Performance of an HDTV codec adopting transform and motion compensation techniques

Digital techniques are widely adopted to process the video signal, and nowadays there is the necessity of transmitting conventional and high-definition television signals between different studios. In the near future it could be possible to deliver a digital signal to the consumer. To allow the use of the presently available digital networks and satellites, sophisticated compression techniques have been devised to limit the bit-rate requirements and to provide a high-quality and reliable service. A hybrid predictive/transform system has been devised and implemented in the framework of the European project EU 256. The main parameters of this system are in accordance with those being recommended by ETSI and CMTT for the transmission of conventional component TV. Codecs are available for the TV and HDTV formats presently in use and can operate with a wide range of transmission rates. The optimization of the system and the evaluation of its performance have been carried out on the basis of a large number of subjective tests in accordance with the user requirements specified by the standardization bodies. The codecs have been extensively tested on-field during experimental point-to-multipoint satellite transmission of HDTV signals on the occasion of soccer matches.