Fast Coding Unit size decision algorithm for intra coding in HEVC

The recursive quad-tree structure of Coding Unit (CU) in HEVC can improve coding efficiency while the encoding complexity is increased significantly. In this paper, a fast CU size decision algorithm to reduce the complexity of HEVC intra coding is proposed. It introduces the early termination method based on the statistics of rate-distortion costs in CU splitting process. Experimental results show the encoding time can be reduced by 24% on average without significant loss of BD-rate.