Lossless grey image compression using a splitting binary tree

A multi-layer coding algorithm is proposed for grey image lossless compression. We transform the original image by a set of bases (e.g., wavelets, DCT, and gradient spaces). Then, the transformed image is split into a sub-image set with a binary tree. The set include two parts: major sub-images and minor sub-images, which are coded separately. Experimental results over a common dataset show that the proposed algorithm performs close to JPEG-LS in terms of bitrate. However, we can get a scalable image quality, which is similar to JPEG2000. A suboptimal compressed image can be obtained when the bitstream is truncated by unexpected factors. Our algorithm is quit suitable for image transmission, on internet or on satellites.