Low complexity, efficient and embedded color image coding technique

In this paper, an efficient and embedded wavelet based color image coding technique having low complexity is proposed. The key idea is the use of block-tree hierarchical structure, due to which the proposed technique has the best features of both block and tree based wavelet image coding methods simultaneously. The proposed technique integrates the set partitioning strategies of hierarchical trees and blocks into a single algorithm, resulting in significant improvement in the coding efficiency, reduced computational complexity and reduced memory requirement. The block-tree structure of the luminance and the chrominance planes are linked in such a way that the insignificant sets of the three planes at correspondingly same locations are sorted together. The proposed coder is compared with similar existing techniques on number of test images. The simulation results show the performance improvement in coding efficiency, reduction in computational complexity and dynamic memory to store the lists over the existing techniques. Therefore, the proposed coding technique is quite attractive for image communication or image data browsing over wireless lines using modern day power-limited mobile/portable devices .