The prediction error can be decreased by incorporating with high accuracy estimation and compensation, and the performance of compressed video can be improved. Two fast algorithms of fractional-pixel accuracy video motion estimation are proposed in this paper. After half-pixel accuracy motion estimation, a high accuracy motion estimation can be calculated with the intermediate results. The algorithm is based on the intermediate results in half pixel accuracy motion estimation, and traditional fast block matching algorithms can also be implemented in half pixel accuracy. The arbitrary fractional-pixel accuracy motion estimation can be achieved directly, at the cost of small computational overhead. The approach described in this paper eliminates the systematic limitations of conventional block matching. Experimental results using typical video sequences show that the proposed algorithm can achieve better PSNR and lower bit rates in higher fractional pixel accuracy than in the half pixel motion estimation and compensation. These fast motion estimation algorithms provide methods for studying higher pixel accuracy motion estimation in video compression coding. The proper fractional pixel accuracy motion estimation and compensation by truncating the precise results will be the best way to achieve more efficiently video compensation and higher image quality.

Date Published: 4 January 2002
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 4671, Visual Communications and Image Processing 2002, (4 January 2002); doi: 10.1117/12.453030

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4671:
Visual Communications and Image Processing 2002
C.-C. Jay Kuo, Editor(s)