Residual DPCM for lossless coding in HEVC

Incorporating sample-based prediction during lossless coding can significantly improve coding performance. However, its use within a codec designed for lossy coding requires a modification of the available prediction scheme. When implementing the codec, two different prediction processes will have to be implemented. This paper describes a lossless coding scheme that delays the sample-based prediction till the residue coding stage of the codec and carries out prediction in the residual domain. In this way, the prediction scheme of the lossy coder can be retained while realizing the coding gains associated with sample-based prediction. The proposed scheme improves lossless intra coding performance in HEVC Main Profile by an average of 6.5%.