Fast motion estimation for real-time shape-adaptive MPEG-4 encoding

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a fast motion estimator which can be used for real-time MPEG-4 encoding of arbitrarily shaped video objects. The approach is based on an existing algorithm which has already been applied successfully to format conversion. To exploit it for shape-adaptive coding, the algorithm has been adapted to the special properties of the MPEG-4 standard. With this new tool it becomes possible to encode arbitrarily shaped video objects (CIF, 25 Hz) in real-time with a MPEG-4 software encoder at a Pentium III 500 MHz. The real-time capability has to be paid by a slight loss of coding efficiency (about 0.2 dB in terms of rate-distortion measurements), compared to the MPEG-4 verification model.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)

Additional Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
        I.2.10 Vision and Scene Understanding
            Subjects: Motion
  I.4 IMAGE PROCESSING AND COMPUTER VISION
      I.4.8 Scene Analysis
          Subjects: Motion

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.1 THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY
      Subjects: Standards

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Management, Measurement, Performance, Standardization, Theory

Keywords:
MPEG-4, motion estimation, pixel-recursive matching, recursive block matching, shape-adaptive coding