Inter-view prediction of motion data in multiview video coding

A new method for increasing the coding efficiency of dependent views in multiview video coding by employing already coded motion parameters of other views is presented. The correspondence between a block in a dependent view and a block in a reference view is established by estimating a depth map for the dependent view, either based on already transmitted depth data or by using transmitted disparity vectors and motion parameters. The concept is applicable for multiview coding with and without depth maps. In our experiments with an extension of HEVC, average bit rate savings of about 11% for the dependent views have been measured, which result in approximately 4-5% overall bit rate savings for a 3 view configuration including depth data.