Joint source-channel coding/decoding by combining RVLC and VLC for CCSDS IDC coefficients

In this paper, we have proposed a joint source-channel coding/decoding approach by combining RVLC and VLC for CCSDS IDC coefficients, which can be applied in space communication. In the CCSDS IDC standard, the DC coefficients are given special protection by using a reversible coding/decoding scheme since they are especially significant for the reconstructed image quality. Specifically, the DC coefficients are encoded by reversible variable length codes (RVLCs) after using alternating run-length encoding, which can simplify the code-table design and decrease the decoding complexity by transforming the variable length coded DC coefficients into very few symbols. Simulation results show that this approach can greatly alleviate error propagation and improve the error-resilient performance of the DC coefficients, which can greatly improve the transmitted image quality.