Fast mode decision based on systematic deployment of predictive resources for H.264/AVC

Abstract

This paper presents a well organised fast mode decision scheme for H.264/AVC that systematically integrates and deploys applicable predictive resources using constructive compromise. This scheme is constructed by primary SKIP mode checking, spatial prior temporal hard decision (STHD), and succinct mode decision (SMD). The STHD is connected with the predictive macroblocks searched. In STHD, only when spatial hard decision fails, temporal hard decision is performed using the potential partition characteristic vector (PPCV) addressed. If it fails, too, then SMD takes care of mode checking also using PPCV. The SMD consists of succinct P16?×?16 mode decision and succinct geometric/statistical extension examination, which are formed as an effective two-stage judgment. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method by systematically deploying the predictive resources can achieve 58–74% runtime savings in encoding QCIF, CIF and high definition videos with low performance losses. In addition, most processes of the proposed scheme could be implemented on logical operations, only.