Very low bit rate wavelet-based scalable video compression

Rate scalable video compression is appealing for low bit rate applications, such as video telephony and wireless communication, where bandwidth available to an application cannot be guaranteed. A technique known as scalable adaptive motion compensated wavelet (SAMCoW) compression is described. SAMCoW is well suited for data rates less than 32 kbps. Several techniques to improve the subjective picture quality of SAMCoW are investigated. These include the use of B frames, half-pixel accuracy, and unrestricted motion vectors.