A Theoretical Analysis of Data Reduction Using the Weber Quantizer

We present a theoretical analysis of a perceptual coding approach, the so called Weber quantizer. Extensive studies performed by experimental psychologists and physiologists have unveiled one major conclusion: human perception often follows Weber's law. Ernst Weber was an experimental physiologist who in 1834 first discovered the following implication DeltaI = kl, where DeltaI is the so called difference threshold or the just noticeable difference (JND). It describes the smallest amount of change of an (arbitrary) stimulus I which can be detected just as often as it cannot be detected and defines the Weber bound at [(1 - k)I, (1 + k)I].