Fast mode selection in the high-efficiency video coding intravideo encoder based on statistics of modes

Abstract. A method of fast coding mode selection for high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) intravideo coding to exclude from the testing procedure coding modes that are statistically rarely chosen by the HEVC encoder is presented. To achieve the best compromise between computational complexity and compression performance, detailed conditional statistics of modes are used in the method. The proposed method enables (1) fast partitioning of each coding tree unit into coding unit, prediction unit (PU), and transform unit blocks of a proper size and (2) faster selection of an appropriate intrapredictor for each PU block. Due to the proposed method, it is possible to significantly scale down the computational complexity of the encoder. Simulation results indicate that, in the case of 1920  ×  1080 sequences, there is a threefold and twofold reduction in the encoding time, while the BD-rate increases by 4% and 1.5%, respectively, compared with HEVC test model version 16.9 of the reference software. Considering the principle of the proposed method, it is evident that it can complement other proposals concerning fast mode selection in the HEVC video encoder.