Fast motion estimation algorithm based on predictive line diamond search technology

Motion estimation (ME) is one of the most time-consuming parts in video encoding systems, and significantly affects the output quality of an encoded sequence. In this paper, a new algorithm is presented, referred to as the predictive line diamond search (PLDS), which is a gradient descent search combined with a new search strategy, namely, one-dimensional line search (1DLS). 1DLS assists a local search around an initial search center with a low computational complexity. After performing 1DLS, a small diamond search pattern and a more compact line search pattern are adaptively used according to the results of the previous search. Our experimental results show that, compared with the previous techniques, the proposed algorithm has lower computational complexity and provides better prediction performance, especially for fast or complex motion sequences.