Frame-level bit allocation based on incremental PID algorithm and frame complexity estimation

Since the current rate control schemes in H.264 do not have the capability of efficient frame-level bit allocation, the video quality varies significantly from frame to frame especially for sequences with sudden scene changes or high motion activities. To overcome the limitation of frame-level bit allocation, we improve H.264 rate control scheme using two tools, the incremental proportional–integral–differential (PID) algorithm and the frame complexity estimation. The incremental PID algorithm is first introduced to control the buffer and reduce the influence of the buffer abrupt fluctuation in the process of frame-level bit allocation. To reduce more video quality variations, the frame target bit allocation is also adjusted by frame complexity that is estimated by residual energy. Simulation results show that the proposed rate control scheme, without introducing expensive computational complexity, decreases the average standard deviation of video quality by 32.29%.