Optimizing block size in motion-compensated video coding

Jordi Ribas-Corbera; David L. Neuhoff

doi:10.1117/1.482636

1 January 1998 Optimizing block size in motion-compensated video coding

Jordi Ribas-Corbera, David L. Neuhoff

Journal of Electronic Imaging, Vol. 7, Issue 1, (January 1998). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.482636

Despite the widespread experience with block-based video coders, there is little analysis or theory that quantitatively explains the effect of block size on encoding bit rate, and ordinarily the block size for a coder is chosen based on empirical experiments on video sequences of interest. In this work, we derive a procedure to determine the optimal block size that minimizes the encoding rate for a typical block-based video coder. To do this, we analytically model the effect of block size and derive expressions for the encoding rates for both motion vectors and difference frames as functions of block size. Minimizing these expressions leads to a simple formula that indicates how to choose the block size in these types of coders. This formula also shows that the best block size is a function of the accuracy with which the motion vectors are encoded and several parameters related to key characteristics of the video scene, such as image texture, motion activity, interframe noise, and coding distortion. We implement the video coder and use our analysis to optimize and explain its performance on real video frames.

Citation Download Citation

Jordi Ribas-Corbera and David L. Neuhoff "Optimizing block size in motion-compensated video coding," Journal of Electronic Imaging 7(1), (1 January 1998). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.482636

Published: 1 January 1998

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available