Directional spatial I-blocks for the MC-EZBC video coder

In subband/wavelet interframe video compression, motion-compensated coders make use of estimated motion paths to compress the data. When these motion paths are not valid, due to either occlusion or difficulty in their estimation, artifacts can sometimes be created in the embedded lower frame rate video. Since these coders are intended for scalable application, it is important that the lower frame rate video be as free of artifacts as possible. The incorporation of I-blocks in the context of hierarchical variable size block matching (HVSBM) allows for inevitable occasional poorly connected motion blocks. Directional spatial interpolation/prediction can then be employed to minimize such a block's energy in a temporal high frame. Results are provided for the MC-EZBC (motion compensated embedded zeroblock coding) coder that has been recently under investigation at MPEG.