Image and Video Compression Standards: Algorithms and Architectures

This work presents an introduction to the algorithms and architectures that underpin the image and video compression standards, including JPEG (compression of still images), H.261 (video teleconferencing), MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 (video storage and broadcasting). In addition, the book covers the MPEG and Dolby AC-3 audio encoding standards, as well as emerging techniques for image and video compression, such as those based on wavelets and vector quantization. The book emphasizes the foundations of these standards, i.e. techniques such as predictive coding, transform-based coding, motion compensation, and entropy coding, as well as how they are applied in the standards. How each standard is implemented is not dealt with, but the book does provide all the material necessary to understand the workings of each of the compression standards, including information that can be used to evaluate the efficiency of various software and hardware implementations conforming to the standards. Particular emphasis is placed on those algorithms and architectures that have been found to be useful in practical software or hardware implementations.