.2

 Video Codec Applications
Codec (Encoder & Decoder)

bitstream bitstream
input Video Network Video output
video Encoder Decoder video

Digital Video Applications

디지털 TV, 위성 네트워크

셋탑 박스 브로드밴드 네트워크(Cable, xDSL)
ATM 네트워크
AddPac Video Solution

비디오 스트리밍 VoD

비디오 폰 및 비디오 컨퍼런싱 H.320, H.323, SIP 기반의 제품
(모바일) 멀티미디어 단말기 셀룰라 핸드폰, PDA, DMB 단말기
비디오 감시 및 녹화 시스템
웹 카메라
비디오 모니터링 시스템
네트워크 카메라
개인용 비디오 레코더(PVR: Personal Video Recorder)

AddPac Technology Confidential No.3

 History of Video Standards

ITU VCEG
AddPac Video Solution

} H.26L Æ H.264

ISO MPEG
} MPEG-4 AVC (advanced video coding) or MPEG-4 Part 10

VCEG-MPEG
} JVT (joint video team)
} JMx.x (joint model: reference software)

AddPac Technology Confidential No.4

 H.264 Features
High compression performance
} Many advanced compression techniques are adopted.
9 Advanced Intra-Prediction
9 Strong Motion Isolation (4x4, ¼-pel resolution)
9 Multiple Reference Frames Very High Complexity!
9 Weighted Bi-Prediction
9 Context-adaptive VLC/BAC
} Average bit rate reduction of 50% given fixed fidelity compared to any other
video standard

Exact match decoding

} Integer Transform
AddPac Video Solution

Improved Perceptual Quality

} In-Loop Deblocking Filter

Network friendliness
} NAL (Network abstraction layer)
} Enhanced Error Resilience

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 Comparison to Other
Standards
Foreman QCIF (at 10 frames/s)
39
38
37
36
Quality - PSNR [dB]

35
34
H.264
33
32 MPEG-4
31 H.263
MPEG-2
AddPac Video Solution

30
29
28
27

0 50 100 150 200 250

Bit-rate [Kbps]

AddPac Technology Confidential No.6

 Comparison to MPEG-4
Environment
} Matrix 20sec
} 320x240 MPEG-4
} 30fps 371:1

} 128Kbps (Low Bit-rate)

Original
AddPac Video Solution

H.264
404:1

AddPac Technology Confidential No.7

 H.264 - Technical Tools
} SequenceÆGOPÆPictureÆSliceÆMBÆBlock
} Chroma format – 4:2:0
} Picture type – I, P, B, SI, SP
} Frame structure – Interlaced, Progressive
} Adaptive frame/field – per picture, per MB
} Deblocking filter – in-loop
} MV resolution – ¼ pixel
} Tree-like motion segmentation – 16x16 to 4x4
} Entropy coding – EG and CAVLC/CABAC
AddPac Video Solution

} Data partitioning – NAL_unit, priority

} ASO (arbitrary slice order) – independently decodable
} FMO (flexible macroblock order) – map
} Redundant slice
} ABP (adaptive bi-prediction) – adaptive weighting

AddPac Technology Confidential No.8

 H.264 Profiles
Baseline (Videoconferencing & Wireless)
} I and P picture types (not B)
} Interlace
} Per-picture adaptive frame/field
} In-loop deblocking filter
} 1/4-sample motion compensation
} Tree-structured motion segmentation down to 4x4 block size
} VLC-based entropy coding (CAVLC)
} Some enhanced error resilience features: FMO, ASO, Redundant slices

Main Profile (esp. Broadcast)

} All Baseline features except enhanced error resilience features
} B pictures
} CABAC (context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding)
AddPac Video Solution

} MB-level frame/field switching

} Adaptive weighting for B and P picture prediction
} Interlace

Profile X (esp. Streaming)

} All Baseline features
} B pictures
} More error resilience: Data partitioning
} SP/SI switching pictures

AddPac Technology Confidential No.9

 H.264: Encoder Structure
Input Coder
Video Control
Signal Control
Data

Transform/
Quant.
Scal./Quant.
- Transf. coeffs

Split into Decoder Loop Scaling & Inv.

Macroblocks
(16x16 pixels) Transform
Entropy
Coding

De-blocking
Intra-frame Filter
AddPac Video Solution

Prediction
Output
Motion- Video
Compensation Signal
Intra/Inter

Motion
Data
Motion
Estimation

AddPac Technology Confidential No.10

 H.264: Motion
Compensation Accuracy
Macroblock Partitioning
MPEG-2
• 16x16 block size
• Square shape
• ½ pel motion vector
Î Weak Motion Isolation !

MPEG-4
• 8x8 block size
• Square shapes
• ½ pel motion vector
Î Moderate Motion Isolation !!
AddPac Video Solution

16x16 16x8 8x16 8x8 H.264

MB 0 0 1 • 4x4 block size
Types 0 0 1 • Arbitrary shapes
1 2 3 • ¼ pel motion vector
Î Strong Motion Isolation !!!
8x8 8x4 4x8 4x4
8x8 0 0 1
0 0 1
Types 1 2 3
Motion vector accuracy ¼ pixel

AddPac Technology Confidential No.11

 H.264: Multiple Reference
Frames
Per-MB reference control

Generalized B(bi-predictive) picture

AddPac Video Solution

Weighted Bi-Prediction

AddPac Technology Confidential No.12

 H.264: 4x4 Intra-Prediction
9 prediction modes
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AddPac Video Solution

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AddPac Technology Confidential No.13

 H.264: 16x16 Intra-
Prediction
4 prediction modes

1(Horizontal)

0(Vertical)
AddPac Video Solution

2(DC)
3(Plane)

AddPac Technology Confidential No.14

 H.264: Transform
EXACT MATCH Simplified Transform
} Based primarily on 4x4 transform

4x4 DCT H.264

a a a a  1 1 1 1
   
b c -c -b  2 1 -1 -2
H =  a -a -a a  H=  1 -1 -1 1
   
 c -b b -c   1 -2 2 -1
where a = 1/2, b = 1/2 × cos(π / 8),
c = 1/2 × cos(3π / 8).
AddPac Video Solution

and

} Requires only 16 bit arithmetic (including intermediate

values)
} Expanded to 8x8 for chroma by 2x2 transform of the DC
values

AddPac Technology Confidential No.15

 H.264: Quantization
Quantization of transform coefficients
• Logarithmic step size control
• Extended range of step sizes
• Smaller step size for chroma (cf. H.263 Annex T)
• Table-driven (12.5%-increase in QStep per 1-QP increase)
Æ 2-times in QStep for every 6th increment in QP

QP 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 …
qStep 0.625 0.6875 0.8125 0.875 1 1.125 1.25 1.675 1.625 1.75 2 2.25 2.5 …
QP … 18 … 24 … 30 … 36 … 42 … 48 … 51
qStep … 5 … 10 … 20 … 40 … 80 … 160 … 224
AddPac Video Solution

• Reconstruction is 16-bit multiply, add, shift

• Actual definition is very complicated due to
• The non-orthonormality of the integer transform
Æ position dependent scaling
• Reconstruction simplicity
AddPac Technology Confidential No.16
 H.264: In-loop Deblocking
Filter
Improves subjective visual quality
Much better than post filtering
Highly context adaptive
AddPac Video Solution

1) Without Filter 2) With H264/AVC Deblocking

AddPac Technology Confidential No.17

 H.264: Entropy Coding
Exp-Golomb Code
} Universally for all symbols except for transform coefficients

CAVLC (Context adaptive VLC)

} For transform coefficients
} No end-of-block, but number of coefficients is decoded
} Coefficients are scanned backwards
} Contexts are built dependent on transform coefficients

CABAC (Context-based binary arithmetic coding)

AddPac Video Solution

} For transform coefficients

} Usage of adaptive probability models for most symbols
} Exploiting symbol correlations by using contexts
} Average bit-rate saving over CAVLC 10-15%

AddPac Technology Confidential No.18

 H.264: Network Abstraction
AddPac Video Solution
Layer (1)

AddPac Technology Confidential No.19

 H.264: Network Abstraction
Layer (2)
NAL unit: transport entity, e.g., contain one slice

H.264/AVC standard defines a byte-stream format to

transmit a sequence of NAL units as an ordered stream
of bytes

NAL unit boundaries need to be identified to obtain NAL

units with correct size to guarantee integrity

A byte-oriented HDLC-like framing including start codes

(1or 2 bytes) and emulation prevention is specified
AddPac Video Solution

For simplified gateway operation, the emulation

prevention on byte basis is applied to all raw byte
sequence payloads (RBSPs).

MPEG-2 systems support!

AddPac Technology Confidential No.20

Thank You !
www.addpac.com
Technical Sales and Marketing
Phone : +82 2 568 3848
Fax : +82 2 568 3847
sales@addpac.com

AddPac Technology Confidential