PROGRESS: Completed Project	PROJECT REF: PA114
PROJECT TITLE: Advance Predictive Diamond Zonal Search as a Fast Motion Estimation Algorithm for Video Coding
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Due to the huge size of raw digital video data, compression must be applied to video for transmission and storage. There are many popular international standards for video compression including ISO MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, ITU-T H.261, H.263, H.263+, etc. These are already commonly used in video distribution such as in VCD, DVD, DVB, HDTV, video conferencing, video editing, video streaming over internet, etc. One common feature among these standards is that motion estimation is used to reduce temporal redundancy inherent in video sequences. It is well known that the exhaustive full search typically performed is very slow. It is highly desirable to develop fast motion estimation algorithms without significantly affecting the visual quality. This invention, the Advance Diamond Zonal Search(ADZS), is a fast motion estimation algorithm that can achieve an average speedup factor of 140, 450 and 900 compared with FS for search area sizes of +-16, +-32 and +-48 respectively with essentially the same video quality, both subjectively and in terms of PSNR. It relates generally to digital video compression, and more particularly to a video compression system using block-matching motion estimation and having both device and method aspects. It further relates to computer program products, such as a recording medium, carrying program instructions readable by a computing device to cause the computing device to carry out a method according to the invention. Potential Applications: - Proposed to be included as an informative part of the upcoming MPEG4 international standard - Can be used in MPEG1/2, H.261/263 applications - Multimedia applications, especially digital videos, e.g. digital camcorders, DVD recorders, next generation cellular phones and services, video conferencing devices and systems, video production houses, video streaming over the internet Advantages over Present Technologies: 1. Very fast (very low complexity) 2. Very good visual quality, similar to that of the computationally expensive exhaustive full search 3. Can be tailor made to suit any particular applications by fine tuning the parameters 4. Solves encoder complexity problems with MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, H.261, H.263, H.263t, etc. 5. Make way for low cost and low power video encoders
FOCUS AREA(S): Consumer Electronics, Digital Entertainment
KEYWORDS: MPEG4, MPEG1/2, H.261/263, multimedia, digital camcorder, DVD recorder, cellular phone, video confer
MODE OF COLLABORATION: Technology Licensing, Further R&D Collaboration
STATUS PATENT: Patent_Pending	PATENT NO: NA
ORGANIZATION: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology R and D Corporation Limited
CONTACT PERSON: Shirley Woo	EMAIL: cawoosw@ust.hk
TEL: (852)-23587918	FAX: (852)-23582751
WEBSITE: http://rdc.ust.hk	DATE: 29/12/2004