Very low bit rate video coding using 3-D models

Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Dr.–Ing. Bernd Girod, who gave me the opportunity to join his group and to work in a stimulative and supportive atmosphere. I would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Günther Greiner for his interest in my work and for reviewing my thesis. During my doctoral studies, I had the pleasure to interact with a large number of excellent researchers and skilled engineers. I am very thankful to my colleagues and friends and Thomas Wiegand for the many stimulating discussions, joint work, and proofreading. Furthermore, I would like to thank the many others around the Telecommunications Laboratory in Erlangen who made my stay here so enjoyable. I am especially grateful to Ursula Arnold for her invaluable administrative support. Last but not least, I would like to thank my friends and my family for their valuable suggestions and support. vii Contents Notation xi Abbreviations and Acronyms xv 1 Introduction 1 1.