Fast reference frame selection algorithm for H.264/AVC

The H.264/AVC video coding standard newly adopted multiple reference frame motion estimation to improve video coding performance. However, these features result in a considerable increase in encoder complexity. Therefore, we propose a fast reference frame selection algorithm based on information from the reference region for a motion estimation process. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm effectively reduces the complexity of multiple reference frame motion estimation. The reduction in the coding gain is negligible.