ABSTRACT
Digital video has many advantages over analog video. However, when the video signal is represented in digital format, the bandwidth is expanded substantially. For example, a single frame in high-definition TV (HDTV) format (with a frame size of 1920 × 1250 pixels and a frame rate of 50 frame/sec) requires storage size of 57.6 mega bytes and a video source data rate of 2.88 Giga bits per sec (Gb/sec). A two-hour HDTV movie requires about 414 giga bytes. Even with a capable storage device, there is no existing technology which can transmit and process motion video at such a high speed. In order to alleviate the bandwidth problem while taking advantage of digital video, various video compression techniques have been developed. This chapter summarizes some of the key concepts and provides hardware designers with the basic knowledge involved in these commonly used video coding techniques.
