A Fast Intra Prediction Algorithm Based on WMSE for 360-Degree Video

With the increased demand for virtual reality, 360-degree video coding becomes challenging. A 360-degree video should be projected as a planar video before encoding, but this process causes distortion whose degree depends on the latitude. Traditional coding algorithms cannot effectively adapt to this feature. In this study, a fast intra prediction algorithm based on WMSE for 360-degree video is proposed. The similarity between the mother block and child blocks can reflect whether the mother block needs to be divided. Spherical weights are introduced in WMSE, and the similarity expressed by WMSE can distinguish the video of different latitude, which is consistent with the weight characteristics of ERP projection. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves 32% time reduction, with only 0.29% luma Bjontegaard delta rate (BD-rate) increase on average. The proposed algorithm provides a more effective solution to reduce the coding complexity of 360-degree video.