On RD optimized progressive image coding using JPEG

Among the many different modes of operations allowed in the current JPEG standard, the sequential and progressive modes are the most widely used. While the sequential JPEG mode yields essentially the same level of compression performance for most encoder implementations, the performance of progressive JPEG depends highly upon the designed encoder structure. This is due to the flexibility the standard leaves open in designing progressive JPEG encoders. In this work, a rate-distortion (RD) optimized JPEG compliant progressive encoder is presented that produces a sequence of scans, ordered in terms of decreasing importance. Our encoder outperforms an optimized sequential JPEG encoder in terms of compression efficiency, substantially at low and high bit rates. Moreover, unlike existing JPEG compliant encoders, our encoder can achieve precise rate/distortion control. Substantially better compression performance and precise rate control, provided by our progressive JPEG compliant encoding algorithm, are two highly desired features currently sought for the emerging JPEG-2000 standard.