A coding control algorithm for motion picture coding accomplishing optimal assignment of coding distortion to time and space domains

In high‐efficient motion picture coding such as systems to compress moving image information below several 100 kbit/s, some visible spatial and temporal distortions are unavoidable. The spatial distortion is perceived by humans as a spatial degradation or noise on the image. On the other hand, the temporal distortion, which is caused by frame dropping, occurs as unnaturalness of motions in the processed image sequence. Here, spatial and temporal distortions are in a trade‐off relationship. Finding the visually best point from this trade‐off is a key feature of good codecs. This paper describes a newly developed coding control algorithm aimed at keeping spatial and temporal distortions in a good balance. In the algorithm, the trade‐off relationship is calculated first from generated information amount vs. the SNR characteristics of the current input frame. Next, an optimal distribution is determined from the viewpoint of human perception. Finally, a coding parameter set is chosen for realizing the distribution and reproduces visually good images. This paper shows the principal of the coding control algorithm and describes an application of the algorithm to an MC‐DCT coding system and simulation results.