Bitstream format and reading and writing methods and apparatus therefor
US7145567B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 3, 2003 |
| Grant date | Dec 5, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 1, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N5/926
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Image data having a bit depth of m bits, where m is not a power of two, may be divided into two parts for storage. The first part is the n most significant bits, where n is a power of two. The second part is the k least significant bits, where k=m−n and k<n. For example, 10-bit data may be separated into 8-bit and 2-bit parts. The 8-bit data for a given image is placed in the bitstream as a contiguous block with the end of the data aligned with a memory boundary, such as a page boundary. The 2-bit data is collected into bytes that are placed in the bitstream as a contiguous block. The block of 2-bit data is placed in the bitstream preceding and contiguous with the block of 8-bit data. Padding may be provided to align the beginning of the image data with a memory boundary. The image data for multiple images may be placed in the bitstream contiguously for storage. 10-bit data for an alpha channel, if any, also may be split into 8-bit and 2-bit parts. The 8-bit alpha data for a given image is placed in the bitstream as a contiguous block with the beginning of the data aligned with a memory boundary, such as a page boundary. The 2-bit alpha data is collected into bytes that are placed …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.