Independent Submission Y. Lim
Request for Comments: 9924 M. Park
Category: Informational M. Budagavi
ISSN: 2070-1721 R. Joshi
K. Choi
Samsung Electronics
February 2026
Advanced Professional Video
Abstract
This document describes the bitstream format of Advanced Professional
Video (APV) and its decoding process. APV is a professional video
codec providing visually lossless compression mainly for recording
and post production.
Status of This Memo
This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
published for informational purposes.
This is a contribution to the RFC Series, independently of any other
RFC stream. The RFC Editor has chosen to publish this document at
its discretion and makes no statement about its value for
implementation or deployment. Documents approved for publication by
the RFC Editor are not candidates for any level of Internet Standard;
see Section 2 of RFC 7841.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9924.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
(https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
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to this document.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Terms
2.1. Terms and Definitions
2.2. Abbreviated Terms
3. Conventions Used in This Document
3.1. General
3.2. Operators
3.2.1. Arithmetic Operators
3.2.2. Bitwise Operators
3.3. Range Notation
3.3.1. Order of Operations Precedence
3.4. Variables, Syntax Elements, and Tables
3.5. Processes
4. Formats and Processes Used in This Document
4.1. Bitstream Formats
4.2. Source, Decoded, and Output Frame Formats
4.3. Partitioning of a Frame
4.3.1. Partitioning of a Frame into Tiles
4.3.2. Spatial or Component-Wise Partitioning
4.4. Scanning Processes
4.4.1. Zig-Zag Scan
4.4.2. Inverse Scan
5. Syntax and Semantics
5.1. Method of Specifying Syntax
5.2. Syntax Functions and Descriptors
5.2.1. byte_aligned()
5.2.2. more_data_in_tile()
5.2.3. next_bits(n)
5.2.4. read_bits(n)
5.2.5. Syntax Element Processing Functions
5.3. List of Syntax and Semantics
5.3.1. Access Unit
5.3.2. Primitive Bitstream Unit
5.3.3. Primitive Bitstream Unit Header
5.3.4. Frame
5.3.5. Frame Header
5.3.6. Frame Information
5.3.7. Quantization Matrix
5.3.8. Tile Info
5.3.9. Access Unit Information
5.3.10. Metadata
5.3.11. Filler
5.3.12. Tile
5.3.13. Tile header
5.3.14. Tile Data
5.3.15. Macroblock Layer
5.3.16. AC Coefficient Coding
5.3.17. Byte Alignment
6. Decoding Process
6.1. MB Decoding Process
6.2. Block Reconstruction Process
6.3. Scaling and Transformation Process
6.3.1. Scaling Process for Transform Coefficients
6.3.2. Process for Scaled Transform Coefficients
7. Parsing Process
7.1. Process for Syntax Element Type h(v)
7.1.1. Process for abs_dc_coeff_diff
7.1.2. Process for coeff_zero_run
7.1.3. Process for abs_ac_coeff_minus1
7.1.4. Process for Variable-Length Codes
7.2. Codeword Generation Process for h(v) (Informative)
7.2.1. Process for abs_dc_coeff_diff
7.2.2. Process for coeff_zero_run
7.2.3. Process for abs_ac_coeff_minus1
7.2.4. Process for Variable-Length Codes
8. Metadata Information
8.1. Metadata Payload
8.2. List of Metadata Syntax and Semantics
8.2.1. Filler Metadata
8.2.2. Recommendation ITU-T T.35 Metadata
8.2.3. Mastering Display Color Volume Metadata
8.2.4. Content Light-Level Information Metadata
8.2.5. User-Defined Metadata
8.2.6. Undefined Metadata
9. Profiles, Levels, and Bands
9.1. Overview of Profiles, Levels, and Bands
9.2. Requirements on Video Decoder Capability
9.3. Profiles
9.3.1. General
9.3.2. 422-10 Profile
9.3.3. 422-12 Profile
9.3.4. 444-10 Profile
9.3.5. 444-12 Profile
9.3.6. 4444-10 Profile
9.3.7. 4444-12 Profile
9.3.8. 400-10 Profile
9.4. Levels and Bands
9.4.1. General
9.4.2. Limits of Levels and Bands
10. Security Considerations
11. IANA Considerations
12. References
12.1. Normative References
12.2. Informative References
Appendix A. Raw Bitstream Format
Appendix B. APV Implementations
B.1. OpenAPV Open Source Project
B.2. Android Open Source Project
B.3. FFmpeg Open Source Project
Authors' Addresses
1. Introduction
This document defines the bitstream format and decoding process for
the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. The APV codec is a
professional video codec that was developed in response to the need
for professional-level, high-quality video recording and post
production. The primary purpose of the APV codec is for use in
professional video recording and editing workflows for various types
of content. This specification is neither the product of the IETF
nor a consensus view of the community.
The APV codec supports the following features:
* Perceptually lossless video quality that is close to the original,
uncompressed quality;
* Low complexity and high throughput intra frame only coding without
inter frame coding;
* Intra frame coding without prediction between pixel values but
with prediction between transformed values for low delay encoding;
* High bit rates of up to a few Gbps for 2K, 4K, and 8K resolution
content, enabled by a lightweight entropy coding scheme;
* Frame tiling for immersive content and for enabling parallel
encoding and decoding;
* Various chroma sampling formats from 4:0:0 to 4:4:4:4, and bit
depths from 10 to 16 (Note: Only the profiles supporting 10 bits
and 12 bits are currently defined);
* Multiple decoding The ability to decode and re-encoding re-encode multiple times without severe
visual quality degradation; and
* Various metadata including HDR10/10+ and user-defined formats.
2. Terms
2.1. Terms and Definitions
access unit (AU): a collection of primitive bitstream units (PBU)
including various types of frames, metadata, filler, and access
unit information, associated with a specific time
band: a defined set of constraints on the value of the maximum coded
data rate of each level
block: MxN (M-column by N-row) array of samples, or an MxN array of
transform coefficients
byte-aligned: a position in a bitstream that is an integer multiple
of 8 bits from the position of the first bit in the bitstream
chroma: a sample array or single sample representing one of the two
color difference signals related to the primary colors,
represented by the symbols Cb and Cr in 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 color
format
coded frame: a coded representation of a frame containing all
macroblocks of the frame
coded representation: a data element as represented in its coded
form
component: an array or a single sample from one of the three arrays
(luma and two chroma) that compose a frame in 4:2:2, or 4:4:4
color format, or an array or a single sample from an array that
compose a frame in 4:0:0 color format, or an array or a single
sample from one of the four arrays that compose a frame in 4:4:4:4
color format.
decoded frame: a frame derived by decoding a coded frame
decoder: an embodiment of a decoding process
decoding process: a process specified that reads a bitstream and
derives decoded frames from it
encoder: an embodiment of an encoding process
encoding process: a process that produces a bitstream conforming to
this document
flag: a variable or single-bit syntax element that can take one of
the two possible values: 0 and 1
frame: an array of luma samples and two corresponding arrays of
chroma samples in 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 color format, or an array of
samples in 4:0:0 color format, or four arrays of samples in
4:4:4:4 color format
level: a defined set of constraints on the values that are taken by
the syntax elements and variables of this document, or the value
of a transform coefficient prior to scaling
luma: a sample array or single sample representing the monochrome
signal related to the primary colors, represented by the symbol or
subscript Y or L
macroblock (MB): a square block of luma samples and two
corresponding blocks of chroma samples of a frame in 4:2:2 or
4:4:4 color format, or a square block of samples of a frame in
4:0:0 color format, or four square blocks of samples of a frame in
4:4:4:4 color format
metadata: data describing various characteristics related to a
bitstream without directly affecting the decoding process of it.
partitioning: a division of a set into subsets such that each
element of the set is in exactly one of the subsets
prediction: an embodiment of the prediction process
prediction process: use of a predictor to provide an estimate of the
data element currently being decoded
predictor: a combination of specified values or previously decoded
data elements used in the decoding process of subsequent data
elements
primitive bitstream unit (PBU): a data structure to construct an
access unit with frame and metadata
profile: a specified subset of the syntax of this document
quantization parameter (QP): a variable used by the decoding process
for the scaling value of transform coefficients
raster scan: a mapping of a rectangular two-dimensional pattern to a
one-dimensional pattern such that the first entries in the one-
dimensional pattern are from the top row of the two-dimensional
pattern scanned from left to right, followed by the second, third,
etc., rows of the pattern each scanned from left to right
raw bitstream: an encapsulation of a sequence of access units where
a field indicating the size of an access unit precedes each access
unit as defined in Appendix A
source: a term used to describe the video material or some of its
attributes before the encoding process
syntax element: an element of data represented in the bitstream
syntax structure: zero or more syntax elements present together in a
bitstream in a specified order
tile: a rectangular region of MBs within a particular tile column
and a particular tile row in a frame
tile column: a rectangular region of MBs having a height equal to
the height of the frame and width specified by syntax elements in
the frame header
tile row: a rectangular region of MBs having a height specified by
syntax elements in the frame header and a width equal to the width
of the frame
tile scan: a specific sequential ordering of MBs partitioning a
frame in which the MBs are ordered consecutively in MB raster scan
in a tile and the tiles in a frame are ordered consecutively in a
raster scan of the tiles of the frame
transform coefficient: a scalar quantity, considered to be in a
frequency domain, that is associated with a particular one-
dimensional or two-dimensional index
2.2. Abbreviated Terms
I: intra
LSB: least significant bit
MSB: most significant bit
RGB: Red, Green and Blue
3. Conventions Used in This Document
3.1. General
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
"OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
capitals, as shown here.
3.2. Operators
The operators and the order of precedence are the same as used in the
C programming language [ISO9899], with the exception of [ISO9899]. However, there are some exceptions
for the operators described in the Section 3.2.1 and Section 3.2.2 following 3.2.2,
which follows widely used industry practices for video codecs.
3.2.1. Arithmetic Operators
//
an integer division with rounding of the result toward zero. For
example, 7//4 and -7//-4 are rounded to 1 and -7//4 and 7//-4 are
rounded to -1
/ or div(x,y)
a division in mathematical equations where no truncation or
rounding is intended
min(x,y)
the minimum value of the values x and y
max(x,y)
the maximum value of the values x and y
ceil(x)
the smallest integer value that is larger than or equal to x
clip(x,y,z)
clip(x,y,z)=max(x,min(z,y))
sum (i=x, y, f(i))
a summation of f(i) with i taking all integer values from x up to
and including y
log2(x)
the base-2 logarithm of x
3.2.2. Bitwise Operators
& (bit-wise "and")
When operating on integer arguments, operates on a two's
complement representation of the integer value. When operating on
arguments with unequal bit depths, the bit depths are equalized by
adding zeros in significant positions to the argument with lower
bit depth.
| (bit-wise "or")
When operating on integer arguments, operates on a two's
complement representation of the integer value. When operating on
arguments with unequal bit depths, the bit depths are equalized by
adding zeros in significant positions to the argument with lower
bit depth.
x >> y
arithmetic right shift of a two's complement integer
representation of x by y binary digits. This function is defined
only for non-negative integer values of y. Bits shifted into the
most significant bits (MSBs) as a result of the right shift have a
value equal to the MSB of x prior to the shift operation.
x << y
arithmetic left shift of a two's complement integer representation
of x by y binary digits. This function is defined only for non-
negative integer values of y. Bits shifted into the least
significant bits (LSBs) as a result of the left shift have a value
equal to 0.
3.3. Range Notation
x = y..z
x takes on integer values starting from y to z, inclusive, with x,
y, and z being integer numbers and z being greater than y.
3.3.1. Order of Operations Precedence
When order of precedence is not indicated explicitly by use of
parentheses, operations are evaluated in the following order.
* Operations of a higher precedence are evaluated before any
operation of a lower precedence. Table 1 specifies the precedence
of operations from highest to lowest; operations closer to the top
of the table indicate a higher precedence.
* Operations of the same precedence are evaluated sequentially from
left to right.
+=========================================+
| operations (with operands x, y, and z) |
+=========================================+
| "x++", "x--" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "!x", "-x" (as a unary prefix operator) |
+-----------------------------------------+
| x^y (power) |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x * y", "x / y", "x // y", "x % y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x + y", "x - y", "sum (i=x, y, f(i))" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x << y", "x >> y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x < y", "x <= y", "x > y", "x >= y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x == y", "x != y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x & y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x | y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x && y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x || y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x ? y : z" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x..y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
| "x = y", "x += y", "x -= y" |
+-----------------------------------------+
Table 1: Operation precedence from
highest (top of the table) to lowest
(bottom of the table)
3.4. Variables, Syntax Elements, and Tables
Each syntax element is described by its name in all lowercase letters
and its type is provided next to the syntax code in each row. Each
syntax element and multi-byte integers are written in big endian
format. The decoding process behaves according to the value of the
syntax element and to the values of previously decoded syntax
elements.
In some cases, the syntax tables may use the values of other
variables derived from syntax elements values. Such variables appear
in the syntax tables or text, named by a mixture of lower case and
uppercase letters and without any underscore characters. Variables
with names starting with an uppercase letter are derived for the
decoding of the current syntax structure and all dependent syntax
structures. Variables with names starting with an uppercase letter
may be used in the decoding process for later syntax structures
without mentioning the originating syntax structure of the variable.
Variables with names starting with a lowercase letter are only used
within the section in which they are derived.
Functions that specify properties of the current position in the
bitstream are referred to as syntax functions. These functions are
specified in Section 5.2 and assume the existence of a bitstream
pointer with an indication of the position of the next bit to be read
by the decoding process from the bitstream.
A one-dimensional array is referred to as a list. A two-dimensional
array is referred to as a matrix. Arrays can either be syntax
elements or variables. Square parentheses brackets are used for the indexing of
arrays. In reference to a visual depiction of a matrix, the first
square bracket is used as a column (horizontal) index and the second
square bracket is used as a row (vertical) index.
A specification of values of the entries in rows and columns of an
array may be denoted by {{...}{...}}, where each inner pair of
brackets specifies the values of the elements within a row in
increasing column order and the rows are ordered in increasing row
order. Thus, setting a matrix s equal to {{1 6}{4 9}} specifies that
s[0][0] is set equal to 1, s[1][0] is set equal to 6, s[0][1] is set
equal to 4, and s[1][1] is set equal to 9.
Binary notation is indicated by enclosing the string of bit values in
single quote marks. For example, '0b01000001' represents an eight-
bit string having only its second and its last bits (counted from the
most to the least significant bit) equal to 1.
Hexadecimal notation, indicated by prefixing the hexadecimal number
by "0x", may be used instead of binary notation when the number of
bits is an integer multiple of 4. For example, 0x41 represents an
eight-bit string having only its second and its last bits (counted
from the most to the least significant bit) equal to 1.
A value equal to 0 represents a FALSE condition in a test statement.
The value TRUE is represented by any value different from zero.
3.5. Processes
Processes are used to describe the decoding of syntax elements. A
process has a separate specification and invoking. When invoking a
process, the assignment of variables is specified as follows:
* If the variables at the invoking and the process specification do
not have the same name, the variables are explicitly assigned to
lower case input or output variables of the process specification.
* Otherwise (the variables at the invoking and the process
specification have the same name), the assignment is implied.
In the specification of a process, a specific coding block is
referred to by the variable name having a value equal to the address
of the specific coding block.
4. Formats and Processes Used in This Document
4.1. Bitstream Formats
This section specifies the bitstream format of the Advanced
Professional Video (APV) codec.
A raw bitstream format consists of a sequence of AUs where the field
indicating the size of access units precedes each of them. The raw
bitstream format is specified in Appendix A.
4.2. Source, Decoded, and Output Frame Formats
This section specifies the relationship between the source and
decoded frames.
The video source that is represented by the bitstream is a sequence
of frames.
Source and decoded frames are each comprised of one or more sample
arrays:
* Monochrome (for example, Luma only)
* Luma and two chroma (for example, YCbCr or YCgCo as specified in
[H273]).
* Green, blue, and red (GBR, also known as RGB).
* Arrays representing other unspecified tri-stimulus color samplings
(for example, YZX, also known as XYZ as specified in [CIE15]).
* Arrays representing other unspecified four color samplings
For the convenience of notation and terminology in this document, the
variables and terms associated with these arrays can be referred to
as luma and chroma regardless of the actual color representation
method in use.
The values of the variables SubWidthC, SubHeightC, and NumComps are
depend on the chroma format sampling structure as specified in
Table 2, depending on the 2. The chroma format sampling structure, which structure is
specified signaled through
chroma_format_idc. Other values of chroma_format_idc, SubWidthC,
SubHeightC, and NumComps may be specified in future versions of this
document.
+===================+==========+===========+============+==========+
| chroma_format_idc | Chroma | SubWidthC | SubHeightC | NumComps |
| | format | | | |
+===================+==========+===========+============+==========+
| 0 | 4:0:0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
+-------------------+----------+-----------+------------+----------+
| 1 | reserved | reserved | reserved | reserved |
+-------------------+----------+-----------+------------+----------+
| 2 | 4:2:2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
+-------------------+----------+-----------+------------+----------+
| 3 | 4:4:4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
+-------------------+----------+-----------+------------+----------+
| 4 | 4:4:4:4 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
+-------------------+----------+-----------+------------+----------+
| 5..7 | reserved | reserved | reserved | reserved |
+-------------------+----------+-----------+------------+----------+
Table 2: SubWidthC, SubHeightC, and NumComps values derived from
chroma_format_idc
In 4:0:0 sampling, there is only one sample array that can be
considered as the luma array.
In 4:2:2 sampling, each of the two chroma arrays has the same height
and half the width of the luma array.
In 4:4:4 sampling and 4:4:4:4 sampling, all the sample arrays have
the same height and width as the luma array.
The number of bits necessary for the representation of each of the
samples in the luma and chroma arrays in a video sequence is in the
range of 10 to 16, inclusive.
When the value of chroma_format_idc is equal to 2, the chroma samples
are co-sited with the corresponding luma samples; the nominal
locations in a frame are as shown in Figure 1.
& * & * & * & * & * ...
& * & * & * & * & * ...
& * & * & * & * & * ...
& * & * & * & * & * ...
...
& - location where both luma and chroma sample exist
* - location where only luma sample exist
Figure 1: Nominal vertical and horizontal locations of 4:2:2 luma
and chroma samples in a frame
For each frame, when the value of chroma_format_idc is equal to 3 or
4, all of the array samples are co-sited; the nominal locations in a
frame are as shown in Figure 2.
& & & & & & & & & & ...
& & & & & & & & & & ...
& & & & & & & & & & ...
& & & & & & & & & & ...
...
& - location where both luma and chroma sample exist
Figure 2: Nominal vertical and horizontal locations of 4:4:4 and
4:4:4:4 luma and chroma samples in a frame
Samples are processed in units of MBs. The variables MbWidth and
MbHeight, which specify the width and height of the luma arrays for
each MB, are defined as follows:
* MbWidth = 16
* MbHeight = 16
The variables MbWidthC and MbHeightC, which specify the width and
height of the chroma arrays for each MB, are derived as follows:
* MbWidthC = MbWidth // SubWidthC
* MbHeightC = MbHeight // SubHeightC
4.3. Partitioning of a Frame
4.3.1. Partitioning of a Frame into Tiles
This section specifies how a frame is partitioned into tiles.
A frame is divided into tiles. A tile is a group of MBs that cover a
rectangular region of a frame and is processed independently of other
tiles. Every tile has the same width and height, except possibly
tiles at the right or bottom frame boundary when the frame width or
height is not a multiple of the tile width or height, respectively.
The tiles in a frame are scanned in raster order. Within a tile, the
MBs are scanned in raster order. Each MB is comprised of one
(MbWidth) x (MbHeight) luma array and zero, two, or three
corresponding chroma sample arrays.
For example, a frame is divided into 6 tiles (3 tile columns and 2
tile rows) as shown in Figure 3. In this example, the tile size is
defined as 4 column MBs and 4 row MBs. In case of the third and
sixth tiles (in raster order), the tile size is 2 column MBs and 4
row MBs since the frame width is not a multiple of the tile width.
+===================+===================+=========+
# | | | # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+-------------------+-------------------+---------+
# | | | # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+----- tile -----+-------------------+---------+
# | | | # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+-------------------+-------------------+---------+
# | | | # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+===================+===================+=========+
# MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+-------------------+-------------------+---------+
# MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+-------------------+-------------------+---------+
# MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+-------------------+-------------------+---------+
# MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB | MB | MB # MB | MB #
+===================+===================+=========+
#,= tile boundary
|,- MB boundary
Figure 3: Frame with 10 by 8 MBs that is partitioned into 6 tiles
4.3.2. Spatial or Component-Wise Partitioning
The following divisions of processing elements form spatial or
component-wise partitioning:
* the division of each frame into components;
* the division of each frame into tile columns;
* the division of each frame into tile rows;
* the division of each tile column into tiles;
* the division of each tile row into tiles;
* the division of each tile into color components;
* the division of each tile into MBs;
* the division of each MB into blocks.
4.4. Scanning Processes
4.4.1. Zig-Zag Scan
This process converts a two dimensional array into an one-dimensional
array. The process starts at the top-left position in the block and
then moves diagonally, changing direction at the edges of the block
until it reaches the bottom-right position. Figure 4 shows an
example of scanning order for 4x4 size block.
+===================+
# 00 | 01 | 05 | 06 #
+-------------------+
# 02 | 04 | 07 | 12 #
+-------------------+
# 03 | 08 | 11 | 13 #
+-------------------+
# 09 | 10 | 14 | 15 #
+===================+
Figure 4: Example of zig-zag scanning order for 4x4 block
Inputs to this process are:
* a variable blkWidth specifying the width of a block, and
* a variable blkHeight specifying the height of a block.
Output of this process is the array zigZagScan[sPos].
The array index sPos specifies the scan position ranging from 0 to
(blkWidth * blkHeight)-1. Depending on the value of blkWidth and
blkHeight, the array zigZagScan is derived as follows:
pos = 0
zigZagScan[pos] = 0
pos++
for(line = 1; line < (blkWidth + blkHeight - 1); line++){
if(line % 2){
x = min(line, blkWidth - 1)
y = max(0, line - (blkWidth - 1))
while(x >=0 && y < blkHeight){
zigZagScan[pos] = y * blkWidth + x
pos++
x--
y++
}
}
else{
y = min(line, blkHeight - 1)
x = max(0, line - (blkHeight - 1))
while(y >= 0 && x < blkWidth){
zigZagScan[pos] = y * blkWidth + x
pos++
x++
y--
}
}
}
Figure 5: Pseudo-code for zig-zag scan
4.4.2. Inverse Scan
Inputs to this process are:
* a variable blkWidth specifying the width of a block, and
* a variable blkHeight specifying the height of a block.
Output of this process is the array inverseScan[rPos].
The array index rPos specifies the raster scan position ranging from
0 to (blkWidth * blkHeight)-1. Depending on the value of blkWidth
and blkHeight, the array inverseScan is derived as follows:
* The variable forwardScan is derived by invoking the zig-zag scan
order one-dimensional array initialization process as specified in Section 4.4.1 with
input parameters blkWidth and blkHeight.
* The output variable inverseScan is derived as follows:
for(pos = 0; pos < blkWidth * blkHeight; pos++){
inverseScan[forwardScan[pos]] = pos
}
Figure 6: Pseudo-code for inverse zig-zag scan
5. Syntax and Semantics
5.1. Method of Specifying Syntax
The syntax tables specify a superset of the syntax of all allowed
bitstreams. Note that a decoder MUST implement some means for
identifying entry points into the bitstream and some means to
identify and handle non-conforming bitstreams. The methods for
identifying and handling errors and other such situations are not
specified in this document.
The APV bitstream is described in this document using syntax code based on the C
programming language [ISO9899] and uses its -- including use of if/else, while,
and for keywords -- as well as functions defined within this document.
The syntax table in syntax code is presented in a two-column format
such as shown in Figure 7. In this form, the type column provides a
type referenced in that same line of syntax code by using the syntax
elements processing functions defined in Section 5.2.5.
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
ExampleSyntaxCode(){ |
operations |
syntax_element | u(n)
} |
Figure 7: A depiction of type-labeled syntax code for syntax
description in this document
5.2. Syntax Functions and Descriptors
The functions presented in this document are used in the syntactical
description. These functions are expressed in terms of the value of
a bitstream pointer that indicates the position of the next bit to be
read by the decoding process from the bitstream.
5.2.1. byte_aligned()
* If the current position in the bitstream is on the last bit of a
byte, i.e., the next bit in the bitstream is the first bit in a
byte, the return value of byte_aligned() is equal to TRUE.
* Otherwise, the return value of byte_aligned() is equal to FALSE.
5.2.2. more_data_in_tile()
* If the current position in the i-th tile() syntax structure is
less than TileSize[i] in bytes from the beginning of the
tile_header() syntax structure of the i-th tile, the return value
of more_data_in_tile() is equal to TRUE.
* Otherwise, the return value of more_data_in_tile() is equal to
FALSE.
5.2.3. next_bits(n)
This function provides the next n bits in the bitstream for
comparison purposes, without advancing the bitstream pointer.
5.2.4. read_bits(n)
This function indicates that the next n bits from the bitstream are
to be read and it advances the bitstream pointer by n bit positions.
When n is equal to 0, read_bits(n) is specified to return a value
equal to 0 and to not advance the bitstream pointer.
5.2.5. Syntax Element Processing Functions
b(8): byte having any pattern of bit string (8 bits). The parsing
process for this descriptor is specified by the return value of
the function read_bits(8).
f(n): fixed-pattern bit string using n bits written (from left to
right) with the left bit first, i.e., big endian format. The
parsing process for this descriptor is specified by the return
value of the function read_bits(n).
u(n): unsigned integer using n bits. The parsing process for this
descriptor is specified by the return value of the function
read_bits(n) interpreted as a binary representation of an unsigned
integer with the most significant bit written first.
h(v): variable-length entropy coded syntax element with the left bit
first, i.e., big endian format. The parsing process for this
descriptor is specified in Section 7.1.
5.3. List of Syntax and Semantics
5.3.1. Access Unit
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
access_unit(au_size){ |
signature | f(32)
currReadSize = 4 |
do(){ |
pbu_size | u(32)
currReadSize += 4 |
pbu() |
currReadSize += pbu_size |
} while (au_size > currReadSize) |
} |
Figure 8: access unit syntax code
signature
A four-character code that identifies the bitstream as an APV AU.
The value MUST be 'aPv1' (0x61507631).
pbu_size
the size of a primitive bitstream unit in bytes. A value of 0 is
prohibited and the value of 0xFFFFFFFF for pbu_size is reserved
for future use.
Note: An AU consists of one primary frame, zero or more non-primary
frames such as a frame for additional view, zero or more alpha
frames, zero or more depth frames, zero or more preview frames such
as a frame with smaller resolution, zero or more metadata, and zero
or more fillers.
5.3.2. Primitive Bitstream Unit
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
pbu(){ |
pbu_header() |
if((1 <= pbu_type && pbu_type <=2) || |
(25 <= pbu_type && pbu_type <= 27)) |
frame() |
else if(pbu_type == 65) |
au_info() |
else if(pbu_type == 66) |
metadata() |
else if (pbu_type == 67) |
filler() |
} |
Figure 9: primitive bitstream unit syntax code
5.3.3. Primitive Bitstream Unit Header
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
pbu_header(){ |
pbu_type | u(8)
group_id | u(16)
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
} |
Figure 10: primitive bitstream unit header syntax code
pbu_type
indicates the type of data in a PBU listed in Table 3. Other
values of pbu_type are reserved for future use.
+==========+=========================+=======+
| pbu_type | meaning | notes |
+==========+=========================+=======+
| 0 | reserved | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 1 | primary frame | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 2 | non-primary frame | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 3...24 | reserved | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 25 | preview frame | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 26 | depth frame | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 27 | alpha frame | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 28...64 | reserved | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 65 | access unit information | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 66 | metadata | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 67 | filler | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
| 68...255 | reserved | |
+----------+-------------------------+-------+
Table 3: List of PBU types
Note: A PBU with pbu_type equal to 65 (access unit information)
may happen in an AU. If it exists, it MUST be the first PBU in an
AU, and it can be ignored by a decoder.
group_id
indicates the identifier to associate a coded frame with metadata.
More than two frames can have the same group_id in a single AU. A
primary frame and a non-primary frame MUST have different group_id
values, and two non-primary frames MUST have different group_id
values. When the value of group_id is equal to 0, the value of
pbu_type MUST be greater than 64. The value of 0xFFFF for
group_id is reserved for future use.
reserved_zero_8bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
5.3.4. Frame
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
frame(){ |
frame_header() |
for(i = 0; i < NumTiles; i++){ |
tile_size[i] | u(32)
tile(i) |
} |
filler() |
} |
Figure 11: frame() syntax code
tile_size[i]
indicates the size in bytes of i-th tile data (i.e., tile(i)) in
raster order in a frame. The value of 0 for tile_size[i] is
reserved for future use.
The variable TileSize[i] is set equal to tile_size[i].
5.3.5. Frame Header
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
frame_header(){ |
frame_info() |
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
color_description_present_flag | u(1)
if(color_description_present_flag){ |
color_primaries | u(8)
transfer_characteristics | u(8)
matrix_coefficients | u(8)
full_range_flag | u(1)
} |
use_q_matrix | u(1)
if(use_q_matrix){ |
quantization_matrix() |
} |
tile_info() |
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
byte_alignment() |
} |
Figure 12: frame_header() syntax code
reserved_zero_8bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
color_description_present_flag equal to 1
specifies that color_primaries, transfer_characteristics, and
matrix_coefficients are present. color_description_present_flag
equal to 0 specifies that color_primaries,
transfer_characteristics, and matrix_coefficients are not present.
color_primaries
MUST have the semantics of ColourPrimaries as specified in [H273].
When the color_primaries syntax element is not present, the value
of color_primaries is inferred to be equal to 2.
transfer_characteristics
MUST have the semantics of TransferCharacteristics as specified in
[H273]. When the transfer_characteristics syntax element is not
present, the value of transfer_characteristics is inferred to be
equal to 2.
matrix_coefficients
MUST have the semantics of MatrixCoefficients as specified in
[H273]. When the matrix_coefficients syntax element is not
present, the value of matrix_coefficients is inferred to be equal
to 2.
full_range_flag
MUST have the semantics of VideoFullRangeFlag as specified in
[H273]. When the full_range_flag syntax element is not present,
the value of full_range_flag is inferred to be equal to 0.
use_q_matrix
with a value of 1 specifies that the quantization matrices are
present. A value of 0 specifies that the quantization matrices
are not present.
reserved_zero_8bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
5.3.6. Frame Information
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
frame_info(){ |
profile_idc | u(8)
level_idc | u(8)
band_idc | u(3)
reserved_zero_5bits | u(5)
frame_width | u(24)
frame_height | u(24)
chroma_format_idc | u(4)
bit_depth_minus8 | u(4)
capture_time_distance | u(8)
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
} |
Figure 13: frame_info() syntax code
profile_idc
indicates a profile to which the coded frame conforms as specified
in Section 9. Bitstreams SHALL NOT contain values of profiles_idc
other than those specified in Section 9. Other values of
profile_idc are reserved for future use.
level_idc
indicates a level to which the coded frame conforms as specified
in Section 9. Bitstreams SHALL NOT contain values of level_idc
other than those specified in Section 9. Other values of
level_idc are reserved for future use.
band_idc
specifies a maximum coded data rate of level_idc as specified in
Section 9. Bitstreams SHALL NOT contain values of band_idc other
than those specified in Section 9. The value of band_idc MUST be
in the range of 0 to 3. Other values of band_idc are reserved for
future use.
reserved_zero_5bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
frame_width
specifies the width of the frame in units of luma samples.
frame_width MUST be a multiple of 2 when chroma_format_idc has a
value of 2. The value 0 is reserved for future use.
frame_height
specifies the height of the frame in units of luma samples. The
value 0 is reserved for future use.
The variables FrameWidthInMbsY, FrameHeightInMbsY,
FrameWidthInSamplesY, FrameHeightInSamplesY, FrameWidthInSamplesC,
FrameHeightInSamplesC, FrameSizeInMbsY, and FrameSizeInSamplesY
are derived as follows:
* FrameWidthInSamplesY = frame_width
* FrameHeightInSamplesY = frame_height
* FrameWidthInMbsY = ceil(FrameWidthInSamplesY / MbWidth)
* FrameHeightInMbsY = ceil(FrameHeightInSamplesY / MbHeight)
* FrameWidthInSamplesC = FrameWidthInSamplesY // SubWidthC
* FrameHeightInSamplesC = FrameHeightInSamplesY // SubHeightC
* FrameSizeInMbsY = FrameWidthInMbsY * FrameHeightInMbsY
* FrameSizeInSamplesY = FrameWidthInSamplesY *
FrameHeightInSamplesY
chroma_format_idc
specifies the chroma sampling relative to the luma sampling as
specified in Table 2. The value of chroma_format_idc MUST be 0,
2, 3, or 4. Other values are reserved for future use.
bit_depth_minus8
specifies the bit depth of the samples. The variables BitDepth
and QpBdOffset are derived as follows:
* BitDepth = bit_depth_minus8 + 8
* QpBdOffset = bit_depth_minus8 * 6
bit_depth_minus8 MUST be in the range of 2 to 8, inclusive. Other
values are reserved for future use.
capture_time_distance
indicates the time difference between the capture time of the
frames in the previous access unit and frames in the current
access unit in milliseconds if there has been any access unit
preceding the access unit this frame belongs to.
reserved_zero_8bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
5.3.7. Quantization Matrix
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
quantization_matrix(){ |
for(i = 0; i < NumComps; i++){ |
for(y = 0; y < 8; y++){ |
for(x = 0; x < 8; x++){ |
q_matrix[i][x][y] | u(8)
} |
} |
} |
} |
Figure 14: quantization_matrix() syntax code
q_matrix[i][x][y]
specifies a scaling value in the quantization matrices. When
q_matrix[i][x][y] is not present, it is inferred to be equal to
16. The array index i specifies an indicator for the color
component; when chroma_format_idc is equal to 2 or 3, the value of
the index i is equal to 0 for Y, Y component, 1 for Cb, and 2 for Cr.
The value of 0 for q_matrix[i][x][y] is reserved for future use.
The quantization matrix, QMatrix[i][x][y], is derived as follows:
* QMatrix[i][x][y] = q_matrix[i][x][y]
5.3.8. Tile Info
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
tile_info(){ |
tile_width_in_mbs | u(20)
tile_height_in_mbs | u(20)
startMb = 0 |
for(i = 0; startMb < FrameWidthInMbsY; i++){ |
ColStarts[i] = startMb * MbWidth |
startMb += tile_width_in_mbs |
} |
ColStarts[i] = FrameWidthInMbsY*MbWidth |
TileCols = i |
startMb = 0 |
for(i = 0; startMb < FrameHeightInMbsY; i++){ |
RowStarts[i] = startMb * MbHeight |
startMb += tile_height_in_mbs |
} |
RowStarts[i] = FrameHeightInMbsY*MbHeight |
TileRows = i |
NumTiles = TileCols * TileRows |
tile_size_present_in_fh_flag | u(1)
if(tile_size_present_in_fh_flag){ |
for(i = 0; i < NumTiles; i++){ |
tile_size_in_fh[i] | u(32)
} |
} |
} |
Figure 15: tile_info() syntax code
tile_width_in_mbs
specifies the width of a tile in units of MBs.
tile_height_in_mbs
specifies the height of a tile in units of MBs.
tile_size_present_in_fh_flag
equal to 1 specifies that tile_size_in_fh[i] is present in the
frame header. tile_size_present_in_fh_flag equal to 0 specifies
that tile_size_in_fh[i] is not present in the frame header.
tile_size_in_fh[i]
indicates the size in bytes of i-th tile data in raster order in a
frame. The value of tile_size_in_fh[i] MUST have the same value
with tile_size[i]. When it is not present, the value of
tile_size_in_fh[i] is inferred to be equal to tile_size[i]. The
value of 0 for tile_size_in_fh[i] is reserved for future use.
5.3.9. Access Unit Information
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
au_info(){ |
num_frames | u(16)
for(i = 0; i < num_frames; i++){ |
pbu_type | u(8)
group_id | u(16)
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
frame_info() |
} |
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
byte_alignment() |
filler() |
} |
Figure 16: au_info() syntax code
num_frames
indicates the number of frames contained in the current AU.
pbu_type
has the same semantics as pbu_type in the pbu_header() syntax.
Note: The value of pbu_type MUST be 1, 2, 25, 26, or 27 in
bitstreams conforming to this version of the document.
group_id
has the same semantics as group_id in the pbu_header() syntax.
reserved_zero_8bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
5.3.10. Metadata
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata(){ |
metadata_size | u(32)
currReadSize = 0 |
do{ |
payloadType = 0 |
while(next_bits(8) == 0xFF){ |
ff_byte | f(8)
payloadType += ff_byte |
currReadSize++ |
} |
metadata_payload_type | u(8)
payloadType += metadata_payload_type |
currReadSize++ |
|
payloadSize = 0 |
while(next_bits(8) == 0xFF){ |
ff_byte | f(8)
payloadSize += ff_byte |
currReadSize++ |
} |
metadata_payload_size | u(8)
payloadSize += metadata_payload_size |
currReadSize++ |
|
metadata_payload(payloadType, payloadSize) |
currReadSize += payloadSize |
} while(metadata_size > currReadSize) |
filler() |
} |
Figure 17: metadata() syntax code
metadata_size
specifies the size of metadata before filler() in the current PBU.
ff_byte
is a byte equal to 0xFF.
metadata_payload_type
specifies the last byte of the payload type of a metadata.
metadata_payload_size
specifies the last byte of the payload size of a metadata.
Syntax and semantics of metadata_payload() are specified in
Section 8.
5.3.11. Filler
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
filler(){ |
while(next_bits(8) == 0xFF) |
ff_byte | f(8)
} |
Figure 18: filler() syntax code
ff_byte
is a byte equal to 0xFF.
5.3.12. Tile
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
tile(tileIdx){ |
tile_header(tileIdx) |
for(i = 0; i < NumComps; i++){ |
tile_data(tileIdx, i) |
} |
while(more_data_in_tile()){ |
tile_dummy_byte | b(8)
} |
} |
Figure 19: tile() syntax code
tile_dummy_byte
has any pattern of 8-bit string.
5.3.13. Tile header
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
tile_header(tileIdx){ |
tile_header_size | u(16)
tile_index | u(16)
for(i = 0; i < NumComps; i++){ |
tile_data_size[i] | u(32)
} |
for(i = 0; i < NumComps; i++){ |
tile_qp[i] | u(8)
} |
reserved_zero_8bits | u(8)
byte_alignment() |
} |
Figure 20: tile_header() syntax code
tile_header_size
indicates the size of the tile header in bytes.
tile_index
specifies the tile index in raster order in a frame. tile_index
MUST have the same value as tileIdx.
tile_data_size[i]
indicates the size of the i-th color component data in a tile in
bytes. The array index i specifies an indicator for the color
component; when chroma_format_idc is equal to 2 or 3, the value of
the index i is equal to 0 for Y, Y component, 1 for Cb, and 2 for Cr.
The value of 0 for tile_data_size[i] is reserved for future use.
tile_qp[i]
specifies the quantization parameter value for i-th color
component. The array index i specifies an indicator for the color
component; when chroma_format_idc is equal to 2 or 3, the value of
the index i is equal to 0 for Y, Y component, 1 for Cb, and 2 for Cr.
The Qp[i] to be used for the MBs in the tile are derived as
follows:
* Qp[i] = tile_qp[i] - QpBdOffset
* Qp[i] MUST be in the range of -QpBdOffset to 51, inclusive.
reserved_zero_8bits
MUST be equal to 0 in bitstreams conforming to the profiles
specified in Section 9 of this version of the document. 9. Values of reserved_zero_8bits greater
than 0 are reserved for future use. Decoders conforming to the
profiles specified in Section 9 of this
version of the document MUST ignore PBU with values of
reserved_zero_8bits greater than 0.
5.3.14. Tile Data
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
tile_data(tileIdx, cIdx){ |
x0 = ColStarts[tileIdx % TileCols] |
y0 = RowStarts[tileIdx // TileCols] |
numMbColsInTile = (ColStarts[tileIdx % TileCols + 1] - |
ColStarts[tileIdx % TileCols]) // MbWidth |
numMbRowsInTile = (RowStarts[tileIdx // TileCols + 1] - |
RowStarts[tileIdx // TileCols]) // MbHeight |
numMbsInTile = numMbColsInTile * numMbRowsInTile |
PrevDC = 0 |
PrevDcDiff = 20 |
Prev1stAcLevel = 0 |
for(i = 0; i < numMbsInTile; i++){ |
xMb = x0 + ((i % numMbColsInTile) * MbWidth) |
yMb = y0 + ((i // numMbColsInTile) * MbHeight) |
macroblock_layer(xMb, yMb, cIdx) |
} |
byte_alignment() |
} |
Figure 21: tile_data() syntax code
The tile_data() syntax calculates the location of the macroblocks
belonging to each tile and collects them.
5.3.15. Macroblock Layer
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
macroblock_layer(xMb, yMb, cIdx){ |
subW = (cIdx == 0)? 1 : SubWidthC |
subH = (cIdx == 0)? 1 : SubHeightC |
blkWidth = (cIdx == 0)? MbWidth : MbWidthC |
blkHeight = (cIdx == 0)? MbHeight : MbHeightC |
TrSize = 8 |
for(y = 0; y < blkHeight; y += TrSize){ |
for(x = 0; x < blkWidth; x += TrSize){ |
abs_dc_coeff_diff | h(v)
if(abs_dc_coeff_diff) |
sign_dc_coeff_diff | u(1)
TransCoeff[cIdx][xMb // subW + x][yMb // subH + y] = |
PrevDC + abs_dc_coeff_diff * |
(1 - 2*sign_dc_coeff_diff) |
PrevDC = |
TransCoeff[cIdx][xMb // subW + x][yMb // subH + y] |
PrevDcDiff = abs_dc_coeff_diff |
ac_coeff_coding(xMb // subW + x, yMb // subH + y, |
log2(TrSize), log2(TrSize), cIdx) |
} |
} |
} |
Figure 22: macroblock_layer() syntax code
abs_dc_coeff_diff
specifies the absolute value of the difference between the current
DC transform coefficient level and PrevDC.
sign_dc_coeff_diff
specifies the sign of the difference between the current DC
transform coefficient level and PrevDC. sign_dc_coeff_diff equal
to 0 specifies that the difference has a positive value.
sign_dc_coeff_diff equal to 1 specifies that the difference has a
negative value.
The transform coefficients are represented by the arrays
TransCoeff[cIdx][x0][y0]. The array indices x0, y0 specify the
location (x0, y0) relative to the top-left sample for each component
of the frame. The array index cIdx specifies an indicator for the
color component; when chroma_format_idc is equal to 2 or 3, the value
of the index i is equal to 0 for Y, Y component, 1 for Cb, and 2 for Cr.
The value of TransCoeff[cIdx][x0][y0] MUST be in the range of -32768
to 32767, inclusive.
5.3.16. AC Coefficient Coding
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
ac_coeff_coding(x0, y0, log2BlkWidth, log2BlkHeight, cIdx){ |
scanPos = 1 |
firstAC = 1 |
PrevLevel = Prev1stAcLevel |
PrevRun = 0 |
do{ |
coeff_zero_run | h(v)
for(i = 0; i < coeff_zero_run; i++){ |
blkPos = ScanOrder[scanPos] |
xC = blkPos & ((1 << log2BlkWidth) - 1) |
yC = blkPos >> log2BlkWidth |
TransCoeff[cIdx][x0+xC][y0 + yC] = 0 |
scanPos++ |
} |
PrevRun = coeff_zero_run |
if(scanPos < (1 << (log2BlkWidth + log2BlkHeight))){ |
abs_ac_coeff_minus1 | h(v)
sign_ac_coeff | u(1)
level = (abs_ac_coeff_minus1 + 1) * |
(1 - 2 * sign_ac_coeff) |
blkPos = ScanOrder[scanPos] |
xC = blkPos & ((1 << log2BlkWidth) - 1) |
yC = blkPos >> log2BlkWidth |
TransCoeff[cIdx][x0 + xC][y0 + yC] = level |
scanPos++ |
PrevLevel = abs_ac_coeff_minus1 + 1 |
if(firstAC == 1){ |
firstAC = 0 |
Prev1stAcLevel = PrevLevel |
} |
} |
} while(scanPos < (1 << (log2BlkWidth + log2BlkHeight))) |
} |
Figure 23: ac_coeff_coding() syntax code
coeff_zero_run
specifies the number of zero-valued transform coefficient levels
that are located before the position of the next non-zero
transform coefficient level in a scan of transform coefficient
levels.
abs_ac_coeff_minus1
plus 1 specifies the absolute value of an AC transform coefficient
level at the given scanning position.
sign_ac_coeff
specifies the sign of an AC transform coefficient level for the
given scanning position. sign_ac_coeff equal to 0 specifies that
the corresponding AC transform coefficient level has a positive
value. sign_ac_coeff equal to 1 specifies that the corresponding
AC transform coefficient level has a negative value.
The array ScanOrder[sPos] specifies the mapping of the zig-zag scan
position sPos, ranging from 0 to (1 << log2BlkWidth) * (1 <<
log2BlkHeight) - 1, inclusive, to a raster scan position rPos.
ScanOrder is derived by invoking Section 4.4.1 with input parameters
blkWidth equal to (1 << log2BlkWidth) and blkHeight equal to (1 <<
log2BlkHeight).
5.3.17. Byte Alignment
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
byte_alignment(){ |
while(!byte_aligned()) |
alignment_bit_equal_to_zero | f(1)
} |
Figure 24: byte_alignment() syntax code
alignment_bit_equal_to_zero
MUST be equal to 0.
6. Decoding Process
This process is invoked to obtain a decoded frame from a bitstream.
Input to this process is a bitstream of a coded frame. Output of
this process is a decoded frame.
The decoding process operates as follows for the current frame:
* The syntax structure for a coded frame is parsed to obtain the
parsed syntax structures.
* The processes in Sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 specify the decoding
processes using syntax elements in all syntax structures. It is
the requirement of bitstream conformance that For
bitstreams conforming to this document, the coded tiles of the
frame MUST contain tile data for every MB of the frame, such that
the division of the frame into tiles and the division of the tiles
into MBs each forms form a partitioning of the frame.
* After all the tiles in the current frame have been decoded, the
decoded frame is cropped using the cropping rectangle if
FrameWidthInSamplesY is not equal to FrameWidthInMbY * MbWidth or
FrameHeightInSamplesY is not equal to FrameHeightInMbsY *
MbHeight.
* The cropping rectangle, which specifies the samples of a frame
that are output, is derived as follows:
- The cropping rectangle contains the luma samples with
horizontal frame coordinates from 0 to FrameWidthInSampleY - 1
and vertical frame coordinates from 0 to FrameHeightInSamplesY
- 1, inclusive.
- The cropping rectangle contains the two chroma arrays having
frame coordinates (x//SubWidthC, y//SubHeightC), where (x,y)
are the frame coordinates of the specified luma samples.
6.1. MB Decoding Process
This process is invoked for each MB.
Input to this process is a luma location (xMb, yMb) specifying the
top-left sample of the current luma MB relative to the top-left luma
sample of the current frame. Outputs of this process are the
reconstructed samples of all the NumComps color components. The total number of
color components (when is indicated by the value of NumComps for the
current MB. For example, when chroma_format_idc is equal to 2 or 3, Y, Cb, and Cr) for
the current
MB. value of NumComps is equal to 3 and three components, Y
component, Cb component, and Cr component, are reconstructed
The following steps apply:
* Let recSamples[0] be a (MbWidth)x(MbHeight) array of the
reconstructed samples of the first color component (when
chroma_format_idc is equal to 2 or 3, Y).
* The block reconstruction process as specified in Section 6.2 is
invoked with the luma location (xMb, yMb), the variable nBlkW set
equal to MbWidth, the variable nBlkH set equal to MbHeight, the
variable cIdx set equal to 0, and the (MbWidth)x(MbHeight) array
recSamples[0] as inputs. The output is a modified version of the
(MbWidth)x(MbHeight) array recSamples[0], which is the
reconstructed samples of the first color component for the current
MB.
* When chroma_format_idc is not equal to 0, let recSamples[1] be a
(MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array of the reconstructed samples of the
second color component (when component. For example, when chroma_format_idc is
equal to 2 or 3,
Cb). recSamples[1] is the Cb color component.
* When chroma_format_idc is not equal to 0, the block reconstruction
process as specified in Section 6.2 is invoked with the luma
location (xMb, yMb), the variable nBlkW set equal to MbWidthC, the
variable nBlkH set equal to MbHeightC, the variable cIdx set equal
to 1, and the (MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array recSamples[1] as
inputs. The output is a modified version of the
(MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array recSamples[1], which is the
reconstructed samples of the second color component for the
current MB.
* When chroma_format_idc is not equal to 0, let recSamples[2] be a
(MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array of the reconstructed samples of the
third color component(when component. For example, when chroma_format_idc is
equal to 2 or 3,
Cr). recSamples[2] is the Cr color component.
* When chroma_format_idc is not equal to 0, the block reconstruction
process as specified in Section 6.2 is invoked with the luma
location (xMb, yMb), the variable nBlkW set equal to MbWidthC, the
variable nBlkH set equal to MbHeightC, the variable cIdx set equal
to 2, and the (MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array recSamples[2] as
inputs. The output is a modified version of the
(MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array recSamples[2], which is the
reconstructed samples of the third color component for the current
MB.
* When chroma_format_idc is equal to 4, let recSamples[3] be a
(MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array of the reconstructed samples of the
fourth color component.
* When chroma_format_idc is equal to 4, the block reconstruction
process as specified in Section 6.2 is invoked with the luma
location (xMb, yMb), the variable nBlkW set equal to MbWidthC, the
variable nBlkH set equal to MbHeightC, the variable cIdx set equal
to 3, and the (MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array recSamples[3] as
inputs. The output is a modified version of the
(MbWidthC)x(MbHeightC) array recSamples[3], which is the
reconstructed samples of the fourth color component for the
current MB.
6.2. Block Reconstruction Process
Inputs to this process are:
* a luma location (xMb, yMb) specifying the top-left sample of the
current MB relative to the top-left luma sample of the current
frame,
* two variables nBlkW and nBlkH specifying the width and the height
of the current block,
* a variable cIdx specifying the color component of the current
block, and
* an (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array of recSamples of a reconstructed block.
Output of this process is a modified version of the (nBlkW)x(nBlkH)
array recSamples of reconstructed samples.
The following applies:
* The variables numBlkX and numBlkY are derived as follows:
- numBlkX = nBlkW // TrSize
- numBlkY = nBlkH // TrSize
* For yIdx = 0..numBlkY - 1, the following applies:
- For xIdx = 0..numBlkX - 1, the following applies:
o The variables xBlk and yBlk are derived as follows:
*
+ xBlk = xMb // (cIdx==0? 1: SubWidthC) + xIdx*TrSize
*
+ yBlk = yMb // (cIdx==0? 1: SubHeightC) + yIdx*TrSize
*
o The scaling and transformation process as specified in
Section 6.3 is invoked with the location (xBlk, yBlk), the
variable cIdx set equal to cIdx, the transform width nBlkW
set equal to TrSize, and the transform height nBlkH set
equal to TrSize as inputs. The output is a
(TrSize)x(TrSize) array r of a reconstructed block.
*
o The (TrSize)x(TrSize) array recSamples is modified as
follows:
-
+ recSamples[(xIdx * TrSize) + i, (yIdx * TrSize) + j] =
r[i,j], with i=0..TrSize-1, j=0..TrSize-1
6.3. Scaling and Transformation Process
Inputs to this process are:
* a location (xBlkY, yBlkY) of the current color component
specifying the top-left sample of the current block relative to
the top-left sample of the current frame,
* a variable cIdx specifying the color component of the current
block,
* a variable nBlkW specifying the width of the current block, and
* a variable nBlkH specifying the height of the current block.
Output of this process is the (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array of reconstructed
samples r with elements r[x][y].
The quantization parameter qP is derived as follows:
* qP = Qp[cIdx] + QpBdOffset
The (nBlKW)x(nBlkH) array of reconstructed samples r is derived as
follows:
* The scaling process for transform coefficients as specified in
Section 6.3.1 is invoked with the block location (xBlkY, yBlkY),
the block width nBlkW and the block height nBlkH, the color
component variable cIdx, and the quantization parameter qP as
inputs. The output is an (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array of scaled
transform coefficients d.
* The transformation process for scaled transform coefficients as
specified in Section 6.3.2 is invoked with the block location
(xBlkY, yBlkY), the block width nBlkW and the block height nBlkH,
the color component variable cIdx, and the (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array
of scaled transform coefficients d as inputs. The output is an
(nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array of reconstructed samples r.
* The variable bdShift is derived as follows:
- bdShift = 20 - BitDepth
* The reconstructed sample values r[x][y] with x = 0..nBlkW - 1, y =
0..nBlkH - 1 are modified as follows:
- r[x][y] = clip(0, (1 << BitDepth)-1, ((r[x][y]+(1 << (bdShift-
1)))>>bdShift) + (1 << (BitDepth-1)))
6.3.1. Scaling Process for Transform Coefficients
Inputs to this process are:
* a location (xBlkY, yBlkY) of the current color component
specifying the top-left sample of the current block relative to
the top-left sample of the current frame,
* a variable nBlkW specifying the width of the current block,
* a variable nBlkH specifying the height of the current block,
* a variable cIdx specifying the color component of the current
block, and
* a variable qP specifying the quantization parameter.
Output of this process is the (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array d of scaled
transform coefficients with elements d[x][y].
The variable bdShift is derived as follows:
* bdShift = BitDepth + ((log2(nBlkW) + log2(nBlkH)) // 2) - 5
The list levelScale[] is specified as follows:
* levelScale[k] = {40, 45, 51, 57, 64, 71} with k = 0..5.
For the derivation of the scaled transform coefficients d[x][y] with
x = 0..nBlkW - 1, y = 0..nBlkH - 1, the following applies:
* The scaled transform coefficient d[x][y] is derived as follows:
- d[x][y] = clip(-32768, 32767, ((TransCoeff[cIdx][xBlkY][yBlkY]
* QMatrix[cIdx][x][y] * levelScale[qP % 6] << (qP//6)) + (1 <<
(bdShift-1)) >> bdShift))
6.3.2. Process for Scaled Transform Coefficients
6.3.2.1. General
Inputs to this process are:
* a location (xBlkY, yBlkY) of the current color component
specifying the top-left sample of the current block relative to
the top-left sample of the current frame,
* a variable nBlkW specifying the width of the current block,
* a variable nBlkH specifying the height of the current block, and
* an (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array d of scaled transform coefficients with
elements d[x][y].
Output of this process is the (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array r of
reconstructed samples with elements r[x][y].
The (nBlkW)x(nBlkH) array r of reconstructed samples is derived as
follows:
* Each (vertical) column of scaled transform coefficients d[x][y]
with x = 0..nBlkW - 1, y = 0..nBlkH - 1 is transformed to e[x][y]
with x = 0..nBlkW - 1, y = 0..nBlkH - 1 by invoking the one-
dimensional transformation process as specified in Section 6.3.2.2
for each column x = 0..nBlkW - 1 with the size of the transform
block nBlkH, and the list d[x][y] with y = 0..nBlkH - 1 as inputs.
The output is the list e[x][y] with y = 0..nBlkH - 1.
* The following applies:
- g[x][y] = (e[x][y] + 64) >> 7
* Each (horizontal) row of the resulting array g[x][y] with x =
0..nBlkW - 1, y = 0..nBlkH - 1 is transformed to r[x][y] with x =
0..nBlkW - 1, y = 0..nBlkH - 1 by invoking the one-dimensional
transformation process as specified in Section 6.3.2.2 for each
row y = 0..nBlkH - 1 with the size of the transform block nBlkW,
and the list g[x][y] with x = 0..nBlkW - 1 as inputs. The output
is the list r[x][y] with x = 0..nBlkW - 1.
6.3.2.2. Transformation Process
Inputs to this process are:
* a variable nTbS specifying the sample size of scaled transform
coefficients, and
* a list of scaled transform coefficients x with elements x[j], with
j = 0..(nTbS - 1).
*
Output of this process is the list of transformed samples y with
elements y[i], with i = 0..(nTbS - 1).
*
The transformation matrix derivation process as specified in
Section 6.3.2.3 is invoked with the transform size nTbS as input, and
the transformation matrix transMatrix as output.
*
The list of transformed samples y[i] with i = 0..(nTbS - 1) is
derived as follows:
-
* y[i] = sum(j = 0, nTbS - 1, transMatrix[i][j] * x[j])
6.3.2.3. Transformation Matrix Derivation Process
Input to this process is a variable nTbS specifying the horizontal
sample size of scaled transform coefficients.
Output of this process is the transformation matrix transMatrix.
The transformation matrix transMatrix is derived based on nTbs as
follows:
* If nTbS is equal to 8, the following applies:
transMatrix[m][n] =
{
{ 64, 64, 64, 64, 64, 64, 64, 64 }
{ 89, 75, 50, 18, -18, -50, -75, -89 }
{ 84, 35, -35, -84, -84, -35, 35, 84 }
{ 75, -18, -89, -50, 50, 89, 18, -75 }
{ 64, -64, -64, 64, 64, -64, -64, 64 }
{ 50, -89, 18, 75, -75, -18, 89, -50 }
{ 35, -84, 84, -35, -35, 84, -84, 35 }
{ 18, -50, 75, -89, 89, -75, 50, -18 }
}
Figure 25: Transform matrix for nTbS == 8
7. Parsing Process
7.1. Process for Syntax Element Type h(v)
This process is invoked for the parsing of syntax elements with
descriptor h(v) in Section 5.3.15 and Section 5.3.16.
7.1.1. Process for abs_dc_coeff_diff
Inputs to this process are bits for the abs_dc_coeff_diff syntax
element. Output of this process is a value of the abs_dc_coeff_diff
syntax element. The variable kParam is derived as follows:
kParam = clip(0, 5, PrevDcDiff >> 1)
The value of syntax element abs_dc_coeff_diff is obtained by invoking
the parsing process for variable-length codes as specified in
Section 7.1.4 with kParam.
7.1.2. Process for coeff_zero_run
Inputs to this process are bits for the coeff_zero_run syntax
element.
Output of this process is a value of the coeff_zero_run syntax
element.
The variable kParam is derived as follows:
kParam = clip(0, 2, PrevRun >> 2)
The value of syntax element coeff_zero_run is obtained by invoking
the parsing process for variable-length codes as specified in
Section 7.1.4 with kParam.
7.1.3. Process for abs_ac_coeff_minus1
Inputs to this process are bits for the abs_ac_coeff_minus1 syntax
element.
Output of this process is a value of the abs_ac_coeff_minus1 syntax
element.
The variable kParam is derived as follows:
kParam = clip(0, 4, PrevLevel >> 2)
The value of syntax element abs_ac_coeff_minus1 is obtained by
invoking the parsing process for variable-length codes as specified
in Section 7.1.4 with kParam.
7.1.4. Process for Variable-Length Codes
Input to this process is kParam.
Output of this process is a value, symbolValue, of a syntax element.
The symbolValue is derived as follows:
symbolValue = 0
parseExpGolomb = 1
k = kParam
stopLoop = 0
if(read_bits(1) == 1){
parseExpGolomb = 0
}
else{
if(read_bits (1) == 0){
symbolValue += (1 << k)
parseExpGolomb = 0
}
else{
symbolValue += (2 << k)
parseExpGolomb = 1
}
}
if(parseExpGolomb){
do{
if(read_bits(1) == 1){
stopLoop = 1
}
else{
symbolValue += (1 << k)
k++
}
} while(!stopLoop)
}
if(k > 0)
symbolValue += read_bits(k)
Figure 26: Parsing process of symbolValue
where the value returned from read_bits(n) is interpreted as a binary
representation of an n-bit unsigned integer with the most significant
bit written first.
7.2. Codeword Generation Process for h(v) (Informative)
This process specifies the code generation process for syntax
elements with descriptor h(v).
7.2.1. Process for abs_dc_coeff_diff
Input to this process is a symbol value of the abs_dc_coeff_diff
syntax element.
Output of this process is a codeword of the abs_dc_coeff_diff syntax
element.
The variable kParam is derived as follows:
kParam = clip(0, 5, PrevDcDiff >> 1)
The codeword of syntax element abs_dc_coeff_diff is obtained by
invoking the generation process for variable-length codes as
specified in Section 7.2.4 with the symbol value symbolValue and
kParam.
7.2.2. Process for coeff_zero_run
Input to this process is a symbol value of the coeff_zero_run syntax
element.
Output of this process is a codeword of the coeff_zero_run syntax
element.
The variable kParam is derived as follows:
kParam = clip(0, 2, PrevRun >> 2)
The codeword of syntax element coeff_zero_run is obtained by invoking
the generation process for variable-length codes as specified in
Section 7.2.4 with the symbol value symbolValue and kParam.
7.2.3. Process for abs_ac_coeff_minus1
Input to this process is a symbol value of the abs_ac_coeff_minus1
syntax element.
Output of this process is a codeword of the abs_ac_coeff_minus1
syntax element.
The variable kParam is derived as follows:
kParam = clip(0, 4, PrevLevel >> 2)
The codeword of syntax element abs_ac_coeff_minus1 is obtained by
invoking the generation for variable-length codes as specified in
Section 7.2.4 with the symbol value symbolValue and kParam.
7.2.4. Process for Variable-Length Codes
Inputs to this process are symbolVal and kParam
Output of this process is a codeword of a syntax element.
The codeword is derived as follows:
PrefixVLCTable[3][2] = {{1, 0}, {0, 0}, {0, 1}}
symbolValue = symbolVal
valPrefixVLC = clip(0, 2, symbolVal >> kParam)
bitCount = 0
k = kParam
while(symbolValue >= (1 << k)){
symbolValue -= (1 << k)
if(bitCount < 2)
put_bits(PrefixVLCTable[valPrefixVLC][bitCount], 1)
else
put_bits(0, 1)
if(bitCount >= 2)
k++
bitCount++
}
if(bitCount < 2)
put_bits(PrefixVLCTable[valPrefixVLC][bitCount], 1)
else
put_bits(1, 1)
if(k > 0)
put_bits(symbolValue, k)
Figure 27: Generating bits from symbolValue
where a codeword generated from put_bits(v, n) is interpreted as a
binary representation of an n-bit unsigned integer value v with the
most significant bit written first.
8. Metadata Information
8.1. Metadata Payload
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_payload(payloadType, payloadSize){ |
if(payloadType == 4){ |
metadata_itu_t_t35(payloadSize) |
} |
else if(payloadType == 5){ |
metadata_mdcv(payloadSize) |
} |
else if(payloadType == 6){ |
metadata_cll(payloadSize) |
} |
else if(payloadType == 10){ |
metadata_filler(payloadSize) |
} |
else if(payloadType == 170){ |
metadata_user_defined(payloadSize) |
} |
else{ |
metadata_undefined(payloadSize) |
} |
byte_alignment() |
} |
Figure 28: metadata_payload() syntax code
The syntax and semantics of each type of metadata are defined in
Section 8.2.
8.2. List of Metadata Syntax and Semantics
8.2.1. Filler Metadata
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_filler(payloadSize){ |
for(i = 0; i < payloadSize; i++){ |
ff_byte | f(8)
} |
} |
ff_byte
is a byte equal to 0xFF.
8.2.2. Recommendation ITU-T T.35 Metadata
This metadata contains information registered as specified in
[ITUT-T35].
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_itu_t_t35(payloadSize){ |
itu_t_t35_country_code | b(8)
readSize = payloadSize - 1 |
|
if(itu_t_t35_country_code == 0xFF){ |
itu_t_t35_country_code_extension | b(8)
readSize-- |
} |
|
for(i = 0; i < readSize; i++){ |
itu_t_t35_payload[i] | b(8)
} |
} |
Figure 29: metadata_itu_t_t35() syntax code
itu_t_t35_country_code
MUST be a byte having the semantics of country code as specified
in Annex A of [ITUT-T35].
itu_t_t35_country_code_extension
MUST be a byte having the semantics of country code as specified
in Annex B of [ITUT-T35].
itu_t_t35_payload[i]
MUST be a byte having the semantics of data registered as
specified in [ITUT-T35].
The terminal provider code and terminal provider oriented code as
specified in [ITUT-T35] MUST be contained in the first one or more
bytes of the itu_t_t35_payload. Any remaining bytes in
itu_t_t35_payload data MUST be data having syntax and semantics as
specified by the entity identified by the [ITUT-T35] country code and
terminal provider code. Note that any metadata to be carried with
this type of payload is expected to have been registered through
either national administrator, the Alliance for Telecommuncations
Industry Solutions (ATIS) or the ITUT-T Telecommnunication
Standardization Bureau (TSB) as specified in [ITUT-T35].
8.2.3. Mastering Display Color Volume Metadata
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_mdcv(payloadSize){ |
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){ |
primary_chromaticity_x[i] | u(16)
primary_chromaticity_y[i] | u(16)
} |
white_point_chromaticity_x | u(16)
white_point_chromaticity_y | u(16)
max_mastering_luminance | u(32)
min_mastering_luminance | u(32)
} |
Figure 30: metadata_mdcv() syntax code
primary_chromaticity_x[i]
specifies a 0.16 fixed-point format of X chromaticity coordinate
of mastering display as defined by in terms of CIE 1931, 1931 as specified in
[ISO11664-1], where i = 0, 1, 2 specifies Red, Green, Blue,
respectively.
primary_chromaticity_y[i]
specifies a 0.16 fixed-point format of Y chromaticity coordinate
of mastering display as defined by in terms of CIE 1931, 1931 as specified in
[ISO11664-1], where i = 0, 1, 2 specifies Red, Green, Blue,
respectively.
white_point_chromaticity_x
specifies a 0.16 fixed-point format of white point X chromaticity
coordinate of mastering display as defined by in terms of CIE 1931. 1931 as specified
in [ISO11664-1].
white_point_chromaticity_y
specifies a 0.16 fixed-point format of white point Y chromaticity
coordinate as mastering display defined by in terms of CIE 1931. 1931 as specified
in [ISO11664-1].
max_mastering_luminance
is a 24.8 fixed-point format of maximum display mastering
luminance, represented in candelas per square meter.
min_mastering_luminance
is an 18.14 fixed-point format of minimum display mastering
luminance, represented in candelas per square meter.
8.2.4. Content Light-Level Information Metadata
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_cll(payloadSize){ |
max_cll | u(16)
max_fall | u(16)
} |
Figure 31: metadata_cll() syntax code
max_cll
specifies the maximum content light level information as specified
in [CEA-861.3], [CTA-861.3], Appendix A.
max_fall
specifies the maximum frame-average light level information as
specified in [CEA-861.3], [CTA-861.3], Appendix A.
8.2.5. User-Defined Metadata
This metadata has user data identified by a universal unique
identifier as specified in [RFC9562], the contents of which are not
specified in this document.
syntax code | type
------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_user_defined(payloadSize){ |
uuid | u(128)
for(i = 0; i < (payloadSize - 16); i++) |
user_defined_data_payload[i] | b(8)
} |
Figure 32: metadata_user_defined() syntax code
uuid
MUST be a 128-bit value specified as a generated Universally
Unique Identifier (UUID) according to the procedures specified in
[RFC9562].
user_defined_data_payload[i]
MUST be a byte having user-defined syntax and semantics as
specified by the UUID generator.
8.2.6. Undefined Metadata
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
metadata_undefined(payloadSize){ |
for(i = 0; i < payloadSize; i++){ |
undefined_metadata_payload_byte[i] | b(8)
} |
} |
Figure 33: metadata_undefined() syntax code
undefined_metadata_payload_byte[i]
is a byte reserved for future use.
9. Profiles, Levels, and Bands
9.1. Overview of Profiles, Levels, and Bands
Profiles, levels, and bands specify restrictions on a coded frame and
hence limits on the capabilities needed to decode the coded frame.
Profiles, levels, and bands are also used to indicate
interoperability points between individual decoder implementations.
Each profile specifies a subset of algorithmic features and limits
that MUST be supported by all decoders conforming to that profile.
NOTE: This document does not include individually selectable
"options" at the decoder, as this would increase interoperability
difficulties.
NOTE: Encoders are not required to make use of any particular
subset of features supported in a profile.
Each level with a band specifies a set of limits on the values that
may be taken by the syntax elements of this document. For any given
profile, a level with a band generally corresponds to a particular
decoder processing load and memory capability. The constraints set
by levels and bands are orthogonal to the constraints defined by
profiles so that the same set of level and band definitions is used
with all profiles. For example, a certain level L and a certain band
B can be combined with either profile X or profile Y to specifically
define two different set sets of constraints.
NOTE: Individual implementations may support a different level for
each supported profile.
9.2. Requirements on Video Decoder Capability
Capabilities of video decoders conforming to this document are
specified in terms of the ability to decode video streams conforming
to the constraints of profiles, levels, and bands specified in this
section. When expressing the capabilities of a decoder for a
specified profile, the level and the band supported for that profile
MUST also be expressed.
Specific values are specified for the syntax elements profile_idc,
level_idc, and band_idc. All other values of profile_idc, level_idc,
and band_idc are reserved for future use.
NOTE: Decoders SHALL NOT infer that a reserved value of
profile_idc between the values specified in this document
indicates intermediate capabilities between the specified
profiles, as there are no restrictions on the method to be chosen
for the use of such future reserved values. However, decoders
MUST infer that a reserved value of level_idc and a reserved value
of band_idc between the values specified in this document
indicates intermediate capabilities between the specified levels.
9.3. Profiles
9.3.1. General
All constraints for a coded frame that are specified are constraints
for the coded frame that are activated when the bitstream of the
access unit is decoded.
9.3.2. 422-10 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 422-10 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 33.
Coded frames conforming to the 422-10 profile MUST obey the following
constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be equal to 2.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be equal to 2.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 422-10 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 422-10 profile at a specific level (identified by a
specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 422-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.3.3. 422-12 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 422-12 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 44.
Coded frames conforming to the 422-12 profile MUST obey the following
constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be equal to 2.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be in the range of 2 to 4.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 422-12 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 422-12 profile at a specific level (identified by a
specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 422-12 profile or
the 422-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.3.4. 444-10 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 444-10 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 55.
Coded frames conforming to the 444-10 profile MUST obey the following
constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be in the range of 2 to 3.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be equal to 2.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 444-10 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 444-10 profile at a specific level (identified by a
specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 444-10 profile or
the 422-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.3.5. 444-12 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 444-12 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 66.
Coded frames conforming to the 444-12 profile MUST obey the following
constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be in the range of 2 to 3.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be in the range of 2 to 4.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 444-12 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 444-12 profile at a specific level (identified by a
specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 444-12 profile, the
444-10 profile, the 422-12 profile, or the 422-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.3.6. 4444-10 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 4444-10 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 77.
Coded frames conforming to the 4444-10 profile MUST obey the
following constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be in the range of 2 to 4.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be equal to 2.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 4444-10 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 4444-10 profile at a specific level (identified by
a specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 4444-10 profile,
the 444-10 profile, or the 422-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.3.7. 4444-12 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 4444-12 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 88.
Coded frames conforming to the 4444-12 profile MUST obey the
following constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be in the range of 2 to 4.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be in the range of 2 to 4.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 4444-12 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 4444-12 profile at a specific level (identified by
a specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 4444-12 profile,
the 4444-10 profile, the 444-12 profile, the 444-10 profile, the
422-12 profile, or the 422-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.3.8. 400-10 Profile
Conformance of a coded frame to the 400-10 profile is indicated by
profile_idc equal to 99.
Coded frames conforming to the 400-10 profile MUST obey the following
constraints:
* chroma_format_idc MUST be equal to 0.
* bit_depth_minus8 MUST be equal to 2.
* pbu_type MUST be equal to 1.
Any
Coded frames conforming to the 400-10 profile MUST also conform to
any levels and bands constraints specified in Section 9.4 MUST be
fulfilled. 9.4. Decoders
conforming to the 400-10 profile at a specific level (identified by a
specific value of L) and a specific band (identified by a specific
value of B) MUST be capable of decoding all coded frames for which
all of the following conditions apply:
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to the 400-10 profile.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a level (by a specific
value of level_idc) that is lower than or equal to level L.
* The coded frame is indicated to conform to a band (by a specific
value of band_idc) that is lower than or equal to level band B.
9.4. Levels and Bands
9.4.1. General
For purposes of comparison of level capabilities, a particular level
of each band is considered to be a lower level than some other level
when the value of the level_idc of the particular level of each band
is less than that of the other level.
* The luma sample rate (luma samples per second) MUST be less than
or equal to the "Max luma sample rate".
* The coded data rate (bits per second) MUST be less than or equal
to the "Max luma sample rate".
* The value of tile_width_in_mbs MUST be greater than or equal to
16.
* The value of tile_height_in_mbs MUST be greater than or equal to
8.
* The value of TileCols MUST be less than or equal to 20.
* The value of TileRows MUST be less than or equal to 20.
9.4.2. Limits of Levels and Bands
Table 4 specifies the limits for each level of each band. A level to
which a coded frame conforms is indicated by the syntax elements
level_idc and band_idc as follows:
* level_idc MUST be set equal to a value of 30 times the level
number specified in Table 4.
+=======+===================+=====================================+
| level | Max luma sample | Max coded data rate (Mbits/sec) |
| | rate (sample/sec) | |
| | +=====================================+
| | | band_idc== |
| | +========+========+=========+=========+
| | | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
+=======+===================+========+========+=========+=========+
| 1 | 3,041,280 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 23 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 1.1 | 6,082,560 | 16 | 21 | 30 | 45 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 2 | 15,667,200 | 39 | 54 | 76 | 114 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 2.1 | 31,334,400 | 78 | 108 | 152 | 227 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 3 | 66,846,720 | 114 | 159 | 222 | 333 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 3.1 | 133,693,440 | 227 | 317 | 444 | 666 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 4 | 265,420,800 | 455 | 637 | 892 | 1,338 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 4.1 | 530,841,600 | 910 | 1,274 | 1,784 | 2,675 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 5 | 1,061,683,200 | 1,820 | 2,548 | 3,567 | 5,350 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 5.1 | 2,123,366,400 | 3,639 | 5,095 | 7,133 | 10,699 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 6 | 4,777,574,400 | 7,278 | 10,189 | 14,265 | 21,397 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 6.1 | 8,493,465,600 | 14,556 | 20,378 | 28,529 | 42,793 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 7 | 16,986,931,200 | 29,111 | 40,756 | 57,058 | 85,586 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
| 7.1 | 33,973,862,400 | 58,222 | 81,511 | 114,115 | 171,172 |
+-------+-------------------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
Table 4: General level limits
Table 5 shows widely used typical configurations of resolution and
frame rates of video and corresponding levels for them.
+==========+============+==================+===============+=======+
| use case | resolution | frame per second | luma sample | level |
| | | | per second | |
+==========+============+==================+===============+=======+
| 720p | 1280 x 720 | 30 | 27,648,000 | 2.1 |
+----------+------------+------------------+---------------+-------+
| FHD | 1920 x | 30 | 62,208,000 | 3 |
| | 1080 | | | |
+----------+------------+------------------+---------------+-------+
| UHD 4K | 3840 x | 60 | 497,664,000 | 4.1 |
| | 2160 | | | |
+----------+------------+------------------+---------------+-------+
| UHD 4K | 3840 x | 120 | 995,328,000 | 5 |
| | 2160 | | | |
+----------+------------+------------------+---------------+-------+
| UHD 8K | 7680 x | 60 | 1,990,656,000 | 5.1 |
| | 4320 | | | |
+----------+------------+------------------+---------------+-------+
| UHD 8K | 7680 x | 120 | 3,981,312,000 | 6 |
| | 4320 | | | |
+----------+------------+------------------+---------------+-------+
Table 5: Example of typical video configurations and
corresponding levels (informative)
10. Security Considerations
Like any other audio or video codec, APV should not be used with
insecure ciphers or cipher modes that are vulnerable to known
plaintext attacks. Some of the header bits as well as the padding
are easily predictable.
A decoder MUST be robust against any non-compliant or malicious
payloads. Malicious payloads MUST NOT cause the decoder to overrun
its allocated memory or to take an excessive amount of resources to
decode. An overrun in allocated memory could lead to arbitrary code
execution by an attacker. The same applies to the encoder, even
though problems in encoders are typically rare. Malicious video
streams MUST NOT cause the encoder to misbehave because this would
allow an attacker to attack transcoding gateways. A frequent
security problem in image and video codecs is failure to check for
integer overflows. An example is allocating "frame_width *
frame_height" in pixel count computations without considering that
the multiplication result may have overflowed the range of the
arithmetic type. The implementation MUST ensure that no read any data
outside of allocated and initialized memory occurs. cannot be read.
A decoder MUST NOT try to process the metadata whose type is not
recognized by the implementation. Failure to process any metadata
exactly according to the syntax structure specified MAY put a decoder
in an unknown status.
None of the content carried in APV is intended to be executable.
11. IANA Considerations
This document has no actions for IANA.
12. References
12.1. Normative References
[CEA-861.3]
CEA, "CEA-861.3, HDR Static Metadata Extension", January
2015.
[CIE15] CIE, "Colorimetry, 4th Edition", DOI 10.25039/TR.015.2018,
2018,
<https://cie.co.at/publications/colorimetry-4th-edition>.
[CTA-861.3]
CTA, "HDR Static Metadata Extensions", CTA-861.3-A,
September 2019.
[H273] ITU-T, "Coding-independent code points for video signal
type identification", ITU-T Recommendation H.273, ISO/
IEC 23091-2:2025, July 2024,
<https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.273>.
[ISO11664-1]
ISO, "Colorimetry - Part 1: CIE standard colorimetric
observers", ISO/CIE 11664-1:2019, 2019,
<https://www.iso.org/standard/74164.html>.
[ISO9899] ISO/IEC, "Information technology - Programming languages -
C", ISO/IEC 9899:2018, 2018,
<https://www.iso.org/standard/74528.html>. 9899:2024, 2024,
<https://www.iso.org/standard/82075.html>.
[ITUT-T35] ITU-T, "Procedure for the allocation of ITU-T defined
codes for non-standard facilities", ITU-T
Recommendation T.35, February 2000,
<https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-T.35>.
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.
[RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.
[RFC9562] Davis, K., Peabody, B., and P. Leach, "Universally Unique
IDentifiers (UUIDs)", RFC 9562, DOI 10.17487/RFC9562, May
2024, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9562>.
12.2. Informative References
[AMPAS] "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science",
<https://www.oscars.org/>.
[AOSP16APV]
"Android open source project version 16",
<https://developer.android.com/about/versions/16/
features#apv>.
[ASWF] "The Academy Software Foundation", <https://www.aswf.io/>.
[FFmpegAPVdec]
"FFmpeg implementation of APV decoder", 19 April 20 November 2025,
<https://git.ffmpeg.org/gitweb/ffmpeg.git/
commit/483cadf8d77d3260eec8781f5f18c50f27e468f8>.
<https://ffmpeg.org/download.html#release_8.0>.
[FFmpegAPVenc]
"FFmpeg implementation of APV encoder", 23 April 4 May 2025,
<https://git.ffmpeg.org/gitweb/ffmpeg.git/commit/
fab691edaf53bbf10429ef3448f1f274e5078395>.
[OpenAPV] "OpenAPV", commit 1a7845a, 16 December 2025,
<https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openapv>.
Appendix A. Raw Bitstream Format
syntax code | type
--------------------------------------------------------------|-----
raw_bitstream_access_unit(){ |
au_size | u(32)
access_unit(au_size) |
} |
Figure 34: raw_bitstream_access_unit() syntax code
au_size
indicates the size of access unit in bytes. 0 is prohibited and
0xFFFFFFFF is reserved.
Appendix B. APV Implementations
B.1. OpenAPV Open Source Project
The Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) [ASWF], jointly founded by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) [AMPAS] and the
Linux Foundation, has created an open source software development
project conformant to this document [OpenAPV]. The project also
provides various test vectors for verification of the implementations
at
<https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openapv/tree/main/test/
bitstream>.
B.2. Android Open Source Project
The Android open source project (AOSP) has implemented Advanced
Professional Video (APV) conformant to this document [AOSP16APV].
B.3. FFmpeg Open Source Project
The FFmpeg project is developing an APV decoder [FFmpegAPVdec] and an
APV encoder [FFmpegAPVenc] conformant to this document.
Authors' Addresses
Youngkwon Lim
Samsung Electronics
6105 Tennyson Pkwy, Ste 300
Plano, TX 75024
United States of America
Email: yklwhite@gmail.com
Minwoo Park
Samsung Electronics
34, Seongchon-gil, Seocho-gu
Seoul
3573
Republic of Korea
Email: m.w.park@samsung.com
Madhukar Budagavi
Samsung Electronics
6105 Tennyson Pkwy, Ste 300
Plano, TX 75024
United States of America
Email: m.budagavi@samsung.com
Rajan Joshi
Samsung Electronics
11488 Tree Hollow Ln
San Diego, CA 92128
United States of America
Email: rajan_joshi@ieee.org
Kwang Pyo Choi
Samsung Electronics
34 Seongchon-gil Seocho-gu
Seoul
3573
Republic of Korea
Email: kwangpyo.choi@gmail.com