A new interpolative subband coding algorithm for lossless image compression

Although subband and wavelet coding have been proved to be very efficient for lossy image compression, it is generally not possible to represent the output of most subband/wavelet filters by a limited number of bits and yet guarantee perfect reconstruction. This is a fundamental problem when applying subband and wavelet coding to lossless image compression. This paper presents a solution to this problem by an investigation of interpolative subband coding. Based on an evaluation of the decorrelation performance of some typical image interpolation techniques, a new interpolative coding algorithm has been proposed. The new algorithm has been shown to be superior to two related algorithms, the hierarchical interpolation algorithm and the recently published minimum entropy pyramid algorithm.