A hierarchical classification-based approach to inter mode decision in H.264/AVC

  • Authors:

  • Eduardo Martínez-Enríquez;Fernando Díaz-de-María

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Universidad Carlos III, Leganés, Madrid, Spain;Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Universidad Carlos III, Leganés, Madrid, Spain

  • Venue:
  • ICME'09 Proceedings of the 2009 IEEE international conference on Multimedia and Expo
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

The H.264/AVC standard achieves a high coding efficiency compared with previous standards. However, it does so at a very high computational cost, with motion estimation being one of the most demanding subsystems. In this paper a hierarchical classification-based approach to the Inter Mode Decision (MD) problem is proposed. A first classifier detects SKIP/Direct modes while a second one is able to decide whether using a large (16×16, 16×8 and 8×16) or a small mode (8×8, 8×4, 4×8 and 4×4). The same procedure is applied at SubMacroblock level. The suggested classifiers are binary and linear. The input features that feed both classifiers have been carefully selected. A novel cost function that pays more attention to the most critical samples during the classifier training process has been designed. The results are very promising: a 64 % computational saving of the total encoding time with respect to JM10.2 is achieved with negligible degradation in the rate-distortion performance.