Fast reference frame and mode selection for multiview video coding based on coded block patterns

Multiview video coding (MVC) is essential to many 3D video applications. Because MVC inherently contain more visual data and may employ inter-view prediction additional to temporal prediction the involved computational complexity is much higher than conventional single-view encoders. Fast algorithms are thus very desirable for the practical use of MVC. In this paper, we use coded block patterns, mode correlation among adjacent macroblocks, and RDcost comparison for fast selection of the best reference frame and inter-mode. Special values of coded block patterns, which indicate the accuracy of 16×16 motion estimation of a macroblock, are used to identify whether larger partitioning blocks (DIRECT, 16×16, 16×8, or 8×16) are suitable. The coded block pattern is also used to determine if the subsequent inter-view prediction is required. Mode correlation and RDcost comparison are later employed to select other macroblocks that are more probable to use larger partitioning blocks. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce up to 90% encoding time with un-noticeable degradation in visual quality.