Fast H.264 Intra-prediction mode selection using joint spatial and transform domain features

A fast H.264 Intra-prediction mode selection scheme is proposed in this work. The objective is to reduce the encoder complexity without significant rate–distortion performance degradation. The proposed method uses spatial and transform domain features of the target block jointly to filter out the majority of candidate modes. This is justified by examining the posterior error probability and the average rate–distortion loss. For the final mode selection, either the feature-based or the RDO (rate–distortion optimization)-based method is applied to 2–3 candidate modes. It is demonstrated by experimental results that the proposed scheme demands only 7–10% of the complexity of the RDO (rate–distortion optimized) mode decision scheme with little quality degradation.

[1]  Kyeong Ho Yang,et al.  Real time implementation of rate-distortion optimized coding mode selection for H.263 video coders , 1998, Proceedings 1998 International Conference on Image Processing. ICIP98 (Cat. No.98CB36269).

[2]  Tihao Chiang,et al.  A new rate control scheme using quadratic rate distortion model , 1997, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[3]  Peng Qiang.  A fast intra-prediction mode selection for H.264 , 2007 .

[4]  Qing Li,et al.  Fast intra-prediction model selection for H.264 codec , 2003, SPIE ITCom.

[5]  K. Yang,et al.  A normalized rate-distortion model for H.263-compatible codecs and its application to quantizer selection , 1997, Proceedings of International Conference on Image Processing.

[6]  F. Pan,et al.  Fast Mode Decision for Intra Prediction , 2003 .

[7]  C.-C. Jay Kuo,et al.  Feature-based intra-prediction mode decision for H.264 , 2004, 2004 International Conference on Image Processing, 2004. ICIP '04..

[8]  Clifford Stein,et al.  Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd edition. , 2001 .

[9]  C.-C.J. Kuo,et al.  Hybrid DCT/wavelet I-frame coding for efficient H.263+ rate control at low bit rates , 1998, ISCAS '98. Proceedings of the 1998 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (Cat. No.98CH36187).

[10]  C.-C. Jay Kuo,et al.  Multistage mode decision for intraprediction in H.264 codec , 2004, IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging.

[11]  Byeungwoo Jeon,et al.  Fast mode decision for H.264 , 2004, 2004 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME) (IEEE Cat. No.04TH8763).

[12]  Sanjit K. Mitra,et al.  A unified rate-distortion analysis framework for transform coding , 2001, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[13]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[14]  Ajay Luthra,et al.  Overview of the H.264/AVC video coding standard , 2003, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[15]  Faouzi Kossentini,et al.  The H.263+ video coding standard: complexity and performance , 1998, Proceedings DCC '98 Data Compression Conference (Cat. No.98TB100225).