An efficient contour-based algorithm for binary video shape coding

In this paper, an efficient contour-based coding algorithm is proposed to handle arbitrarily shape video objects in MPEG-4. The proposed algorithm is based on the powerfulness of differential chain code, which is well-known for its simplicity and high coding efficiency. We improve it by considering the repeating groups of symbols, and use a run length coding strategy to further reduce the coding redundancy. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has an excellent coding efficiency.