A novel video coding scheme based on temporal prediction using digital image warping

A new method for temporal prediction of image sequences is proposed. The motion vectors of conventional motion compensation schemes are used to convey a mapping of a selected set of individual pixels, instead of blocks, between the previous and the current image. The prediction is made by geometrically transforming, or "warping," the previous image using the irregular grids defined by the pixel mapping. This method can compensate for many motion types, such as scaling and rotation, where conventional block matching fails. It can also be incorporated in current hybrid video compression systems with little additional complexity and no change in the bit stream syntax.