Title
Analysis and complexity reduction of multiple reference frames motion estimation in H.264/AVC
Abstract
In the new video coding standard H.264/AVC, motion estimation (ME) is allowed to search multiple reference frames. Therefore, the required computation is highly increased, and it is in proportion to the number of searched reference frames. However, the reduction in prediction residues is mostly dependent on the nature of sequences, not on the number of searched frames. Sometimes the prediction residues can be greatly reduced, but frequently a lot of computation is wasted without achieving any better coding performance. In this paper, we propose a context-based adaptive method to speed up the multiple reference frames ME. Statistical analysis is first applied to the available information for each macroblock (MB) after intra-prediction and inter-prediction from the previous frame. Context-based adaptive criteria are then derived to determine whether it is necessary to search more reference frames. The reference frame selection criteria are related to selected MB modes, inter-prediction residues, intra-prediction residues, motion vectors of subpartitioned blocks, and quantization parameters. Many available standard video sequences are tested as examples. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can maintain competitively the same video quality as exhaustive search of multiple reference frames. Meanwhile, 76 %-96 % of computation for searching unnecessary reference frames can be avoided. Moreover, our fast reference frame selection is orthogonal to conventional fast block matching algorithms, and they can be easily combined to achieve further efficient implementations.
Year
DOI
Venue
2006
10.1109/TCSVT.2006.872783
IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Techn.
Keywords
Field
DocType
multiple reference frames motion,complexity reduction,exhaustive search,reference frame selection criterion,new video,available standard video sequence,multiple reference frame,reference frame,unnecessary reference frame,fast reference frame selection,prediction residue,previous frame,quantization,statistical analysis,testing,video quality,computational modeling,motion estimation,block matching algorithm,computational complexity,adaptive signal processing,data compression
Macroblock,Reference frame,Computer vision,Pattern recognition,Brute-force search,Computer science,Motion compensation,Reduction (complexity),Artificial intelligence,Motion estimation,Data compression,Video quality
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
16
4
1051-8215
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
100
5.40
20
Authors
5
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Yu-Wen Huang11116114.02
Bing-Yu Hsieh248354.76
Shao-Yi Chien31603154.48
Shyh-Yih Ma440228.42
Liang-Gee Chen53637383.22