Encoder Complexity Control in SVT-AV1 by Speed-Adaptive Preset Switching

TL;DR

This paper introduces a speed-adaptive preset switching mechanism in SVT-AV1 to control encoder complexity, enabling real-time encoding within user-defined time constraints with high precision.

Contribution

It proposes a novel complexity control method using preset switching in SVT-AV1, balancing encoding performance and computational demands.

Findings

Achieves an average of 8.9% precision in meeting time constraints

Enables encoding within user-defined time budgets without added latency

Balances compression performance with computational efficiency

Abstract

Current developments in video encoding technology lead to continuously improving compression performance but at the expense of increasingly higher computational demands. Regarding the online video traffic increases during the last years and the concomitant need for video encoding, encoder complexity control mechanisms are required to restrict the processing time to a sufficient extent in order to find a reasonable trade-off between performance and complexity. We present a complexity control mechanism in SVT-AV1 by using speed-adaptive preset switching to comply with the remaining time budget. This method enables encoding with a user-defined time constraint within the complete preset range with an average precision of 8.9 \% without introducing any additional latencies.