Scalable image coding for interactive image communication over networks
Sung Ho Yoon, Ji Hun Lee, W.E. Alexander · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2000
This paper presents a new, scalable coding technique that can be used in interactive image/video communications over the Internet. The proposed technique generates a fully embedded bit stream that provides scalability with high quality for the whole image and it can be used to implement region based coding as well. The embedded bit stream is comprised of a basic layer and many enhancement layers. The enhancement layers add refinement to the quality of the image that has been reconstructed using the basic layer. The proposed coding technique uses multiple quantizers with thresholds (QT) for layering and it creates a bit plane for each layer. The bit plane is then partitioned into sets of small areas to be coded independently. Run length and entropy coding are applied to each of the sets to provide scalability for the entire image resulting in high picture quality in the user-specific area of interest (ROI). We tested this technique by applying it to various test images and the results consistently show high level of performance.