Fast Enhancement Layer Encoding Method using CU Depth Correlation between Adjacent Layers for SHVC

This paper proposes a fast enhancement layer coding method to reduce computational complexity for Scalable HEVC (SHVC) which is based on High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). The proposed method decreases encoding time by simplifying Rate Distortion Optimization (RDO)for enhancement layers (EL). The simplification is achieved by restricting CU depths based on the correlation of coding unit (CU) depths between adjacent layers and scalability (spatial or quality) of EL. Comparing with the performance of SHM 1.0 software encoder, the proposed method reduces the encoding time by up to 31.5%.