Chroma subsampling
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Chroma subsampling is the practice of implementing more resolution for the (quantity representative of) luminance information than the (quantity representative of) color information. It is used in many video encoding schemes (both analog and digital) and also in JPEG encoding.
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[edit] Why subsampling works
Because the human eye is less sensitive to color than luminance, bandwidth can be optimized by storing more luminance detail than color detail. At normal viewing distances, there is no perceptible loss incurred by sampling the color detail at a lower rate. In video systems, this is achieved through the use of color difference components. The signal is divided into a luma (Y') component and two color difference components (chroma).
Chroma subsampling deviates from color science in that the luma and chroma components are formed as a weighted sum of gamma-corrected (tristimulus) R'G'B' components instead of linear (tristimulus) RGB components. As a result, luminance and color detail are not completely independent of one another. There is some "bleeding" of luminance and color information between the luma and chroma components. The error is greatest for highly-saturated colors and can be somewhat noticeable in between the magenta and green bars of a color bars test pattern (that has chroma subsampling applied). This engineering approximation (by reversing the order of operations between gamma correction and forming the weighted sum) allows color subsampling to be more easily implemented.
Original without color subsampling. 200% zoom.
Image after color subsampling (compressed with Sony Vegas DV codec, some filtering applied.)
[edit] Sampling systems and ratios
The subsampling scheme is commonly expressed as a three part ratio (i.e. 4:2:2), although sometimes expressed as four parts (i.e. 4:2:2:4). The parts are (in their respective order):
- Luma horizontal sampling reference (originally, as a multiple of 3 3/8 MHz)
- Cb and Cr (chroma) horizontal factor (relative to first digit)
- Same as second digit, except when zero. Zero indicates Cb and Cr are subsampled 2:1 vertically
- If present, same as luma digit; indicates alpha (key) component
The mapping examples given are only theoretical and for illustration. Also note that the diagram does not indicate any chroma filtering, which should be applied to avoid aliasing.
[edit] Why is this done?
Because of storage and transmission limitations, there is always a desire to reduce (or compress) the signal. Since the human visual system is much more sensitive to variations in brightness than colour, a video system can be optimized by devoting more bandwidth to Y' than the color difference components Cb and Cr. The 4:2:2 Y'CbCr scheme for example requires two-thirds the bandwidth of (4:4:4) R'G'B'. This reduction results in almost no visual difference as perceived by the viewer.
[edit] Types of subsampling
[edit] 4:4:4 Y'CbCr
Each of the three Y'CbCr components have the same sample rate. This scheme is sometimes used in high-end film scanners and cinematic postproduction.
[edit] 4:4:4 R'G'B' (no subsampling)
Note that "4:4:4" may instead be referring to R'G'B' color space, which implicitly does not have any chroma subsampling at all. Formats such as HDCAM SR can record 4:4:4 R'G'B' over dual-link HD-SDI.
[edit] 4:2:2
The two chroma components are sampled at half the sample rate of luma, so horizontal chroma resolution is cut in half. This reduces the bandwidth of a video signal by one-third with little to no visual difference.
Many high-end digital video formats and interfaces use this scheme:
[edit] 4:2:1
Although this mode is technically defined, very few software or hardware codecs use this sampling mode.
[edit] 4:1:1
In 4:1:1 chroma subsampling, the horizontal color resolution is quartered. The bandwidth is halved compared to no chroma subsampling. In some professional circles, the 4:1:1 chroma subsampling of the DV format was initially not considered broadcast quality and only acceptable for low-end and consumer applications[1][2]. Currently, DV-based formats (which use 4:1:1 chroma subsampling) are used professionally in electronic news gathering and in playout servers. DV has also been sporadically used in feature films and in digital cinematography.
Formats that use 4:1:1 chroma subsampling include:
[edit] 4:2:0
This scheme is found in:
- All versions of MPEG, including MPEG-2 implementations such as DVD ( although some profiles of MPEG-4 allow higher-quality sampling schemes such as 4:4:4 )
- PAL DV and DVCAM
- HDV
- most common JPEG/JFIF, H.261, and MJPEG implementations
- VC-1
Cb and Cr are each subsampled at a factor of 2 both horizontally and vertically. Cb and Cr are effectively centered vertically halfway between image rows.
There are three variants of 4:2:0 schemes, having different horizontal and vertical siting.
- In MPEG-2, Cb and Cr are cosited horizontally.
- In JPEG/JFIF, H.261, and MPEG-1, Cb and Cr are sited interstitially, halfway between alternate luma samples.
- In 4:2:0 DV, Cb and Cr alternate line by line.
The PAL and SECAM color systems are especially well-suited to this kind of data reduction. Most digital video formats corresponding to PAL use 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, with the exception of DVCPRO25 (it uses 4:1:1 chroma subsampling). This scheme, like 4:1:1, halves the bandwidth compared to no chroma subsampling.
With interlaced material, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling can result in motion artifacts if it is implemented the same way as for progressive material. The luma samples are derived from separate time intervals while the chroma samples would be derived from both time intervals. It is this difference that can result in motion artifacts. The MPEG-2 standard allows for an alternate interlaced sampling scheme where 4:2:0 is applied to each field (not both fields at once). This solves the problem of motion artifacts.
Original. *This image shows a single field. The moving text has some motion blur applied to it.
4:2:0 progressive sampling applied to moving interlaced material. Note that the chroma leads and trails the moving text. *This image shows a single field.
4:2:0 interlaced sampling applied to moving interlaced material. *This image shows a single field.
In the 4:2:0 interlaced scheme however, vertical resolution of the chroma is roughly halved since the chroma samples effectively describe an area 2 samples wide by 4 samples tall instead of 2X2. As well, the spatial displacement between both fields can result in the appearance of comb-like chroma artifacts.
Original still image.
4:2:0 progressive sampling applied to a still image. Both fields are shown.
4:2:0 interlaced sampling applied to a still image. Both fields are shown.
If the interlaced material is to be de-interlaced, the comb-like chroma artifacts (from 4:2:0 interlaced sampling) can be removed by blurring the chroma vertically.[3][4]
[edit] 4:1:0
This ratio is possible (indeed, some codecs do support it), but not widely used. It means half the vertical and quarter the horizontal color resolutions, with only one eighth of the bandwidth of the maximum color resolutions used. Uncompressed video in this format with 8-bit quantization uses 10 bytes for every macropixel (4 x 2 pixels). It has the equivalent chrominance bandwidth of a PAL I signal decoded with a delay line decoder, and still very much superior to NTSC.
- Some video codecs may operate at 4:1:0.5 or 4:1:0.25 as an option, so as to allow higher than VHS quality without having to take too large of a hit on bandwidth.
[edit] 3:1:1
Used by Sony in their HDCam High Definition recorders (not HDCAM SR). In the horizontal dimension, luma is sampled horizontally at three quarters of the full HD sampling rate- 1440 samples per row instead of 1920. Chroma is sampled at 480 samples per row, a third of the luma sampling rate.
In the vertical dimension, both luma and chroma are sampled at the full HD sampling rate (1080 samples vertically).
[edit] Terminology
The term Y'UV refers to an analog encoding scheme while Y'CbCr refers to a digital encoding scheme. One difference between the two is that the scale factors on the chroma components (U, V, Cb, and Cr) are different. However, the term YUV is often (erroneously) used to refer to Y'CbCr encoding. Hence, terms like "4:2:2 YUV" always refer to 4:2:2 Y'CbCr since there simply is no such thing as 4:x:x in analog encoding (like YUV).
In a similar vein, the term luminance and symbol Y is often (erroneously) used to refer to luma, denoted with the symbol Y'. Note that the luma (Y') of video engineering deviates from the luminance (Y) of color science (as defined by CIE). Luma is formed as the weighted sum of gamma-corrected (tristimulus) RGB components. Luminance is formed as a weighed sum of linear (tristimulus) RGB components.
In practice, the CIE symbol Y is often incorrectly used to denote luma. In 1993, SMPTE adopted Engineering Guideline EG 28, clarifying the two terms. Note that the prime symbol ' is used to indicate gamma correction.
Similarly, the chroma/chrominance of video engineering differs from the chrominance of color science. The chroma/chrominance of video engineering is formed from weighted tristimulus components, not linear components. In video engineering practice, the terms chroma, chrominance, and saturation are often (and perhaps ambiguously!) used to refer to the same concept.
[edit] References
- Poynton, Charles. "YUV and luminance considered harmful: A plea for precise terminology in video" [5]
- Poynton, Charles. "Digital Video and HDTV: Algorithms and Interfaces." USA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2003.
