Block-based embedded color image and video coding

Set Partitioned Embedded bloCK coder (SPECK) has been found to perform comparable to the best-known still grayscale image coders like EZW, SPIHT, JPEG2000 etc. In this paper, we first propose Color-SPECK (CSPECK), a natural extension of SPECK to handle color still images in the YUV 4:2:0 format. Extensions to other YUV formats are also possible. PSNR results indicate that CSPECK is among the best known color coders while the perceptual quality of reconstruction is superior than SPIHT and JPEG2000. We then propose a moving picture based coding system called Motion-SPECK with CSPECK as the core algorithm in an intra-based setting. Specifically, we demonstrate two modes of operation of Motion-SPECK, namely the constant-rate mode where every frame is coded at the same bit-rate and the constant-distortion mode, where we ensure the same quality for each frame. Results on well-known CIF sequences indicate that Motion-SPECK performs comparable to Motion-JPEG2000 while the visual quality of the sequence is in general superior. Both CSPECK and Motion-SPECK automatically inherit all the desirable features of SPECK such as embeddedness, low computational complexity, highly efficient performance, fast decoding and low dynamic memory requirements. The intended applications of Motion-SPECK would be high-end and emerging video applications such as High Quality Digital Video Recording System, Internet Video, Medical Imaging etc.