Dfferent - distributed and fully flexible image encoders for camera sensor networks

In this paper, we propose a practical coding approach for the problem of distributed compression of multi-view images. Our coding technique is based on a tree structured compression algorithm that guarantees an optimal rate-distortion behaviour for piecewise polynomial signals. We model the different views using a piecewise polynomial function whose singularity positions are shifted from one view to the others according to the constraints imposed by the structure of the plenoptic function. We show that, starting from the optimal tree decompositions of the different views, only partial information from each tree is necessary at the decoder in order to reconstruct all the different approximations. We first present our approach in the more intuitive 1D case and show that it can be used with arbitrary bit-rate allocation. Then, we propose a construction for the case of TV different views that satisfies a certain bit conservation principle. Finally, we show how our approach can be extended to the 2D case.