Fast Mode Decision for H.264 with Variable Motion Block Sizes

Abstract

The new emerging video coding standard H.264 employs variable block size motion compensation using multiple references with quarter-pel motion vector accuracy. This scheme is a key feature to accomplish higher coding gain, however, also a decisive factor that increases overall computational complexity. To overcome this, we propose a novel fast mode decision scheme suited for variable block sizes by classifying coding modes based on rate-distortion cost. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides significant reduction in computational complexity without any noticeable coding loss and additional operations.