Fast CU Size Decisions for HEVC Inter-Prediction Using Support Vector Machines

The brute force rate-distortion optimisation based approach used in the High Efficiency Video Coding(HEVC) encoders to determine the best block partitioning structure for a given content demands an excessive amount of computational resources. In this context, this paper proposes a novel algorithm to reduce the computational complexity of HEVC inter-prediction using Support Vector Machines. The proposed algorithm predicts the Coding Unit (CU) split decision of a particular block enabling the encoder to directly encode the selected block, avoiding the unnecessary evaluation of the remaining CU size combinations. Experimental results demonstrate encoding time reductions of ∼58% ∼50%2.27%1.89% Bjontegaard Delta Bit Rate (BDBR) losses for Random Access and Low-Delay B configurations, respectively.