1/*! \page usage_decode Decoding
2
3    The vpx_codec_decode() function is at the core of the decode loop. It
4    processes packets of compressed data passed by the application, producing
5    decoded images. The decoder expects packets to comprise exactly one image
6    frame of data. Packets \ref MUST be passed in decode order. If the
7    application wishes to associate some data with the frame, the
8    <code>user_priv</code> member may be set. The <code>deadline</code>
9    parameter controls the amount of time in microseconds the decoder should
10    spend working on the frame. This is typically used to support adaptive
11    \ref usage_postproc based on the amount of free CPU time. For more
12    information on the <code>deadline</code> parameter, see \ref usage_deadline.
13
14    \ref samples
15
16
17    \section usage_cb Callback Based Decoding
18    There are two methods for the application to access decoded frame data. Some
19    codecs support asynchronous (callback-based) decoding \ref usage_features
20    that allow the application to register a callback to be invoked by the
21    decoder when decoded data becomes available. Decoders are not required to
22    support this feature, however. Like all \ref usage_features, support can be
23    determined by calling vpx_codec_get_caps(). Callbacks are available in both
24    frame-based and slice-based variants. Frame based callbacks conform to the
25    signature of #vpx_codec_put_frame_cb_fn_t and are invoked once the entire
26    frame has been decoded. Slice based callbacks conform to the signature of
27    #vpx_codec_put_slice_cb_fn_t and are invoked after a subsection of the frame
28    is decoded. For example, a slice callback could be issued for each
29    macroblock row. However, the number and size of slices to return is
30    implementation specific. Also, the image data passed in a slice callback is
31    not necessarily in the same memory segment as the data will be when it is
32    assembled into a full frame. For this reason, the application \ref MUST
33    examine the rectangles that describe what data is valid to access and what
34    data has been updated in this call. For all their additional complexity,
35    slice based decoding callbacks provide substantial speed gains to the
36    overall application in some cases, due to improved cache behavior.
37
38
39    \section usage_frame_iter Frame Iterator Based Decoding
40    If the codec does not support callback based decoding, or the application
41    chooses not to make use of that feature, decoded frames are made available
42    through the vpx_codec_get_frame() iterator. The application initializes the
43    iterator storage (of type #vpx_codec_iter_t) to NULL, then calls
44    vpx_codec_get_frame repeatedly until it returns NULL, indicating that all
45    images have been returned. This process may result in zero, one, or many
46    frames that are ready for display, depending on the codec.
47
48
49    \section usage_postproc Postprocessing
50    Postprocessing is a process that is applied after a frame is decoded to
51    enhance the image's appearance by removing artifacts introduced in the
52    compression process. It is not required to properly decode the frame, and
53    is generally done only when there is enough spare CPU time to execute
54    the required filters. Codecs may support a number of different
55    postprocessing filters, and the available filters may differ from platform
56    to platform. Embedded devices often do not have enough CPU to implement
57    postprocessing in software. The filter selection is generally handled
58    automatically by the codec, depending on the amount of time remaining before
59    hitting the user-specified \ref usage_deadline after decoding the frame.
60
61
62*/
63