Adaptive Block-based Motion Estimation Algorithm for Video Compression

Emerging multimedia applications have driven the need for more flexible video coding. Video encoding, however, involves huge computations and hence, there is significant interest to speed up the processing of video encoders. In deed motion estimation (ME) is the major bottleneck in real-time coding applications. As yet, there is no unified fast searching approach that provides flexibility to automatically adapt system parameters in relation to a preset user-defined picture quality or computational complexity in any flexible multimedia applications. The work presented in this book details the development of a block-based motion estimation system, which provides such flexibility for real-time coding applications. The approach has, as its basis, the innovative concept of a Distance-dependent Thresholding Search (DTS) which exploits statistical analysis of the distortion characteristics of real world video sequences. The DTS algorithm also provides significant improved estimates of block-based true object motion in object-based video analysis applications. The author suggests that the content of the book strongly serve as a reference for research in video coding at postgraduate level.