Region-Based Video Coding Using Mathematical Morphology

This paper presents a region-based coding algorithm for video sequences. The coding approach involves a time-recursive segmentation relying on the pixels homogeneity, a region-based motion estimation, and motion compensated contour and texture coding. This algorithm is mainly devoted to very low bit rate video coding applications. One of the important features of the approach is that no assumption is made about the sequence content. Moreover, the algorithm structure leads to a scalable coding process giving various levels of quality and bit rates. The coding as well as the segmentation are controlled to regulate the bit stream. Finally, the interest of morphological tools in the context of region-based coding is extensively reviewed.