Model-based hierarchical motion compensation technique

In this paper, a new motion compensation technique is proposed to enhance the performance of the conventional motion compensation technique using the block matching algorithm, whose main features are a translational motion model and a uniformly spaced motion field. The proposed MC technique consists of two main stages: split and merge. In split stage, deformable squared-block-based motion estimation technique is employed to describe a complex motion. In merge stage, the rate-distortion optimal quadtree decomposition technique is employed to adapt the nonuniform characteristics of motion in sequence. From the simulation result, it is shown that the proposed technique yields about 1 - 2 dB PSNR gain over BMA at the same bit rate.