Cache-based integer motion/disparity estimation for quad-HD H.264/AVC and HD multiview video coding

To provide more vivid perception, more and more advanced features, like the 4ktimes2k resolution and the multiview functionality, are emerging for TV. For a multiview video coding (MVC) encoder, motion and disparity estimation (ME/DE) take at least half the hardware requirement. To solve these challenges, a cache-based integer ME/DE algorithm is proposed. With a cache memory as the search window buffer, a predictor-centered ME/DE algorithm is presented. The search range can be reduced to plusmn16 pixels with less than 0.1 dB quality drop compared with full search algorithm. Based on this algorithm, an integer ME/DE chip design is realized. It can reduce 82% on-chip SRAM and 39% system bandwidth. Moreover, the search candidate requirement is also reduced by 79%. As the result, an ME/DE chip design for 4ktimes2k quad-HD H.264 and HDTV MVC is implemented.