Fast Mode Decision Based on Video Analysis for H.264/AVC Encoder

H.264/AVC is the newest international video coding standard that provides high coding efficiency at the cost of a very high complexity. A fast mode decision algorithm based on video analysis is presented that reduces computation burden of the encoder considerably without any noticeable coding loss. Based on the space-time gradient of the raw video signal, the residue and quantized transform coefficients of the tested mode, the coding efficiency of the remaining modes are predicted step-by-step and used to effectively skip the unnecessary modes. Experimental results show that the speed of the proposed method is about 1.6-4 times faster than the full-mode decision algorithm with negligible PSNR loss and sacrifice of compression efficiency