Efficient two step edge based partial distortion search for fast block motion estimation

In video coding, block based full search motion estimation algorithm has been widely used, but it suffers from high computational requirements. In order to reduce the computations, this paper proposes a novel edge based partial distortion search (EPDS) algorithm which reduces the computation of each distortion measure by using partial distortion search. In this algorithm, the entire macroblock (MB) is divided into different sub-blocks and the calculation order of partial distortion is determined based on the edge strength of sub-blocks. This algorithm adaptively changes the early termination threshold for every accumulated partial sum of absolute difference. In the proposed method, only selected numbers of search points are considered for candidate motion vectors. An efficient early termination method, which is based on the dynamic threshold, is also proposed to decide whether a search point has met the rate-distortion (RD) cost criterion so that the best search point can be determined early. Simulation results show that the proposed method offers a remarkable improvement in computational speed when compared to full search (FS) and normalized partial distortion search (NPDS) algorithms. The proposed method is 115 times faster than FS, 10 times faster than NPDS and 2 times faster than the dual halfway stop NPDS (DHS-NPDS) on an average. PSNR degradation of the proposed algorithm is negligible and in the region of 0.01 dB. The proposed method can be easily applied to many mobile video application areas such as digital cameras and DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) phones.

[1]  Wai-kuen Cham,et al.  Fast Motion Estimation for H.264/AVC in Walsh–Hadamard Domain , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.

[2]  Kai-Kuang Ma,et al.  A new diamond search algorithm for fast block-matching motion estimation , 2000, IEEE Trans. Image Process..

[3]  Yun He,et al.  Improvements on Fast Motion Estimation Strategy for H.264/AVC , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.

[4]  C. Cheung,et al.  Normalized partial distortion search algorithm for block motion estimation , 2000, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[5]  Jar-Ferr Yang,et al.  Computation reduction for motion search in low rate video coders , 2002, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[6]  Oscar C. Au,et al.  Highly efficient predictive zonal algorithms for fast block-matching motion estimation , 2002, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[7]  Min-Cheol Hong,et al.  Variable step search fast motion estimation for H.264/AVC video coder , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics.

[8]  Ronald L. Rivest,et al.  Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition , 2001 .

[9]  Kai-Kuang Ma,et al.  Correction to "a new diamond search algorithm for fast block-matching motion estimation" , 2000, IEEE Trans. Image Process..

[10]  Lai-Man Po,et al.  Enhanced hexagonal search for fast block motion estimation , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.

[11]  Davide Quaglia,et al.  New sorting-based lossless motion estimation algorithms and a partial distortion elimination performance analysis , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.

[12]  Nam Ling,et al.  Improved Normalized Partial Distortion Search With Dual-Halfway-Stop for Rapid Block Motion Estimation , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Multimedia.

[13]  Lai-Man Po,et al.  A novel cross-diamond search algorithm for fast block motion estimation , 2002, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[14]  Lai-Man Po,et al.  Adjustable partial distortion search algorithm for fast block motion estimation , 2003, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[15]  Jong-Nam Kim,et al.  Fast full search motion estimation algorithm using early detection of impossible candidate vectors , 2002, IEEE Trans. Signal Process..

[16]  Tian-Sheuan Chang,et al.  Fast Variable Block Size Motion Estimation by Adaptive Early Termination , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.

[17]  G. Bjontegaard,et al.  Calculation of Average PSNR Differences between RD-curves , 2001 .

[18]  R. K. Shyamasundar,et al.  Introduction to algorithms , 1996 .

[19]  Stefan Eckart,et al.  ISO-IEC MPEG-2 software video codec , 1995, Electronic Imaging.

[20]  Jechang Jeong,et al.  Adaptive Fast Full Search Algorithm using Partitioned Region and Optimized Search Order , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics.

[21]  Anil K. Jain,et al.  Displacement Measurement and Its Application in Interframe Image Coding , 1981, IEEE Trans. Commun..

[22]  M. V. Wilkes,et al.  The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 3, Sorting and Searching , 1974 .

[23]  Bing Zeng,et al.  A new three-step search algorithm for block motion estimation , 1994, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[24]  Shang-Hong Lai,et al.  Fast Optimal Motion Estimation Based on Gradient-Based Adaptive Multilevel Successive Elimination , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.

[25]  Tae-Myoung Oh,et al.  Enhanced partial distortion search algorithm for block motion estimation , 2003 .

[26]  Chou-Chen Wang,et al.  Using two-stage sorting-based partial distortion search for motion estimation in H.264/AVC , 2007 .

[27]  Yang Song,et al.  A High Quality Fast Motion Estimation Algorithm for H.264/AVC , 2008, 2008 Congress on Image and Signal Processing.

[28]  Tian-Sheuan Chang,et al.  Fast motion estimation by adaptive early termination , 2005, IEEE Workshop on Signal Processing Systems Design and Implementation, 2005..

[29]  Lap-Pui Chau,et al.  Hexagon-based search pattern for fast block motion estimation , 2002, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[30]  Chou-Chen Wang,et al.  Efficient Motion Estimation using Sorting-Based Partial Distortion Search , 2006, 2006 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo.

[31]  Yui-Lam Chan,et al.  New adaptive partial distortion search using clustered pixel matching error characteristic , 2004, 2004 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (IEEE Cat. No.04CH37512).

[32]  Donald Ervin Knuth,et al.  The Art of Computer Programming , 1968 .

[33]  Navin Rajpal,et al.  A Quality Based Motion Estimation Criterion for Temporal Coding of Video , 2009, 2009 Seventh International Conference on Advances in Pattern Recognition.

[34]  Sangkeun Lee,et al.  Fast partial difference elimination algorithm based on block matching error prediction , 2007 .

[35]  Lai-Man Po,et al.  A novel four-step search algorithm for fast block motion estimation , 1996, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..

[36]  Sarp Erturk,et al.  Block motion estimation using adaptive modified two-bit transform , 2007 .

[37]  Hyuk Lee,et al.  Hadamard Transform Based Fast Partial Distortion Elimination Algorithm for Lossless and Lossy Motion Estimation , 2008, 2008 Congress on Image and Signal Processing.

[38]  Jo Yew Tham,et al.  A novel unrestricted center-biased diamond search algorithm for block motion estimation , 1998, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol..