Differential-SPIHT for image sequence coding

Efficient image sequence coding exploits both spatial correlation and temporal correlation. SPIHT is a powerful algorithm in exploiting spatial correlations for still image coding. Based on SPIHT, we present a novel approach to exploit temporal correlations for image sequence coding, while maintaining single frame, random access decoding. The so-called Differential-SPIHT takes advantage of inter-frame correlations by reusing the significance testing data of a SPIHT coded frame. From simulation results of videos and volumetric medical images, Differential-SPIHT offers significant reductions in bitrate from conventional two-dimensional (2D) SPIHT for the same reconstruction PSNR, while retaining the desirables features of rate scalability and computational simplicity.