Fast Mode Decision Using Rate-Distortion Cost and Temporal Correlations in H.264/AVC

In this paper, we propose a fast mode decision scheme in the H.264/AVC standard. The encoder uses variable block sizes to select the optimal best mode incurring the high computational complexity. Thus, we propose the fast mode decision algorithm to reduce the complexity. Using the rate-distortion cost and temporal correlations, we propose the additional early SKIP and inactive inter/intra mode decision methods in P frames. Experimental results show the proposed method provides about 60% encoding time savings on average without significant performance loss, compared to the H.264/AVC fast high complexity mode. Specifically, we can save the time about 22% and 39% in the intra and inter mode conditions, respectively.