Comparative performance of wavelets and JPEG coders at high quality

In recent work, we have examined the performance of wavelet coders using a perceptually relevant image quality metric, the picture quality scale (PQS). In that study, we considered some of the design options available with respect to choice of wavelet basis, quantizer, and method for error- free encoding of the quantized coefficients, including the EZW methodology. A specific combination of these design options provides the best trade off between performance and PQS quality. Here, we extend this comparison by evaluating the performance of JPEG and the previously chosen optimal wavelet scheme, focusing principally on the high quality range.