Rendering an inter verses intra video encoding decision based upon a vertical gradient measure of target video frames

摘要

A video system renders an intra versus inter encoding decision for a digitally sampled target video frame of an image scene by subdividing the target video frame into cells. Each target cell contains a set of pixel data values corresponding to the image scene. The video system determines a vertical gradient measure for each target cell, and determines an error measure between each target cell and a corresponding predicted cell of a preceding video frame. If the vertical gradient measure for a target cell is high in comparison to the error measure, then the target cell is encoded relative to the corresponding predicted cell. If the vertical gradient measure for the target cell is low in comparison to the error measure, then the target cell is encoded independent of the predicted cell. The vertical gradient measure is optimized for an intra cell encoding technique that encodes differences between pixel data values in adjacent rows of the target cell.