| Abstract: | The trade-off between image fidelity and coding rate is reached with several techniques, but all of them require an ability to measure distortion. The problem is that finding a general enough measure of perceptual quality has proven to be an elusive goal. Here, we propose a novel technique for deriving an optimal compression ratio for lossy coding based on the relationship between information theory and the problem of testing hypotheses. The best achievable compression ratio determines a boundary between achievable and non-achievable regions in the trade-off between source fidelity and coding rate. The resultant performance bound is operational in that it is directly achievable by a constructive procedure, as suggested in a theorem that states the relationship between the best achievable compression ratio and the Kullback-Leibler information gain. As an example of the proposed technique, we analyze the effects of lossy compression at the best achievable compression ratio on the identification of breast cancer microcalcifications. |
