A fast motion estimation algorithm for MPEG-2 video encoding

In this paper a fast motion estimation algorithm is proposed for the MPEG-2 video encoding. This algorithm is based on a hybrid use of the block matching technique and gradient technique. For estimation a motion vector, the block matching technique is used for selecting the initial vector from the spatial neighboring macroblocks and the temporally co-located macroblock, then the gradient technique is applied to obtain the final vector by a pixel-recursive refinement of the initial vector. In addition, an adaptive scheme to determine the search range is developed to enable the low latency motion estimation when the gradient technique is involved. The simulation results reveal that the proposed algorithm shares a high speed of while preserves the coding efficiency compared with the full search block matching technique.