Video compression algorithm with adaptive bit allocation and quantization

Abstract

The emerging ISO MPEG video compression standard is a hybrid algorithm which employs motion compensation, spatial discrete cosine transforms, quantization, and Huffman coding. The MPEG standard specifies the syntax of the compressed data stream and the method of decoding, but leaves considerable latitude in the design of the encoder. Although the algorithm is geared toward fixed-bit-rate storage media, the rules for bit rate control allow a good deal of variation in the number of bits allocated to each picture. In addition, the allocation of bits within a picture is subject to no rules whatsoever. One would like to design an encoder that optimizes visual quality of the decoded video sequence subject to these bit rate restrictions. However, this is difficult due to the elusive nature of a quantitative distortion measure for images and motion sequences that correlates well with human perception. This paper describes an MPEG encoder designed to produce good quality coded sequences for a wide range of video source characteristics and over a range of bit rates. The novel parts of the algorithm include a temporal bit allocation strategy, spatially adaptive quantization, and a bit rate control scheme.