H.264/AVC deblocking filter correlation analysis in embedded systems

The performance improvement of the in-loop deblocking filter module in the H.264/AVC video coding standard in embedded systems is studied in this research. A novel prediction scheme is presented in to reduce the complexity of the filter selection process and hence increase overall performance. We first examine the H.264/AVC deblocking filters by studying their correlation in terms of the filter type and pattern among a sequence of consecutive P frames and I frames. The experimental results show a high correlation of the filter skip rate and the filter pattern between different P frames and their leading I frame. Based on the correlation analysis, a binary history table predictor (the BHT predictor) and a complete history table predictor (the CHT predictor) are proposed to facilitate the deblocking filter selection process while maintaining good subjective and objective visual quality. We further present a hybrid filter prediction scheme that integrates both BHT and CHT to further improve prediction results.