Complexity Analysis of a Versatile Video Coding Decoder over Embedded Systems and General Purpose Processors

The increase in high-quality video consumption requires increasingly efficient video coding algorithms. Versatile video coding (VVC) is the current state-of-the-art video coding standard. Compared to the previous video standard, high efficiency video coding (HEVC), VVC demands approximately 50% higher video compression while maintaining the same quality and significantly increasing the computational complexity. In this study, coarse-grain profiling of a VVC decoder over two different platforms was performed: One platform was based on a high-performance general purpose processor (HGPP), and the other platform was based on an embedded general purpose processor (EGPP). For the most intensive computational modules, fine-grain profiling was also performed. The results allowed the identification of the most intensive computational modules necessary to carry out subsequent acceleration processes. Additionally, the correlation between the performance of each module on both platforms was determined to identify the influence of the hardware architecture.