A YAPI-KPN parallel model of a H264/AVC video encoder

H264/AVC (advanced video codec) is a new video coding standard developed by a joint effort of the ITU-TVCEG and ISO/IEC MPEG. This standard provides higher coding efficiency relative to former standards at the expense of higher computational requirements. This paper presents first a high-level complexity analysis of a H264 video encoder allowing for complexity reduction at the high system level. The complexity of the obtained cost-efficient configuration outlines the potential of using multi processor platforms for the execution of a parallel model of the encoder. For this, a YAPI-level parallel Kahn process network (KPN) model is proposed, implemented and validated at high-level using the YAPI library Programming Interface.