A Stereo Image Coding Using Wavelet Based Quadtree and Binocular Rivalry

In this work, a new stereo image coding technique is proposed. The encoder takes into account the case of relatively different images, by reproducing the phenomenon of binocular rivalry. This approach integrates residual image coding with the disparity map. The latter is computed in the wavelet transform domain. The motivation behind using this transform lies in its similarity with some proprieties of the human visual system (HVS); Particularly, the decomposition in perceptual channels. Therefore, the usage of wavelet transform allows better preservation of visual quality. In order to estimate the disparity map, we used quadtree segmentation in each wavelet frequency band. This segmentation has the advantage of minimizing the entropy, and will allow to match the reference (left) image and the target (right) image. Dyadic squares in the subbands generate the residual image coded by using an arithmetic coder. The results, of the proposed method, are evaluated in comparison to state of the art methods, using the PSNR criteria.