H.264中的profile

copy from the book H.264&MPEG-4 video compression

H.264 defines a set of three Profiles, each supporting a particular set of coding functions andeach specifying what is required of an encoder or decoder that complies with the Profile.The Baseline Profile supports intra and inter-coding (using I-slices and P-slices) and entropycoding with context-adaptive variable-length codes (CAVLC). The Main Profile includes supportfor interlaced video, inter-coding using B-slices, inter coding using weighted predictionand entropy coding using context-based arithmetic coding (CABAC). The Extended Profiledoes not support interlaced video or CABAC but adds modes to enable efficient switchingbetween coded bitstreams (SP- and SI-slices) and improved error resilience (Data Partitioning).Potential applications of the Baseline Profile include videotelephony, videoconferencingand wireless communications; potential applications of the Main Profile include televisionbroadcasting and video storage; and the Extended Profile may be particularly useful forstreaming media applications. However, each Profile has sufficient flexibility to support awide range of applications and so these examples of applications should not be considereddefinitive.

以上的定义可以用图来简单表示  

也可以用列表表示

Baseline Profile - The profile ID for baseline profile is 66. It supports video conferencing and video telephony applications. The decoders supported by this profile support the following features [21]: 1. I and P slice types 2. De-blocking filter 3. Pictures with field picture flag equal to 0 4. Pictures with altemate scan flag equal to 0 5. Pictures with macrohlock adaptive frame field flag equal to 0 6. Zig-zag scan 7. 1/4- sample inter prediction 8. Tree-structured motion segmentation down to 4x4 block size 9. VLC-based entropy coding 10. Arbitrary slice order (ASO) - The decoding order of slices within a picture may not follow the constraints that first Macroblock in slice is monotonically increasing within the NAL unit stream for a picture. The macroblocks may not necessarily he in the raster scan order. The MAP assigns MBs to a slice group. A maximum of 8 slice groups are allowed. 11. Flexible macroblock ordering (FMO) (Number of slice groups - 1 ) < 8 12.4:2:0 chroma format 13. Redundant slices - These belong to the redundant coded picture. This picture is not used for decoding unless the primary coded picture is missing or corrupted.

Main Profile

The profile ID for baseline profile is 77. It supports the broadcast video application. The decoders supported by this profile support the following features [21]: 1. B slice type 2. CABAC 3. Adaptive bi-prediction (Weighted prediction) 4. All features included in the baseline except: - Arbitrary Slice Order (ASO): In Main profile, the decoding order of slices within a picture follows the constraints that first macroblock in slice is monotonically increasing within the NAL unit stream for a picture. - Flexible macroblock ordering (FMO): In Main profile, (Number of slice groups -1) - Redundant slices Pictures with field picture flag equal to 1 Pictures with macroblock adaptive frame field flag equal to 1 Capable of decoding bitstreams confirming to baseline profile if the following additional sequence parameter set constraints are obeyed - More_thar-one-slice_group-allowed-flag is equal to 0 - Arbitrary-slice-order-allowed-flag is equal to 0, and - Redundant - slices - allowed-flag is equal to 0

Extended profile

The profile ID for baseline profile is 88. The decoders supported by this profile support the following features [21]: 1. B slice type 2. SP and SI slice types 3. Data partitioning slices 4. Adaptive bi-prediction (Weighted prediction) 5. All features included in the Baseline profile 6. Pictures with field picture flag equal to 1 7. Pictures with macroblock adaptive frame field flag equal to 1