利用纹理结构的HEVC快速帧内模式选择算法

高性能视频编码（HEVC）是刚确立的最新一代的视频编码标准。对于帧内编码,HEVC最大的特点是采用了从64×64至8×8的编码单元划分和35种帧内预测模式,HEVC通过遍历所有的分块和帧内预测模式,选取最优的预测方式,这种帧内预测方式在提高预测精度的同时也大大增加了编码的计算复杂度。为了降低帧内预测的计算复杂度,HM2.0版以上的HEVC测试软件采用一种基于两步预测的快速帧内模式选择算法。在此基础上本文首先提出了一种基于纹理方向的快速粗选方案,减少参与计算的粗选模式数,进而提出基于结构相关的决策方法,利用同质图像区域的纹理相似性,减少参与率失真代价函数计算的候选模式数量,进一步降低了帧内预测计算复杂度。实验结果表明,本文所提出的快速算法,在保持编码质量基本不变的条件下,可以使基于两步预测的快速帧内模式选择时间缩短25%。      

CU encoding depth prediction,early CU splitting termination and fast mode decision for fast HEVC intra-coding

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a new video coding standard achieving about a 50% bit rate reduction compared to the popular H.264/AVC High Profile with the same subjective reproduced video quality. Better coding efficiency is attained, however, at the cost of significantly increased encoding complexity. Therefore, fast encoding algorithms with little loss in coding efficiency is necessary for HEVC to be successfully adopted for real applications. In this paper we propose a fast encoding technique applicable to HEVC all intra encoding. The proposed fast encoding technique consists of coding unit (CU) search depth prediction, early CU splitting termination, and fast mode decision. In CU search depth prediction, the depth of encoded CU in the current coding tree unit (CTU) is limited to predicted range, which is mostly narrower than the full depth range. Early CU splitting skips mode search of its sub-CUs when rate distortion (RD) cost of current CU is below the estimated RD cost at the current CU depth. RD cost and encoded CU depth distribution of the collocated CTU of the previous frame are utilized both to predict the encoding CU depth search range and to estimate the RD cost for CU splitting termination. Fast mode decision reduces the number of candidate modes for full rate distortion optimized quantization on the basis of the low complexity costs computed in the preceding rough mode decision step. When all these three methods are applied, proposed fast HEVC intra encoding technique reduces the encoding time of the reference encoder by 57% on the average, with only 0.6% of coding efficiency loss in terms of Bjontegaard delta (BD) rate increase under the HEVC common test conditions.     

Fast CU size and prediction mode decision method for HEVC encoder based on spatial features

In the high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard, intra prediction has higher computational complexity compared with H.264/AVC (advanced video coding) because of increasing the number of intra prediction modes and also higher number of coding unit (CU) sizes. The HEVC encoder evaluates 35 prediction modes on five possible prediction unit (PU) sizes to find the one with the minimum rate–distortion cost. Although this approach improves coding efficiency, it is very time-consuming. In this paper, we propose a fast intra prediction method to reduce the complexity of I-frame coding. The proposed method consists of three stages which is based on smoothness spatial feature. In the first stage, a measure is introduced to estimate CU smoothness by using sum of absolute differences (SAD) among CU pixels in four directions. By considering that a smooth region can be predicted with larger CUs, when the measured smoothness parameter is lower than a predefined threshold, only the prediction modes in the current CU are evaluated. In the second stage, the number of intra prediction modes is reduced based on the calculated SADs in the previous stage. In the last stage, if the first three candidate modes resulted from rough mode decision stage in the previous PU and the current PU are similar, then the best mode prediction of the previous PU is selected as the best candidate mode. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can reduce the coding time on average to 43 % and maintain coding video quality, whereas bitrate increases negligibly (0.5 %).     

Fast Prediction Mode Decision in HEVC Using a Pseudo Rate‐Distortion Based on Separated Encoding Structure

A novel fast algorithm is suggested for a coding unit (CU) mode decision using pseudo rate‐distortion based on a separated encoding structure in High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). A conventional HEVC encoder requires a large computational time for a CU mode prediction because prediction and transformation procedures are applied to obtain a rate‐distortion cost. Hence, for the practical application of HEVC encoding, it is necessary to significantly reduce the computational time of CU mode prediction. As described in this paper, under the proposed separated encoder structure, it is possible to decide the CU prediction mode without a full processing of the prediction and transformation to obtain a rate‐distortion cost based on a suitable condition. Furthermore, to construct a suitable condition to improve the encoding speed, we employ a pseudo rate‐distortion estimation based on a Hadamard transformation and a simple quantization. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a reduction in the total encoding time with a similar coding performance to that of the HEVC reference model.     

Fast algorithm based on the sole- and multi-depth texture measurements for HEVC intra coding

In High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), intra coding plays an important role, but also involves huge computational complexity due to a flexible coding unit (CU) structure and a large number of prediction modes. This paper presents a fast algorithm based on the sole- and multi-depth texture measurements to reduce the complexity from CU size and prediction mode decisions. For the CU size decision, evaluation results in the CU coding with one and multiple depths are utilized to classify CUs into heterogeneous, homogeneous, depth-prominent and other ones. Fast CU size decisions are made for different kinds of CUs. For the prediction mode decision, the tendencies for different CU sizes are detected based on multiple depths. The number of searching modes is decreased adaptively for the CU size with fewer tendencies. Experimental results show the proposed algorithm by off-line training reduces 53.32% computational complexity, with 1.47% bit-rate increasing.     

基于模式分组的帧内预测模式快速选择算法

针对高效率视频编码(HEVC)帧内预测中增加的预测模式引起的的粗选择模式(RMD)与率失真优化(RDO)算法计算复杂度高的问题。本文充分利用候选模式集中排列第一的预测模式与最优预测模式之间的强相关性,提出了一种基于模式分组的帧内预测模式快速选择算法,有效的降低了HEVC帧内预测算法的计算复杂度。实验表明本文所提出的算法与HEVC的测试模型HM10.0相比,在保证视频质量和码率基本不变的前提下(码率仅增加了0.78%,Y-PSNR只降低了0.12dB),减少了41.8％的编码时间,提高了编码效率。     

基于纹理方向和空域相关的HEVC帧内快速编码算法

为了降低高效视频编码(HEVC)的复杂度,提出了一种基于纹理方向和空域相关性的帧内快速编码算法。一方面,利用相邻编码单元(CU,coding unit)的最佳分割尺寸确定相关性的权重,并根据已编码CU的率失真代价值定义了CU分割尺寸的相关性因子,通过比较该因子提前终止CU分割;另一方面,利用Sobel算子求取预测单元(PU,prediction unit)子块的纹理方向,通过判定其纹理方向显著性确定相应的候选模式集,然后根据PU大小对所得的预测模式修正处理,最后遍历这些候选模式选取最优模式。实验结果表明:本文算法相对于原始HEVC编码方法,在全I帧模式下编码时间平均减少36.84%,BDBR(Bjntegaard delta bit rate)上升约0.81%,BDPSNR(Bjntegaard delta peak signal-to-noise rate)降低了0.047dB。     

基于感兴趣区域的高性能视频编码帧内预测优化算法

针对高性能视频编码(HEVC)帧内预测编码算法复杂度较高的问题,该文提出一种基于感兴趣区域的高性能视频编码帧内预测优化算法。首先,根据图像显著性划分当前帧的感兴趣区域(ROI)和非感兴趣区域(NROI);然后,对ROI基于空域相关性采用提出的快速编码单元(CU)划分算法决定当前编码单元的最终划分深度,跳过不必要的CU划分过程;最后,基于ROI采用提出的预测单元(PU)模式快速选择算法计算当前PU的能量和方向,根据能量和方向确定当前PU的预测模式,减少率失真代价的相关计算,达到降低编码复杂度和节省编码时间的目的。实验结果表明,在峰值信噪比(PSNR)损失仅为0.0390 dB的情况下,所提算法可以平均降低47.37%的编码时间。     

一种低复杂度的HEVC帧内快速编码算法

为了降低高效视频编码(HEVC)帧内编码复杂度,提出一种HEVC帧内快速编码算法。根据视频图像的纹理复杂性,提前跳过或者中止部分尺寸的编码单元(CU)的划分,减少CU深度遍历区间;同时,根据粗选过程后预测模式和代价值的统计特性采用阈值法或者梯度模式直方图法进一步筛选掉粗选后可能性较小的预测模式,从而减少最后进行率失真(RD)代价计算的帧内预测模式数量,进一步降低编码复杂度。实验结果表明,本文算法与HEVC原始平台相比,在全I帧编码模式下编码时间平均减少42.20%,码率(BR)上升约1.75%,峰值信噪比(PSNR)降低了0.108dB,有利于实时应用。     

Rough mode cost–based fast intra coding for high-efficiency video coding

The quadtree-based coding unit (CU) and transform unit (TU) structure, as well as various prediction units (PUs) of HEVC, considerably increase encoding complexity in intra coding and inter coding. This paper proposes a rough mode cost (RMC)-based algorithm for accelerating CU/TU depth decisions and PU mode decisions in HEVC intra coding. For CU depth decisions, RMC values are used for the fast determination of CU partition. In the case of PU mode decisions, modes with higher RMCs are removed from the candidate list to reduce the number of test modes. For TU depth decisions, the TU partition of the mode with the least RMC is used to determine the TU partitions of remaining modes. The proposed TU partitioning method demonstrates superior performance to the default method in reference software. The proposed algorithm can reduce encoding time by approximately 51% on average, with a 0.69% increase in the Bjøntegaard-Delta (BD) rate.     

Low-Complexity Intra-Coding Scheme for HEVC

Compared with H.264/AVC, the latest video standard High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) known as H.265 improves the coding efficiency by adopting the quadtree splitting structure which is flexible in representing various textural and structural information in images. However, the computational complexity is dramatically increased, especially in the intra-mode decision process owing to supporting more partitions and modes. In this paper, we propose a low-complexity algorithm for HEVC intra-coding, which consists of a fast coding unit (CU) size decision (FCUSD) method and a fast prediction unit (PU) mode decision (FPUMD) method. In FCUSD, unnecessary CU sizes are skipped early according to the depth level of neighboring CUs and the rate distortion (RD) cost threshold derived from the former coded frame. In FPUMD, the PU mode and RD cost correlations between different depth levels are utilized to terminate unnecessary candidate modes. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve about 50.99 % computational complexity reduction on average with 1.18 % BD-rate increase and 0.08 dB BD-psnr loss.     

Self-learning residual model for fast intra CU size decision in 3D-HEVC

As an extension of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, 3D-HEVC requires to encode multiple texture views and depth maps, which inherits the same quad-tree coding structure as HEVC. Due to the distinct properties of texture views and depth maps, existing fast intra prediction approaches were presented for the coding of texture views and depth maps, respectively. To further reduce the coding complexity of 3D-HEVC, a self-learning residual model-based fast coding unit (CU) size decision approach is proposed for the intra coding of both texture views and depth maps. Residual signal, which is defined as the difference between the original luminance pixel and the optimal prediction luminance pixel, is firstly extracted from each CU. Since residue signal is strongly correlated with the optimal CU partition, it is used as the feature of each CU. Then, a self-learning residual model is established by intra feature learning, which iteratively learns the features of the previously encoded coding tree unit (CTU) generated by itself. Finally, a binary classifier is developed with the self-learning residual model to early terminate CU size decision of both texture views and depth maps. Experimental results show the proposed fast intra CU size decision approach achieves 33.3% and 49.3% encoding time reduction on average for texture views and depth maps with negligible loss of overall video quality, respectively.     

Low complexity encoder optimization for HEVC

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) improved the coding efficiency significantly. Compared to its predecessor H.264/AVC, it can provide equivalent subjective quality with more than 57% bit rate reduction. However, the improvement on coding efficiency is obtained at the expense of much more intensive computation complexity. In this paper, based on an overall analysis of computation complexity at the HEVC encoder, a low complexity encoder optimization scheme is proposed by reducing the number of available candidates for evaluation in terms of the intra prediction mode decision, early termination of coding unit (CU) splitting and adaptive reference frame selection. With the proposed scheme, the rate distortion optimization (RDO) technique of HEVC can be implemented in a low-complexity way for complexity-constrained encoders. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared with the original HEVC reference encoder implementation, the proposed optimization scheme can achieve more than 40% complexity reduction on average with coding performance degradation as only 0.43% which can be ignorable.     

一种HEVC帧内预测编码CU结构快速选择算法

为了提升高效视频编码(HEVC) 帧内预测编码部分的编码效率,提出了一种HEVC帧内预测编码编码单元(CU)结构快速选择算 法。算法通过 对CTU(coding tree unit)四叉树结构的遍历过程进行优化,设计了两种不同的最优CU结 构快速决策算 法,分别从最大划分深度和最小划分深度开始遍历,并在每一步遍历之前,判断是否提前终 止遍历操作。 同时,在对每个CTU进行求解时,依据其纹理复杂度和当前编码状态,从两种算法中选择出 最优快速决策 算法对其进行求解。在HM 15.0的基础上实现了提出的快速选择算法 。实验结果表明,本文算法能够在 保证编码性能的同时,降低31.14%的编码时间,提高了HEVC的编码效 率。     

基于决策树的HEVC SCC帧内编码快速算法

为减少HEVC屏幕内容编码的编码时间,提高编码 效率,本文提出了一种基于决策树的HEVC屏幕内容帧内编码快速 CU划分和简单PU模式选择的算法。对视频序列特性分析,提取有效的特征值,生成决策树模 型。使用方差、梯度信息熵和 像素种类数用于生成CU划分决策树,使用平均非零梯度、像素信息熵等用于生成PU模式分类 决策树。在一定深度的决策 树模型中,通过对相应深度的CU的特征值的计算快速决策当前CU的划分与PU模式的类型。这 种利用决策树做判决的算法 通过减少CU深度和PU的模式遍历而降低编码复杂度,达到快速帧内编码的效果。实验结果表 明,与HEVC屏幕内容的标 准算法相比,该算法在峰值信噪比(PSNR)平均下降0. 05 dB和码率 平均增加1.15%的情况下,能平均减少30.81% 的编码时间。     

基于时空相关性的HEVC帧间模式决策快速算法

新一代的高效率视频编码标准HEVC采用编码树单元（CTU）四叉树划分技术和多达10种的帧间预测单元（PU）模式,有效地提高了编码压缩效率,但也极大地增加了编码计算复杂度。为了减少编码单元（CU）的划分次数和候选帧间PU模式个数,提出了一种基于时空相关性的帧间模式决策快速算法。首先,利用当前CTU与参考帧中相同位置CTU、当前帧中相邻CTU的深度信息时空相关性,有效预测当前CTU的深度范围。然后,通过分析当前CU与其父CU之间的最佳PU模式空间相关性,以及利用当前CU已估计PU模式的率失真代价,跳过当前CU的冗余帧间PU模式。实验结果表明,提出的算法与HEVC测试模型（HM）相比,在不同编码配置下降低了52%左右的编码时间,同时保持了良好的编码率失真性能;与打开快速算法选项的HM相比,所提算法进一步降低了30%左右的编码时间。     

基于结构张量的H.266帧内预测快速算法

新一代视频编码标准H.266将帧内预测模式从35种扩展到67种,提高预测准确率的同时大大增加了编码的计算复杂度。本文根据视频内容纹理方向和帧内预测模式选择相关性强的特点提出了一种基于结构张量的H.266帧内预测模式快速选择算法,以编码单元CU为单位,计算其结构张量矩阵,再依据结构张量奇异值分解后得到的特征向量来确定当前CU的纹理方向,缩小候选模式的选择范围,减少进行代价计算的模式数量。实验结果表明,在全I帧条件下,该算法相较于H.266 VTM-7.3标准平台在节省17.28%编码时间的同时只增加1.12%的码率,有效地降低了编码复杂度。      

x265的低复杂度帧内编码快速算法

为了降低x265的帧内编码复杂度,减少编码所需时间,本文针对新一 代高效视频编码标准(HEVC)帧内编码单元(CU)划分以 及预测单元(PU)模式选择的快速算法进行研究。采用经典的差分矩阵计算纹理复杂度,提出 了一种根据当前编码单元子块的纹理复杂 相似度与其编码所需要的总比特数以及量化参数之间的关系作为提前终止CU划分的判决 条件,通过增加SATD的计算进一 步减少PU模式选择的RDO候选列表的个数从而减少率失真代价计算的快速算法。实验结果 表明,与x265的标准算法相比, 该算法在平均峰值信噪比(PSNR)仅减少0.028dB和码率平均增加1.27%的情况下,能够平均减少32.34%的帧内编 码时间。     

Early merge mode decision for texture coding in 3D-HEVC

As the upcoming 3D video coding standard, high efficiency video coding (HEVC) based 3D video coding (3D-HEVC) has been drafted. In 3D-HEVC, the computational complexity of mode decision process is significantly high due to exhaustive modes’ checks for coding units (CU) derived from recursive quad-tree partitioning. In this paper, we propose an early merge mode decision method for complexity reduction of dependent texture views. First, inter-view correlation and hierarchical depth correlation of coding modes are separately analyzed for B frame and P frame. Then, conditions to early determine merge mode coded CUs are derived based on the correlations. All of the early determined CUs only check merge modes in the mode decision process, which brings considerable complexity reduction. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve average 20.4% of encoding time saving for dependent texture views with negligible rate distortion performance loss.     

Fast intra-encoding algorithm for High Efficiency Video Coding

The emerging High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard provides equivalent subjective quality with about 50% bit rate reduction compared to the H.264/AVC High profile. However, the improvement of coding efficiency is obtained at the expense of increased computational complexity. This paper presents a fast intra-encoding algorithm for HEVC, which is composed of the following four techniques. Firstly, an early termination technique for coding unit (CU) depth decision is proposed based on the depth of neighboring CUs and the comparison results of rate distortion (RD) costs between the parent CU and part of its child CUs. Secondly, the correlation of intra-prediction modes between neighboring PUs is exploited to accelerate the intra-prediction mode decision for HEVC intra-coding and the impact of the number of mode candidates after the rough mode decision (RMD) process in HM is studied in our work. Thirdly, the TU depth range is restricted based on the probability of each TU depth and one redundant process is removed in the TU depth selection process based on the analysis of the HEVC reference software. Finally, the probability of each case for the intra-transform skip mode is studied to accelerate the intra-transform skip mode decision. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can provide about 50% time savings with only 0.5% BD-rate loss on average when compared to HM 11.0 for the Main profile all-intra-configuration. Parts of these techniques have been adopted into the HEVC reference software.