On the Efficiency of Embedding Information Within Scalar Quantizers

This correspondence explores the efficiency of embedding information within scalar quantizers. The aim being to efficiently include additional information within an existing coding scheme. Two different information embedding problems are considered: one using post-quantization embedding (PQE) and the other using joint quantization embedding. High-resolution bounds are derived for the achievable embedding rates in both these problems. Surprisingly these results show that it is possible to ldquosoak uprdquo the inefficiencies in scalar quantization through the embedding process. The correspondence concludes by considering some practical examples of low embedding rate coding strategies.