Open source framework for reduced-complexity multi-rate HEVC encoding

Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) is the key enabler for large-scale video distribution over internet. While this approach allows for very reliable and robust video distribution, but it comes at a cost. While only a single SD and a single HD representation is needed for traditional cable/IPTV distribution, ABR requires far more representations. This, in turn, takes a heavy toll on computational resources. x265, a popular open-source HEVC encoder introduced a framework for reusing information across different representations. While the benefits of this framework to compute time are significant, it relied heavily on user input to configure the encoder correctly to achieve the required gains. In this paper, we present an x265-based implementation that leverages the above framework to automatically improve the computation effciency by 44%, as well as an orders of magnitude reduction in the turnaround time.