Rate-distortion optimization for full-reference image quality metrics via stochastic Hessian estimates

Hugging Face Daily Papers Papers

Summary

This paper proposes a method to integrate full-reference image quality metrics into rate-distortion optimization for video codecs by approximating them with input-dependent quadratic distortions using stochastic Hessian estimates, achieving BD-rate savings in VVC.

Block-based video codecs select coding parameters based on the input by optimizing a rate-distortion trade-off. The conventional distortion choice, the sum of squared errors (SSE), simplifies parameter selection: the SSE is the sum of block-wise SSEs, so rate-distortion optimization (RDO) can treat blocks independently. Alternatively, full-reference image quality assessment (FR-IQA) metrics such as MS-SSIM or LPIPS often align better with the human visual system than SSE, but they cannot be used in-loop: they do not decompose block-wise and typically require the fully decoded image as input. Building on existing results in metric quadratization, we approximate a broad class of FR-IQA metrics by an input-dependent quadratic distortion (IDQD), whose quadratic form matrix is derived from the Hessian of the metric evaluated at the source video. To make the distortion computable block-wise, we propose two approximations of the Hessian matrix: 1) keeping the block-diagonal, and 2) keeping only its diagonal. We propose estimators for both that require only matrix-vector products with the Hessian obtained by automatic differentiation. Across five metrics for Kodak and CLIC in VVC, IDQD-RDO achieves 14.2-36.7 % BD-rate savings under the target metric with no decoder changes and incurs 10-30 % encoding complexity overhead.
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Cached at: 09/25/26, 03:46 AM

Paper page - Rate-distortion optimization for full-reference image quality metrics via stochastic Hessian estimates

Source: https://huggingface.co/papers/2609.30077

Abstract

Block-basedvideocodecsselectcodingparametersbasedontheinputbyoptimizingarate-distortiontrade-off.Theconventionaldistortionchoice,thesumofsquarederrors(SSE),simplifiesparameterselection:theSSEisthesumofblock-wiseSSEs,sorate-distortionoptimization(RDO)cantreatblocksindependently.Alternatively,full-referenceimagequalityassessment(FR-IQA)metricssuchasMS-SSIMorLPIPSoftenalignbetterwiththehumanvisualsystemthanSSE,buttheycannotbeusedin-loop:theydonotdecomposeblock-wiseandtypicallyrequirethefullydecodedimageasinput.Buildingonexistingresultsinmetricquadratization,weapproximateabroadclassofFR-IQAmetricsbyaninput-dependentquadraticdistortion(IDQD),whosequadraticformmatrixisderivedfromtheHessianofthemetricevaluatedatthesourcevideo.Tomakethedistortioncomputableblock-wise,weproposetwoapproximationsoftheHessianmatrix:1)keepingtheblock-diagonal,and2)keepingonlyitsdiagonal.Weproposeestimatorsforboththatrequireonlymatrix-vectorproductswiththeHessianobtainedbyautomaticdifferentiation.AcrossfivemetricsforKodakandCLICinVVC,IDQD-RDOachieves14.2-36.7%BD-ratesavingsunderthetargetmetricwithnodecoderchangesandincurs10-30%encodingcomplexityoverhead.

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