An Efficent Variable Block Size Selection Scheme for the H.264 Motion Estimation

The latest video standards such as ITU-T H.264 and MPEG-4 Part 10 introduce important bitrate gains but at the cost or increased complexity, especially at the encoder. One important tool is the variable block sizes motion estimation/compensation, which presents the possibility of using blocks ranging from 16times16 down to 4times4, offering the choice of one macroblock configuration out of 259 modes. This paper suggests a new method to select efficiently one variable block sizes partitioning mode based on a single set of motion estimation results at the smallest granularity (4times4 blocks). The results show the accuracy of the decision method, while requiring a minimal number of searches from the motion estimation algorithm. The technique also maintains an acceptable complexity for a potential real time implementation