A Fast Inter-Mode Decision Algorithm Based on Macro-Block Tracking for P Slices in the H.264/AVC Video Standard

A fast inter-mode determination algorithm based on the macro-block (MB) tracking scheme and rate-distortion (RD) cost is proposed for the H.264/AVC video standard in which residual prediction is composed of intra-modes and inter-modes. In addition to intra-mode prediction, 8 block types exist for the best coding gain based on rate-distortion (RD) optimization in the inter-mode prediction. This scheme gives rise to exhaustive computations (search) in the coding procedure. To reduce the computational load of the inter-mode search at the inter-frame, we propose a new inter-mode determination algorithm based on the rate-distortion (RD) cost of the neighborhood MB that is tracked for the current MB in the previous frame. Based on the MB tracking scheme, an efficient sequential mode search approach is presented. We verify the performance of the proposed scheme through comparative analysis of experimental results using JM reference software.