Page 66 - Video Coding for Mobile Communications Efficiency, Complexity, and Resilience

Chapter 3

Video Coding: Standards

3.1 Overview

This chapter gives a brief introduction to video coding standards. Section
3.2 highlights the need for video coding standards. Section 3.3 outlines the
chronological development of video coding standards, highlighting their main
techniques and targeted applications. The chapter then gives two examples of
the state-of-the-art video coding standards: Section 3.4 concentrates on H.263
(and its recent extensions: H.263+ and H.263++), whereas Section 3.5 de-
scribes MPEG-4.

3.2 The Need for Video Coding Standards

For the past 25 years or so, the e,cient coding of image and video sig-
nals has been the subject of considerable research. Over the years, the /eld
has matured and has become a key enabling technology for a wide range of
applications spanning a wide range of industries. This has moved the /eld
from being a purely academic research area to become a highly commer-
cial business. This increased commercial interest has ignited the e1orts of
international standardization of image and video coding. International stan-
dards enable image and video material from di1erent sources and industries
to be processed on di1erent hardware platforms, to be stored on di1erent
storage devices, and to be transmitted on di1erent communication networks.
This interoperability opens a huge market for video equipment and at the
same time gives consumers a wide range of services. International
standards also allow for large scale production at considerably reduced
costs.

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