Medical image compression using the characteristics of human visual system

In image compression, we must adopt the proper distortion measure. But the MSE (Mean Square Error) is used in almost every algorithm without any consideration. To evaluate the distortion perceived by HVS (human visual system) and use it as a performance index for image compression, the distortion measure that reflects the characteristics of perceptive HVS should be considered. In such a point of view, we proposed the multi-stage hybrid block coding scheme using JND (Just Noticeable Difference) curve, polynomial approximation and BTC (Block Truncation Coding). Results show that this method can be applied to several kinds of medical images with the compression ratio of 5-10:1 without any noticeable distortion.<
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