ИСТИНА

A search method for identifying an intra mode that can produce acceptable video-encoding quality for a pixel block while striking a proper balance between the quality and processor load. In a representative embodiment, the search method relies on a set of mode-selection rules for iteratively identifying candidate intra modes. Each identified candidate is evaluated based on a comparison of its sum of absolute differences (SAD) with the smallest SAD in the set of the previously identified candidates. The mode-selection rules use the comparison results as conditions that efficiently guide the search method toward an intra mode that is suitable for encoding the pixel block with acceptable video quality. On average, a representative embodiment of the search method disclosed herein is advantageously capable of finding a suitable intra mode in fewer iterations than a comparable prior-art search method.