BLOCK TYPE SIGNALLING IN VIDEO CODING

In one example, this disclosure describes video encoding and decoding techniques applicable to bi-directional prediction. For signaling from an encoder to a decoder a block type for a video block, an encoder can transmit to the decoder two or more separate syntax elements, where one of the two or more separate syntax elements identifies a partition size for the video block and another of the two or more separate syntax elements identifies a prediction direction for a partition of the video block. The separate syntax elements can be individually encoded and transmitted from the encoder to the decoder.