DCT/DPCM Processing of NTSC Composite Video Signal

This paper describes two different schemes of DCT/ DPCM processing of digital NTSC composite video signal. The first scheme (line processing) is based on applying the discrete cosine transform (DCT) along each horizontal line and then implementing the differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) in the vertical direction on the semitransformed image. The second scheme (block processing) involves DCT of (4 × 4) subblocks followed by adaptive DPCM to reduce intersubblock correlation. Based on the statistics of the prediction error, variable bit quantizers optimized for minimizing the mean-square quantization error are developed. These techniques lead to reduced bit rates for transmitting the color video at broadcast standards. Both original and processed color images in composite form are displayed for subjective evaluation. The effects of channel error on block processing are also investigated.     

A Motion Picture Coding Algorithm Using Adaptive DCT Encoding Based on Coefficient Power Distribution Classification

A motion picture coding algorithm using motion-compensated interframe prediction and the adaptive discrete cosine transform (DCT) encoding technique is proposed. High coding efficiency is obtained by the adaptive DCT encoding technique in which encoding parameters are fitted to widely varying characteristics of the interframe differential signal. Segmented DCT subblocks of interframe prediction error are classified into categories based on their coefficient power distribution characteristics. The adaptation gain results from using a suitable variable word length code set designated by the above classification for encoding each quantization index of DCT coefficients. In addition, a new coding parameter control method is introduced based on the information rate estimation of the current frame. This classification promotes high stability because good estimation accuracy of bits consumption for each DCT subblock is obtained by utilizing the category indexes. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has enough coding efficiency to transmit videoconferencing motion pictures through a 384 kbit/s channel.     

Statistical distributions of DCT coefficients and their application to an interframe compression algorithm for 3-D medical images

Displacement estimated interframe (DEI) coding, a coding scheme for 3-D medical image data sets such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) images, is presented. To take advantage of the correlation between contiguous slices, a displacement-compensated difference image based on the previous image is encoded. The best fitting distribution functions for the discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients obtained from displacement compensated difference images are determined and used in allocating bits and optimizing quantizers for the coefficients. The DEI scheme is compared with 2-D block discrete cosine transform (DCT) as well as a full-frame DCT using the bit allocation technique of S. Lo and H.K. Huang (1985). For X-ray CT head images, the present bit allocation and quantizer design, using an appropriate distribution model, resulted in a 13-dB improvement in the SNR compared to the full-frame DCT using the bit allocation technique. For an image set with 5-mm slice thickness, the DEI method gave about 5% improvement in the compression ratio on average and less blockiness at the same distortion. The performance gain increases to about 10% when the slice thickness decreases to 3 mm.     

Coding isotropic images

Rate-distortion functions for 2-dimensional homogeneous isotropic images are compared with the performance of five source encoders designed for such images. Both unweighted and frequency weighted mean-square error distortion measures are considered. The coders considered are a) differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) using six previous samples or picture elements (pels) in the prediction--herein called 6-pel DPCM, b) simple DPCM using single-sample prediction, c) 6-pel DPCM followed by entropy coding, d)8 times 8discrete cosine transform coding, and e)4 times 4Hadamard transform coding. Other transform coders were studied and found to have about the same performance as the two transform coders above. With the mean-square error distortion measure, 6-pel DPCM with entropy coding performed best. Next best was the8 times 8discrete cosine transform coder and the 6-pel DPCM--these two had approximately the same distortion. Next were the4 times 4Hadamard and simple DPCM, in that order. The relative performance of the coders changed slightly when the distortion measure was frequency weighted mean-square error. FromR = 1to 3 bits/pel, which was the range studied here, the performances of all the coders were separated by only about 4 dB.     

Adaptive channel error protection of subband encoded images

Protection of images that are encoded using subband coding from channel error is addressed. In this scheme the low-pass subband is encoded using DPCM (differential pulse-code modulation), and the other subbands are encoded using a scalar quantizer. The quantizers are all Lloyd-Max quantizers, from which the representation levels have fixed length codewords. First, considering only single errors in each codeword, a channel error distortion measure is derived for each quantizer, that is, for each subband. Codewords are assigned to the quantizer representation levels, yielding a low value of the distortion measure. Next, sets S_ij consisting of the jth bit from subband i are formed. Each set S _ij is assigned a particular BCH code C_ij. An algorithm that optimally assigns BCH codes C_ij to each set S_ij, based on a channel error distortion measure for the entire image, is derived. The protection scheme is adaptive, because each set of bits within each subband can be assigned a different error protection code. Examples show that this approach is preferable to assigning equal error protection codes to each set of bits. It is shown that in the case of a channel error probability of 10 ^-3, only 5% to 10% extra bits are needed for adequate channel error protection     

An adaptive 3-D discrete cosine transform coder for medical imagecompression

A new three-dimensional (3-D) discrete cosine transform (DCT) coder for medical images is presented. In the proposed method, a segmentation technique based on the local energy magnitude is used to segment subblocks of the image into different energy levels. Then, those subblocks with the same energy level are gathered to form a 3-D cuboid. Finally, 3-D DCT is employed to compress the 3-D cuboid individually. Simulation results show that the reconstructed images achieve a bit rate lower than 0.25 bit per pixel even when the compression ratios are higher than 35. As compared with the results by JPEG and other strategies, it is found that the proposed method achieves better qualities of decoded images     

Quantization of color signals

We develop and evaluate procedures based on subjective criteria for optimizing the design of quantizers for the digital coding of color signals. We start with a series of subjective tests that determine the visibility of quantization noise in several different circumstances. Specifically, two distinct functional relationships for the visibility of quantizing noise in color components are investigated: 1) its dependence on the slope of the luminance signal, 2) its dependence on the slope of the chrominance signal. Using fidelity criteria determined by these visibility functions, quantizers are optimized for the following encoding situations: 1) adaptive PCM coding of the chrominance components based on the luminance slope, 2) element DPCM coding of the individual color components, 3) adaptive DPCM coding of the chrominance components based on the luminance slope, 4) plateau coding of the chrominance components. Pictures are coded using quantizers for encoding situations 2), 3), and 4) Advantages of optimization are brought out by comparing the performance of the optimum quantizers with quantizers optimized on the basis of certain commonly used criteria or with other quantizers. In all cases, we find that for a given bit rate, our optimum quantizers outperform the others in terms of quality, of the coded pictures.     

Absolute Moment Block Truncation Coding and Its Application to Color Images

A new quantization method that uses the criterion of preserving sample absolute moments is presented. This is based on the same basic idea for block truncation coding of Delp and Mitchell but it is simpler in any practical implementation. Moreover, output equations are those for a two-level nonparametric minimum mean square error quantizer when the threshold is fixed to the sample mean. The application of this method to single frame color images is developed. A color image coding system that uses absolute moment block truncation coding of luminance and chroma information is presented. Resulting color images show reasonable performance with bit rates as low as 2.13 bits/pixel.     

An Adaptive Strategy for Hybrid Image Coding

In hybrid coding technique, the sampled data are divided into blocks ofN times Msamples. Next, each block is transformed to generate a one-dimensional transform of each line in the block. The transform coefficients are then processed by a block of DPCM encoders which uncorrelate the data in the second dimension and qnantize the uncorrelated samples using appropriate quantizers. In this study an adaptive hybrid coding technique is proposed based on using a single quantizer (A/D converter) to quantize the transform coefficients and using a variable-rate algorithm for coding the quantized coefficients. The accuracy of the A/D converter (number of bits per sample) determines the fidelity of the system. The buffercontrol algorithm controls the accuracy of the A/D converter for each block resulting in a fixed-rate encoder system. Experimental results have shown a stable buffer condition and reconstructed images with a higher fidelity than nonadaptive hybrid systems.     

A survey of hybrid MC/DPCM/DCT video coding distortions

The motion-compensated hybrid DCT/DPCM algorithm has been successfully adopted in various video coding standards, such as H.261, H.263, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. However, its robustness is challenged in the face of an inadequate bit allocation, either globally for the whole video sequence, or locally as a result of an inappropriate distribution of the available bits. In either of these situations, the trade-off between quality and the availability of bits results in a deterioration in the quality of the decoded video sequence, both in terms of the loss of information and the introduction of coding artifacts. These distortions are an important factor in the fields of filtering, codec design, and the search for objective psychovisual-based quality metrics; therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis and classification of the numerous coding artifacts which are introduced into the reconstructed video sequence through the use of the hybrid MC/DPCM/DCT video coding algorithm. Artifacts which have already been briefly described in the literature, such as the blocking effect, ringing, the mosquito effect, MC mismatch, blurring, and color bleeding, will be comprehensively analyzed. Additionally, we will present artifacts with unique properties which have not been previously identified in the literature.     

32 Mbit/s Transmission of NTSC Color TV Signals by Composite DPCM Coding

A composite DPCM coding System was developed, which is capable of coding and transmitting an NTSC color TV signal without component separation at a 32.064 Mbit/s rate. The DPCM prediction method used is based on the algorithm that a luminance component prediction valuehat{y}and a carrier chrominance component prediction valuehat{c}are calculated individually, and then the composite signal prediction valuehat{x}is determined byhat{x} = hat{y} + hat{c}. In order to utilize horizontal blanking (HBL) intervals for transmitting active video signals,HBL signals are not transmitted in each line but their representative signals are transmitted once a frame during a vertical blanking interval. A dual word-length coding and quantizing method is adopted, which uses 4 bit and 8 bit words with average word-lengths of 4.4 bits/sample. Codec equipment was fabricated, and coding and transmitting experiments were conducted, using NTT's PCM-100 M digital repeatered line. Experimental results show that this composite DPCM coding system can be employed for digital transmission of NTSC color TV signals, such as color ITV signals, at a 32.064 Mbit/s rate.     

Subband coding of image sequences at low bit rates

In this paper a low bit rate subband coding scheme for image sequences is described. Typically, the scheme is based on temporal DPCM in combination with an intraframe subband coder. In contrast to previous work, however, the subbands are divided into blocks onto which conditional replenishment is applied, while a bit allocation algorithm divides the bits among the blocks assigned for replenishment. A solution is given for the ‘dirty window’ effect by setting blocks to zero that were assigned to be replenished but received no bits. The effect of motion compensation and the extension to color images are discussed as well. Finally, several image sequence coding results are given for a bit rate of 300 kbit/s.     

Line-Adaptive Hybrid Coding of Images

This paper describes novel adaptation strategy for hybrid transform/DPCM image coders. This strategy has yielded a 2-8 dB increase in signal-to-noise ratio in the transmission of a head and shoulders image at bit rates of 1-4 bits per pel and one-dimensional transform block sizes of 2-16.     

Single-Carrier Single-Block Differential Space–Frequency Coding Transmission Over the Frequency-Selective Fading Channels

In this paper, a single-carrier single-block differential space-frequency block coding scheme for multiple input multiple output frequency-selective fading channels is proposed. In the proposed scheme, an alternative constant modulus single-carrier transmission is adopted, which significantly mitigates the sensitivity to the nonlinear distortion while having comparable lower complexity to the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing modulus. Based on this, subgrouping the signal transmit matrix through the block matrix method and fatherly differential space-frequency complex orthogonal coding on each subblocks, it not only transmits the differentially encoded signal matrix within one symbol block periods regardless of the number of transmit antennas, but also achieves the available spatial and frequency diversities without the requirement of multichannel estimation at the receiver. In the proposed scheme, it is only required that the fading channels keep approximately constant within each subblock during one symbol block transmission period, and thus can be more robust and effective to combat the channel rapidly fading with even lower bit error ratio. Theoretical analysis and corroborating simulation under various channel conditions shows that, our proposed scheme yields superior performance to previously proposed differential schemes.

Side match and overlap match vector quantizers for images

A class of vector quantizers with memory that are known as finite state vector quantizers (FSVQs) in the image coding framework is investigated. Two FSVQ designs, namely side match vector quantizers (SMVQs) and overlap match vector quantizers (OMVQs), are introduced. These designs take advantage of the 2-D spatial contiguity of pixel vectors as well as the high spatial correlation of pixels in typical gray-level images. SMVQ and OMVQ try to minimize the granular noise that causes visible pixel block boundaries in ordinary VQ. For 512 by 512 gray-level images, SMVQ and OMVQ can achieve communication quality reproduction at an average of 1/2 b/pixel per image frame, and acceptable quality reproduction. Because block boundaries are less visible, the perceived improvement in quality over ordinary VQ is even greater. Owing to the structure of SMVQ and OMVQ, simple variable length noiseless codes can achieve as much as 60% bit rate reduction over fixed-length noiseless codes.     

Adaptive transform tree coding of images

A tree code, asymptotically optimal for stationary Gaussian sources and squared error distortion, is applied suboptimally to encode the discrete cosine transform (DCT) of image subblocks. The variance spectrum of each block DCT is estimated and specified uniquely by a set of one-dimensional autoregressive parameters. The average pel rate for each block is allowed to vary to meet the specification of the same average distortion per block. Since the variance spectrum and rate are different for every block. so is the code tree. Comparative coding simulations with a 256×256 and 512×512 image show that DCT tree coding with postcoding is clearly superior to DCT quantization and that a variable block rate assignment gains about 3 dB over a fixed block rate assignment     

Optimal pyramidal decomposition for progressive multidimensionalsignal coding using optimal quantizers

Optimal hierarchical coding is sought, for progressive or scalable multidimensional signal transmission, by minimizing the variance of the error difference between the original image and its lower resolution renditions. The optimal, according to the above criterion, pyramidal coders are determined for images quantized using the optimal vector Lloyd-Max quantizers. A rigorous general statistical model of a vector Lloyd-Max quantizer is used, consisting of a linear time-invariant filter followed by additive noise uncorrelated with the input. Given arbitrary analysis filters, the optimal synthesis filters are found. The optimal analysis filters are subsequently determined, leading to formulas for globally optimal structures for pyramidal multidimensional signal decompositions. These structures produce replicas of the original image, which at lower resolutions retain as much similarity to the original as possible. This is highly useful for the progressive coding of two- or three-dimensional (2-D or 3-D) images needed in applications such as fast browsing through image databases. Furthermore, the minimization of the variance of the error image leads to minimization of the variance of the quantization noise for this image and, hence, to its optimally efficient compression. Experimental results illustrate the implementation and performance of the optimal pyramids in application for the coding of still 2-D images     

Nonlinear prediction in image coding with DPCM

In contrast to the traditional linear differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) design for the encoding of images, a new, nonlinear, neural network-based, DPCM technique has been devised. The predictor is designed by supervised training, based on a typical sequence of pixel values in an image. A function link neural network architecture has been used to design the predictor for one dimensional (1-D) DPCM. Computer simulation experiments in still image coding have shown that the resulting encoders work very well. At a transmission rate of 1 bit/pixel, for the image LENA, the 1-D neural network DPCM provides a 4.2 dB improvement in SNR over the standard linear DPCM system.<>     

Design of DPCM Quantizers for Video Signals Using Subjective Tests

The application of differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) for broadcast color television signals requires a design which produces no visible impairments under normal viewing conditions. This paper describes a quantizer design which is based on measured visibility thresholds of the various kinds of DPCM impairments such as granular noise, edge busyness, and slope overload. The visibility thresholds are determined by subjective tests based on comparisons of DPCM and PCM encoded pictures. Constructions of quantizers are carried out such that the number of levels is minimized without exceeding the measured visibility thresholds. Besides nonadaptive quantizers, adaptive quantizers are also constructed which are controlled by the signal changes of surrounding picture elements. These investigations show that for component coding of color video signals with two-dimensional prediction, a transmission rate of 31.7 Mbits/s is possible for natural types of test pictures without visible impairments using constant word length coding.     

Predictive Image Coding with Pseudo-Laplacian Edge Detector

Several edge-adaptive dual-mode predictive coding systems are proposed for coding monochrome video signals. These algorithms use the pseudo-Laplacian edge detector to switch between the textural coding and the edge coding. The one-dimensional Song DM coder and the two-dimensional weighted average prediction DM coder were used for the textural coding. The edge coding was done with either a normal two-dimensional Song DM coder, Graham's DPCM schemes, or a DPCM coder developed by the authors. Nine different combinations of textural and edge coding techniques were developed and simulated. The bit rates of the various schemes were compared, and the range varied between 2.28-3.46 bits/pixel without further compression of the edge information bits or the correction bits. Subjective tests were carried out on images reconstructed according to these schemes. The results show that most of the pictures obtained with the techniques in this paper are superior to the pictures coded by the Song mode normal two-dimensional DM coder alone.