This book presents the state-of-the-art in visual media coding and transmission Visual Media Coding and Transmission is an output of VISNET II NoE, which is an EC IST-FP6 collaborative research project by twelve esteemed institutions from across Europe in the fields of networked audiovisual systems and home platforms. The authors provide information that will be essential for the future study and development of visual media communications technologies. The book contains details of video coding principles, which lead to advanced video coding developments in the form of Scalable Coding, Distributed Video Coding, Non-Normative Video Coding Tools and Transform Based Multi-View Coding. Having detailed the latest work in Visual Media Coding, networking aspects of Video Communication is detailed. Various Wireless Channel Models are presented to form the basis for both link level quality of service (QoS) and cross network transmission of compressed visual data. Finally, Context-Based Visual Media Content Adaptation is discussed with some examples. Key Features: Contains the latest advances in this important field covered by VISNET II NoE Addresses the latest multimedia signal processing and coding algorithms Covers all important advance video coding techniques, scalable and multiple description coding, distributed video coding and non-normative tools Discusses visual media networking with various wireless channel models QoS methods by way of link adaptation techniques are detailed with examples Presents a visual media content adaptation platform, which is both context aware and digital rights management enabled Contains contributions from highly respected academic and industrial organizations Visual Media Coding and Transmission will benefit researchers and engineers in the wireless communications and signal processing fields. It will also be of interest to graduate and PhD students on media processing, coding and communications courses.

This textbook covers the theoretical background of one- and multidimensional signal processing, statistical analysis and modelling, coding and information theory with regard to the principles and design of image, video and audio compression systems. The theoretical concepts are augmented by practical examples of algorithms for multimedia signal coding technology, and related transmission aspects. On this basis, principles behind multimedia coding standards, including most recent developments like High Efficiency Video Coding, can be well understood. Furthermore, potential advances in future development are pointed out. Numerous figures and examples help to illustrate the concepts covered. The book was developed on the basis of a graduate-level university course, and most chapters are supplemented by exercises. The book is also a self-contained introduction both for researchers and developers of multimedia compression systems in industry.

Communicating Pictures starts with a unique historical perspective of the role of images in communications and then builds on this to explain the applications and requirements of a modern video coding system. It draws on the author's extensive academic and professional experience of signal processing and video coding to deliver a text that is algorithmically rigorous, yet accessible, relevant to modern standards, and practical. It offers a thorough grounding in visual perception, and demonstrates how modern image and video compression methods can be designed in order to meet the rate-quality performance levels demanded by today's applications, networks and users.With this book you will learn: Practical issues when implementing a codec, such as picture boundary extension and complexity reduction, with particular emphasis on efficient algorithms for transforms, motion estimators and error resilience Conflicts between conventional video compression, based on variable length coding and spatiotemporal prediction, and the requirements for error resilient transmission How to assess the quality of coded images and video content, both through subjective trials and by using perceptually optimised objective metrics Features, operation and performance of the state-of-the-art High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard Covers the basics of video communications and includes a strong grounding in how we perceive images and video, and how we can exploit redundancy to reduce bitrate and improve rate distortion performance Gives deep insight into the pitfalls associated with the transmission of real-time video over networks (wireless and fixed) Uses the state-of- the-art video coding standard (H.264/AVC) as a basis for algorithm development in the context of block based compression Insight into future video coding standards such as the new ISO/ITU High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) initiative, which extends and generalizes the H.264/AVC approach

This book describes recent innovations in 3D media and technologies, with coverage of 3D media capturing, processing, encoding, and adaptation, networking aspects for 3D Media, and quality of user experience (QoE). The main contributions are based on the results of the FP7 European Projects ROMEO, which focus on new methods for the compression and delivery of 3D multi-view video and spatial audio, as well as the optimization of networking and compression jointly across the Future Internet (www.ict-romeo.eu). The delivery of 3D media to individual users remains a highly challenging problem due to the large amount of data involved, diverse network characteristics and user terminal requirements, as well as the user’s context such as their preferences and location. As the number of visual views increases, current systems will struggle to meet the demanding requirements in terms of delivery of constant video quality to both fixed and mobile users. ROMEO will design and develop hybrid-networking solutions that combine the DVB-T2 and DVB-NGH broadcast access network technologies together with a QoE aware Peer-to-Peer (P2P) distribution system that operates over wired and wireless links. Live streaming 3D media needs to be received by collaborating users at the same time or with imperceptible delay to enable them to watch together while exchanging comments as if they were all in the same location. The volume provides state-of-the-art information on 3D multi-view video, spatial audio networking protocols for 3D media, P2P 3D media streaming, and 3D Media delivery across heterogeneous wireless networks among other topics. Graduate students and professionals in electrical engineering and computer science with an interest in 3D Future Internet Media will find this volume to be essential reading.

Advances in multimedia communication systems have enhanced the need for improved video coding standards. Due to the inherent nature of video content, large bandwidths and reliable communication links are required to ensure a satisfactory level of quality experience; inspiring industry and research communities to concentrate their efforts in this emerging research area. Multimedia Networking and Coding covers widespread knowledge and research as well as innovative applications in multimedia communication systems. This book highlights recent techniques that can evolve into future multimedia communication systems, also showing experimental results from systems and applications.

This volume is the most comprehensive reference work on visual communications to date. An international group of well-known experts in the field provide up-to-date and in-depth contributions on topics such as fundamental theory, international standards for industrial applications, high definition television, optical communications networks, and VLSI design. The book includes information for learning about both the fundamentals of image/video compression as well as more advanced topics in visual communications research. In addition, the Handbook of Visual Communications explores the latest developments in the field, such as model-based image coding, and provides readers with insight into possible future developments. Displays comprehensive coverage from fundamental theory to international standards and VLSI design Includes 518 pages of contributions from well-known experts Presents state-of-the-art knowledge--the most up-to-date and accurate information on various topics in the field Provides an extensive overview of international standards for industrial applications

Visual information is one of the richest and most bandwidth-consuming modes of communication. To meet the requirements of emerging applications, powerful data compression and transmission techniques are required to achieve highly efficient communication, even in the presence of growing communication channels that offer increased bandwidth. Presenting the results of the author’s years of research on visual data compression and transmission, Advances in Visual Data Compression and Communication: Meeting the Requirements of New Applications provides a theoretical and technical basis for advanced research on visual data compression and communication. The book studies the drifting problem in scalable video coding, analyzes the reasons causing the problem, and proposes various solutions to the problem. It explores the author’s Barbell-based lifting coding scheme that has been adopted as common software by MPEG. It also proposes a unified framework for deriving a directional transform from the nondirectional counterpart. The structure of the framework and the statistic distribution of coefficients are similar to those of the nondirectional transforms, which facilitates subsequent entropy coding. Exploring the visual correlation that exists in media, the text extends the current coding framework from different aspects, including advanced image synthesis—from description and reconstruction to organizing correlated images as a pseudo sequence. It explains how to apply compressive sensing to solve the data compression problem during transmission and covers novel research on compressive sensor data gathering, random projection codes, and compressive modulation. For analog and digital transmission technologies, the book develops the pseudo-analog transmission for media and explores cutting-edge research on distributed pseudo-analog transmission, denoising in pseudo-analog transmission, and supporting MIMO. It concludes by considering emerging developments of information theory for future applications.