Method and system for coding mode selection in video compression systems

A method of selecting a mode to encode video data, the method comprising the steps of:

• transforming a source video frame into a set of coefficients;
• partitioning said set of coefficients into a plurality of subsets of the coefficients on the basis of probability statistics corresponding to a plurality of encoding modes, wherein each of said subsets is identified for encoding by one of the plurality of encoding modes;
• for each of the plurality of subsets of coefficients, computing defined parameters of an associated probability distribution for said subset;
• repeating the partitioning and computing steps until a predetermined termination condition is satisfied;
• and
• when said predetermined termination condition is satisfied, outputting the subsets of coefficients,
• when said predetermined termination condition is satisfied, to a video encoder;
• and wherein:
• the partitioning step includes the step of partitioning the coefficients into said subsets on the basis of a partition vector;
• the computing step includes the step of
• revising the partition vector based on said probability distribution, including the steps of
• for each of the coefficients, selecting one of the plurality of encoding modes as a new encoding mode for said each coefficient based on a weighted sum of said computed defined parameters, and revising the partition vector based on the new encoding modes.

A computer system for selecting a mode to encode video data, the computer system comprising one or more processing units configured for:

• transforming a source video frame into a set of coefficients;
• determining, in a defined cycle, one of a plurality of encoding modes for each coefficient of the set of coefficients, said defined cycle including:
• partitioning said set of coefficients into a first plurality of subsets of the coefficients based on a specified partition vector;
• computing defined parameters of a probability distribution for each of the subsets of the coefficients;
• selecting one of the encoding modes for each of the coefficients based on a weighted sum of said computed defined parameters;
• and
• re-partitioning the set of coefficients into a second plurality of subsets of the coefficients based on the encoding modes selected for the coefficients;
• and
• outputting the second plurality of subsets of the coefficients to a video encoder to encode each of the subsets of the coefficients using the one of the encoding modes selected for the coefficients of said each of the second plurality of subsets of the coefficients.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• at least one computer usable device having computer readable program code logic tangibly embodied therein to execute a machine instruction in a processing unit for selecting a mode to encode video data, said computer readable program code logic when executing performing the following steps:
• transforming a source video frame into a set of coefficients;
• determining, in a defined cycle, one of a plurality of encoding modes for each coefficient of the set of coefficients, said defined cycle including:
• partitioning said set of coefficients into a first plurality of subsets of the coefficients based a specified partition vector,
• computing defined parameters of a probability distribution for each of the subsets of the coefficients ;
• selecting one of the encoding modes for each of the coefficients based on a weighted sum of said computed defined parameters;
• and
• re-partitioning the set of coefficients into a second plurality of subsets of the coefficients based on the encoding modes selected for the coefficients;
• and
• outputting the second plurality of subsets of the coefficients, to a video encoder to encode each of the subsets of the coefficients using the one of the encoding modes selected for the coefficients of said each of the second plurality of subsets of the coefficients.