Fast inter-prediction mode decision algorithm for HEVC

The high efficiency video coding (HEVC) is superior to the previous video coding standards in compression performance, while the computational complexity is introduced simultaneously. The complexity increases mainly due to the novel flexible partitioning scheme that allows the inter-prediction mode partition split via exhaustive rate-distortion optimization (RDO). In this paper, a fast inter-prediction mode decision algorithm is proposed, which contains adaptive threshold determination based on quantization parameter and fast inter-prediction mode partition decision. The proposed algorithm utilizes the edge information of the partition to simplify the RDO and then accelerates coding time of inter-prediction mode decision structure for the original HEVC encoder. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve 39.5 % coding time reduction with just 1.97 % bitrate increase on average under random access condition and 35.2 % coding time reduction with just 1.89 % bitrate increase on average under low-delay B condition, compared to the original HEVC encoder.     

Novel H.264/AVC entropy coding mode decision

In this work, we propose a novel entropy coding mode decision algorithm to balance the tradeoff between the rate-distortion (R-D) performance and the entropy decoding complexity for the H.264/AVC video coding standard. Context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC), context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC), and universal variable length coding (UVLC) are three entropy coding tools adopted by H.264/AVC. CABAC can be used to encode the texture and the header data while CAVLC and UVLC are employed to encode the texture and the header data, respectively. Although CABAC can provide better R-D performance than CAVLC/UVLC, its decoding complexity is higher. Thus, by taking the entropy decoding complexity into account, CABAC may not be the best tool, which motivates us to examine the entropy coding mode decision problem in depth. It will be shown experimentally that the proposed mode decision algorithm can help the encoder generate the bit streams that can be decoded at much lower complexity with little R-D performance loss.     

H.264快速自适应帧间编码模式选择算法

提出了一种针对H．264标准的帧间编码模式快速自适应选择算法用以减少编码器的复杂度。该算法利用运动补偿后残差宏块的统计信息．将需要计算率失真代价函数的候选模式减少为一个模式组中包含的模式子集。由于该算法采用了重叠划分的模式组以及动态调整的门限．可以最大可能保证宏块的最佳编码模式处于所选择的模式组中，所以可以在编码质量下降很小的情况下，大幅度降低编码复杂度。实验表明，本算法平均可以节省编码时间52％．同时PSNR下降约为-0．05dB,不会影响主观视觉效果。     

Fast mode decision algorithm for H.264 inter-prediction

A fast mode decision algorithm for H.264/AVC inter-prediction to reduce computational complexity of the H.264 encoder is presented. Experimental results show that the algorithm can save the entire encoding time by 77% on average while introducing only negligible loss in PSNR value and small increment of bit rate.     

H.264中基于先验预测的帧间编码模式选择算法研究

帧间编码的模式选择算法是H.264视频编码器中计算量较大的部分。该文首先简要介绍了H.264帧间多模式编码原理,然后对帧间编码的最佳模式进行统计、分析,提出了一种基于先验预测的帧间编码模式选择快速算法。仿真实验结果表明该文提出的快速模式选择策略可以在保证视频编码质量的同时,很大程度上降低编码器的计算复杂度。     

一种改进的H.264运动估计算法

为了减少视频编码的运算量,针对运动估计的特点．提出了快速块模式选择算法。该算法利用宏块的时间和空间相关性,预先对宏块模式进行判定,从而使模式选择过程大大简化。仿真结果显示,在基本保持H．264原有编码算法的图像质量的同时,可以将编码速度提高15％以上。因此,本算法可以有效的减少编码器的计算量,提高H．264的编码效率。     

基于深度图像的H.264快速帧间模式选择算法

H.264编码标准的帧间模式选择算法采用全候选模式搜寻算法,为编码器带来了高运算复杂度。提出一种快速帧间模式选择算法,旨在降低H.264帧间编码的运算复杂度。算法利用深度图像信息从彩色图像中分割出背景区域和运动剧烈的区域,宏块根据所在的区域选择相应的编码策略,从而达到缩小候选模式范围,加快模式选择速度的目的。实验证明,该算法在图像质量基本不变的情况下编码时间平均节省23%以上。     

一种H.264帧内预测模式判决算法及VLSI实现体系

17种预测模式和率失真优化模式判决极大的增加了H.264帧内编码器硬件设计的复杂度.目前的模式判决快速算法能大量减少模式判决的复杂度,但却不易于硬件实现.本文在Sobel边缘检测模式判决算法的基础上,提出了一种面向VLSI实现的模式判决优化算法.该算法通过修改16×16宏块部分像素的Sobel边缘检测算子来减少存储器读取次数,优化预测模式区域的范围来减少硬件设计复杂度,并采用变换后残差绝对值和(SATD)来简化编码代价判决运算.实验结果表明,采用该算法的帧内硬件编码器可以在确保编码质量的前提下,显著降低硬件实现复杂度和提高编码器效率.     

H.264帧间模式选择优化算法

提出一种新的H.264快速模式选择算法：根据块的细节程度和纹理方向选择不同模式集,这些模式集比整个模式集模式数量大大减小,从而提高了模式搜索速度。信噪比的降低与比特率的增加都在可接受范围内,仿真结果证明了算法的有效性。     

Prediction of transmission distortion for wireless video communication: Algorithm and application

In this paper, we develop algorithms for estimating transmission distortion in wireless video communication systems. By leveraging the analytical results obtained in our previous works, we design low complexity algorithms that are capable of estimating transmission distortion accurately. We also extend our algorithm for pixel-level transmission distortion estimation to pixel-level end-to-end distortion estimation. Furthermore, we apply our pixel-level end-to-end distortion estimation algorithm to prediction mode decision in H.264 encoder. Experimental results show that (1) our transmission distortion estimation algorithm is more accurate and more robust against inaccurate channel estimation than existing distortion estimation algorithms; (2) our mode decision algorithm achieves remarkable PSNR gain over the existing algorithms for prediction mode decision in H.264 encoder, e.g., an average PSNR gain of 1.44 dB for ‘foreman’ sequence when Packet Error Probability (PEP) equals 5%.     

H.264宏块模式的一种快速判决方案

H.264采用了可变块运动估计和率失真优化模式判决,极大地增加了编码器的复杂度.本文利用H.264参考软件对时间/空间相邻宏块模式之间的相关性进行了分析,相应地提出了一种快速算法以降低模式判决的运算复杂度.利用已编码相邻宏块的运动信息和模式类型比率信息预测当前宏块的候选模式类型,然后采用部分率失真优化决定当前宏块的编码模式.如果某些模式不在候选模式之列,就不再对其做运动估计.如果相邻宏块的平均失真超过了预定阈值,当前宏块就采用常规的率失真优化模式判决.实验结果表明,对于A、B类测试图像序列,采用本文方案可以明显降低编码复杂度,而编码质量只有轻微的下降.     

一种针对H.264的快速编码模式选择算法

在H.264编码算法中,为了给图像的各个区域选择合适的编码模式,需要对所有可能的模式分别进行计算,这使编码模式选择过程异常复杂.针对此问题,本文提出了一种快速的编码模式选择算法,该算法利用时间和空间相关性预先对图像各区域可能采用的编码模式进行判定,从而使模式选择的过程大大简化.实验结果表明:在编码器的信息率—失真性能没有明显下降的前提下,该算法最多可以使编码速度提高20%以上.     

Efficient MPEG‐4 to H.264/AVC Transcoding with Spatial Downscaling

Efficient downscaling in a transcoder is important when the output should be converted to a lower resolution video. In this letter, we suggest an efficient algorithm for transcoding from MPEG‐4 SP (with simple profile) to H.264/AVC with spatial downscaling. First, target image blocks are classified into monotonous, complex, and very complex regions for fast mode decision. Second, adaptive search ranges are applied to these image classes for fast motion estimation in an H.264/AVC encoder with predicted motion vectors. Simulation results show that our transcoder considerably reduces transcoding time while video quality is kept almost optimal.     

Low-Cost H.264/AVC Inter Frame Mode Decision Algorithm for Mobile Communication Systems

One of the important issues of green mobile networking is the low energy consumption for either mobile devices or transmissions. To adapt this, a low-cost Inter frame mode decision (MD) algorithm is proposed for H.264/AVC encoder to reduce the computational complexity of the original encoding procedure in this paper. The information extracted from macroblock (MB), such as energy, temporal domain mode similarity and so on, which can be used to pre-estimate the optimal mode of the MB is investigated and utilized to eliminate the redundant mode candidates. The performance evaluations including quantitative analysis and PC simulations show that the proposed algorithm is an energy-efficient source coding because it can reduce around 85% Inter frame encoding time with little quality loss. It can be widely implemented in green mobile networking systems with H.264/AVC standard to realize the real-time video signal coding.     

Fast block mode decision algorithm in H.264/AVC video coding

The recent video coding standard H.264/AVC show extremely higher coding efficiency compare to any other previous standards. H.264/AVC can achieve over 50% of bit rate saving with same quality using the rate–distortion process, but it brings high computational complexity. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that can reduce the complexity of the codec by reducing the block mode decision process adaptively. Block mode decision process in H.264/AVC consists of inter mode decision process and intra mode decision process. We deal with reduction method for inter and intra mode decision. In this paper an efficient method is proposed to reduce the inter mode decision complexity using the direct prediction methods based on block correlation and adaptive rate distortion cost threshold for early stopping. The fast intra mode reduction algorithm based on inter mode information is also proposed to reduce the computational complexity. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve up to 63.34–77.39% speed up ratio with a little PSNR loss. Increment in bit requirement is also not much noticeable.     

Fast encoder decision for texture coding in 3D-HEVC

As a 3D extension of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, 3D-HEVC is developed to improve the coding efficiency of multi-view video. However, the improvement of the coding efficiency is obtained at the expense of a computational complexity increase. How to relieve the computational burden of the encoder is becoming a critical problem in applications. In this paper, a fast encoder decision algorithm to encode the dependent texture views is proposed, where two strategies to accelerate encoder decision by exploiting inter-view correlations are utilized. The first one is an early merge mode decision algorithm, and the second one is an early CU splitting termination algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve 47.1% encoding time saving with overall 0.1% BD-rate reduction compared to HTM (3D-HEVC test model) version 7 under the common test condition (CTC). Both of the two strategies have been adopted into the 3D-HEVC reference software and enabled as a default encoding process under CTC.     

Fast variable-size block motion estimation for efficient H.264/AVC encoding

In this paper, an efficient algorithm is proposed to reduce the computational complexity of variable-size block-matching motion estimation. We first investigate features of multiple candidate search centers, adaptive initial-blocksizes, search patterns, and search step-sizes, to match different motion characteristics and block-sizes. To avoid being trapped in local minima, the proposed algorithm uses multiple candidate motion vectors, which are obtained from different block-sizes. To further reduce the computation cost, a threshold-based early stop strategy according to the quantization parameter is suggested. With adaptive initial block-sizes, a merge-or-skip strategy is also proposed to reduce the computation for the final block-size decision. For the H.264/AVC encoder, simulations show that the proposed algorithms can speed up about 2.6–3.9 times of the original JM v6.1d encoder, which uses fast full-search for all block-sizes, and still maintain a comparable rate-distortion performance.     

基于H.264视频编码的运动估计算法优化

 运动估计是视频压缩中最重要的环节.H.264编码器由于采用了高精度运动矢量,计算量迅速增长,运动估计消耗整个编码时间80％左右.本文在分析UMHexagonS算法的基础上,分别对UMHexagonS算法中搜索窗口大小的选择、大六边形搜索和小六边形(小钻石)搜索模式三方面做了优化,在保持了原有图象质量的情况下有效的节省了运动估计时间.通过对各种测试序列的实验证明,优化后的算法与UMHexagonS算法相比,在重建图象质量和码率接近的情况下,运动估计时间平均节省了18.292%,降低了算法的复杂度,提高了编码器的实时性.     

Fast mode decision algorithm for H.264 using statistics of rate-distortion cost

A context-based fast mode decision scheme for P slices in the H.264 video coding standard is presented. Based on the coding modes and the statistical distribution of rate-distortion costs of the collocated macroblocks in the previous frames, a context modelling technique has been developed to design adaptive threshold values for the fast mode decision. The simulation results show that the proposed method can reduce the encoding time by about 83% on average without significant loss of rate-distortion performance.     

基于H．264的UMHexagonS算法研究

运动估计是视频压缩领域的关键技术。H．264编码器采用了高精度运动矢量,计算量迅速增长,运动估计消耗整个编码时间80％左右。在所提出的算法建立在分析UMHexagonS算法的基础上,在搜索窗口的大小选择,螺旋搜索及多层次六边形搜索的搜索点数减少3个方面进行了优化,保持了原有图象质量的同时有效地节省了运动估计时间。通过实验证明,优化后的算法与其他算法相比,在重建图象质量和码率接近的情况下,运动估计时间平均节省了12％,一定程度上提高了编码器的实时性。