Disparity estimation using rate-distortion theory for stereo image sequence coding

A rate-distortion framework is used to define a displacement vector-field estimation technique for use in video coding. This technique achieves maximum reconstructed image quality under the constraint of a target bit rate for the coding of the vector sequence. Use of this technique is evaluated for an application area in which the need for high compression of displacement vector fields is particularly acute. Specifically techniques are examined for the coding and transmission of disparity fields. This is needed for the generation at the receiver of intermediate view points by means of spatial interpolation. It is also needed in a number of other applications requiring accurate depth knowledge, including 3D medical data transmission and transmission of scenes that are going to be post processed using depth-keyed segmentation. Experimental results illustrating the performance of the proposed technique in these application areas are presented and evaluated.