New insights and results on transform domain VQ of images

An attempt is made to determine whether there is a fundamental difference between the idea of vector transform coding and the well known transform/VQ (vector quantization) schemes. To answer this question, a unified framework for studying transform domain VQ is developed. Based on such a framework, some new insights are obtained and a new image coding technique is proposed. This study indicates that there is indeed a fundamental difference between vector transform coding and the existing transform/VQ schemes. The results of this study may also have a broader implication for developing other VQ-based two-step image coding techniques.<>