Global depth estimation for multi-view video coding using camera parameters

Multi-view video plus depth (MVD) data format for Multi-view Video Coding (MVC) can support rendering a wide range continuum of views at the decoder for advanced 3DV and FVV systems. Thus, it is important to study global depth to reduce the rate for depth side information and to improve depth search efficiency. In this paper, we propose a global depth estimation algorithm from multi-view images using camera parameters. First, an initial depth is obtained from the convergent point of the camera system by solving a set of linear equations. Then, the global depth is searched around the initial depth to minimize the absolute difference between the synthesized view and the practical view. Because the initial depth can provide appropriate depth search range and step size, the global depth can be estimated efficiently and quickly with less computation. Experimental results verify the algorithm performance.