A New, Fast, And Efficient Image Codec Based On Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees

Embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) coding, introduced by J. M. Shapiro, is a very effective and computationally simple technique for image compression. Here we offer an alternative explanation of the principles of its operation, so that the reasons for its excellent performance can be better understood. These principles are partial ordering by magnitude with a set partitioning sorting algorithm, ordered bit plane transmission, and exploitation of self-similarity across different scales of an image wavelet transform. Moreover, we present a new and different implementation based on set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT), which provides even better performance than our previously reported extension of EZW that surpassed the performance of the original EZW. The image coding results, calculated from actual file sizes and images reconstructed by the decoding algorithm, are either comparable to or surpass previous results obtained through much more sophisticated and computationally complex methods. In addition, the new coding and decoding procedures are extremely fast, and they can be made even faster, with only small loss in performance, by omitting entropy coding of the bit stream by arithmetic code. © 1996 IEEE.63243250Shapiro, J.M., Embedded image coding using zerotrees of wavelets coefficients (1993) IEEE Trans. Signal Processing, 41, pp. 3445-3462. , DecRabbani, M., Jones, P.W., (1991) Digital Image Compression Techniques, , Bellingham, WA: SPIE Opt. Eng. PressDeVore, R.A., Jawerth, B., Lucier, B.J., Image compression through wavelet transform coding (1992) IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 38, pp. 719-746. , MarAdelson, E.H., Simoncelli, E., Hingorani, R., Orthogonal pyramid transforms for image coding (1987) Proc. SPIE, Vol. 845, Visual Commun. and Image Proc. II, 845, pp. 50-58. , Cambridge, MA, OctAntonini, M., Barlaud, M., Mathieu, P., Daubechies, I., Image coding using wavelet transform (1992) IEEE Trans. Image Processing, 1, pp. 205-220. , AprSaid, A., Pearlman, W.A., Image compression using the spatial-orientation tree (1993) IEEE Int. Symp. Circuits and Systems, pp. 279-282. , Chicago, IL, MayWitten, I.H., Neal, R.M., Cleary, J.G., Arithmetic coding for data compression (1987) Commun. ACM, 30, pp. 520-540. , JuneSriram, P., Marcellin, M.W., Wavelet coding of images using trellis coded quantization (1992) SPIE Conf. Visual Inform. Process., pp. 238-247. , Orlando, FL, AprImage coding using wavelet transforms and entropy-constrained trellis quantization (1995) IEEE Trans. Image Processing, 4, pp. 725-733. , JuneKim, Y.H., Modestino, J.W., Adaptive entropy coded subband coding of images (1992) IEEE Trans. Image Processing, 1, pp. 31-48. , JanTanabe, N., Farvardin, N., Subband image coding using entropy-constrained quantization over noisy channels (1992) IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun., 10, pp. 926-943. , JuneJoshi, R.L., Crump, V.J., Fischer, T.R., Image subband coding using arithmetic and trellis coded quantization (1995) IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol., 5, pp. 515-523. , DecJoshi, R.L., Fischer, T.R., Bamberger, R.H., Optimum classification in subband coding of images (1994) Proc. 1994 IEEE Int. Conf. Image Processing, 2, pp. 883-887. , Austin, TX, NovKasner, J.H., Marcellin, M.W., Adaptive wavelet coding of images (1994) Proc. 1994 IEEE Conf. Image Processing, 3, pp. 358-362. , Austin, TX, NovSaid, A., Pearlman, W.A., Reversible image compression via multiresolution representation and predictive coding (1993) Proc. SPIE Conf. Visual Communications and Image Processing '93, pp. 664-674. , Cambridge, MA, Nov. Proc. SPIE 2094De Garrido, D.P., Pearlman, W.A., Finamore, W.A., A clustering algorithm for entropy-constrained vector quantizer design with applications in coding image pyramids (1995) IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol., 5, pp. 83-95. , Ap