A Survey on Block Matching Algorithms for Video Coding

Block matching algorithm (BMA) for motion estimation (ME) is the heart to many motion-compensated video-coding techniques/standards, such as ISO MPEG-1/2/4 and ITU-T H.261/262/263/264/265, to reduce the temporal redundancy between different frames. During the last three decades, hundreds of fast block matching algorithms have been proposed. The shape and size of search patterns in motion estimation will influence more on the searching speed and quality of performance. This article provides an overview of the famous block matching algorithms and compares their computational complexity and motion prediction quality.