Towards Wavelet Based Video Codec

New video codecs have been developed since 1980 which yield low data rate while maintaining the fidelity of raw video data. Usually videos are stored in general purpose computers and in many handheld devices. When a raw video data is stored in those devices, it requires tremendous amount of space. Hence, video compression is the topic of interest and importance. Compression methods fall into two categories: lossy and lossless methods. Compression efficiency achieved by sacrificing the quality of the image and video content is called lossy compression. In some applications, the preservation of the original data is more important than compression efficiency; this is the area of lossless compression. Hence this book focuses on lossy compression. Further, it is perceived that motion estimation and compensation consumes much computation time. Hence, an attempt is made to eliminate the need for motion estimation and compensation and obtained successful results. In this book, a wavelet based Temporal to Spatial Redundancy (T2SR) video codec is designed for compressing low data rate videos. To reduce computation time, the video codec converts the temporal redundancy into spatial redundancy which is then transformed using a bi-orthogonal wavelet transform and encoded using powerful Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) encoder. The performance of Wavelet Based Video Codec (WBVC) is compared with the enhanced H.264/AVC and with the other existing video codecs. It is proved that WBVC method reduces computation time with negligible loss in video quality data rate.