Fast search algorithms for video coding using orthogonal logarithmic search algorithm

The paper presents a novel fast search algorithm for block base motion compensation called the orthogonal logarithmic search. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by using standard 176 x144 pixels quarter common intermediate format (QCIF) benchmark video sequences and the results are compared to the traditional well-known full search algorithm and the sub-optimal three step search which is used in international video coding standards such as ISO MPEG-1/2 and ITU-T H.263. The important metrics of time and peak signal to noise ratio are used to evaluate the novel algorithm. The results show that the strength of the algorithm lies in its speed of operation as it is much faster than both the full search algorithm and the three step search. It has speed advantages of almost 87% and over 23% over the full search and three step search algorithms respectively. Furthermore, the accuracy of the prediction of orthogonal logarithmic search algorithm is comparable to that of the three step search.