基于梯度的H.265/HEVC帧内预测硬件加速算法研究

HEVC即H.265,是目前最新的视频编码标准。相比于前一代视频编码标准,H.265/HEVC虽然能够明显改善视频压缩效率,但是却带来了更高的计算复杂度,尤其是在帧内预测过程中。为了解决这个问题,提出一种基于梯度的帧内预测硬件加速算法来跳过一些帧内预测模式和划分深度的预测过程,从而达到减少计算的目的。利用图像梯度信息来粗略估计编码单元的纹理方向和纹理复杂度,其中纹理方向用来估计编码单元的最优帧内预测方向,纹理复杂度用来判断是否跳过当前划分深度的预测编码过程。实验表明,相比于H.265/HEVC测试模型HM16.18,本文提出的算法能够减少6059%的编码时间,仅造成0.38 dB的BD PSNR减少和8.52%的BD-Rate增加。     

Motion and disparity vectors early determination for texture video in 3D-HEVC

3D-HEVC is the state-of-the-art video coding standard for 3D video, and it is an extension of high efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard. Besides the original HEVC coding tools, 3D-HEVC adopts some advanced coding tools, such as disparity vector (DV), inter-view prediction and inter-component prediction. However, these advanced tools lead to extremely high encoding complexity at the same time, thus it cannot be well applied in real-time multimedia systems. In this paper, we propose a motion and disparity vectors early determination algorithm to reduce 3D-HEVC computational complexity. First, based on the statistical analyses, the spatial and temporal motion vector (MV) candidates are adaptively reduced for the prediction unit (PU) with the Merge mode. Then, for the PU with the Inter mode, the combination of spatial and temporal candidates is used to early determine the final MV. Finally, an adaptive optimization algorithm is adopted to select the valid inter-view disparity vectors (DV) candidates. Moreover, if the difference between candidate vectors is within a conditional range, current PU will be encoded with the Merge mode to skip unnecessary coding process. Experimental results show that for the texture views encoding, the proposed algorithm achieves an average of 33.03% encoding time saving, and an average of 0.47% BD-Rate increases.

     

A low energy intra prediction hardware for high efficiency video coding

Intra prediction algorithm in the recently developed high efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard has very high computational complexity. Therefore, in this paper, we propose pixel equality and pixel similarity based techniques for reducing amount of computations performed by HEVC intra prediction algorithm and, therefore, reducing energy consumption of HEVC intra prediction hardware. The proposed techniques significantly reduce the amount of computations performed by 4 × 4 and 8 × 8 luminance angular prediction modes with a small comparison overhead. Pixel equality based technique does not affect the PSNR and bit rate. Pixel similarity based technique increases the PSNR slightly for some video frames and it decreases the PSNR slightly for some video frames. We also designed and implemented a low energy HEVC intra prediction hardware for 4 × 4 and 8 × 8 angular prediction modes including the proposed techniques using Verilog HDL. The proposed techniques significantly reduce the energy consumption of this HEVC intra prediction hardware.     

A novel high-efficiency holography image compression method,based on HEVC,Wavelet, and nearest-neighbor interpolation

One of the critical challenges facing 3D video systems and images such as holography lies in their compression technique. High-efficiency video coding (HEVC) has emerged as one of the leading schemes to address this challenge. In this article, a novel method based on wavelet transform is presented to improve HEVC, particularly in digital holography systems (object plane). In this regard, wavelet and resizing are included in the coding process, while extra HEVC decoders and encoders are added to predict and decrease errors in the target. Simulation results reveals that the proposed algorithm reduces Bjøntegaard-Delta (BD) bitrate 17.5% (based on average BD-Rate values) compared to the original HEVC (H.265) scheme while maintaining signal fidelity and even enhancing it slightly. We observe an increased BD-peak-signal-to-noise ratio (BD-PSNR) in real and imaginary parts of digital holograms of high rate quantization values up to 1.1 dB.

     

高效视频编码中变换跳过模式的快速选择

目的新一代高效视频编码(HEVC)标准采用了灵活的块结构和大量新颖的编码工具,有效提高了视频编码效率。变换跳过模式作为一种新增加的模式,可以有效地提高编码效率,但是也显著地增加了编码的复杂度,增加了实时编码应用的难度。因此提出一种针对变换跳过模式的提前剪枝算法。方法通过分析不同率失真代价下是否选择变换跳过模式的残差块的分布情况,最终选取率失真代价的平方根作为阈值,并建立了量化参数与阈值之间的模型。之后可以根据量化参数提前计算得到阈值大小,减少变换跳过模式的编码次数,从而降低变换跳过模式的复杂度。结果由于最终只需要对少量的块进行变换跳过模式编码,并且使用模型得到经验阈值并不会额外增加复杂度,因此能减少编码器的计算复杂度。实验结果表明,与标准编码器相比,该算法对于不同场景的标准测试序列平均峰值性噪比和平均比特率变化都非常小,平均减少了70%的变换跳过模式编码的次数。结论该变换跳过模式的剪枝算法,选取率失真代价的平方根作为阈值,根据本文模型获取不同量化参数下的经验阈值,对是否需要进行变换跳过模式提前判断。实验结果表明,该算法能在保证视频编码质量的前提下有效地降低由于加入变换跳过模式增加的编码复杂度。     

利用时空相关性的HEVC帧内编码块快速划分

目的 为了提升高效视频编码（HEVC）的编码效率,使之满足高分辨率、高帧率视频实时编码传输的需求。由分析可知帧内编码单元（CU）的划分对HEVC的编码效率有决定性的影响,通过提高HEVC的CU划分效率,可以大大提升HEVC编码的实时性。方法 通过对视频数据分析发现,视频数据具有较强的时间、空间相关性,帧内CU的划分结果也同样具有较强的时间和空间相关性,可以利用前一帧以及当前帧CU的划分结果进行预判以提升帧内CU划分的效率。据此,本文给出一种帧内CU快速划分算法,先根据视频相邻帧数据的时间相关性和帧内数据空间相关性初步确定当前编码块的编码树单元（CTU）形状,再利用前一帧同位CTU平均深度、当前帧已编码CTU深度以及对应的率失真代价值决定当前编码块CTU的最终形状。算法每间隔指定帧数设置一刷新帧,该帧采用HM16.7模型标准CU划分以避免快速CU划分算法带来的误差累积影响。结果 利用本文算法对不同分辨率、不同帧率的视频进行测试,与HEVC的参考模型HM16.7相比,本文算法在视频编码质量基本不变,视频码率稍有增加的情况下平均可以节省约40%的编码时间,且高分辨率高帧率的视频码率增加幅度普遍小于低分辨率低帧率的视频码率。结论 本文算法在HEVC的框架内,利用视频数据的时间和空间相关性,通过优化帧内CU划分方法,对提升HEVC编码,特别是提高高分辨率高帧率视频HEVC编码的实时性具有重要作用。     

全零块预判的运动估计及模式选择早结束研究

针对全零DCT（Discrete Cosine Transform）系数块,为避免对其进行变换和量化操作以减少编码器的运算量,基于全零块预判的本质,根据DCT系数分布的特性,结合H.264/AVC整数变换和量化的特点,提出了一种预先判断全零DCT系数块的新方法。同时,针对H.264/AVC高精度运动矢量和多编码模式的高复杂度,通过分析最佳匹配块搜索的本质,提出了基于全零DCT系数块预判准的运动估计和模式选择早结束算法。实验结果表明,与已有基于全零块准则的快速运动估计算法相比,其实际搜索点数均有较明显的减少。     

An early split and skip algorithm for fast intra CU selection in HEVC

The rapid development and increase of multimedia applications, as well as the demand for higher video-quality services at restricted resources such as storage capacity, transmission bandwidth and power consumption, has brought the urgent need for more efficient video compression techniques. The new video coding standard high efficiency video coding (HEVC) has a significant superiority over its predecessor advanced video coding (AVC). HEVC is reported to halve the bit rate with the same visual quality, or a better quality with the same bit rate when compared with AVC. Beside other improvements, HEVC significantly gets its power from the use of dynamic hierarchical quad-tree structure by partitioning the frames into smaller regions called coding units (CU), by means of a rate–distortion optimization process. However, this improvement yields to a dramatic increase of high computational complexity and increased encoding time, which primarily restricts its adaptation in real-time applications. In this paper, we proposed an early CU determination algorithm for fast encoder realization to reduce the encoding time which is the most important part of the standard standing for development. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has approximately 45 % encoding time saving with a 4.6 % bit-rate increment, on average.     

Complexity scalability for real-time HEVC encoders

The high efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard achieves improved compression efficiency in comparison to previous standards at the cost of much higher computational complexity and consequently longer processing times, which may compromise real-time software-based video encoding, especially at high resolutions. This article addresses the problem of enabling complexity scalability in HEVC encoders by trading-off processing time for rate–distortion (R–D) performance in a controlled manner. The proposed method is based on dynamic constraining of HEVC coding treeblocks (CTBs) by limiting the prediction block (PB) shapes and the maximum tree depth used in each CTB, to decrease the number of R–D evaluations performed in the optimization process. The complexity-scalable encoder is capable of adjusting the processing time used in each group of pictures, according to a predefined target. The results show that processing times can be scaled down to 50 % with negligible R–D performance losses and down to 20 % at a maximum BD-PSNR decrease of 1.41 dB, which is acceptable in many applications and in power constrained devices. The simplicity of the scaling algorithm and the possibility of continuous adjustment of the scaling factor make it amenable to control real-time software-based HEVC video encoders.     

HEVC快速帧内模式决策算法

在高效视频编码(HEVC)标准中,为降低编码单元和预测单元算法的计算复杂度,提出一种基于编码单元纹理和预测单元模式决策的快速帧内预测算法。通过统计编码单元的纹理复杂度,分析编码单元纹理的相关性,设定合理的纹理阈值,快速地决策当前编码单元的大小。改进预测单元模式决策算法,利用三步搜索方法,减少候选模式数量和帧内模式预测时间。算法结合了编码单元和预测单元的特点,仿真结果表明,与HEVC参考软件HM8.0相比,在增加较少码率,降低较少峰值信噪比的情况下,该算法的编码时间平均缩减40.9%,降低了编码复杂度。     

HEVC optimization based on human perception for real-time environments

High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the new emerging video coding standard of the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The HEVC standard provides a significant improvement in compression efficiency in comparison with existing standards such as H264/AVC by means of greater complexity. In this paper we will examine several HEVC optimizations based on image analysis to reduce its huge CPU, resource and memory expensive encoding process. The proposed algorithms optimize the HEVC quad-tree partitioning procedure, intra/inter prediction and mode decision by means of H264-based methods and spatial and temporal homogeneity analysis which is directly applied to the original video. The validation process of these approaches was conducted by taking into account the human visual system (HVS). The adopted solution makes it possible to perform HEVC real time encoding for HD sequences on a low cost processor with negligible quality loss. Moreover, the frames pre-processing leverages the logic units and embedded hardware available on an Intel GPU, so the execution time of these stages are negligible for the encoding processor.

     

利用深度学习的HEVC帧内编码单元快速划分算法

新一代视频编码标准高效视频编码(High Efficiency Video Coding,HEVC)中编码单元(Coding Unit,CU)大小不同的特性使得编码效率得到显著提升,但同时带来了极高的计算复杂度.为了去除CU划分中多余的计算从而降低编码复杂度,本文提出了一种利用深度学习的编码单元快速划分算法.首先使用原...     

基于纹理特性与空域相关的高效视频编码帧内分级快速算法

为了降低高效视频编码(HEVC)标准的编码复杂度,提出一种基于纹理特性与空域相关性的帧内分级快速算法。首先,采用最大编码单元(LCU)级的快速算法,通过利用相邻LCU的编码深度值加权预测得到当前LCU的预测深度,并利用块标准差和自适应阈值策略确定当前LCU的纹理复杂度,将当前LCU的预测深度和纹理复杂度相结合来预测当前LCU的最有可能深度范围(MPDR);其次,采用编码单元(CU)级的深度判决快速算法(CUDD-FA),将基于边缘图的CU深度预判策略和基于率失真(RD)代价相关性的CU提前中止策略相结合,实现了CU级深度的提前确定,进一步降低了帧内编码复杂度。与原始HEVC算法相比,所提算法在全I帧编码模式下编码时间平均减少41.81%,BD-rate(Bjøntegaard Delta bit rate)仅上升0.74%,BDPSNR(Bjøntegaard Delta Peak Signal-to-Noise Rate)仅降低0.038 dB;与代表性文献算法相比,所提算法在编码时间节省更多的情况下率失真性能更好。实验结果表明,在率失真性能损失可以忽略不计的前提下,所提算法能有效降低HEVC帧内编码复杂度,特别是高分辨率视频序列,有利于HEVC的实时视频应用。     

基于图形信息的HEVC帧间预测快速算法

由于最新的视频编码标准HEVC（high efficiency video coding）应用四叉树的递归结构进行编码单元的划分,使得帧间预测的过程极为复杂,编码的时间效率比较低下。针对HEVC帧间预测过程,提出了一种基于纹理信息和稳定区域检测的快速算法,旨在检测出相对平坦的区域和随时间变化较稳定的区域,来提前终止四叉树的编码单元的划分。这些平坦或者稳定的区域用较大的编码预测单元就能进行比较准确的运动估计和预测,不需要再进行更小编码预测单元的划分,因此HEVC编码器的时间复杂度大幅度降低。实验结果表明,改进后的算法编码时间平均节省了34%左右,并且造成的视频质量损失非常低,有0.038 dB的PSNR下降和0.56%的码率增加。     

针对HEVC编码单元的二分深度划分算法

为了降低高效率视频编码（HEVC）的编码单元（CU）进行四叉树递归遍历的时间,提出一种改进的编码单元快速划分算法.首先,利用帧间时间域的相关性,提取前一帧相同位置CU的最优划分结构,以预测当前CU的划分深度;然后通过改进编码CU结构划分遍历的算法,减少CTU （Coding Tree Unit）四叉树结构的遍历,即从二分深度开始遍历,在每一步遍历之前,判断是否提前终止遍历.实验表明,与HM15.0中的基准划分算法相比,本文算法能够在保证编码性能的同时,降低了55.4%的编码时间,提高了HEVC的编码效率.     

高效视频编码帧内快速深度决策算法

针对新一代高效视频编码（HEVC）帧内预测中编码单元（CU）的编码深度选择过程中计算复杂度较高的问题,提出了一种基于空域相关性的帧内快速深度决策算法。首先,利用相邻已编码树单元（CTU）的深度通过线性加权得到当前CTU深度估计值;然后,对当前CTU深度估计值设置较为合适的深度双阈值提前终止编码树单元的划分或跳过CTU的某些深度,来缩小当前CTU的深度范围,从而减少不必要的深度计算。实验结果表明：与HM12.0相比,所提算法对比较简单的视频序列编码时间的减少比较明显,在亮度峰值信噪比（Y-PSNR）几乎不变的情况下（平均降低0.02 dB）,编码时间平均减少了34.6%。此外,所提算法容易与其他算法进行融合,能进一步降低HEVC的帧内计算复杂度,最终达到实时传送高清视频的目的。     

基于非局部低秩和自适应量化约束先验的HEVC后处理算法

经高效视频编解码标准HEVC压缩后的视频在高压缩比、低码率的情况下存在明显的压缩效应。针对该问题,提出了一种基于非局部低秩(Non-local Low-rank, NLLR)和自适应量化约束(Adaptive Quantization Constraint, AQC)先验的HEVC后处理算法。该算法首先构造在最大后验概率框架下的优化问题,然后利用解码后的压缩视频和量化参数QP获取非局部低秩和自适应量化约束先验信息,最后利用split-Bregman迭代算法来解决所提的优化问题,从而有效去除压缩效应,提升重建视频质量。其中,非局部低秩先验通过构建基于相似块聚类的非局部低秩模型来获得;自适应量化约束先验通过联合不同量化参数QP下的约束特性与视频的DCT域块活动性来获得。实验结果表明,在同等码率的情况下,与HEVC标准相比,所提算法在帧内编码模式下可以达到平均0.259 7 dB的PSNR提升,在帧间编码模式下可以达到平均0.282 8 dB的PSNR提升。     

HEVC快速编码深度选择算法

高效视频编码（High Efficiency Video Coding,HEVC）作为下一代新的视频编码标准,旨在有限网络带宽下传输高质量的网络视频。与现有的视频编码标准相比,高效视频编码具有更高的灵活性和压缩率。编码单元（Coding Unit,CU）是视频编码处理的基本单元,原有的算法通过四叉树递归获取最佳CU深度,在提高视频压缩性能的同时引入了较高的计算复杂度。针对该问题,提出了一种快速编码深度选择算法,该算法利用相邻CU的深度信息计算一个深度预测特征值,通过该特征值进行深度选择,以避免不必要的计算,降低计算复杂度。实验结果表明,该算法在保证视频压缩效果的同时有效降低了计算复杂度。     

Simplified algorithms for rate-distortion optimization in high efficiency video coding

HEVC is the latest coding standard to improve the coding efficiency by a factor of two over the previous H.264/AVC standard at the cost of the increased complexity of computation rate-distortion optimization (RDO) is one of the computationally demanding operations in HEVC and makes it difficult to process the HEVC compression in real time with a reasonable computing power. This paper aims to present various simplified RDO algorithms with the evaluation of their RD performance and computational complexity. The algorithms for the simplified estimation of the sum of squared error (SSE) and context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) proposed for H.264/AVC are reviewed and then they are applied to the simplification of HEVC RDO. By modifying the previous algorithm for H.264/AVC, a new simplified RDO algorithm is proposed for modifying the previous algorithm for H.264/AVC to be optimized for the hierarchical coding structure of HEVC. Further simplification is attempted to avoid the transforms operations in RDO. The effectiveness of the existing H.264/AVC algorithms as well as the proposed algorithms targeted for HEVC is evaluated and the trade-off relationship between the RD performance and computational complexity is presented for various simplification algorithms. Experimental results show that reasonable combinations of RDO algorithms reduce the computation by 80–85% at the sacrifice of the BD-BR by 3.46–5.93% for low-delay configuration.     

Fast motion estimation using priority-based inter-prediction mode decision method in high efficiency video coding

The latest video coding standard, high efficiency video coding (HEVC), is developed to acquire a more efficient coding performance than the previous standard, H.264/AVC. To achieve this coding performance, elaborate coding tools were implemented in HEVC. Although those tools show a higher coding performance than H.264/AVC, the encoding complexity is heavily increased. Especially, motion estimation (ME) requires the most computational complexity because that is always performed on three inter-prediction modes: uni-directional prediction in List 0 (Uni-L0), uni-directional prediction in List 1 (Uni-L1), and bi-prediction (Bi). In this paper, we propose a priority-based inter-prediction mode decision method to reduce the complexity of ME caused by inter-prediction. The proposed method computes the priorities of all inter-prediction modes and decides whether ME is performed or not. Experimental results show that the proposed method reduces the computational complexity of ME up to 55.51% while maintaining similar coding performance compared to HEVC test model (HM) version 10.1.