Approximate HEVC Fractional Interpolation Filters and Their Hardware Implementations

High efficiency video coding (HEVC) fractional interpolation algorithm has very high computational complexity. In this paper, two approximate HEVC fractional interpolation filters are proposed. They significantly reduce computational complexity of HEVC fractional interpolation with a negligible PSNR loss and bit rate increase. In addition, two approximate HEVC fractional interpolation hardware are proposed. They, in the worst case, can process 45 quad full HD (3840 × 2160) fps. They consume up to 67.1% less energy than original HEVC fractional interpolation hardware. Therefore, they can be used in consumer electronics products that require a low energy HEVC encoder.