Scalable video codec by noncausal prediction, cascaded vector quantization, and conditional replenishment

In this paper, we describe a bandwidth adaptable, low bit-rate video coding scheme, referred to as scalable, noncausal prediction with vector quantization and conditional replenishment (SNP/VQR). Practical implementations of SNP/VQR are derived by exploiting the convergence and block banded properties of the state matrices. The resulting subblock SNP/VQR reduces the computational complexity and the storage requirements of the direct SNP/VQR by two orders of the linear magnitude of the frame dimensions. The subblock SNP/VQR is also capable of offering different quality of services (QoS) in the spatial and temporal domains. In the experiments, the block SNP/VQR compares favorably with the standard video codecs including the International Standards Organization (ISO) proposed MPEG4 and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) proposed H.263, especially at low bit rates.