Learned Image Compression with Quantization Error Compensator

Recent advancements in learned image compression methods have demonstrated superior rate-distortion performance and remarkable potential compared to traditional compression techniques. However, the core operation of quantization, inherent to lossy image compression, introduces errors that can degrade the quality of the reconstructed image. To address this challenge, we propose a novel Quantization Error Compensator (QEC), which leverages spatial context within latent representations and hyperprior information to effectively mitigate the impact of quantization error. Moreover, we propose a tailored quantization error optimization training strategy to further improve rate-distortion performance. Notably, QEC serves as a lightweight, plug-and-play module, offering high flexibility and seamless integration into various learned image compression methods. Extensive experimental results consistently demonstrate significant coding efficiency improvements achievable by incorporating the proposed QEC into state-of-the-art methods, with a slight increase in runtime.