An improved, wavelet-based, stereoscopic image sequence codec with SNR and spatial scalability

A novel stereoscopic moving-image compression structure is presented in this paper that allows for SNR and spatial scalability. The right picture sequence, referred to as the reference sequence, is encoded in the wavelet domain using motion-compensated prediction, where intra-pictures and prediction error are encoded using an adaptively scanned wavelet-difference-reduction (ASWDR) algorithm. The left picture sequence, referred to as the target sequence, is coded using disparity-compensated prediction, where the prediction error is also coded with ASWDR. Variable-block disparity and motion compensation and a novel loop filtering scheme to suppress partition artifacts induced by imperfect disparity and motion compensation are the key features of the proposed algorithm. The hierarchical structure of the two-dimensional DWT is exploited to obtain discrete levels of spatial scalability.