Fast 4 × 4 intra-prediction based on the most probable mode in H.264/AVC

In this paper, we analyze that the best mode for intraprediction can be changed by the RD cost related with the bit to signal the prediction mode according to whether the most probable mode (MPM) and the prediction mode are same or not. With this understanding, we propose a fast 4 × 4 intra-prediction based on the MPM in the H.264/AVC. This algorithm uses a defined RD cost including the minimum bit to signal the prediction modes excluded the MPM as a threshold. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of reducing the overall encoding time by 36% and the overall intra-prediction time by 47% compared to the full search, with negligible loss of quality.