Low-Complexity Video Compression Combining Adaptive Multifoveation and Reuse of High-Resolution Information

The phenomenon of reduced spatial resolution perceived away from the point of gaze (foveation point) in a scene by the human visual system can be gainfully exploited in image and video compression. Interest has recently evolved from single foveation points to dynamic and multiple points of foveation, implementing which entails significantly increased complexity in the encoder. In this paper, a novel idea of efficiently combining adaptive multipoint foveation with salvaged high-resolution information for reuse in real-time video to maintain higher resolution in peripheral regions is proposed. The idea is implemented with a fast algorithm for multi-foveation processing, in conjunction with standard-compliant decoding. The new multi-foveation algorithm is integrated with the H.264/AVC standard for testing. Simulation results show a compression gain ranging from 2.25% to more than 11%, without degrading the perceived quality and PSNR and with minimal addition to the complexity of a standard uniform-resolution codec.