3 research outputs found
A contourlet transform based algorithm for real-time video encoding
In recent years, real-time video communication over the internet has
been widely utilized for applications like video conferencing. Streaming
live video over heterogeneous IP networks, including wireless networks,
requires video coding algorithms that can support various levels of
quality in order to adapt to the network end-to-end bandwidth and
transmitter/receiver resources. In this work, a scalable video coding
and compression algorithm based on the Contourlet Transform is proposed.
The algorithm allows for multiple levels of detail, without re-encoding
the video frames, by just dropping the encoded information referring to
higher resolution than needed. Compression is achieved by means of lossy
and lossless methods, as well as variable bit rate encoding schemes.
Furthermore, due to the transformation utilized, it does not suffer from
blocking artifacts that occur with many widely adopted compression
algorithms. Another highly advantageous characteristic of the algorithm
is the suppression of noise induced by low-quality sensors usually
encountered in web-cameras, due to the manipulation of the transform
coefficients at the compression stage. The proposed algorithm is
designed to introduce minimal coding delay, thus achieving real-time
performance. Performance is enhanced by utilizing the vast computational
capabilities of modern GPUs, providing satisfactory encoding and
decoding times at relatively low cost. These characteristics make this
method suitable for applications like video-conferencing that demand
real-time performance, along with the highest visual quality possible
for each user. Through the presented performance and quality evaluation
of the algorithm, experimental results show that the proposed algorithm
achieves better or comparable visual quality relative to other
compression and encoding methods tested, while maintaining a
satisfactory compression ratio. Especially at low bitrates, it provides
more human-eye friendly images compared to algorithms utilizing
block-based coding, like the MPEG family, as it introduces fuzziness and
blurring instead of artificial block artifacts