Optimization of emerging H.26L video encoder

Abstract

Two optimized implementations of the emerging ITU-T H.26L video encoder are described. The first, medium-optimized version, is implemented in C and the latter, highly optimized version, utilizes MMX assembly instructions. Comparisons to a correspondingly optimized H.263/H.263+ implementation are given with the spatial and temporal video quality fixed and the bit rate and complexity varied. On a 733 Pentium III processor, a real-time encoding speed of 10 fps for QCIF (quarter common intermediate format) sequences is achieved with a 29% reduction in bit rate compared to H.263+. The complexity of H.26L is about 3.4 times more than that of H.263+.